Michael Bailey's Blog

 

You, Human, Vol. 2 is a BookBub deal for a limited time, now only $0.99. The first volume is also discounted at this time.

Also available in hardcover, trade paperback, and eBook wherever books are sold.

Amazon: eBook | trade paperback | hardcover

Barnes & Noble: trade paperback | hardcover

Books-A-Million (BAM!): trade paperback | hardcover

Ingram: trade paperback | hardcover

Multi-award-winning editor Michael Bailey brings you the next volume of the You, Human series, with fiction illustrated throughout by L.A. Spooner, poetry illustrations by Orion Zangara, and an introduction by Maxwell I. Gold. Volume 2 contains poetry by Linda D. Addison on the Three Laws of Humanity, along with a novella and 11 novelettes by today’s masters (and a few newcomers) of dark science fiction.

Poetry illustrated by Orion Zangara.

Table of Contents:

00. “Introduction” by Maxwell I. Gold

“Three Laws of Humanity” poetry by Linda D. Addison leads each of the book’s 3 parts:

I. Being I

01. “The Spotter” by Josh Malerman
02. “One Brown Mouse” by Gary A. Braunbeck
03. “When Did It Happen?” by Erinn L. Kemper
03. “Under the Skin” by J. Lincoln Fenn

II. Watching You

05. “Doubt” by Will McMahon
06. “Immortalized” by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
07. “A Hollow Where the Screams Have Gone” by Hailey Piper
08. “AI Chronicles: Properties of a Human Curse” by Eugen Bacon

III. They Become One

09. “Time for a (R)Evolution!: A Documentary” by Sachin Baliga
10. “All the Names You Didn’t Choose” by Ai Jiang
11. “The Touch of an Old Friend’s Hand” by Scott Edelman
12. “Emergence” by Bruce Golden

Fiction illustrated by L.A. Spooner.

Need to catch up? Vol. 1 is available as well.

One of the most highly anticipated anthologies of the year is now available wherever books are sold! The book releases today, simultaneously in hardcover, trade paperback, and eBook.

Amazon: eBook | trade paperback | hardcover

Barnes & Noble: trade paperback | hardcover

Books-A-Million (BAM!): trade paperback | hardcover

Ingram: trade paperback | hardcover

Multi-award-winning editor Michael Bailey brings you the next volume of the You, Human series, with fiction illustrated throughout by L.A. Spooner, poetry illustrations by Orion Zangara, and an introduction by Maxwell I. Gold. Volume 2 contains poetry by Linda D. Addison on the Three Laws of Humanity, along with a novella and 11 novelettes by today’s masters (and a few newcomers) of dark science fiction.

Now available!

Poetry illustrated by Orion Zangara.

Table of Contents:

00. “Introduction” by Maxwell I. Gold

“Three Laws of Humanity” poetry by Linda D. Addison leads each of the book’s 3 parts:

I. Being I

01. “The Spotter” by Josh Malerman
02. “One Brown Mouse” by Gary A. Braunbeck
03. “When Did It Happen?” by Erinn L. Kemper
03. “Under the Skin” by J. Lincoln Fenn

II. Watching You

05. “Doubt” by Will McMahon
06. “Immortalized” by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
07. “A Hollow Where the Screams Have Gone” by Hailey Piper
08. “AI Chronicles: Properties of a Human Curse” by Eugen Bacon

III. They Become One

09. “Time for a (R)Evolution!: A Documentary” by Sachin Baliga
10. “All the Names You Didn’t Choose” by Ai Jiang
11. “The Touch of an Old Friend’s Hand” by Scott Edelman
12. “Emergence” by Bruce Golden

Fiction illustrated by L.A. Spooner.

Need to catch up? Vol. 1 is available as well.

Yes, you can now preorder one of the most highly anticipated anthologies of the year!

