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

150+ Creative nonfiction Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. The creative nonfiction stories on this page deliver exactly what it says on the tin: true stories told in weird and wonderful ways.

Creative nonfiction Short Stories – Page 5 of 10

Under the Drain

Submitted to Contest #308

There was only one real memory I could recall happening before that day I set my parent’s house on fire. In fact, it wasn’t a memory at all. It was a dream.I always believed that dreams were a way of sorting out the mess of information in our heads so we can make better sense of things. In the mundane world of an adult, our dreams can never compete with the ones we had as kids. Perhaps the reason we dream with such intensity has a bit to do with how incredibly out of touch we are with our own bodies. While we are still getting to know oursel...

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The Secret Society's Secretary

Submitted to Contest #307

Today is my day.I have to make it my day. I will hold my head up high, strut my stuff, and show them what I’ve got. I’m ready to prove myself. This new job is exactly what I needed, and I need to show them I’ll work hard. First day on the job, and I’ll be taking minutes for the meeting. The company holds a meeting every week with all board members and managers. “Good morning, everyone.” The only color on the CEO is the red on her lips. Her hair, suit, and earrings—all white. She looks like the Snow Queen. Chairs scrape against the boardroom ...

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Float On

Submitted to Contest #307

Float On by Robert S. Chew IV The keg broke loose from someone’s grip and rolled out across the street like it had a mind of its own. It hit the curb, jumped a little, and disappeared into the sand like it belonged there. Nobody yelled. Nobody ran after it. One guy — shirtless, hair like dried kelp — jogged behind it with a half-smile, but the thing already knew where it was going. That’s how it was here. Everything had a rhythm. Even the chaos knew the choreography. I was standing on the corner — same one I used to wait on for rides that n...

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Lost and found in a world of opportunity and regret

Submitted to Contest #307

The wind whipped up long Welsh grass on ground about five hundred meters high, and hissed vipers among wind chime leaves of thick oaks and sycamores three miles from Knighton on the ancient Offa’s Dyke path (welsh: Cladd Offa) towards Shropshire, following the Clun river to Bishop’s castle and Montgomery. The path which was forged in the 8th century during the reign of the Saxon King Offa roughly follows the border between England and Wales, although some say it is the ‘actual’ border. Who was Offa? Why did he order the structure, which the ...

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For the Noble Cause

Submitted to Contest #307

They had nothing. One morning, Sara would look for work in the dhopa ghat, where she and her mother would wash clothes for the richer people in their village.Sara was six and a half years old. Her brother Ali would go ragpicking with his father. He was four years old. One day Ali found a snow globe. He brought it home to show it to Sara. They enjoyed watching the fake drops of snow sprinkling as they rotated the snow globe and Sara clapped as she saw it. "I'll become a big businessman when I grow up," Ali used to say. "Then we'll want for no...

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SNAP, CRACKLE AND POP

Submitted to Contest #307

Snap, Crackle and Pop This is a bit of an affect that is spinning into an, effect. It’s a roller coaster that is up and down and all over, the place(s). It’s all about the letters.I talked to Candy today about the picture box for Jenny. There were quite a few scattered pics. Jennifer’s side of the family, that is partially mine too. Like pics of grandma and grandpa. My grandfather liked photography. There are a lot of negatives. They are separated in different envelopes marked with the place and date. My grandparents traveled after my grandf...

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"HOW DID HE SAY I WOULD GO ON WITHOUT YOU?"

Submitted to Contest #306

"HOW DID HE SAY I WOULD GO ON WITHOUT YOU?" Text message From: JamesTo: HelenDate: May 3, 2025/7:03 PM Hi Helen, I just wanted to know if you remember something I seem to have forgotten. I remember the courtroom air so vividly, there was silence all around, could have heard the drop of a pin. And then the Judge made his pronouncement of 'irreconcilable differences' in a loud and brisk tone. I could only stare at nothing while you had your eyes on the floor, as the gavel echoed like thunder in a closed room. Oh yes, I clearly remember all o...

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Until We Meet Again

Submitted to Contest #306

June 9, 2025 – Journal Entry In one month, it will be four years. Four years since you got sick. Four years since I last heard your voice. Four years since I ignored your calls—too many times to count. Oh, how I wish I could go back! How I wish I would’ve picked up the phone instead of saying, “I’ll call her back later.” Today is one of those days. I need you. I need to hear your voice. I’ve already processed your death. I’ve grieved your loss. But your absence is like being underwater without an air tank. No matter how much time passes, I s...

