Volume 47, Issue 4
Fall 2024


Cover: The Philosophy of Lenscraft
© Austin Arthur Hart

Wyrms & Wormholes

Spreading Light

Congratulations to all of our award winners! It’s always wonderful to see people’s work honored during awards season, and this year is no exception. I’m seeing more and more specpo out there from a multitude of venues, and I recently read an announcement that there will be a special Hugo next year for poetry, and the possibility of a Nebula coming soon as well. How cool is that?

I am also excited to announce that my successor as editor of Star*Line has been chosen, John Reinhart. He will be taking over as of issue 48.2 and I know that all of you wonderful poets will be in good hands under his editorship. There are also other changes afoot in the SFPA. We have elections coming up, so if you’ve ever thought of running for SFPA office, now is the time. At the very least I encourage you to vote and let your voice be heard when the time comes.

I still have one more issue, after this one, as editor, but I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the executive committee members and our volunteers. All of your hard work and dedication to the SFPA and speculative poetry is inspiring, and it has been a great honor to work with you all! Star*Line and the SFPA have been around longer than I have been alive, and I’m looking forward to seeing it thrive long into the future.Firstly, thank you to all who voted and made your voices heard concerning the SFPA’s new AI/LLM policy. It’s always a great thing to see democracy at work. And congratulations to all of the Rhysling finalists and to the Elgin and Dwarf Stars nominees! It’s so wonderful to see that there is so much incredible speculative poetry out in the world! Keep up the great work, my friends.

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


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Star*Line Staff:

Editor: Jean-Paul L. Garnier
Layout: F. J. Bergmann
Production Manager: F. J. Bergmann
Mailing: Brian U. Garrison

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Table of Contents

Departments

  • Wyrms & Wormholes * Jean-Paul Garnier
  • SFPA Announcements
  • A Farewell to Deborah P Kolodji
  • President's Message * Colleen Anderson
  • From the Small Press * Herb Kauderer, John Reinhart, Ann K. Schwader, Thomas E. Simmons, Lisa Timpf
  • Stealth SF * “Death and the Maiden” * Denise Dumars
  • SpecPo Publishing * Interview with Jenna Hanchey * Jean-Paul Garnier

Art

  • The Philosophy of Lenscraft * Austin Arthur Hart
  • From the Crab Nebular * Denny E. Marshall
  • Microwave Hill * Denny E. Marshall

Poetry

  • The Scientific Method * Ian Willey
  • [AI Turing fail] * Ann K. Schwader
  • [spring—] * Greg Schwartz
  • [space migration] * Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
  • One part per ten billion * Richard Magahiz
  • good pickings * D. A. Xiaolin Spires
  • [time dilation] * Joshua St. Claire
  • Two Lines * Lee Clark Zumpe
  • Predictive Armageddon * Garrett Carroll
  • Afterlife * Shana Ross
  • [galactic habitable zone] * Jay Friedenberg
  • Grocery Shopping * John Reinhart
  • [my flower garden] * Gabriel Smithwilson
  • A Gardener’s Field Equation * Robert Frazier
  • Autonomous * Howard V. Hendrix
  • [werewolf wins bet] * Gary Davis
  • Paper Cuts * Gretchen Tessmer
  • [when you died] * LeRoy Gorman
  • Feeder 5000 (Prototype) * Joshua Emery
  • Love Beyond Larval * Meg Smith
  • [They keep my eggs refrigerated] * Yuliia Vereta
  • Insect Horology * Howard V. Hendrix
  • Gla-Mer: The Fashion Magazine for Mermaids * Katherine Quevedo
  • [laryngitis …] * Kimberly Kuchar
  • [selling horrible alien bugs] * F. J. Bergmann
  • Transmissions From El Chicano Futurismo, Volume One * Juan M. Perez
  • [Pluto] * Royal Baysinger
  • [Neptune] * Christina Sng
  • Her Favourite * Beth Cato & Rhonda Parrish
  • The come-to-Noah moment * Richard Magahiz
  • [they left us nothing] * Richard Magahiz •
  • [Defenestration] * Jason P. Burnham
  • Carpe Noctem * Greg Schwartz
  • [ecdysis] * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • Housegoblin * Lynne Sargent
  • [his mood ring eyes] * Anna Cates
  • Heart Shape * Lauren McBride
  • [shape shifter] * Denny E. Marshall
  • Pity They’re Now So Rare * David C. Kopaska-Merkel
  • [witch’s cocktail] * Anna Cates
  • A Father Puts Food on the Table * Jordan Hirsch
  • Data plant * Richard Magahiz
  • [space debris] * F. J. Bergmann
  • Time’s a Lousy Tipper, But Still … * Lisa Timpf
  • Don't They Feel It? * Gerri Leen
  • [your rough alien hands] * Greer Woodward
  • The Snowmelt Queen * Marisca Pichette
  • Song Through Wires * Jacqueline West
  • To the Laws of Physics * Mary Soon Lee
  • if I’m being honest * Laura Theis
  • Demonspace * A J Dalton
  • The Huntsman, the Sorcerer, and the Gargoyle * Kendall Evans
  • [The world's first time traveler] * Randall Andrews
  • [Excuse my regression] * Denise Dumars
  • Making a Case for Steve: Under Section 34, Subsection D, … * Nnadi Samuel
  • Troubadours * Devan Barlow
  • This Glittering * Denise Dumars
  • Languidity * Carlye Wilder
  • An Alphabet of Forty-Two * Dawn Vogel
  • [she says it’s saved our marriage] * Royal Baysinger
  • Manifestation * F. J. Bergmann
  • Stonemaiden * Marisca Pichette
  • When One Person Deletes a Shared Memory * M. Ray Vidrine
  • Masquerade * DJ Tyrer
  • WayUpward Mobility * John H. Dromey
  • Cosmik Hubris * Howard V. Hendrix
  • Lucas Major Announcement * Micháel McCormick
  • Unpredictable * Michelle Koubek
  • Fighting Evolution * Debby Feo
  • Bonus Ticks * Debby Feo
  • [Rabies free] * Yuliia Vereta
  • Selkie * Ian Hunter
  • Cheaters never prosper * Matthew Wilson
  • Emily Austenson Brontëbot * Adele Gardner
  • Forced Relocation * Herb Kauderer
  • Wreath * Colleen Anderson
  • The Darkness * Joy Yin
  • [temporary] * Denise Dumars
  • Origins * Anna Cates
  • The Decomposer * K. M. Praschak
  • The Youngest Son * Roger Dutcher
  • back How we came to enter the thought hotel * Richard Magahiz
  • Long-Distance Interstellar Romance * Alan Ira Gordon
  • [reaching out] * Richard E Schell

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