Amazon: eBook | trade paperback | hardcover

Barnes & Noble: trade paperback | hardcover

Books-A-Million (BAM!): trade paperback | hardcover

Multi-award-winning editor Michael Bailey brings you the next volume of the You, Human series, with fiction illustrated throughout by L.A. Spooner, poetry illustrations by Orion Zangara, and an introduction by Maxwell I. Gold. Volume 2 contains poetry by Linda D. Addison on the Three Laws of Humanity, along with a novella and 11 novelettes by today’s masters (and a few newcomers) of dark science fiction.

Available July 3, 2025!

 

Poetry illustrated by Orion Zangara.

Table of Contents:

00. “Introduction” by Maxwell I. Gold

“Three Laws of Humanity” poetry by Linda D. Addison leads each of the book’s 3 parts:

I. Being I

01. “The Spotter” by Josh Malerman
02. “One Brown Mouse” by Gary A. Braunbeck
03. “When Did It Happen?” by Erinn L. Kemper
03. “Under the Skin” by J. Lincoln Fenn

II. Watching You

05. “Doubt” by Will McMahon
06. “Immortalized” by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
07. “A Hollow Where the Screams Have Gone” by Hailey Piper
08. “AI Chronicles: Properties of a Human Curse” by Eugen Bacon

III. They Become One

09. “Time for a (R)Evolution!: A Documentary” by Sachin Baliga
10. “All the Names You Didn’t Choose” by Ai Jiang
11. “The Touch of an Old Friend’s Hand” by Scott Edelman
12. “Emergence” by Bruce Golden

Fiction illustrated by L.A. Spooner.

Need to catch up? Vol. 1 is available as well.

Chuck Palahniuk (Shock Induction, Fight Club) and Michael Bailey (Psychotropic Dragon, The Library of the Dead) bring you: SILENT NIGHTMARES: Haunting Stories to Be Told on the Longest Night of the Year. This anthology of entirely original dark holiday horrors will be published in the autumn of 2026 by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. 

Along with a number of invited writers (and new fiction by both editors), they opened a small window of opportunity by way of an open call for submissions during the month of December, 2024. During that time, 2,138 short stories avalanched upon them before the end of the year. The goal? Choosing 6* wonderfully disturbing stories.

Table of Contents: 

“Father Christmas” – Brian Evenson
“Cause and Effect” – Alma Katsu
“Always Winter” – Mari Ness*
“Tidings” – Ramsey Campbell
“Shine a Light” – Zoje Stage
“A Season of Reflection” – Wil Dalton*
“Kingston” – Chuck Palahniuk
“We Have Always Been Red” – Annie Neugebauer*
“A Life Not Lived” – Joe R. Lansdale
“Circle Back” – Neil Krolicki*
“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” – Joe Hart*
“God’s Wife” – Lisa Morton
“Loki’s Story” – Eugen Bacon
“The Cheapest State of Perfect Grace” – Gary A. Braunbeck
“Rapture” – Michael Bailey
“Christmas in Goblin” – Josh Malerman
“Steam” – Krissy Eliot*
“Lost Hearts” – Cynthia Pelayo
“The Singing Children” – Gabino Iglesias
“Yuletide Games with the Suicide Kings” – Jonathan Maberry

If you see a star (snowflake?) next to the names above, know that their writing was in the top 0.28-ish% of all submissions received, which is saying something. Be sure to seek them out. 

We hope this will be the first of many volumes of Silent Nightmares. 

All contracts are signed, so I can formally announce the final Table of Contents for YOU, HUMAN: Vol. 2, as well as the updated cover. Out of the millions of words received (all novelettes), here’s the line-up and structure of the anthology:

“Three Laws of Humanity” poetry by Linda D. Addison
Poetry illustrations by Orion Zangara
Fiction illustrations by L.A. Spooner

00. “Introduction” by Maxwell I. Gold

I. Being I

01. “TBA” by Josh Malerman
02. “One Brown Mouse” by Gary A. Braunbeck
03. “Under the Skin” by J. Lincoln Fenn
04. “When Did It Happen?” by Erinn L. Kemper

II. Watching You

05. “Doubt” by Will McMahon
06. “Immortalized” by Ngô Bình Anh Khoa
07. “A Hollow Where the Screams Have Gone” by Hailey Piper
08. “AI Chronicles: Properties of a Human Curse” by Eugen Bacon

III. They Become One

09. “Time for a (R)Evolution!: A Documentary” by Sachin Baliga
10. “All the Names You Didn’t Choose” by Ai Jiang
11. “The Touch of an Old Friend’s Hand” by Scott Edelman
12. “Emergence” by Bruce Golden

The plan is to have the anthology out by Summer, 2025.

