Size / / /

They come in a great variety

of sizes and shapes.

Whether you wish to find

or avoid them in your travels,

The Black Hole Hunter's Guide

is the most complete and accurate

source of information.

You should think of this book as analogous

to a mushroom hunter's guide,

always keeping in mind the distinction

between mushrooms and toadstools—

a person not thoroughly schooled

who wants to savor black holes

may discover ignorance can result

in one of them devouring you

rather than your experiencing the reverse.

Properly approached

(keep in mind for further comparison

any good birdwatcher's handbook),

these can be your friends

and a constant source

of intellectual nourishment.

Fitted with the proper eye and ear gear,

the devout hunter

will be able to see where the black hole,

shy creature, almost lurks,

weaving light and electromagnetic chatter

into a nest of camouflage,

and perhaps even hear its cry.

The call each produces

to announce its territory

is as distinctive

as the varieties of birdcall.

You may order a copy of the guide

on a thirty-day free trial,

available from the publisher of

Dwarf Stars for Dummies.

and Meteorites' 40 Greatest Hits.

Order now:

copies are vanishing quickly from the shelves.




Duane Ackerson's poetry has appeared in Rolling Stone, Yankee, Prairie Schooner, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, Cloudbank, alba, Starline, Dreams & Nightmares, and several hundred other places. He has won two Rhysling awards and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Salem, Oregon. You can find more of his work in our archives.
Current Issue
11 Nov 2024

Their hair permed, nails scarlet, knees slim, lashes darkly tinted.
green spores carried on green light, sleeping gentle over steel bones
The rest of the issue is on its way. We think.
In the 4th episode of SH@25, Editor Kat Kourbeti sits down with tabletop game designer and SFF critic Kyle Tam, whose young career has taken off in the last few years. Read on for an insightful interview about narrative storytelling from non-Western perspectives, the importance of schlock and trash in the development of taste, and the windows into creativity we find in moments of hardship.
After the disaster—after the litigation, the endless testimony, the needling comments of the defendant’s counsel—there is at last a settlement, with no party admitting error, and the state recognizing no victim, least of all yourself. Although the money cannot mend any of the overturned things left behind, it can pay for college, so that’s where you go next.
Issue 4 Nov 2024
Issue 28 Oct 2024
Issue 21 Oct 2024
By: KT Bryski
Podcast read by: Devin Martin
Issue 14 Oct 2024
Issue 7 Oct 2024
By: Christopher Blake
Podcast read by: Emmie Christie
Issue 30 Sep 2024
Issue 23 Sep 2024
By: LeeAnn Perry
Art by: nino
Issue 16 Sep 2024
Issue 9 Sep 2024
Issue 2 Sep 2024
Load More