PUBLICATIONS
Welcome to my publications page where you can immerse yourself in a collection of flash fiction, intriguing flash memoirs, captivating poetry, and engaging short stories! Feel free to explore by clicking on the links below to delve into a world of vivid storytelling and artistic expression.
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
Fiction chapbook Of Love and Water
published with Appalachia Book Company
When Grace encounters the little horse at the market, she feels a connection. She’s come to western China to teach English — as far away from Kentucky as she possibly can get — but something about the horse reminds her of home, and she knows she has to help it. Adopting the horse stirs memories of her former life, and the man she left behind.
Told in a masterful braiding of past and present, Of Love and Water is a story of renewal from writer Elizabeth Burton. Burton brings her personal experience of living in western China to the story, sharing glimpses of Uyghur culture and language. Of Love and Water is a work of short fiction. 32 pages.
This book will ship on December 2nd.
Flash Fiction “To the Woman Talking to Her Therapist on Speaker at Waffle House”
In this genre-bending flash fiction, a chance encounter at a Waffle House becomes a kaleidoscope of possibilities. Through a series of "what-ifs" and parallel timelines, the narrator weaves a tapestry of connection and missed opportunities with a stranger. As overheard therapy sessions blend with imagined scenarios, the piece explores themes of relationships, self-discovery, and the invisible threads that bind us. With its innovative structure and poignant observations, this work challenges the boundaries between fiction, poetry, and visual storytelling, inviting readers to reflect on the myriad ways our lives could intersect—if only given the chance.
Flash Memoir “Water”
In this lyrical micro memoir, a calculus lesson becomes a gateway to a flood of memories and emotions. As mathematical concepts intertwine with personal history, the narrator navigates the complex equations of family dynamics, self-discovery, and the passage of time. Through vivid water imagery and nonlinear storytelling, the piece explores the fluid nature of memory and the powerful currents that shape our lives. This experimental work challenges the boundaries between memoir and poetry, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant meditation on growth, understanding, and the inexorable flow of time.
UPCOMING PUBLICATIONS
Flash memoir “Grief Writing” to appear in Mourning Pages: Working Through Grief the Write Way by Claudia Love Mair, published by Broadleaf Books, forthcoming fall, 2025.
This book is about writing your way through grief. My contribution is a story of what happened the morning after my father died and a discussion of how writing about it helped me work through some of the emotions associated with his death.
Poem “What We Learn in English 101” to appear in Porcupine Literary
This poem reflects on the life lessons students learn while they are also learning about comma placement and writing skills.
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS
“Dark but Never Red” (flash memoir) in Bending Genres
https://bendinggenres.com/dark-but-never-red/
This wry and slightly comedic look at funeral customs and family through the lens of one person’s experience will make you both laugh and cry.
“The Mortality of Giants” (flash memoir) in JMWW
This memoir explores the difficult moments between a procedure and a diagnosis through reflections on a possibly dead bird.
“For J. F. Dewar, Naturalist, Bird-Stuffer, and Importer of Fine Birds, 1892” (poem) in Still: The Journal
https://www.stilljournal.net/elizabeth-burton-poetrymemory.php
This narrative poem speaks to us from the imagined voice of J.F. Dewar’s wife, a woman who loves birds in their living form and despises her husband’s occupation.
“Dictionary Entry, Bear: For the Girl Who Killed My Father” (flash memoir) in Split Lip Magazine
A “hermit crab” memoir reflection on the events following my father’s death.
“Bluebird” (flash memoir) in genre2
https://www.genre2.org/issue2/elizabeth-burton.html
The dark story of how my mother came to collect glass bluebirds and how they ultimately helped her heal.
“Caving” (flash fiction) in formercactus
https://formercactus.wordpress.com/2018/12/01/caving-elizabeth-burton/
In this flash fiction piece, a woman deals with the dilemma of her husband losing his mind while remaining physically strong.
“Promiscuous” (flash fiction) in FlashBack Fiction
https://flashbackfiction.com/index.php/2018/11/19/promiscuous/
This flash fiction piece explores the historical fact of forced sterilization through the North Carolina Eugenics Board.
