Missed Connections: Microfiction from Asia

by Jenny Faith Koh, Felix Cheong, Noelle Q. de Jesus

Missed Connections is a buffet of contemporary microfiction ― literary and graphic ― from across Asia. The book delivers fiction in small, delectable and entirely substantial bites, because whether we like it or not, the average contemporary reader has limited time and a diminished attention span due to the immense sprawl of content at her fingertips and the nature of everyday life itself.

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2024

About the author

Jenny Faith Koh, known as Jenny Faith, is a writer, educator and mental health advocate from Singapore. Her work has appeared at the Singapore Writers Festival, Carnival of Poetry, in The Lumiere Review, Missed Connections: Microfiction from Asia (Marshall Cavendish) and elsewhere. She was a moderator at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) in 2023 and co-hosted a book launch there in 2025. She co-founded the mental health podcast I Feel Fine Really. She also teaches English and creative writing.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection of ultra-short stories (under 300 words) and one page graphic stories. Thought-provoking and insightful. I read them mostly on the bus.

[Apollos Michio · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this era of short TikTok videos and news articles, how can the literary scene not catch up with the times and produce its own microfiction? 🤳

Featuring works with less than 300 words and illustrations not exceeding a page, this compilation of very short stories from Asia serves as a tapestry of voices that encapsulate what it feels like to be living in contemporary society. 🌏

Like a multifaceted kaleidoscope, these ultra-short works reflect and refract the humour, heartbreak and beauty of such living. It is challenging to summarise the diverse stories with their different perspectives and stylistic creativity. Read them, and discover the many connections you might have with the text and images! 🔗

3.75/5

P.S. I have written a much longer review for this book which will tentatively be published next year, so stay tuned! 😊

[Mx. Andy Feje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad to have bought this book during our travel in Thailand (Bangkok Kinokuniya). It’s nice to find Filipino authors in bookstores overseas. My partner and I loved the book. I particularly enjoyed the stories that explore Asian culture and traditions, such as “Birdsong” and “The Ghost Marriage,” as well as the gendered and queer stories like “Breast” and “Velvet.” I hope to read more microfiction anthologies in the future.

[LW · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars, maybe 2.5 except I pity my wallet for spending 22 dollars on this! I found a grand total of 5/200 stories that were relatively well-written. call me shallow or whatever but I found literally no meaning in 70% of the comics. disappointing read