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Text Talk about Life, Loss, Love, and Leaving this World

Submitted to Contest #306

Text Talk about Life, Loss, Love, and Leaving this World Moms:I'm sad to lose Sue but happy she had a mild passing. She put her head on her son Paul's shoulder, smiled a tear, and then went to be with her loved ones – her husband, two sisters, parents, and others… Just as I will joyfully unite with mine, albeit not wanting to leave so soon…I will watch from afar and patiently wait with family, friends, and others. Think of me just in the other room and live your lives fully, cheerfully, with Love.Always & 4everXxx Nini Moms Kit:I know ...

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Recipe for WOW: Writing Off Wounds

Submitted to Contest #306

Recipe For WOW: Writing Off WoundsFamily wounds cut deep. If not treated they fester and may never heal. How are these wounds created and how can they ever hope to be written off and forgotten? Here is an old family recipe not recommended to be followed:Start with an elderly man, not quite at his expiration date, finely aged to the point of crotchety. Make sure he is left alone a lot to pursue his own interests. These interests usually involve tinkering with his antique vehicles. Best if he has been neglecting his health.Stir in plenty of gr...

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2025 Geriatric Marvel Award Acceptance Speech

Submitted to Contest #306

“It is with great honor that I accept this Geriatric Marvel Award. I know so many of us have struggled through what seems like a lifetime of hardships and prayers just to get to this point. Something that comes so easily to others became such a daunting task for us. Analyzing yourself day in and day out wondering why you can’t simply be ‘normal.’ Hating your body for not doing what it was naturally created to do. I want you to know that I see you. The world sees you and you’re not alone. Motherhood is within your grasps! I remember playing ...

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Crushed teenager on a bed of tears with white wine reduction and chocolate swirl.

Submitted to Contest #306

Crushed teenager on a bed of tears with white wine reduction and chocolate swirl. Ingredients:Mixture of vinylMelange of hair and beauty productsA la carte of black outfitsMise en place of makeup and brushesMedley of Jewellery5 inch Winklepicker stilettosAssortment of alcoholic beverages1 packet of 10 Embassy number 1 Julienne of Swan Vesta 25 squirts of Anais Anais Method:1) Heat crimping irons to 230 degrees.2) Turn on Amstrad HiFi system, place 12 inch version of Transvision Vamp’s ‘Baby I Don’t Care,’ on turntable. With steady hand, appl...

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How to Bake Sourdough Bread and Alienate Everyone You Know

Shortlisted for Contest #306 ⭐️

Are you stressed out? Strapped for time? About three to five minor inconveniences away from total burnout?Now is the perfect time for you to start baking sourdough bread.Maybe you’re short-staffed at work, you’re house-training a new puppy, or one of the kids has the stomach bug and your washing machine smells vaguely of cheese curds. It could be any combination of internal or external life stressors that has convinced you that you are now the kind of person who bakes from-scratch, gut-friendly, personality-transforming sourdough bread.If th...

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I Didn’t Survive to Be Silent

Submitted to Contest #307

I didn't claw my way out of morphine-soaked comas and sterile white rooms where machines beeped louder than voices just to smile politely and shrink myself into something people could swallow without choking. I didn't drag this stitched-up body through nightmares and nosy prayers just to smooth my edges. I didn't survive to be palatable. I survived to tell you what it feels like when your birthplace gets erased from the map, when borders are redrawn with blood and bureaucracy, and your name, once whispered over lullabies and birthday cakes, ...

34 likes 36 comments 36
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A Greek Pizza Dough in its 30s (Work in Progress)

Submitted to Contest #306

An ever-changing recipe by G. Michalis Papadopoulos. Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flourHalf a packet of active dry yeast1 tsp of honey1 cup of lukewarm waterSalt (to taste)1-2 tsps extra virgin olive oilSpices, to your liking. I use:- A pinch of MSG- Two dashes of gyros seasoning- One dash of nutritional yeast Preparation Time: It took me 10 years to reach this stage.Oh, to make the dough, you ask? Around 30’-45’, then 1 to 7 days resting in the fridge; the longer it rests, the more it develops a characteristic sourdough taste. Yield: ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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