Yaddith Times

big blue pin
in their invasion map
Earth Day


-- Ann K. Schwader

I am very happy to announce that speculative fiction webzine Abyss & Apex #66 http://www.abyssapexzine.com/ is up,
with an extensive poetry TOC:

POETRY
Introduction to Poetry Issue 66 by John C. Mannone
“The Song of Unknown Night” by Hongri Yuan
“To Watch the World Burn” by Jason Harris
“Rebellion” by Genevieve DeGuzman
“A City Built On Bones” by Ann Schwader
"Oatk Ash, and Crow" by Rebecca Buchanan
“The Honored” by WC Roberts
“Paul Bunyan and the Whirlwind Mountain” by Gabriel Ertsgaard
“La Belle a la Bête” by Brittany Hause
“Tea Leaves” by Hilary Biehl
“Zojaj” by Sheikha A.

My villanelle "A City Built On Bones" http://www.abyssapexzine.com/2018/03/a-city-built-on-bones/
was inspired by the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, plus a healthy helping of Atzec mythology.

West Cork by Sam Bungey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This one reminded me a lot of People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman, though set in a much different environment and with a less definite conclusion. The problem of an "outsider" woman killed in a mysterious manner is combined with her family (also "outsider") trying to get justice, plus less than helpful local law enforcement and a problematic legal system. There is also a remarkably irritating prime suspect.

The very Irish flavor here (a few of the interviewees needed subtitles, though how one could do that on audio I'm not sure) made a real change from traditional British mysteries, though it did have some of the same feeling. The series' close-up look at the An Garda Síochána (Irish national police) was fascinating.

I hesitated between 3 and 4 stars for this, but finally settled on 4 because it really did keep me listening. I suspect that a real true crime fan might find it even more worthwhile. Since I'm only an occasional true crime reader/listener, I was somewhat glad I'd gotten this one free from Audible.





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fifty years later
still waiting for HAL
pod bay door


-- Ann K. Schwader

https://tinyurl.com/y7dbo8nd

Here in the USA, at least, it's National Poetry Month! (Yes, it really is a thing.) Are you ready?

If not (and I never seem to be), here are some links to get a little more free poetry into your life:

https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/national-poetry-month-faq
(what the heck IS National Poetry Month, anyhow?)

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem-day
(Poem-A-Day . . . get a fresh poem in your Inbox every day. Poems M-F are originals, weekends bring you classics. )

http://poems.com/about_newsletter.php
(how to sign up for Poetry Daily & their special April Poets' Pick emailings. They're running a fund drive, too, but everything here is free. Poem selections here are from a variety of mainstream poetry journals, & some are in translation.)

https://tinyurl.com/y77g92bf
(Knopf Poetry Poem-A-Day sign-up. Free, & only for April, but does sign you up for occasional "information" about other poets they publish. I've found it non-intrusive, & the poetry here is excellent.)

https://www.rattle.com/
(Rattle Poetry. Online & print journal offering yet another chance to have a poem in your Inbox daily. Some of the poetry here is speculative, though Rattle is not a spec poetry journal.)

I'm a little late in posting about this, but still very happy to announce that Spectral Realms #8 (Winter 2018) is now available from Hippocampus Press.

This twice-yearly trade paperback journal of weird verse (edited by S.T. Joshi) continues to offer a comprehensive look at the latest renaissance of this sub-genre. This time around, it's over 130 pages: new work, classic reprints (only two), one article, and two reviews of recent collections.

Contributors include most of the Usual Suspects, both veterans and newcomers. One of the former is Yours Truly, with "Volunteers" (blank verse sonnet).

For the complete TOC, or to order with FREE shipping:

https://tinyurl.com/y7td394m

half the sky
is half the stars
alien sisters

-- Ann K. Schwader


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day

It was actually published in very late 2017, apparently -- but I am delighted to announce that Black Wings VI: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror (ed. by S.T. Joshi) is out from PS Publishing.

This volume of the Black Wings series includes twenty-two stories & poems (four poems this time, woo!) . TOC as follows:

Introduction S. T. Joshi
Pothunters Ann K. Schwader
The Girl in the Attic Darrell Schweitzer
The Once and Future Waite Jonathan Thomas
Oude Goden Lynne Jamneck
Carnivorous William F. Nolan
On a Dreamland’s Moon Ashley Dioses
Teshtigo Creek Aaron Bittner
Ex Libris Caitlín R. Kiernan
You Shadows That in Darkness Dwell Mark Howard Jones
The Ballad of Asenath Waite Adam Bolivar
The Visitor Nancy Kilpatrick
The Gaunt Tom Lynch
Missing at the Morgue Donald Tyson
The Shard Don Webb
The Mystery of the Cursed Cottage David Hambling
To Court the Night K. A. Opperman
To Move Beneath Autumnal Oaks W. H. Pugmire
Mister Ainsley Steve Rasnic Tem
Satiety Jason V Brock
Provenance Unknown Stephen Woodworth
The Well D. L. Myers

For more information, or to order:

https://www.pspublishing.co.uk/black-wings-vi-hardcover-edited-by-s-t-joshi-4415-p.asp

"Pothunters," BTW, is my most recent Cassie Barrett investigation. And yes, I am feeling pretty frabjous about it finding such a good home.

Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a short (novella-length) volume compiled from two lectures the author presented during the London Review of Books Winter Lecture series. It has been enhanced by a number of good illustrations (if you're a Kindle reader, as I am, try it on a tablet for more enjoyment) plus an excellent set of end notes & references.

Beard spends much of the book (both lectures) examining why & how women have been told to shut up -- or expected to shut up, or made to shut up -- in the public sphere. Her argument is based primarily on classical references, and might or might not apply to non-Western cultures. However, it is depressingly effective. The second half of the book extends this argument to recent politics (pre-2016 election) and online situations.

Aside from Beard's suggestion that Athena did not have a mother (she did: the Titan Metis), I had little trouble with her logic. This is a necessarily brief overview of a timely topic -- though at full hardcover price, which is why there are libraries.




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and yet it moves Galileo's seatbelt


-- Ann K. Schwader

for the 454th birthday of Galileo Galilei
https://tinyurl.com/y9kppm3f