17th International Conference on the Short Story in English

Welcome to the registration page for the 17th International Conference of the Short Story in English 2025, which will take place in INEC, Killarney, Co. Kerry from

17 to 21 June 2025.

The first International Conference on the Short Story in English was held at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1988, after which it has convened every other year over the past three decades. The year 2025 will be the 17th meeting. The goal of the conference is to promote the short story, provide a forum for emerging and established writers to showcase their works, and to encourage the further development of the short story form. In the years since its inception, the conference has become a well-respected literary forum, drawing a distinguished array of writers and scholars from all over the world, including Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Robert Olen Butler, James McPherson and Richard Ford, Margaret Atwood, Bharati Mukjerjee, Amy Tan, Amiri Baraka, Leslie Marmon Silko, Francine Prose, and Li Ang. At this year's meeting, writers and scholars from around the globe will be exploring the rich, multifold significances of the geographic, political, social, cultural, and linguistic aspects of "How it Works: The Uniqueness of the Short Story."

About The Conference

The 2025 conference will focus on the craft of writing both short stories and creative non-fiction in its various forms and designs as well as its accompanying criticism and scholarship. Special panels include teaching creative writing, the art and craft of writing short stories, studying the craft in schools and tertiary institutions, children’s literature, young adult fiction, the art of translating works into English from another language, and the impact of various cultures on the genre are just a few of the topics we will discuss. A list of topics are provided as suggestions, but all participants may choose their own topic for presentation.

The goal of the conference is to promote the short story, provide a forum for emerging and established writers to showcase their works, and to encourage the further development of the short story form. The conference theme is "How it Works: The Uniqueness of the Short Story.".

Please submit your abstract below.

All persons wishing to give a paper at the conference, including all members of pre-arranged panels, must submit a 300-500-word abstract for approval. Individual papers should be scheduled for 20 minutes.

Dr. Jay Ruud JRuud@retired.uca.edu, the Program Director, screens all proposals and abstracts, issues acceptances, and arranges the presentations on the program.  He will form panels to accommodate papers not included in pre-arranged groups. Please submit all proposals and abstracts by 10 January 2025, via the online SUBMISSION FORM.

By submitting an abstract, authors give permission for it to be published on the conference web site and in the printed conference booklet.

Only registrants may present papers or organize or moderate panels. Final acceptance hinges on registration.

Submission Topics

Suggested Topics: (Please note that these topics are only suggestions. Participants may submit a topic of their own for use. Also, it is not necessary for the participant to write a paper on the conference theme. The theme is for the overall encumbrance of the conference, not for the major focus. Please check with the Program Director if you have any problems, questions, or concerns.)

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Please submit your topic from the suggested list above or submit a topic of your own.