Stories by Vincent H. O’Neil, E.C. Barrett, Elisa Abatsis, Mark Pantoja, Chelsea Hanna Cohen, and Chip Houser. Cover art by John Brosio.
Contents: Smilers by Chip Houser Crescendo by Chelsea Hanna Cohen The Replacement by Mark Pantoja The Kool-Aid Stoppers by Elisa Abatsis We Aren’t Violent People by E.C. Barrett Emptying the Bunkhouse by Vincent H. O’Neil
From Casual Debris. Including reviews of each story.
It's been a couple years now that I've been reading Bourbon Penn. As with most primarily online periodicals, I tend to read a story or two, and move on. Consistently impressed with the quality of the stories in BP, I've been meaning to read through an entire issue, and I managed (nearly) to pour through their latest issue, Bourbon Penn 20, in two days. (I write "nearly" since the last story followed a two-day hiatus.)
Yet read through the issue I certainly did. Half a dozen stories and none of them bad. Each with a dose of suspense injected into its own unique universe, mostly dark. Though I enjoyed each story, I do have a favourite: Mark Pantoja's "The Replacement," which struck its emotional cord at a hefty pitch.
The cover art is by John Brosio, titled "Fatigue (Version 2)." It is accompanied by a good personal essay on his experiences studying art.