If you need to catch up on the original volume of You, Human . . .

Bram Stoker Award-winning editor Michael Bailey brings you a genre-bending anthology of dark science fiction and poetry, with fiction illustrated beautifully throughout by world-renowned artist L.A. Spooner, poetry and spot illustrations by the always-impressive Orion Zangara, and an incredible introduction on humanness by New York Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson. Cover artwork by George C. Cotronis. Also features the Bram Stoker Award-nominated short story “Jupiter Drop” by Josh Malerman.

Amazon: eBook | trade paperback. Also available in the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Japan, Poland, and a part of Kindle Unlimited where available.

Barnes & Noble: trade paperback.

Books-A-Million (BAM!): trade paperback

Ingram: trade paperback

 

Limited posts mean busy, busy, busy, but below are a few updates on various projects.

SILENT NIGHTMARES: Haunting Stories to Be Told on the Longest Night of the Year (edited by Chuck Palahniuk & Michael Bailey)

Chuck Palahniuk and I are planning to release our anthology through one of the biggest publishers in the world. More news on this soon. Out of 2,138 submissions, we have narrowed down our “best of the slush” to 45, which means those are in the top 2-3% of all stories submitted. All non-acceptances have now gone out, and the maybes know they are maybes. We hope to have a final Table of Contents ready in April. Who were the invited? Here’s a taste (in alphabetical order by last name):

Eugen BaconGary A. BraunbeckRamsey CampbellBrian EvensonGabino IglesiasAlma KatsuOwen KingJoe R. LansdaleJosh MalermanJonathan MaberryLisa MortonCynthia PelayoZoje Stage

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 (edited by Michael Bailey)

This anthology of dark science fiction is slated for mid- to late-2025. The book will feature illustrations by Orion Zangara (for the poetry, such as the featured artwork in this post) and L.A. Spooner (for the fiction), and an introduction by Maxwell I. Gold. Along with three poems, the book will contain anywhere from 10 to 12 novelettes (around 100,000 words total). I currently have 7 in the “maybe pile,” a few of which will end up in the Final Table of Contents with the following (in no particular order):

“Being I” / “Watching You” / “They Become One” by Linda D Addison (poetry)“AI Chronicles: Properties of a Human Curse” by Eugen Bacon“Time for a (R)Evolution! – A Documentary” by Sachin Baliga“One Brown Mouse” by Gary A. Braunbeck“The Touch of an Old Friend’s Hand” by Scott Edelman“A Hollow Where the Screams Have Gone” by Hailey Piper“When Did It Happen?” by Erinn L. Kemper“All the Names You Didn’t Choose” by Ai Jiang“TBA” by Josh Malerman

LONG DIVISION: Stories of Social Decay, Societal Collapse & Bad Manners (edited by Doug Murano & Michael Bailey)

This anthology is available now through Bad Hand Books, and is currently on the Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement in an Anthology. Laird Barron’s story “Versus Versus” is also on the ballot for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction. Have you read it?

CHAOTIC STATES (novel by Michael Bailey)

Yes, I am writing a new novel. It’s something different.

MADNESS & WRITERS: The Untold Truth. Maybe? (creative documentary series)

This is still in production. More news soon! See madnessandwriters.com for details.

There are other projects in development (books, film, etc.), but they are either buried under nondisclosure agreements or not quite ready to discuss at this point.

Chiral Mad 5 is currently a BookBub selection. Snag this eBook now through the end of January 5th for only $0.99 in the US and UK, and discounted in Australia, and Canada.

