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Bourbon Penn Issue 14
Bourbon Penn's devotion to visionary storytelling continues with issue #14: nonhuman species pursuing questionable agendas provoke two minimum-wage workers into doubting their own humanity ... a small town fraught with economic despair, where mothers mysteriously die, drives boyhood pals into an emotional quest for meaning through building their own fortress ... a college janitor seeks redemption through confrontation with parallel selves ... corporate co-workers take hyper-efficiency into a new brutalism where failure is not an option ... a wandering girl and her intended rescuer might've simply run away, or do they wait in cold river mud to reunite with the anguished living? For connoisseurs of the liminal whose appetites exceed the offerings of traditional speculative fiction, follow these explorers of existence into landscapes emotional and mysterious ... return with artifacts stranger than love, but hauntingly intimate.
164 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 21, 2017
Great magazine. Can't wait to read another. The stories were engaging, and well written, the cover art was cool. A cut above (well above) most other fiction magazines. And I love that they have a kindle version. That's a great feature. Most fiction magazines you have to read online. I much prefer a hard copy or a kindle version. I'll be buying another soon.
January 6, 2018
Bourbon Penn! What a hidden little gem of a magazine. I'm glad I found and you offered a Kindle version of your newest issue. I just wish the cover was better on the digital version: it's tiny! I can't see what everyone's talking about.
As for the fiction, wow!! All fairly good fiction, with some pieces that did tone and tonal prose better than plot: "Season of the Hyssop" and "Playing Dead," and others taking perplexing concepts and running with them. Jamie Schultz wrote an outstanding piece, just a fantastic short film pressed into a long interrogation scene. First prose that really struck me this year. Later in the mag, "The Attack of the Forty-Foot Cobra Women" was really interesting. Felt like something out of Rust Belt mag and a Kelly Barnhill collab. The other pieces were, like, alright. Probably a better average than some other speculative mags' average.
I wish it had more than just six fictions. Like Grimdark had a letter from the editor, some nonfic, an author explaining their craft. I think this really elevates something from just a collection to a MAG. Anyway, I like Bourbon Penn and I think I can see my fiction here. I'll have to throw "Sharing Space with Others" or something their way. Worth it!
As for the fiction, wow!! All fairly good fiction, with some pieces that did tone and tonal prose better than plot: "Season of the Hyssop" and "Playing Dead," and others taking perplexing concepts and running with them. Jamie Schultz wrote an outstanding piece, just a fantastic short film pressed into a long interrogation scene. First prose that really struck me this year. Later in the mag, "The Attack of the Forty-Foot Cobra Women" was really interesting. Felt like something out of Rust Belt mag and a Kelly Barnhill collab. The other pieces were, like, alright. Probably a better average than some other speculative mags' average.
I wish it had more than just six fictions. Like Grimdark had a letter from the editor, some nonfic, an author explaining their craft. I think this really elevates something from just a collection to a MAG. Anyway, I like Bourbon Penn and I think I can see my fiction here. I'll have to throw "Sharing Space with Others" or something their way. Worth it!
December 11, 2023
Randomly backpedaling through this delightful journal.
As always, the stories are incredibly strong here.
5 stars: "Season of the Hyssop" and "Playing Dead," for braving challenging ideas and making them work.
5 start for Jamie Schultz's story with an outstanding and unique focus on an interrogation.
5 stars for "The Attack of the Forty-Foot Cobra Women" for the originality and fact that I could not put the story down.
All other stories were 4 stars too. All strong.
Bourbon Penn meets my needs as a reader. Some stories are controlled and lyrical. Others have that unique exuberant first person voice that brings you in. Along with the range of styles, there is a unique array of themes too.
Intelligent literary genre.
As always, the stories are incredibly strong here.
5 stars: "Season of the Hyssop" and "Playing Dead," for braving challenging ideas and making them work.
5 start for Jamie Schultz's story with an outstanding and unique focus on an interrogation.
5 stars for "The Attack of the Forty-Foot Cobra Women" for the originality and fact that I could not put the story down.
All other stories were 4 stars too. All strong.
Bourbon Penn meets my needs as a reader. Some stories are controlled and lyrical. Others have that unique exuberant first person voice that brings you in. Along with the range of styles, there is a unique array of themes too.
Intelligent literary genre.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews