Tuesday, August 1, 2023

August 2023 Update: Yay! They're Here! Is Here

Scheduled for release today by Dead Fish Books is Yay! They’re Here!, a collection of first contact stories. My short story “A Subtle Form of Combat” is included in the anthology. The idea for “A Subtle Form of Combat” was sparked a few years ago at a writers’ group meeting. We were talking about something—I can’t remember what, exactly—and the question, I wonder what aliens would think of hockey? popped into my head. I was glad “A Subtle Form of Combat” found a home in this collection.

A second piece of good news: each year, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (SFPA) issues poetry anthologies for short (“Dwarf Stars”) and longer (“Rhysling Award”) poems. These anthologies serve as the basis for SFPA members to vote on the outstanding poems of the year in each category. I am happy to say that I had two poems, “The Changing Face of Fear” and “[mission to Titan]” included in the 2023 Dwarf Stars Anthology, and one poem, “First Contact,” included in the 2023 Rhysling Anthology. I always consider it an honour to make it into one of these annual anthologies, so getting into both is a bonus.

Recent Publications

Poetry:
“And Then There Were None,” Triangulation: Seven-Day Weekend, Parsec Ink.

“The Changing Face of Fear” and “[mission to Titan],” 2023 Dwarf Stars Anthology, Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

“First Contact,” 2023 Rhysling Anthology, Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

[thunder roars], Spaceports and Spidersilk, June 2023, Hiraeth Publishing

“Till Next, Nichelle,” Lorelei Signal, July-September 2023. This poem was inspired by a news story about Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols passing away. https://www.loreleisignal.com/till-next-nichelle

Reviews:
100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife by  Ken Jennings, posted on The Miramichi Reader website July 31, 2023 https://miramichireader.ca/2023/07/100-places-to-see-after-you-die-by-ken-jennings/

Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins: Inside Early Baseball in Illinois by Robert D. Sampson, posted on the Sports Literature Association’s book review site July 23, 2023, https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2023/07/23/ballists-dead-beats-and-muffins-inside-early-baseball-in-illinois-by-robert-d-sampson/

Green Islands: Poems From the Great Bear Rainforest, by Ian Thomas, posted on The Miramichi Reader website, July 17, 2023. https://miramichireader.ca/2023/07/green-islands-poems-from-the-great-bear-rainforest-by-ian-thomas/

The Sibyl, by Hamant Singh, Star*Line 46.3, Summer, 2023.

Twelve All in Dread: The Twelfth Witch and Other Stories, by Juliana Rew, posted on Goodreads July 24, 2023, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123193306-twelve-all-in-dread

Women’s American Football: Breaking Barriers On and Off the Gridiron, by Russ Crawford, posted on the Sports Literature Association’s book review site July 22, 2023, https://sportliteratureassociation.wordpress.com/2023/07/22/womens-american-football-breaking-barriers-on-and-off-the-gridiron-by-russ-crawford/

Short Stories:
“The Price of Remembering,” Shelter of Daylight July 2023, Hiraeth Publishing.

What I’m Working On
More book reviews in process, as well as some humor pieces.