Some months can be slow in the publishing world, and then others, it snowballs. I started the new year with “In the Weaving” published in Humans From Earth. This story is part of an anthology where humans are the horror, the invaders, the nasties. Likewise, in February, “Fresh Picked” came out in If Memory Serves. This poem is about food and memory, and unlike most of my writing, there is nothing speculative about it.

March definitely became bumper crop month for dwarf poems (poems of 10 lines or less). This included the haibun “Awakening” in Scifaikuest, horrorku [acid] in Crytpic Frog Quarterly #2, a cinquain “Captive” in Polar Starlight #21, and a scifaiku “finally happy” in Amazing Stories: Best of 2025. And while technically Polar Starlight #22 has a cover date of Apr. it came out on the last day of March with my poem “Cannibal Playlist.”

A few other things to look forward to. In April, “The Last Hope” comes out in Dirty Magick. Also, since this is now April, I’m the editor for the HWA Poetry Showcase XIII, which has just opened to subs for National Poetry Month. Poets may submit one poem and it will be read by jurors Jamal Hodge, Erik Hofstatter, Kyla Lee Ward and me. The top fifty poems by HWA (Horror Writers Association) members will be in the Showcase, a paid venue of the HWA. For more information, check out the HWA’s Facebook page, or the website. It’s always fun and interesting to see what writers create. If you’re submitting, make sure you’ve read the rules. Poems are submitted single spaced, and it’s best to list the number of lines in your document. Also, I’m reminding poets that the book size is 6×9. Overly long lines will have to be broken and this is often important in poetry, since it’s not just an oral tradition but a visual one.

And fellow writer and Tom Johnstone and I can announce as of today that our story “Snow as Soft as Feathers” will be in Flame Tree Press’s Christmas Horror Short Stories. Their books are lush hard covers packed full of stories from contemporary authors as well as myths and legends. We’re very excited about this.