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A girl sits in the back of the class—
you will go through changes—
her dragonfly wings flutter, shatter light.

The taloned boy wonders—
you may feel things, urges—
who will ever want to hold his hand.

The fanged, the tusked,
the razor-horned sense the sadness that will come—
this is natural—with learning to rein in their lips.

You may have dreams—
and they do, in their dreams
they are naked and shadow-blued

in front of a mirror—this happens to
everyone—trying on different shapes,
their reflection shaking its head no,

the body
a destination
distanced by want.



Todd's work has appeared or is forthcoming in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Electric Literature, Best New Poets, and Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.  He is the recipient of a grant from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and his chapbook, The Drowned Hymns, is available from Jeanne Duval Editions.  He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and daughter.
Current Issue
22 Apr 2024

We’d been on holiday at the Shoon Sea only three days when the incident occurred. Dr. Gar had been staying there a few months for medical research and had urged me and my friend Shooshooey to visit.
...
Tu enfiles longuement la chemise des murs,/ tout comme d’autres le font avec la chemise de la mort.
The little monster was not born like a human child, yelling with cold and terror as he left his mother’s womb. He had come to life little by little, on the high, three-legged bench. When his eyes had opened, they met the eyes of the broad-shouldered sculptor, watching them tenderly.
Le petit monstre n’était pas né comme un enfant des hommes, criant de froid et de terreur au sortir du ventre maternel. Il avait pris vie peu à peu, sur la haute selle à trois pieds, et quand ses yeux s’étaient ouverts, ils avaient rencontré ceux du sculpteur aux larges épaules, qui le regardaient tendrement.
We're delighted to welcome Nat Paterson to the blog, to tell us more about his translation of Léopold Chauveau's story 'The Little Monster'/ 'Le Petit Monstre', which appears in our April 2024 issue.
For a long time now you’ve put on the shirt of the walls,/just as others might put on a shroud.
Issue 15 Apr 2024
By: Ana Hurtado
Art by: delila
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Issue 25 Mar 2024
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Art by: Kim Hu
Issue 18 Mar 2024
Strange Horizons
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Issue 4 Mar 2024
Issue 26 Feb 2024
Issue 19 Feb 2024
Issue 12 Feb 2024
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