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Direct link: July poetry (MP3)

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents poetry from the issues.

  • “Odessa" by Marina Berlin, read by Marina Berlin. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Marina here.
  • “Interview with a 22nd-Century Sex Worker" by Darren Lipman, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Darren here.
  • “A Mergirl Speaks of Travels" by Michelle Vider, read by Michelle Vider. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Michelle here.
  • “Duck Dance, Two-Step" by Halee Kirkwood, read by Halee Kirkwood. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Halee here.
  • “The Sparrows in Her Hair" by Hester J. Rook, read by Rebecca Brooks-Steele. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Hester J. here.
  • “Sawa" by Karolina Fedyk, read by Karolina Fedyk. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Karolina here.
  • “Stone Heart" by Omar Sakr, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Omar here.
  • “eve (and adam)" by Safiya Njemile, read by Romie Stott. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Safiya here.



Njemile is a Trinidadian-American residing near Washington, D.C. When not writing poetry, she can be found on long hikes, architecting her next adventure.
Marina Berlin grew up speaking three languages in a coastal city far, far away. She’s an author of short stories who’s currently working on her first novel. You can follow her exploits on Twitter @berlin_marina or read more about her work at marinaberlin.org.
Darren Lipman graduated from NC State University with his master's in mathematics and a minor in poetry. He's currently moving from his hometown of Asheboro, NC, to Milwaukee, where he'll teach high school mathematics as a Teach for America 2016 corps member. Find him at thewritingwolf.wordpress.com, with fiction and poetry at silentsol.wordpress.com.
Michelle Vider is based in Philadelphia. Her work has appeared in The Toast, The Rumpus, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Open Letters Monthly, Atlas and Alice, and elsewhere. Find her at michellevider.com and @meanchelled.
Halee Kirkwood is a recent graduate of Northland College and will be soon attending Hamline University’s MFA program. Kirkwood also served as an editor for Aqueous Magazine, a Lake Superior region Literary & Performing Arts magazine. You can often find Kirkwood haunting the Twin Cities Metro Transit, staring out of windows and daydreaming about what secrets the roadside plants keep.
Hester J. Rook is a Rhysling Award and Australian Shadows Award shortlisted poet and co-editor of Twisted Moon Magazine.  They are often found salt-scrunched on beaches, reading arcane tales and losing the moon in mugs of tea. Find Hester on Twitter @hesterjrook and read more poems and fiction at hesterjrook.com.
Karolina Fedyk is a Polish writer of speculative poetry and fiction. Likes learning new languages, coffee, owls, and living in extreme latitudes. Tweets as @karigrafia.
Omar Sakr is a bisexual Arab Australian poet from Sydney. His poetry has been published by Meanjin, Overland, Tincture, Carve and Mascara Literary Review, among others. He recently placed runner-up in the Judith Wright Poetry Prize, and his debut collection, These Wild Houses , is forthcoming from Cordite Books (2017).
Current Issue
29 May 2023

We are touched and encouraged to see an overwhelming response from writers from the Sino diaspora as well as BIPOC creators in various parts of the world. And such diverse and daring takes of wuxia and xianxia, from contemporary to the far reaches of space!
By: L Chan
The air was redolent with machine oil; rich and unctuous, and synthesised alcohol, sharper than a knife on the tongue.
“Leaping Crane don’t want me to tell you this,” Poppy continued, “but I’m the most dangerous thing in the West. We’ll get you to your brother safe before you know it.”
Many eons ago, when the first dawn broke over the newborn mortal world, the children of the Heavenly Realm assembled at the Golden Sky Palace.
Winter storm: lightning flashes old ghosts on my blade.
transplanted from your temple and missing the persimmons in bloom
immigrant daughters dodge sharp barbs thrown in ambush 十面埋伏 from all directions
Many trans and marginalised people in our world can do the exact same things that everyone else has done to overcome challenges and find happiness, only for others to come in and do what they want as Ren Woxing did, and probably, when asked why, they would simply say Xiang Wentian: to ask the heavens. And perhaps we the readers, who are told this story from Linghu Chong’s point of view, should do more to question the actions of people before blindly following along to cause harm.
Before the Occupation, righteousness might have meant taking overt stands against the distant invaders of their ancestral homelands through donating money, labour, or expertise to Chinese wartime efforts. Yet during the Occupation, such behaviour would get one killed or suspected of treason; one might find it better to remain discreet and fade into the background, or leave for safer shores. Could one uphold justice and righteousness quietly, subtly, and effectively within such a world of harshness and deprivation?
Issue 22 May 2023
Issue 15 May 2023
Issue 8 May 2023
Issue 1 May 2023
Issue 24 Apr 2023
Issue 17 Apr 2023
Issue 10 Apr 2023
Issue 3 Apr 2023
Issue 27 Mar 2023
Issue 20 Mar 2023
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