#fiyah magazine

[zekethefreak]

My latest novelette: ANANSI MOON in FIYAH Magazine!

Ladies and gentlemen, issue #32 of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction is now available! Inside you’ll find my story, ANANSI MOON. Please purchase a copy of an award-winning publication and help support some amazing authors. I’m extremely proud to be a part of this and eternally grateful for your support! https://fiyahlitmag.com/shop/issues/2024-issues/fiyah-32-spacefaring-aunties

[mrsjdavis]

Thank you! AWESOME STORY!!!

I guess the thing about Godzilla is that it represents a massive national trauma which eviscerated nature and the human soul, but the USA versions fall somewhere on the spectrum between "vaguely about 9/11 or recent natural disaster" and "giant monster smashy smash." I think that stems from trying to conceptualize Godzilla as representing a particular and isolated instance of disaster and translate that into something of a similar nature in the USA.

But the real deep down soul death and national trauma in the USA isn't anything recent, you can't point out something uniquely bad like an atomic bomb. Really the kaiju for the USA needs to be symbolic of how this whole place is an infinite recursive system of devouring its population, starting from colonization and going right up through to the present day. The crucial difference is that if a kaiju was to represent the deep, unhealed, and still bleeding scar at the heart of the nation, it has to by definition be some ancient dead thing which rises on the anguish of everyone consumed in the name of this country and burns it into the ground. There's not an easy way to make a USAmerican kaiju because the only way to do so accurately means the kaiju has to be the protagonist, and ultimately has to show how much the people in the USA are unified when the hyperwealthy and our government are destroyed.

Who is gonna make that?

[ilikereadingactually]

Magazine highlights: FIYAH Issue 29, Winter 2024

you can tell how far behind i've gotten in my magazine reading because i'm still working my way through issues from LAST WINTER, but i've been so looking forward to diving into FIYAH! every work here was incredible, but these two are my particular favorites:

"Kiss of Life" - P.C. Verrone

premise: angels—of a sort—pick up an enslaved young girl and make her their translator as they travel from place to place..."building bridges."

gut reaction: holy shit! i've come away from this one bleeding internally. the voice and the progress of the plot are both so compelling, and then the slow horror of what's happening starts to dawn, and both the text and the allegory stab you right in the chest. stunning.

"D.E.I. (Death, Eternity, and Inclusion)" - N. Romaine White

premise: a freshly turned vampire is called to the office of the head of the clan, who makes her an offer.

gut reaction: sharp and hilarious! i would read a whole novel about Carolyn and her new role in undead society. what a glorious callout of corporate racism! and also each character is beautifully clear and distinct, a real challenge in short fiction.

for real though, an exciting range of styles and emotions to be had in this issue, and it's short enough to read in a sitting (even though i did not manage to read it in a sitting whoops).

[ktempestbradford]

Hi hello may I introduce you to the IGNYTE Awards, if you don't know about them?

In the fiction categories, Tor does not dominate. And there are a wide range of categories, including best poetry, a critics award, creative nonfiction, podcasts, artists, comic creators, and more.

Anyone can vote on their favorite nominees until June 30th (only a few days from now)!

On a related note, the Carl Brandon Society is always looking for more jurors for the Parallax and Kindred Awards. You get to be part of deciding who goes on the shortlist as well as who wins.

All respect to the Locus Award Winners but I am increasingly convinced we need to start having speculative fiction awards where Tor and any Tor publications are completely excluded, because they always sweep every award, and their middling and mediocre work gets more recognition than the smaller magazines and newer authors that can be just as if not more creative and interesting but get no mention at all.

[fiercynn]

poetry outlets that support a free palestine

after finding out that the poetry foundation/POETRY magazine pulled a piece that discussed anti-zionism because they "don't want to pick a side" during the current genocide, i decided to put together a list of online outlets who are explicitly in solidarity with palestine where you can read (english-language) poetry, including, except where otherwise stated, by palestinian poets!

my criteria for this is not simply that they have published palestinian poets or pro-palestine statements in the past; i only chose outlets that, since october 7, 2023, have done one of the following:

published a solidarity statement against israeli occupation & genocide

signed onto the open letter for writers against the war on gaza and/or the open letter boycotting the poetry foundation

published content that is explicitly pro-palestine or anti-zionist, including poetry that explicitly deals with israeli occupation & genocide

shared posts that are pro-palestine on their social media accounts

fyi this is undoubtedly a very small sample. also some of these sites primarily feature nonfiction or short stories, but they do all publish poetry.