All other volumes of Chiral Mad are also discounted, so if you still need to catch up on the award-winning series, or need to fill in some gaps, now is the time!

CHIRAL MAD 5 is the fifth and final volume in the Chiral Mad series, edited by Bram Stoker Award-winning editor Michael Bailey, and illustrated by Seth Brown. It contains speculative fiction and poetry (25 of each) from Stephen King, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Linda D. Addison, Zoje Stage, Christina Sng, Hailey Piper, John Langan, Tlotlo Tsamaase, and so many more. See the book cover above for a full list. It was also nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award.

Amazon: eBook | trade paperback | hardcover. Also available in the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain,  India, Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Japan, Poland, and a part of Kindle Unlimited where available.

Barnes & Noble: trade paperback | hardcover

Books-A-Million (BAM!): trade paperback | hardcover

Ingram: trade paperback | hardcover

While working on LONG DIVISION: Stories of Social Decay, Societal Collapse, and Bad Manners (co-edited with Doug Murano, and available now from Bad Hand Books), I wrote a 10-part poem in the empty spaces while working on the interior design. It’s not in there now, of course, but you can read it below:

DIVIDE BY ZERO
by Michael Bailey

PrologueThe clock was never kind,its hands carving futures into fractions.What was whole became parts,what was shared became scarce,

and time itself learned to divide.

1.A rusted seesaw in a playground of ash,children no longer laugh—no one has time for that.The tilt of balance is a lesson in gravity,where the heavier side always wins,

crushing everything beneath.

2.Skyscrapers lean toward the horizon,as if yearning for softer lands to fall into.But no one builds cathedrals of safety anymore,just markets with no ceilings,

the sky bought out piece by piece.

3.A woman pockets the last canned peach,her eyes daring the watchers to object.Hunger makes etiquette optional,and in this division of spoils,

manners drown in the absence of mercy.

4.The streets whisper with the shuffle of feet,heads bent like broken sunflowers.No greetings are exchanged, only glances—furtive, sharp,

counting threats instead of stars.

5.Books burn not for knowledge but for warmth,their words curling into smoke and forgetting.Libraries now serve as shelters for the lost,shelves empty except for echoes

of stories no one cared to carry.

6.Plastic blooms choke the rivers,petroleum petals spreading like rot.In the water’s reflection,the sky imitates the filth below,

another mirror broken by neglect.

7.Beneath the crumbling overpass,a mural proclaims “Unity is strength.”The paint flakes like broken promises,while scavengers haggle over rusted screws,

splitting nails into weapons.

8.Somewhere, a child still divides her days,halving minutes of hunger with seconds of hope.But even hope has grown thin,its arithmetic no longer adding up

in a world that has forgotten its sum.

EpilogueThe silence grows,not from peace but exhaustion.Even the wind has forgotten its song,its breath stretched thin across broken lands,

where we dared to divide by zero.

The anthology for which that poem was written is now available in trade paperback and eBook. While this is not published by Written Backwards, I fully support Bad Hand Books and everything they publish, and I highly recommend picking up a copy. The anthology includes cover artwork by J.E. Larson, and the following wonderful contributions:

“The Mean Season” by Zoje Stage (poem)
“Item G2V” by Alex Grecian
“Celeste” by Chuck Palahniuk
“Third-Time Lucy” by Anna Taborska
“S.A.M.” by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
“The Fire of Roses” by Cynthia Pelayo
“Two Schools” by Elizabeth Massie
“Yard Signs” by John F.D. Taff
“The End of the World, After All” by Andy Davidson
“Broken Sky Road” by Mason Bundschuh
“To What Do We Owe This Pleasure” by Jonathan Lees
“Blight” by Lora Senf
“The Next Station Is—” by Ai Jiang
“Boiling Point” by Scott Edelman
“Cinders In Your Hair” by Eugen Bacon
“The Nocturnal Gardener” by Clay McLeod Chapman
“You Are the Emptiness in Every Room You Occupy” by Eric LaRocca
“Beggin for Thread” by Gary A. Braunbeck
“Versus Versus” by Laird Barron
“The Third Seal” by Jamal Hodge (poem)

