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Looking for a steady supply of african american short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

810+ African american Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Whether you want to read about African American author's hopes and resilience or their unique struggles, you'll find what you're looking for here.

African american Short Stories – Page 52 of 55

He came back

Submitted to Contest #65

                                  HE CAME BACK                                  A SHORT STORY                    &n...

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Mary and jerry:spending one knight at graveyard

Submitted to Contest #65

do youyou think its true?Mary asked while jerry kissing her cheeks They're in inside a camp tent not far from the old lady's grave,painted in orange with a lot of balloons around it flying around like someone is playing with them.marry hears footsteps coming towards the tent and a shadow,as soon as the shadow reaches the tent she screams"oh jesus what now"?jerry asks marry while stopping to kiss her. She points at the shadow at back of jerry,when he turns he's head around the door's tent is opened by the security man"oh how can we help y...

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SUPREME

Submitted to Contest #65

Chapter one Lagos, Sunday, March 11 "What does it matter what he looks like?" Mary tyson said into the phone, looking like hell the dark, primal lust drumming through her veins didn't bleed into her voice. She frowned absently at her control's odd question as she shifted the compact sat phone between chin and shoulder, and the binocs left an inch for a better view. A logos street and a shit load of swirling fog separated the two apartment windows. The lights over here were off. The lights over there weren't. Desire tightened her body and clo...

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Canis Major

Submitted to Contest #64

It only just now hit me how much this park has been a part of my life. My family has lived in the same neighborhood for my entire life. The picnic is taking place right on the field that I used to play Little League soccer on. I’m standing off to the side a short distance away from everyone else, where one of the goals would go. Specifically the goal that I was tasked with guarding in a particularly heated game about twelve or thirteen years ago. The only reason I chose to play goalie was because it involved the least amount of running aroun...

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the rescue

Submitted to Contest #64

I really don't remember when the fire started, but i remember coughing. I could feel someone carrying me to my bedroom window. When I came to I was in the hospital. My parents hadn't been home when the fire started. The investigators found out that the electrical system in the house was the cause. All I wanted was to find who saved me. How did they know I was there? I didn't have any burns, but I had to stay overnight for observation. of course my parents were devastated. Everything they had worked for was in that house. So many pictures, an...

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Haunted With Love

Submitted to Contest #64

“Did you hear that?” Bella asked her best friend and cousin, Ethel. “What?” I didn’t hear anything. Ethel said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. “You can’t tell me that you didn’t hear that loud noise. It sounded like a big bang. Like someone was banging on the door.”  “Bella, I honestly didn’t hear anything. I think that you are just creeped out because we are here.” Ethel responded The house on 1620 Josephina Avenue. Now sat empty with the exception of the girls being there now. It was once a home filled with love, laughter, ...

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Honey and Spice

Submitted to Contest #63

Sweat forms on my brow. My skin was exposed to the sun, and even with the cool air, it was still scorching. I lift my eyes to block the peaking light from the trees. The fiery leaves of the board tree in front of me ruffles. A few leaves part from the branches, drifting off in the wind. My eyes lock with amber ones. I drop the basket I held and round, ripen apples roll on the dirt ground. ¨Atlas!¨ My head snaps to an angry, older woman. Her face was sunken, her lips pursed as her arms were crossed. The lines on her forehead deepened. Her...

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All the Colored Leaves

Submitted to Contest #63

Trouble. It was a word that followed me from birth. That echoed in the halls of school. That seemed to exude from my dark black skin and the way kids would look at me like I were an enigma. A problem. Trouble. It was the inexorable weight placed on a young black girl’s shoulders by a society of expectations. A Georgetown study calls this the adultifaction of young black girls finding that “girls as young as 5 need less protection and nurturing than their white peers” which itself is linked to higher standards and harsher treatment. In a ...

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THE JOURNEY WITHOUT LUCY.

Submitted to Contest #63

Lucy woke up to the sound of birds early morning, stretching and smiling through the brighter sun. she pull up the curtains and saw numerous birds feeding on the grass not far from her backyard farm. Lucy walked up to the birds and tried getting one as a pet, unfortunately she slipped and fell. Her neighbour's children giggle and chuckled at her.  One of the children walked up to Lucy and said, would you love to keep one? She nodded and said yes, would like to keep one as a pet, I wouldn't mind if you offer a help.maybe your friends...

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The ghost who wanted a home

Submitted to Contest #64

The Ghost Who wanted a home Nicole jalonen  in honour of black lives mattering A woman dressed in white with blonde hair ran down a dirt path carrying a crying infant girl in one hand and a lantern in the other. She was a African American women who had to obey a white family who were very wealthy. Not only did she race through the foggy stormy night with her crying infant but she carried with her scars from whips and a dark secret she knew she would be beaten for if her mistress caught her. She could hear her pursuers right beh...

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Boarding school in Newport Vermont

Submitted to Contest #64

  The year was 1964 And I was nine years old. My parents and I got into our old station wagon for the very long 12 Hour drive to Newport,Vermont. my parents had decided to send me to Catholic boarding school because I was being bullied at the local public school. It was during segregation and both my parents were very political and thought that sending their nine-year-old to Vermont would help integrate. When we arrived in the town we saw there was one Woolworths, one hotel, and one diner. We got out of the car and everyone in the stree...

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Color envy

Submitted to Contest #63

Color EnvyWritten by Marcie Van Cleave “By the time I stepped outside the leaves were on fire.” They were brilliant colors of red, yellow, orange,with tinges of green. The sights were impressive, and the familiar smells brought a new definition to Autumn in my mind. I gazed upon the sunset as a tear ran down my cheek, a flood of emotions found their way to my insides as my stomach flipped and my heart raced. The sky was a beautiful assortment of blues to grey with brushstrokes of pinks smeared into orange that set so brilliantly. How could I...

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Apple Pickers

Submitted to Contest #63

Alex Ramirez Apple Pickers One day on a sunny afternoon a kid named Bill went to school in a very happy mood because a special toy his mother has gotten for him has finally come in it is called the “Robot Blaster.” On the way to school in the early morning Bill sat in the backseat fidgeting with the toy like his life depended on it. His mother said” Billy are you having fun back there?”  Billy replied” Yes mom but this toy is just so cool looking and amazing to play with.” They approved the school zone where it says slow down...

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It's Sweet

Submitted to Contest #63

"I think it's sweet." peyton said suddenly out of the blue. "what is?!" I asked anxiously and curiously. "that your family takes care of the apple orchard in town." He answered while examining a pink lady apple. "oh." I let my shoulders drop in disappointment. We continued picking apples quietly for a bit, but then I had the urge to break the silence. "I am thankful really.""who said you weren't?" silence. "you must think this is funny don't you?""what's there to laugh at? you love apples.""yes but not more than I love baking.'' Peyton then ...

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a shot gun and an apple tree

Submitted to Contest #63

His dark brown eyes looking into my soul as his soft lips brushed against mine. I looked up, as he stood over the top of me, he told me “I love you”... Love? Did he love me? Or did he love the features and curves of my body? Did he love the thought of showing me off or did he love the inside of me that cannot be touched? I looked at him and replied “I love you too” knowing I wasn’t sure if it was a truth or a short response to break the awkward silence. As I got into the passenger seat of my sister’s car those words couldn’t leave my head. A...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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