outlets that focus entirely on palestinian or SWANA (southwest asia and north africa) literature

we are not numbers, a palestinian youth-led project to write about palestinian lives

arab lit, a magazine for arabic literature in translation that is run by a crowd-funded collective

sumuo, an arab magazine, platform, and community (they appear to have a forthcoming palestine special print issue edited by leena aboutaleb and zaina alsous)

mizna, a platform for contemporary SWANA (southwest asian & north africa) lit, film, and art

the markaz review, a literary arts publication and cultural institution that curates content and programs on the greater middle east and communities in diaspora

online magazines who have published special issues of all palestinian writers (and all of them publish palestinian poets in their regular issues too)

fiyah literary magazine in december 2021, edited by nadia shammas and summer farah (if you have $6 usd to spare, proceeds from the e-book go to medical aid for palestinians)

strange horizons in march 2021, edited by rasha abdulhadi

the baffler in june 2021, curated by poet/translators fady joudah & lena khalaf tuffaha

the markaz review has two palestine-specific issues, on gaza and on palestinians in israel, currently free to download

literary hub featured palestinian poets in 2018 for the anniversary of the 1948 nakba

adi magazine, who have shifted their current (october 2023) issue to be all palestinian writers

outlets that generally seem to be pro-palestine/publish pro-palestine pieces and palestinian poetry

protean magazine (here's their solidarity statement)

poetry online (offering no-fee submissions to palestinian writers)

sundog lit (offering no-fee submissions to palestinian writers through december 1, 2023)

guernica magazine (here's a twitter thread of palestinian poetry they've published) guernica ended up publishing a zionist piece so fuck them too

split this rock (here's their solidarity statement)

the margins by the asian-american writers' workshop

the offing magazine

rusted radishes

voicemail poems

jewish currents

the drift magazine

asymptote

the poetry project

ctrl + v journal

the funambulist magazine

n+1 magazine (signed onto the open letter and they have many pro-palestine articles, but i'm not sure if they have published palestinian poets specifically)

hammer & hope (signed onto the letter but they are a new magazine only on their second issue and don't appear to have published any palestinian poets yet)

if you know others, please add them on!

[thaoworra]

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association recently released the poems that made it to the finalist stage for consideration for the 2024 Rhysling Awards for Short and Long Speculative Poems of the year. Congratulations to all of the nominees! This will be the 46th year these awards have been conferred!

Short Poems (50 finalists)

Attn: Prime Real Estate Opportunity!, Emily Ruth Verona, Under Her Eye: A Women in Horror Poetry Collection Volume II

The Beauty of Monsters, Angela Liu, Small Wonders 1

The Blight of Kezia, Patricia Gomes, HWA Poetry Showcase X

The Day We All Died, A Little, Lisa Timpf, Radon 5

Deadweight, Jack Cooper, Propel 7

Dear Mars, Susan L. Lin, The Sprawl Mag 1.2

Dispatches from the Dragon's Den, Mary Soon Lee, Star*Line 46.2

Dr. Jekyll, West Ambrose, Thin Veil Press December

First Eclipse: Chang-O and the Jade Hare, Emily Jiang, Uncanny 53

Five of Cups Considers Forgiveness, Ali Trotta, The Deadlands 31

Gods of the Garden, Steven Withrow, Spectral Realms 19

The Goth Girls' Gun Gang, Marisca Pichette, The Dread Machine 3.2

Guiding Star, Tim Jones, Remains to be Told: Dark Tales of Aotearoa, ed. Lee Murray (Clan Destine Press)

Hallucinations Gifted to Me by Heatstroke, Morgan L. Ventura, Banshee 15

hemiplegic migraine as willing human sacrifice, Ennis Rook Bashe, Eternal Haunted Summer Winter Solstice

Hi! I am your Cortical Update!, Mahaila Smith, Star*Line 46.3

How to Make the Animal Perfect?, Linda D. Addison, Weird Tales 100

I Dreamt They Cast a Trans Girl to Give Birth to the Demon, Jennessa Hester, HAD October