FUMPTRUCK is now available in paperback and eBook on Amazon, and in paperback on Barnes & Noble. Will the paperback arrive in time for the holidays? We hope so. If not, it will definitely arrive by Inauguration Day, but the eBook launches on 12/24 and can be downloaded and read sooner. The official release days are as follows (pending any hiccups):

December 17, 2024: Paperback: Amazon / B&N

December 24, 2024: eBook.

Click any of the hyperlinks (or the book image). Other distributors are in the works, and those links will be made available as soon as humanly possible.

It is assumed this will be the worst-reviewed book ever produced by Written Backwards because half the U.S. (according to recent election results) will hate it for what it is: truth. But that’s okay, and we should hope for as much. This book is a statement, after all, an incredibly powerful one.

All proceeds from this anthology will go a grant (or grants, plural) for a creator (or creators) impacted by this change in U.S. government. So, let’s raise as much as we can and make some noise!

THE FINAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication“The Hollow Man” by L.A. Spooner (artwork)“Numb” by Anonymous (poem)“Beyond Idiocracy” by Anonymous (fiction)“Armageddon Smiles” by G.O. Clark (poem)“A Somewhat Level-Headed Response to the Recent Election” by Stephen Kozeniewski (essay)“Bol” by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, translated by Usman T. Malik (poem)“Inconceivable” by Zoje Stage (fiction)“Put My Dead Daughter on Your Billboard, I Dare You” by Sarah Read (poem)“A Difference of Opinion” by MJ Sydney (nonfiction)“You Can Feel Your Insides Move” by Hannah Rebekah Graves (poem)“The Rot Beneath the Surface” by Robert Dean (nonfiction)“Warrior Song” by Anonymous (poem)“Gut Punch” by Dino Parenti (fiction)“Tyrannus Trump” by Karen Poppy (poem)“Orange Lies Matter” by Pat R. Steiner (artwork)“An Open Letter to Your White Savior Complex” by Sumiko Saulson (nonfiction)“Fumptruck” by Michael Bailey (song) “Pearly Gates” by Jeff Strand (fiction)“Lobster in Chief” by Pedro Iniguez (poem)“Oath of Office” by JG Faherty (fiction)“If the Article ‘Ever Feel Like You’re Living in a Collapsing Society’ Was a Poem” by Tonya Liburd “Mind Cemetery” by Rich Duncan, Jr. (nonfiction)“Cofveve: A Trio of Prose Poems” by Eugen Bacon (illustrated by Elena Betti)The Candidate” by Harrison Demchick (flash fiction)“Trumpy Talk (sung to the tune of “Happy Talk” from South Pacific)” by Elizabeth Massie (song)“Inmate #4547” by Thom Erb (flash fiction)“You Are Trapped in a Coma” and “There Is Nothing Wrong with You” by Holly Lyn Walrath (poems)“Upper Crust” by Michael Paul Gonzalez“The Orange Menace” by Matt Panfil (woodcut), and:“Leader of the Free World” by Matt Panfil (short film, via QR code)“Fetal Attraction” by Amanda Worthington (fiction)“Unnamed” by Dominque Hecq (poem)“The Freedom Faction” by Gordon Linzner (fiction)“Scars” by Teel James Glenn (poem)“I Am Not an Incubator” by Jo Kaplan (nonfiction)“Self-Portrait” by Stevie L. Morley (painting, acrylic)“All Aboard the Traitor Express” by Lindsey Goddard (poem)“Damnatio Memoriae” – Bracken MacLeod (nonfiction)“Address on the Mall” and “Confession” by Indran Amirthanayagam (poems)“Taco Truck” by Nick Kolakowski (fiction)“Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here” by Anonymous (poem)“Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent” by Karuna Das (essay), and:“Peace and Love Fists” (photograph, to accompany the above essay)“Cult” by Jeff Oliver (poem)“The Enemy Within the Kitchen” by Jenny Kiefer (linocut)“Repentance” by Laura Ruth Loomis (fiction)“Little Orange Men” by Kathi Crawford (poem)“America Dark” by Lucas Pederson (fiction)“MAGA” by Max Booth III (poem)“Not the Brightest of Timelines” by Gaius Terentilius Harsa (fiction)“A Martyr Will Come” by Kurt Newton (poem)“The Weaving Dead” by Scott Edelman (fiction)“Falsus Rex” by Anonymous (artwork)“Dump That Chump” by John Palisano (song / music video, via QR code)“Afterwards, Again” by Mari Ness (poem)“The Human Condition” by Vivian Kasley (fiction)“Flours for Sis” by Anonymous (letter)“Terran First” by Ethan Zoey Hedman (fiction)

