Volume 46, Issue 2
Spring 2023

Star*Line 46.2 cover
Cover: Near Worlds Apart
© Zara Kand
https://zarakand.com

Wyrms & Wormholes

Cybermeat

Congratulations to all of the Rhysling nominees! It is always exciting to see speculative poetry and poets from all over the world honored. Speaking of poets, I would be remiss not to mention that it is my belief that poetry should be written by poets. AI has recently taken the humanities by storm, and while part of me wants to embrace the future of this tech, I wholeheartedly believe that AI should not be used in the humanities. Until it becomes sentient, and can be called a poet, because it is truly autonomous and self-aware, AI should be reserved for the sciences, traffic control, and space exploration, rather than stealing work away for our culture’s writers and artists. That being said, if you write the software that writes the poetry I might consider being swayed. As someone who has written autonomous music generation software I understand that tech and art can hold hands, and that it can be of great benefit. But it should never be used to replace humans; after all, it would hardly be the humanities without humanity. Create in whatever you can, however you want to, and do so without rules—but do it with heart! Perhaps when I see one pumping away inside of the machine I will change my mind, but until then my job is to uplift and represent real poets and the poetry that they, that you, write.

—Jean-Paul L. Garnier, Star*Line Editor


Buy this issue of Star*Line in print for $5.00 plus $2 U.S./$3 international shipping, or as .pdf for $2.50.

To order, pay SFPATreasurer@gmail.com via PayPal. Credit-card payments are accepted through PayPal.

Or send a check made out to the SFPA the PO Box listed on the officers page.

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

Star*Line Staff:

Editor: Jean-Paul L. Garnier
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 * Jean-Paul Garnier
  • SFPA Announcements
  • President’s Message * Colleen Anderson
  • From the Small Press * Herb Kauderer, John Reinhart, Lisa Timpf
  • Stealth SF * Take Me to Your Leader * Denise Dumars
  • SpecPo Publishing * Interview with Akua Lezli Hope * Jean-Paul Garnier

Poetry

  • Then Weapons Appeared * Lauren McBride
  • First Engineering Job * John Reinhart
  • Solo Mission * Anna Cates
  • True vacuum * Richard Magahiz
  • Where Seas Boil * Meg Smith
  • [above spinning skies] * Howard V. Hendrix
  • Grendel’s Mother * Melissa Ridley Elmes
  • Canals * Christopher R. Muscato
  • I Imagine They Will Be Greatly Disappointed * Jordan Hirsch
  • [supernova] * Joshua St. Claire
  • Brokenhearted * Christina Sng
  • Far From Home * Avra Margariti
  • Q * Anna Cates
  • the time-traveler’s daughter * Eva Papasoulioti
  • [galaxy spins] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Sear * J. M. Bédard
  • Up in the Air * Ian Willey
  • Nikola Tesla * F. J. Bergmann
  • Last Act of Service * Gerri Leen
  • Thoroughly wrapped * Yuliia Vereta
  • [silver wings] * L. L. Hill
  • [your words] * Joshua St. Claire
  • Feathered Eclipse of the Sun * Howard V. Hendrix
  • As We Move to Hold Hands … * R. Mac Jones
  • Storm God * Carma Lynn Park
  • Flying the Carboniferous * Richard Magahiz
  • [water ocean planet] * Matthew Wilson
  • [sipping on plasma * Randall Andrews
  • [no eating on the job] * LeRoy Gorman
  • Our Quantum Detective Works Her Board * Robert Frazier
  • F.U.T.U.R.E. * Yuliia Vereta
  • With the Dead for Company * John Grey
  • Anonymous Eaters * Yuliia Vereta
  • The Office Buildings We Must Maintain * Jason P. Burnham
  • [sentient AI] * Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
  • Coin * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Bioweapons * Mariel Herbert
  • Squeeze Play * John H. Dromey
  • Symbolic Gesture * John H. Dromey
  • the ultimate snack * D. A. Xiaolin Spires
  • Starlight * D. M. Crawford
  • Countup * Richard Magahiz
  • The Lying Moon * Beth Cato
  • Requiescat in Pace * Jessica Peter
  • [drowning] * Chris Langer
  • Destination * Matthew Wilson
  • [With morning, Newton’s] * Morley Cacoethes
  • The Caves of Trappist-1e * T. R. Jones
  • Misplaced * Hilary Biehl
  • Growing, Always Growing * Rick Ansell Pearson
  • Budget Space-Cruises * Lauren McBride
  • Intergalactic Ballad * Alicia Hilton
  • [Your arms] * Sarah Cannavo
  • Salem, Massachusetts: Late Winter 1691 * Patricia Gomes
  • Proteus Wonders * Devan Barlow
  • Quantum Leap With Pepperoni * Alan Ira Gordon
  • Afterlife Machine * Alexis Renata
  • Dispatches from the Dragon’s Den * Mary Soon Lee
  • Medusa Love * Jacqueline West
  • The Hard Knock Post-Life * Greg Fewer
  • Time For a Change * Sarah Cannavo
  • [the mummy] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • If Death Were a Cat * Mary Soon Lee
  • Life II * Marisca Pichette
  • Sympathy for Lady M * Avra Margariti
  • Remodeled * Mahaila Smith
  • Utopia * S. T. Eleu
  • Polar plateau * Eva Papasoulioti
  • Last Act of a Doomed Man * Pedro Iniguez
  • For Centuries, We Feel Lost * Goran Lowie
  • Tiller Po’s Legacy * Benjamin Whitney Norris

Art

  • Fork * Denny E. Marshall
  • Wind-Up * Denny E. Marshall
  • Ace of Pentacles • Jake Quatt
  • Dinosaur * Christina Sng

background image sfpa logo