Volume 44, Issue 1
Winter 2021

Star*Line 44.1 cover
Cover: River Pass
© Michal Kvác
kvacm.artstation.com

Wyrms & Wormholes

Light at the End of the World

A New Era dawns once more! We are to be made redundant, again—but it was fun while it lasted. Jean-Paul Garnier has agreed to become the next Star*Line editor. From Joshua Tree, California, he owns Space Cowboy Books, a science-fiction bookstore, independent publisher, and producer of Simultaneous Times podcast. He has released several poetry collections: In Iudicio (Cholla Needles Press 2017), Future Anthropology (currently being translated into Portuguese), and Odes to Scientists (audiobook—Space Cowboy Books 2019). He is a two-time Elgin nominee and also appeared in the 2020 Dwarf Stars anthology. His new SF poetry book, Betelgeuse Dimming, has just been released. He is a regular contributor for Canada’s Warp Speed Odyssey blog. His short stories, poetry and essays appear in many anthologies and webzines. Jean-Paul will take the helm as of issue 44.3.

These poems were our six 2020 Pushcart Prize nominees:

  • “Chronovisor Wanted” by Robert Borski • Star*Line 43.1
  • “mecha visits little tokyo” by S. Qiouyi Lu • Star*Line 43.1
  • “How to Advertise Titan” by Mary Soon Lee • Star*Line 43.2
  • “Better Living through Alchemy” by Don Raymond • Star*Line 43.3
  • “Baits” by Soonest Nathaniel • Star*Line 43.4
  • “A Tempest” by Sheree Renée Thomas • Star*Line 43.4

Our enthusiastic thanks to AuthorsPublish.com, who made a generous donation of $150.00 to Star*Line. This is immensely appreciated!

In other news, there should be a new, improved U.S. President any day now.

Inoculate! Inoculate! Inoculate!

—F. J. Bergmann, Star*Line Editor


Buy this issue of Star*Line for $5.00 plus $2 U.S./$3 international shipping.

To order, send a check made out to the SFPA the PO Box listed on the officers page.

or pay SFPATreasurer@gmail.com via PayPal. Credit-card payments are accepted through PayPal.

Better yet, become a member and never miss an issue!

Star*Line Staff:

Editor: Melanie Stormm
Layout: F. J. Bergmann
Production Manager: F. J. Bergmann
Mailing: Andrew Gilstrap

Star*Line Reviews
Star*Line Archives
Star*Line History
Star*Line Contributor Bios

spacer

Table of Contents

Departments

  • Wyrms & Wormholes * F. J. Bergmann
  • SFPA Announcements
  • President’s Message * Bryan Thao Worra
  • From the Small Press * David E. Cowen,
    Daniel G. Fitch, Joshua Gage, Herb
    Kauderer, John C. Mannone, Lisa Timpf
  • Writing Spec Po * A Beginner’s Guide
    to Scifaiku * Joshua Gage

Poetry

  • Reasons to Leave the Path * Jacqueline West
  • [silently] * ayaz daryl nielsen
  • [two minutes] * Richard Magahiz
  • Do Not Pet the Ray Cats When They’re Glowing * Avra Margariti
  • What Aliens Read * Mary Soon Lee
  • There Goes the Security Deposit * Sarah Cannavo
  • [daybreak] * Stephen C. Curro
  • Unhomed * Lisa Creech Bledsoe
  • [under a dim sun] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Odile * MJ Millington
  • Chaos Looming * Gerri Leen
  • What I’ve Learned… * Sarah Cannavo
  • [Venusian sword-dance] * Joshua Hiles
  • A Record of Starvation … * Hayley Stone
  • Matters of Scale * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • The Red Planet * Mary Soon Lee
  • The Old Masters * David Barber
  • [at the British Museum] * Matthew Wilson
  • Shore Leave * David Barber
  • Advent * Mary Soon Lee
  • [winter on old earth] * Herb Kauderer
  • Emotional Help Desk Open Tickets * Jessy Randall
  • [unsupervised] * Stephen C. Curro
  • Dollies * Beth Cato
  • [truck bed] * Greg Schwartz
  • [red dwarf: offensive term] * Matthew Wilson
  • hatched this way * Lauren McBride
  • [our baby’s first cry] * Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
  • Alpha/Beta/Centauri * Scott Wiggerman
  • A World Without Speech * Debasish Mishra
  • [telepathic sex] * LeRoy Gorman
  • Two Days and Counting * Lauren McBride
  • [anniversary] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Werecities * Amelia Gorman
  • [the sympath] * Susan Burch
  • Sasquatch Burial Ground * Raven Jakubowski
  • Surpassing Photography * J. J. Steinfeld
  • [dust spurts] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Medusa Itinerant * Meg Smith
  • By Moonlight * Lauren McBride
  • Appropriate Language * Andy Dibble
  • * * Simon Perchik
  • [red-giant Sun] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • New Uses for Old Staves * Amelia Gorman
  • [the Altairian’s fridge] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Via Dolorosa * David Gianatasio
  • Alien Craft Lands in Everglades * John Grey
  • Life on the Low Road * Robert Frazier
  • Azure Captain * Shelly Jones
  • [what they left behind] * Richard Magahiz
  • [setting sun] * Greg Schwartz
  • mansplainer * Beth Cato
  • [I wonder if aliens] * Marcus Vance
  • City of Resolve * Ken Poyner
  • [left my late father’s] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • the nearest station * Robin Wyatt Dunn
  • [staring into stars] * Joshua Hiles
  • Closer Than You Think * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • [breaking through the lid] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • [obituaries] * Juan Perez
  • [damn the plasma torpedos] * Stephen C. Curro
  • Jupiter LXVII * Patrick Hurley
  • Vineyard before dawn * Brian Hugenbruch
  • [late for school] * Matthew Wilson
  • Swim Test * Marsheila Rockwell
  • [centaur] * Jerome Van Epps
  • Lines for Naughty Children * Matthew Wilson
  • Blood Lust * Gerri Leen
  • Vampire Selfies * Alan Ira Gordon
  • nanomorph * Koji A. Dae
  • Reflections on Narcissus * Paul Szlosek
  • Civilization * Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe
  • [all this rain] * Christina Sng
  • [Earth fills the window] * Stephen C.
    Curro
  • Person of Interest * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • “—And They All Lived Together—” * Andrew J. Wilson
  • Kong * Bruce McAllister
  • Warrior Over Washington * Adam Ford
  • Checkmate 2035 * David Gianatasio
  • Sylvan Succubus * Joshua Gage
  • To ’Oumuamua * Ann K. Schwader
  • [blood moon] * LeRoy Gorman
  • marry me * S. R. Tombran
  • [midnight mass] * Greg Schwartz
  • My Upcoming Astronaut Experience * Adele Gardner
  • [landing at the] * Brian Garrison
  • A Time Traveler’s Techniques * Lynne Sargent
  • They * Isaac Black
  • The Last Ones In * Holly Day
  • Reset * Jason P. Burnham
  • The Combine * Bill Ratner
  • Cheerful Farewells * Robert Clinton
  • Voyage of Failed Heroes * Mary Soon Lee

Art

  • broadcast received * Casey Coolidge
  • man’s hand is not able to taste * Casey Coolidge
  • you’ll never amount to anything * Casey Coolidge
  • I will scourge you with scorpions * Casey Coolidge
  • the space between the stars * Casey Coolidge
  • archimedes septimus shrimp * Casey Coolidge

background image sfpa logo