Invasive, Marcie Lynn Tentchoff, Polar Starlight 9

kan-da-ka, Nadaa Hussein, Apparition Lit 23

Language as a Form of Breath, Angel Leal, Apparition Lit October

The Lantern of September, Scott Couturier, Spectral Realms 19

Let Us Dream, Myna Chang, Small Wonders 3

The Magician's Foundling, Angel Leal, Heartlines Spec 2

The Man with the Stone Flute, Joshua St. Claire, Abyss & Apex 87

Mass-Market Affair, Casey Aimer, Star*Line 46.4

Mom's Surprise, Francis W. Alexander, Tales from the Moonlit Path June

A Murder of Crows, Alicia Hilton, Ice Queen 11

No One Now Remembers, Geoffrey Landis, Fantasy and Science Fiction Nov./Dec.

orion conquers the sky, Maria Zoccula, On Spec 33.2

Pines in the Wind, Karen Greenbaum-Maya, The Beautiful Leaves (Bamboo Dart Press)

The Poet Responds to an Invitation from the AI on the Moon, T.D. Walker, Radon Journal 5

A Prayer for the Surviving, Marisca Pichette, Haven Speculative 9

Pre-Nuptial, F. J. Bergmann, The Vampiricon (Mind's Eye Publications)

The Problem of Pain, Anna Cates, Eye on the Telescope 49

The Return of the Sauceress, F. J. Bergmann, The Flying Saucer Poetry Review February

Sea Change, David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Ann K. Schwader, Scifaikuest May

Seed of Power, Linda D. Addison, The Book of Witches ed. Jonathan Strahan (Harper Collins)

Sleeping Beauties, Carina Bissett, HWA Poetry Showcase X

Solar Punks, J. D. Harlock, The Dread Machine 3.1

Song of the Last Hour, Samuel A. Betiku, The Deadlands 22

Sphinx, Mary Soon Lee, Asimov's September/October

Storm Watchers (a drabbun), Terrie Leigh Relf, Space & Time

Sunflower Astronaut, Charlie Espinosa, Strange Horizons July

Three Hearts as One, G. O. Clark, Asimov's May/June

Troy, Carolyn Clink, Polar Starlight 12

Twenty-Fifth Wedding Anniversary, John Grey, Medusa's Kitchen September

Under World, Jacqueline West, Carmina Magazine September

Walking in the Starry World, John Philip Johnson, Orion's Belt May

Whispers in Ink, Angela Yuriko Smith, Whispers from Beyond (Crystal Lake Publishing)

Long Poems (25 finalists)

Archivist of a Lost World, Gerri Leen, Eccentric Orbits 4

As the witch burns, Marisca Pichette, Fantasy 87

Brigid the Poet, Adele Gardner, Eternal Haunted Summer Summer Solstice

Coding a Demi-griot (An Olivian Measure), Armoni “Monihymn” Boone, Fiyah 26

Cradling Fish, Laura Ma, Strange Horizons May

Dream Visions, Melissa Ridley Elmes, Eccentric Orbits 4

Eight Dwarfs on Planet X, Avra Margariti, Radon Journal 3

The Giants of Kandahar, Anna Cates, Abyss & Apex 88

How to Haunt a Northern Lake, Lora Gray, Uncanny 55

Impostor Syndrome, Robert Borski, Dreams and Nightmares 124

The Incessant Rain, Rhiannon Owens, Evermore 3

Interrogation About A Monster During Sleep Paralysis, Angela Liu, Strange Horizons November

Little Brown Changeling, Lauren Scharhag, Aphelion 283

A Mere Million Miles from Earth, John C. Mannone, Altered Reality April

Pilot, Akua Lezli Hope, Black Joy Unbound eds. Stephanie Andrea Allen & Lauren Cherelle (BLF Press)

Protocol, Jamie Simpher, Small Wonders 5

Sleep Dragon, Herb Kauderer, The Book of Sleep (Written Image Press)

Slow Dreaming, Herb Kauderer, The Book of Sleep (Written Image Press)

St. Sebastian Goes To Confession, West Ambrose, Mouthfeel 1

Value Measure, Joseph Halden and Rhonda Parrish, Dreams and Nightmares 125

A Weather of My Own Making, Nnadi Samuel, Silver Blade 56

Welcoming the New Girl, Beth Cato, Penumbric October

What You Find at the Center, Elizabeth R McClellan, Haven Spec Magazine 12

The Witch Makes Her To-Do List, Theodora Goss, Uncanny 50

The Year It Changed, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Star*Line 46.4

Voting for the Rhysling Award begins July 1; a link to the ballot will be sent with the Rhysling Anthology, as well as with the July issue of Star*Line. More information on the Rhysling Award can be found here.

