In this issue, a giant feline swats us into the void with ‘Space Cat’ by Bronwyn Schuster. And feature author Kate Heartfield leads us on a daring escape through the universe in ‘And in the Arcade, Ego’. Hitch a ride into the heat – and heart – of the desert with Kevin Sandefur’s ‘Out in the Sticks’. And it all goes up in flames in ‘Paper, Candles, Hearts & Other Combustible Materials’ by Anne Baldo. Natalie Harris-Spencer, in ‘The Art of Ironing’, and Cara Waterfall, in ‘Vessel’, illustrate ways of navigating relationships and bodily autonomy. And friendship transcends time and place in ‘Fate of Chickens’ by Krista Jane May. We delve into familial grief and sacrifice in ‘Sap and Seed’, by H Pueyo and Dante Luiz, and the opening chapters of ‘Allaigna’s Song: Chorale’ by JM Landels, while ‘Pale Pony Express’ by Lulu Keating and ‘The Echo of Light Footsteps on Parchment’ by Kimberley Aslett explore memory and loss through storytelling. Strange science brings us ‘The Magic Shuffling Machine’ by Derek Salinas Lazarski but can’t explain the tiny home intruder in ‘The Switch Fairy’ by Monica Wang or the supernatural occurrences in ‘Pretty Lies: Eyes Full of Moon’ by Mel Anastasiou.
Circa l’autore
JM Landels, writer and illustrator of the Allaigna’s Song trilogy and co-founder of Pulp Literature Press wears far too many hats. The strange mix of a degree in Mediaeval English Literature, a misspent youth fronting alternative punk bands Mad Seraphim and Stiff Bunnies, and a career as a childbirth educator and doula informs her work. These days, when she isn’t writing, editing or drawing, she can be found heading up Academie Cavallo’s Mounted Combat Program at her farm in Langley, BC where she swings swords and rides horses for fun and profit.