Issue 283
May-August 2026

A note from our publisher: Kevin Morgan Watson, Press 53

Welcome to Issue 283 of Prime Number Magazine, where we celebrate distinctive writing in poetry, short fiction, and flash nonfiction. Each of our issues are numbered using a prime number, “an integer other than 0 or ± 1 that is not divisible without remainder by any other integers except ± 1 and ± the integer itself ” (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary). Our first offering on July 17, 2010, was Issue 2, the number 2 being the first prime number and the only even prime number. We chose July 17 because 7 (July) is a prime number as is 17. We could have waited until 2011 (also a prime number), but Clifford Garstang and I worked for months designing and organizing this online journal and were anxious and giddy about getting this party started. And what a party it has been. Last year, Prime Number Magazine was awarded its second Pushcart Prize for “One Writer Against Oblivion” by Mark Brazaitis; our first Pushcart Prize was courtesy of “Brace Yourself” by Leslie Jill Patterson in 2017. We are looking forward to a few more Pushcart Prizes.

In this issue you will find the winners of our free, monthly 53-Word Story Contest for January, February, March, and April; flash nonfiction selected by Shuly Xóchitl Cawood; poetry selected by guest poetry editor Adrian Rice; and short stories by guest short fiction editor Nahal Suzanne Jamir.

But first, this important message. . .