poetics & the periphery

a zine of the dreadful lost and birdsongs — a digitally hand-crafted zine that explores a poetic memorial of existence, weaving together themes of nature and our interwoven feelings.

thalassombra — a strange island that explores memory, curiosity, and the vastness of our own unknowing.

the lantern-maker's liturgy — deep beneath the earth, a father finds a frequency that shouldn't exist. on the surface, his son bears the scars of a rescue that was actually a betrayal. between them lies a jar of pulverized starlight that is turning the town’s residents into living lanterns.

a zine of the dreadful lost and birdsongs — a digitally hand-crafted zine that explores a poetic memorial of existence, weaving together themes of nature and our interwoven feelings.

thalassombra — a strange island that explores memory, curiosity, and the vastness of our own unknowing.

the lantern-maker's liturgy — deep beneath the earth, a father finds a frequency that shouldn't exist. on the surface, his son bears the scars of a rescue that was actually a betrayal. between them lies a jar of pulverized starlight that is turning the town’s residents into living lanterns.

a zine of the dreadful lost and birdsongs — a digitally hand-crafted zine that explores a poetic memorial of existence, weaving together themes of nature and our interwoven feelings.

thalassombra — a strange island that explores memory, curiosity, and the vastness of our own unknowing.

the lantern-maker's liturgy — deep beneath the earth, a father finds a frequency that shouldn't exist. on the surface, his son bears the scars of a rescue that was actually a betrayal. between them lies a jar of pulverized starlight that is turning the town’s residents into living lanterns.

by Louise Glück

Because you were foolish enough to love one place, now you are homeless, an orphan in a succession of shelters. You did not prepare yourself sufficiently. Before your eyes, two people were becoming old; I could have told you two deaths were coming. There has never been a parent kept alive by a child's love.

Now, of course, it's too late -- you were trapped in the romance of fidelity. You kept going back, clinging to two people you hardly recognized after what they'd endured.

(averaging to almost) bimonthly part three.. anyway again links dump of short stories i’ve finished and some thoughts. feel i don't say this enough but please be responsible for your own reading experiences & check cw if needed e.g. on storygraph/reddit etc, i think esp for mr salary and the intoxicated years ! 🙂👍

when he calls your name - catherynne m. valente - jolene (dolly parton) vampires edition + porch liminal space + her writing style <3 "There’s nights in the deep end of summer so hot and thick and wet you can feel the dark wrinkling up your fingers like bathwater—and my last night breathing was one of those." terrific opening line. "baby, honey, that lady there is nothing but a knife in a silk dress, can’t you see it? Can’t you see she’s meant for cutting things open?"

the homeowner’s bride - ayida shonibar if there's a short story from the perspective of the haunted house, i will always show up..

mr salary / color and light - both sally rooney. her messy character dynamics particularly shine in the more intimate (?) condensed short story setting.. bonus you don't have to sit with their Issues for a whole novel sorry like mr salary as a full novel i would be grinding my teeth to dust we have to get out of here...

the intoxicated years - mariana enríquez (tr. megan mcdowell) the intensity of the toxic intensely female friendship and their hedonistic self obsessed lifestyle.. and how deeply and flippantly callous the narrator is in all her teenage 'invincibility'! reading translations always makes me want to learn a million languages, like this is so superbly written/translated

archaeological evidence for the time traveler - tia tashiro.* "There, waiting for her, a new message. Written around two thousand years ago, just like the first: I love you. I miss you. I’m forgetting your face." my favourite story of this selection tbh! hits all the perfect points of Short Story-ism to me.. and time travel explored as pre-emptive grief/haunting and love.. ough (if you are a fan of arrival ted chiang i think you would enjoy this).

for whom the hair grows - also tia tashiro. the author’s summary on her website for this one was ‘the schrödinger’s rapunzel story’. which compelled me to read it and the concept of it all is so fun, always down for a fairy tale interpretation

a zine of the dreadful lost and birdsongs — a digitally hand-crafted zine that explores a poetic memorial of existence, weaving together themes of nature and our interwoven feelings.

thalassombra — a strange island that explores memory, curiosity, and the vastness of our own unknowing.

the lantern-maker's liturgy — deep beneath the earth, a father finds a frequency that shouldn't exist. on the surface, his son bears the scars of a rescue that was actually a betrayal. between them lies a jar of pulverized starlight that is turning the town’s residents into living lanterns.

a zine of the dreadful lost and birdsongs — a digitally hand-crafted zine that explores a poetic memorial of existence, weaving together themes of nature and our interwoven feelings.

thalassombra — a strange island that explores memory, curiosity, and the vastness of our own unknowing.

the lantern-maker's liturgy — deep beneath the earth, a father finds a frequency that shouldn't exist. on the surface, his son bears the scars of a rescue that was actually a betrayal. between them lies a jar of pulverized starlight that is turning the town’s residents into living lanterns.