[elizabethminkel]

The big story in the SFF world last week was Clarkesworld's announcement that they were being flooded with AI spam and had to temporarily close submissions. So for WIRED, I talked to EIC Neil Clarke about what's actually been going on, as well as LD Lewis of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction and Matt Kresell, the developer of Moksha, the submission software used by lots of SFF publications (including Tor, Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons).

They discussed the ways they're thinking about dealing with a host problems around AI submissions—and I was struck by how practical and measured they all were, which was reassuring! Because a lot of writers (in SFF and beyond) are rightfully freaking out right now. I was also struck by how they all stressed those solutions can't create new barriers that would hurt marginalized authors in particular—that commitment to openness/accessibility feels really important.

[watsonneith]

2022 in Short Stories

I read a lot, and halfway through this year I started a conscious project to read more short fiction, and keep a record of my reading. That's a goal for 2023, too: I'm subscribed to Apex and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet and I need to decide whether Fiyah AND Uncanny Magazine is a step too far or whether I should flip a coin (I am someone who doesn't always promptly read my magazine subscriptions, because I own them, so all manner of procrastination becomes possible).

But anyway. After 57 single short stories and three collections in about six months, I thought I'd call out a few of my favorites.

The Massage Lady at the Munjeon Bathhouse by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld)

A story about stagnation and opportunity. I don't really want to give more away.

On the Day You Spend Forever With Your Dog by Adam R. Shannon (Apex, 2018)

Do you want to cry about time travel? This is how you cry about time travel.

An Eight Treasure Hunt by Anya Ow (Translunar Travelers Lounge)

Two strangers cross paths: one is hunting for a mythical ingredient so they can participate as a chef in the famous Eight Treasure Feast and the other has their own problems. Set in the same world as Seven Parts Full.

Girl, Cat, Wolf, Moon by Rati Mehrotra (Uncanny Magazine)

As a child, a misadventure leads Lila to spend the night in the kingdom of cats. She spends the rest of her life trying to get back there.

The Scholar of the Bamboo Flute by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine)

An ambitious student on scholarship seeks out an exclusive mentor and walks into a larger story than they had anticipated.

unWindr

I was pointed here by @bzedan, and this is a delightful, horrifying story told in vignettes-- er, reviews.

[zekethefreak]

Ladies and gentlemen, issue #32 of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction is now available! Inside you'll find my story, ANANSI MOON. Please purchase a copy of an award-winning publication and help support some amazing authors. I'm extremely proud to be a part of this and eternally grateful for your support!

[sistahscifi]

TODAY at 5PM PST!!! Rebecca Roanhorse

- Nebula, Lambda, Locus, and Hugo Awards nominated, winner of the Alex Award from the American Library Association and the Ignyte Award from Fiyah magazine AND The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA TODAY bestselling author - will join Sistah Scifi Wine Down Wednesday discussing Mirrored Heavens!

Details in bio: @sistahscifi | https://sistahscifi.com/pages/events

Bri's Bookish will cohost!!

@brisbookish

@rebeccaroanhorse

@sagapressbooks

#BlackSun #MirroredHeavens #xiala #rebeccaroanhorse #SistahScifi #SistahScifiWineDownWednesday

[jamesdavisnicoll]

Books Received, March 29 — April 5

Seven works new to me, from SF to fantasy. Lots of magazines this week, as one might expect in the first week of the month.

[fiercynn]

palestinian poets: rasha abdulhadi

rasha abdulhadi is a queer palestinian southerner with long covid who cut their teeth organizing on the southsides of chicago and atlanta. rasha's writing has appeared in speculative city, liminality, strange horizons, shade journal, mizna, room, itap| magazine, beltway poetry, and lambda literary. their work is anthologized in essential voices: a COVID-19 anthology, unfettered hexes, halal if you hear me, stoked words, and luminescent threads: connections to octavia butler. rasha is a member of justice for muslims collective, the radius of arab american writers, and alternate ROOTS. their small book of poetry is WHO IS OWED SPRINGTIME (neon hemlock press). you can find rasha on twitter.