“Day and Night” (short story) in Crossing Class: The Invisible Wall anthology (print)
A short story exploring the attitudes toward the Uyghur population in China by the Han Chinese.
“At the Tomb of the Fragrant Concubine” (short story) in The MacGuffin (print)
When a Uyghur girl and a Han Chinese boy fall in love, chaos ensues.
Water, USA” (flash fiction/nonfiction hybrid) in Ellipsis Zine’s Three (print)
A flash fiction piece on the state of clean water across the United States.
“On a Tightrope” (short story) in Valparaiso Fiction Review
https://scholar.valpo.edu/vfr/vol7/iss2/7/
The story of a Uyghur tightrope walker who follows his dreams, but at what cost?
“Cary Grant on Hole Mountain” (short story) in Twisted Vine Literary Arts Journal (print, but available online), page 171
When a young Uyghur filmmaker obsessed with Cary Grant goes on a field trip with an American woman to a local Uyghur national attraction, he tries to inhabit his idol’s screen character. What will the American make of his advances?
“Forgotten Names” (short story) in The Louisville Review (print)
The lyrical story of a young Uyghur man who uncovers a terrible secret about his community.
“An Unlikely Friend” (flash fiction) in Flash Fiction for Flash Memory anthology (print)
Two very unlike women form a friendship.
“Creakings” (short story) in Chautauqua (print)
A woman deals with the aftermath of her daughter’s death and the threat of losing her marriage.
“The Birds and the Wind” (short story) in Roanoke Review
https://www.roanokereview.org/the-birds-and-the-wind
An American woman goes to China to escape heartbreak and is entranced by an orphan girl who is a gifted tightroper.
“Message” (short story) in Eunoia Review
https://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/2016/01/01/message/
When a young widow finds out she is pregnant with her dead husband’s baby, she goes in search of a message from him to tell her what to do next.
Flash memoir “How to Return a Relationship” to appear in Does it Have Pockets?
https://www.doesithavepockets.com/cnf/elizabeth-burton
This “hermit crab” flash memoir is a witty look at relationships and breakups through the format of a return form.
Fiction chapbook Of Love and Water
published with Appalachia Book Company
https://www.appalachiabook.co/store/p/of-love-and-water
In the ancient city of Kashgar, Grace, an American English teacher, finds an unexpected path to healing through an abused horse she impulsively rescues. As she navigates life in China, memories of a complex relationship from her past in Kentucky intertwine with her present, culminating in a moment of crisis that shakes her world—literally and figuratively. "Of Love and Water" is a poignant tale of love, loss, and renewal, set against the backdrop of two vastly different cultures united by the timeless human need for connection.
Flash Fiction “To the Woman Talking to Her Therapist on Speaker at Waffle House”
https://www.southfloridapoetryjournal.com/flash-35-nov-24.html
In this genre-bending flash fiction, a chance encounter at a Waffle House becomes a kaleidoscope of possibilities. Through a series of "what-ifs" and parallel timelines, the narrator weaves a tapestry of connection and missed opportunities with a stranger. As overheard therapy sessions blend with imagined scenarios, the piece explores themes of relationships, self-discovery, and the invisible threads that bind us. With its innovative structure and poignant observations, this work challenges the boundaries between fiction, poetry, and visual storytelling, inviting readers to reflect on the myriad ways our lives could intersect—if only given the chance.
Flash Memoir “Water”
https://www.goodriverreview.com/post/elizabeth-burton
In this lyrical micro memoir, a calculus lesson becomes a gateway to a flood of memories and emotions. As mathematical concepts intertwine with personal history, the narrator navigates the complex equations of family dynamics, self-discovery, and the passage of time. Through vivid water imagery and nonlinear storytelling, the piece explores the fluid nature of memory and the powerful currents that shape our lives. This experimental work challenges the boundaries between memoir and poetry, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant meditation on growth, understanding, and the inexorable flow of time.
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