“Stars in Their Eyes” by Nicholas Ozment (poem)

“Genesis II” by Anonymous (future scripture)“A Broken Promise” by Anonymous (poem)“Post-Op Instructions After Your Mind Control Chip Implantation” by Effie Seiberg (fiction)“The Paradox of Humanity as an Alphabetic List” by Jetse de Vries (list)“The Persistence of Memory” by Joshua Ginsberg (flash fiction)“Midas” by Gwynne Garfinkle (poem)“The Fall of an Empire” by Anonymous (poem / essay / fiction)“Funding Proposal” by David DeGraff (essay)“From Shadows of Tyranny to the Light of Freedom” by Essel Pratt (poem)“My Arrows Are as Plentiful as Dust, My Shield Is as Inevitable as Trash” by et alia laughing and weeping (nonfiction)“Forty-Seven” by Mark Granger (poem) “The Fool on the Hill” by Lisa Morton (fiction)“De-Human (What Have We Done?)” by Anonymous (poem)“Voices Equal Power – Raise Them!” by Anonymous (artwork)

FUMPTRUCK is now available for pre-order in trade paperback and eBook on Amazon. Will the paperback arrive in time for the holidays? We hope so. If not, it will definitely arrive by Inauguration Day, but the eBook launches on 12/24 and can be downloaded and read sooner. The official release days are as follows (pending any hiccups):

December 17, 2024: Trade paperback.

December 24, 2024: eBook.

Click any of the hyperlinks (or the book image) to take you to the Amazon page. Other distributors are in the works, and those links will be made available as soon as humanly possible.

It is assumed this will be the worst-reviewed book ever produced by Written Backwards because half the U.S. (according to recent election results) will hate it for what it is: truth. But that’s okay, and we should hope for as much. This book is a statement, after all, an incredibly powerful one.

This anthology is already a #1 New Release in Civil Rights and Liberties, as well as #13 in LGBTQ+ Political Issues, and #93 in Corruption & Misconduct in Politics. Let’s keep pushing this book up the ranks, and maybe cause a fuss in other areas, no? We’re only getting started.

All proceeds from this anthology will go a grant (or grants, plural) for a creator (or creators) impacted by this change in U.S. government. So, let’s raise as much as we can and make some noise!

