Volume 38, Issue 4
Fall 2015

Star*Line 38.4 cover
Cover: Charon on the River Styx
© 2009 M. Wayne Miller
mwaynemiller.com

Wyrms & Wormholes
The Dark Is Falling

Dear Phantasists,

At this season, the editorial pendulum swings further toward horror poetry, which feels more pervasive in everyday life, perhaps because its fears can seem so much more first-hand, so much closer to our reality, than those of fantasy or science fiction.

A couple of years ago, my husband stopped for coffee somewhere near Milwaukee, WI. As is typical of a certain kind of shop, he was never able to remember its name or find it again. On its walls, someone named Julie was exhibiting a series of erasure poems—painted-out pages from books or magazines—inserted in cheap little frames, on sale for $5. This is one of them.

              you are
waiting
to
              chew on my bones

              nobody is big enough

to keep it from
happening

Please vote in favor of the proposed increases to SFPA print memberships rates (our only expenses other than printing and mailing publications are webhosting, contributor/contest payments, and award plaques). Thanks to those Life members who have waived print publications or extra copies and to very generous anonymous donors (2 more color covers!). We’d also like to thank Written Image Press for their donation to the Dwarf Stars anthology.

We can pay our debt to the past by putting the future in debt to ourselves.

—John Buchan, poet, novelist, and politician (1875–1940)

Onward, into the black night of space.

— F.J. Bergmann, Star*Line Editor


Buy this issue of Star*Line for $3.00 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.

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Star*Line Staff:

Editor: F.J. Bergmann
Layout: F.J. Bergmann
Production Manager: F.J. Bergmann
Mailing: Brian Garrison

Star*Line Reviews
Star*Line Archives
Star*Line History

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Table of Contents

Features

  • Wyrms & Wormholes • F.J. Bergmann
  • President’s Message • Bryan D. Dietrich
  • SFPA Announcements
  • From the Small Press • Joshua Gage, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Sandra J. Lindow, Alex Plummer Full reviews
  • Publishing Speculative Poetry * Jessy Lets It All Hang Out * Jessy Randall
  • On Judging and Being Judged * Lesley Wheeler

Poetry

  • Best Friends * Marge Simon
  • “moonbase autumn” * Deborah P Kolodji
  • His Heart on His Sleeve * Robert Borski
  • staring at a pumpkin” * James D. Fuson
  • New Planet Landscape 5 * Ken Poyner
  • “scares even zombies” * Steven Wittenberg Gordon
  • Lover * Soren James
  • rebooting * John Reinhart
  • “Blue Spider Grill” * Greer Woodward
  • “regrets” * Thomas Tilton
  • “dead reckoning” * Dave Dickinson
  • “partial eclipse of the moon” * Yunsheng Jiang
  • The Washerwoman’s Daughter * Mary Soon Lee
  • “tentacles every which way” * LeRoy Gorman
  • Customer Service * Eric Burke
  • The Dreaming System Must Awake * Robin Wyatt Dunn
  • “in space nobody” * Joe Nicholas
  • “origami robot” * Earl Cooley III
  • The Universe * Soren James
  • Why You Will Listen and Drown * Beth Cato
  • a natural death * Herb Kauderer
  • “nothing to say” * LeRoy Gorman
  • “idols of my youth” * Roman Lyakhovetsky
  • New Planet Landscape 12 * Ken Poyner
  • “how to make demons” * Jason Kirk
  • Cosmology of Rocking Chairs … * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • White hole * Christiaan Sabatelli
  • “FYI: A.I.” * Jason Kirk
  • Make Believe * Zella Christensen
  • “psychic mushrooms” * Ross Balcom
  • Picture This … * Alan Katerinsky
  • Day Planner * Matthew Wilson
  • “Race to the end” * Elizabeth Bennefeld
  • Pleistocene Park … * Mark Danowsky
  • In the Wake of Solar System … * Mark Arvid White
  • An Apology * Christina Sng
  • Concepts * Christina Sng
  • Probability * Glenn A. Meisenheimer
  • Ghosts of Cimmeria * Wade German
  • 11th Choice * Herb Kauderer
  • Attack of The Saurus * John Reinhart
  • Alien Evolution * Jennifer Ruth Jackson
  • Host * Brian Garrison
  • “vacuum cleaner for sale” * John Reinhart
  • Kardash * Glenn A. Meisenheimer
  • “the cosmic dancefloor” * C.R. Harper
  • “closed bathroom” * John Reinhart
  • Overheard At The Timeport * David Barber
  • “lab in the cellar” * Roman Lyakhovetsky
  • Death of a Dome City * Bruce Boston
  • “robo-unicorn” * Ross Balcom
  • Cave of Tayos * Eric Burke
  • “Copy of Flatland” * G. O. Clark
  • Vengeance * Mary Soon Lee
  • luddite’s dream * Herb Kauderer
  • After Alice in Wonderland * Kris Rhodes
  • The Music of Angels * Bruce Boston
  • The Witch-Box * Jennifer A. McGowan
  • Monster * Weronika Łaszkiewicz
  • “another alien intervention” * ayaz daryl nielsen
  • Galaxy Destroyer * Glenn A. Meisenheimer
  • Ivory-Billed Ghosts * Gary Every
  • Tainting Ceres * Jon Olsen
  • “boxes of old lightning” * N.E. Taylor
  • The Confluence * Christina Sng
  • GMOs * John Reinhart
  • For Nothing Would I Trade * Carrie Cuinn
  • Lately I’ve Been Thinking … * Israel Wasserstein
  • “one sex was not …” * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Hard Being A God * David Barber
  • Formicidae martis * Dusty Wallace
  • The Mutant Rain Forest Goes Commercial * Robert Frazier
  • Whales in Space * Zella Christensen
  • Grace Notes * Marcie Lynn Tentchoff
  • Guardian Angel * Joshua Gage
  • “moonrise” * Herb Kauderer
  • Holographic * Laurin DeChae
  • Silver Bullets and the Rest * Ian Hunter
  • There Is No Why * Lynette Mejía
  • Early Dystopia * Denise Clemons
  • Living Forever * Lela E. Buis
  • Don’t you just hate it when ... * Raoul Izzard
  • Tidal Forces * Eric Burke

Illustrations

  • Robot Landing * Denny E. Marshall

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