RASHA'S CALL TO ACTION

"rasha abdulhadi is calling on you, dear reader, to join them in refusing and resisting the genocide of the palestinian people. wherever you are, whatever sand you can throw on the gears of genocide, do it now. if it's a handful, throw it. if it's a fingernail full, scrape it out and throw. get in the way however you can. the elimination of the palestinian people is not inevitable. we can refuse with our every breath and action. we must."

IF YOU READ JUST ONE POEM BY RASHA ABDULHADI, MAKE IT THIS ONE

"Casting Runes" was originally published by fiyah literary magazine in the palestine special issue, which was curated, edited, illustrated and comprised entirely of palestinian creators, in december 2021. the collection was edited by guests nadia shammas and summer farah, and featured cover art by leila aboutaleb.

if you have the means, you can purchase the e-book of the fiyah lit palestine special issue for USD $5.99, the proceeds of which go to medical aid for palestinians.

OTHER POEMS ONLINE THAT I LOVE BY RASHA ABDULHADI

Rabbits at lambda literary

Picking up Rocks at split this rock (also read aloud)

Dad's Combs at beltway poetry

Table of Contents for a Manual of Pandemic Response Protocols at poetry.onl (also read aloud)

Safe Harbor in Enemy Homes at get lit anthology

Build the Graves at the deadlands

How to Build a Dad Out of Bricks at electric lit

[watsonneith]

2023 Short Stories

OK, I'm pretending I use this for anything other than clicking like on wry tumblr comments or reposting artists. But I'm still reading short stories, and tracking my favorites, and these are the ones that struck me the most in 2023, in order of reading from January onward:

Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills (Uncanny)

Samantha Mills is writing a dystopian future that is a little too close to home; I could barely stand to read it because it was so sharp.

The Big Glass Box and the Boys Inside by Isabel J. Kim (Apex)

Essentially everything by Isabel Kim is my favorite, but this one concerns the uncanny transformations of legal work.

The Museum of Erased Things by Maria Hossein (Translunar)

Haunting story about a museum of banned objects where any citizen who enters never emerges again, and despite the dictator's attempts to destroy it, it always reappears.

Unusual Times by Gail Ann Gibbs (Translunar)

A school building has to defend some of its students.

Professor Strong and the Brass Boys by Amal Singh (Apex)

Robots start a protest band.

A Girl is Blood, Spirit, and Fire by Somto Ihezue (PodCastle)

A novice rebels against the hierarchical system of her order.

Discreet Services Offered for Women Ridden by Hags by Stephanie Malia (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)

A doctor takes on her sister's soucouyant.

How to Stay Married to Baba Yaga by SM Hallow (Baffling Mag.)

Exactly what it sounds like, but it's also very poetic.

If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Formal You by John Chu (Uncanny Magazine)

I like ACAB superhero stories sometimes.

The God of Minor Troubles by Megan Chee (Strange Horizons)

A small god makes a big difference.

One For Sorrow, Two for Mirth by Tina Zhu (Strange Horizons)

Two pairs of estranged siblings cross paths over shadow magic and a murder.

The Relationship of Ink to Blood by Alex Langer (Apex)

A fascist clerk faces consequences for his role in disappearing people.

Measure Twice, Cut Once by KR March (Apex)

Capitalism, but the inhumanity is filtered through the magic of sewing a dress.

The Fox Roads by Nghi Vo (Tor.com)

Prohibition-era bank robbery, magic, and more than I can really summarize in one sentence.

Also, two short story collections and an anthology absolutely delighted me:

No One Will Come Back For Us by Premee Mohammad

I really love Mohammad's take on cosmic and eldritch horror.

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

Spot illustrations by Shaun Tan. The titular story nearly killed me because I was laughing while eating. What more do I need to say? But seriously, read it for White Cat, Black Dog alone.

Out There Screaming edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams

I knew I was going to pick this up for a lot of reasons: I can't remember if the first was the fact that a sheet of tin foil has been rendered terrifying, or because Jordan Peele is attached, or because it contains stories by NK Jemisin, Nnedi Okorafur, and Tananarive Due (and more), but anyway, pick it up I did and sleep restfully I did not.

All in all, I have read a grand total of 221 short stories and (not counted in that number) five collections and anthologies. I subscribed to Apex, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, and Apparition Lit.

Next year I'll be subscribing to Uncanny Magazine, renewing my Apex subscription, and picking up FIYAH, which I meant to do this year but honestly my bandwidth starts to taper off after two subscriptions. I read everything except the books I have, as one does.