Happy October!

We hope the fall season is off to a great start! On campus, the BFR DeCal is in full swing, and we’ll be posting some magazine articles on our website soon. We’re excited to be back, and we already have two things to share with you this month. 

We’d like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to Peter Hong, whose short story “Golgori” (featured in Issue 44 of BFR)  was published in the 2026 Pushcart Best of the Small Presses collection! 

Peter Hong (AKA Memoira) is a Pushcart Prize–winning writer and drag artist from Koreatown, Los Angeles. Currently attending the creative writing MFA at Arizona State University, their poems play between the semantic and material dimensions of language. They are an emerging writer, with works awarded by the Pushcart, the 64th Swarthout Awards, and Spectrum Literary Journal. Their dream is to be the first crossdresser poet laureate of the United States.

We’re so proud to have such a wonderful story representing BFR in this collection! “Golgori” can be read on our website here. 

Lastly, we have a new art and short fiction submission opportunity!  

Calling all UC Berkeley student writers—come submit to our October Short Fiction and Art Contest! This year, our theme is transformation: the shift between seasons, the changes in life and the metamorphosis of bodies, or even transformation of a more monstrous type. (Or perhaps your transformation from slacker to academic weapon as midterms season closes in . . .)

We invite any UC Berkeley students (undergraduate or graduate) to submit previously unpublished short fiction or artwork to berkeleyfictionreview@gmail.com. Submissions are free and are limited to one per student per category (writing or art). Prizes will be $35 for first place, and $25 for honorable mentions. All stories will be featured on our online magazine, with the option of one story being selected for print in our annual publication. Please feel free to email berkeleyfictionreview@gmail.com with any questions! Submission instructions are on our website for your reference. 

Here’s to an October full of reading, writing, and submitting excellent short stories! 

Warmly, 

Sigrid Madzunkova Managing Editor