THE FINAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication“The Hollow Man” by L.A. Spooner (artwork)“Numb” by Anonymous (poem)“Beyond Idiocracy” by Anonymous (fiction)“Armageddon Smiles” by G.O. Clark (poem)“A Somewhat Level-Headed Response to the Recent Election” by Stephen Kozeniewski (essay)“Bol” by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, translated by Usman T. Malik (poem)“Inconceivable” by Zoje Stage (fiction)“Put My Dead Daughter on Your Billboard, I Dare You” by Sarah Read (poem)“A Difference of Opinion” by MJ Sydney (nonfiction)“You Can Feel Your Insides Move” by Hannah Rebekah Graves (poem)“The Rot Beneath the Surface” by Robert Dean (nonfiction)“Warrior Song” by Anonymous (poem)“Gut Punch” by Dino Parenti (fiction)“Tyrannus Trump” by Karen Poppy (poem)“Orange Lies Matter” by Pat R. Steiner (artwork)“An Open Letter to Your White Savior Complex” by Sumiko Saulson (nonfiction)“Fumptruck” by Michael Bailey (song) “Pearly Gates” by Jeff Strand (fiction)“Lobster in Chief” by Pedro Iniguez (poem)“Oath of Office” by JG Faherty (fiction)“If the Article ‘Ever Feel Like You’re Living in a Collapsing Society’ Was a Poem” by Tonya Liburd “Mind Cemetery” by Rich Duncan, Jr. (nonfiction)“Cofveve: A Trio of Prose Poems” by Eugen Bacon (illustrated by Elena Betti)The Candidate” by Harrison Demchick (flash fiction)“Trumpy Talk (sung to the tune of “Happy Talk” from South Pacific)” by Elizabeth Massie (song)“Inmate #4547” by Thom Erb (flash fiction)“You Are Trapped in a Coma” and “There Is Nothing Wrong with You” by Holly Lyn Walrath (poems)“Upper Crust” by Michael Paul Gonzalez“The Orange Menace” by Matt Panfil (woodcut), and:“Leader of the Free World” by Matt Panfil (short film, via QR code)“Fetal Attraction” by Amanda Worthington (fiction)“Unnamed” by Dominque Hecq (poem)“The Freedom Faction” by Gordon Linzner (fiction)“Scars” by Teel James Glenn (poem)“I Am Not an Incubator” by Jo Kaplan (nonfiction)“Self-Portrait” by Stevie L. Morley (painting, acrylic)“All Aboard the Traitor Express” by Lindsey Goddard (poem)“Damnatio Memoriae” – Bracken MacLeod (nonfiction)“Address on the Mall” and “Confession” by Indran Amirthanayagam (poems)“Taco Truck” by Nick Kolakowski (fiction)“Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here” by Anonymous (poem)“Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent” by Karuna Das (essay), and:“Peace and Love Fists” (photograph, to accompany the above essay)“Cult” by Jeff Oliver (poem)“The Enemy Within the Kitchen” by Jenny Kiefer (linocut)“Repentance” by Laura Ruth Loomis (fiction)“Little Orange Men” by Kathi Crawford (poem)“America Dark” by Lucas Pederson (fiction)“MAGA” by Max Booth III (poem)“Not the Brightest of Timelines” by Gaius Terentilius Harsa (fiction)“A Martyr Will Come” by Kurt Newton (poem)“The Weaving Dead” by Scott Edelman (fiction)“Falsus Rex” by Anonymous (artwork)“Dump That Chump” by John Palisano (song / music video, via QR code)“Afterwards, Again” by Mari Ness (poem)“The Human Condition” by Vivian Kasley (fiction)“Flours for Sis” by Anonymous (letter)“Terran First” by Ethan Zoey Hedman (fiction)

“Stars in Their Eyes” by Nicholas Ozment (poem)

“Genesis II” by Anonymous (future scripture)“A Broken Promise” by Anonymous (poem)“Post-Op Instructions After Your Mind Control Chip Implantation” by Effie Seiberg (fiction)“The Paradox of Humanity as an Alphabetic List” by Jetse de Vries (list)“The Persistence of Memory” by Joshua Ginsberg (flash fiction)“Midas” by Gwynne Garfinkle (poem)“The Fall of an Empire” by Anonymous (poem / essay / fiction)“Funding Proposal” by David DeGraff (essay)“From Shadows of Tyranny to the Light of Freedom” by Essel Pratt (poem)“My Arrows Are as Plentiful as Dust, My Shield Is as Inevitable as Trash” by et alia laughing and weeping (nonfiction)“Forty-Seven” by Mark Granger (poem) “The Fool on the Hill” by Lisa Morton (fiction)“De-Human (What Have We Done?)” by Anonymous (poem)“Voices Equal Power – Raise Them!” by Anonymous (artwork)