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Direct link: January poetry (MP3)

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

  • “The Rambutan Man" by Naru Dames Sundar, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Naru Dames here.
  • “Departures" by Sara Polsky, read by Romie Stott. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Sara here.
  • “Apotropaic Magic" by Margaret Wack, read by Romie Stott. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Margaret here.
  • “Uprooted" by Kit Hamada, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Kit here.



Ciro Faienza (pronounced CHEE-roh) is an American/Italian national. He has acted on stages and screens throughout Texas and Massachusetts, and his work as a filmmaker has shown at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Hub Theater, and the National Gallery, London. His fiction is featured in numerous publications, including Daily Science Fiction and Futuristica, Vol 1. His short story "J'ae's Solution" was a top finalist in PRI's 3-Minute Futures Contest. You can see his visual artwork at his web gallery, Postmedium.
Kit Hamada graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in Computer Science and English, and now writes code for a living. Her poetry and fiction have previously appeared in Liminality and 101 Fiction. She resides in Madison, WI with an assortment of hockey players and four-legged beasts.
Margaret Wack is a writer, poet, and classicist whose work has been published in Strange Horizons, Liminality, Twisted Moon, and others.  More can be found at margaretwack.com.
Naru Sundar (@naru_sundar) writes speculative fiction of all kinds. He has previously been a DJ, a composer, and a potter. When he isn’t devouring books or writing, he enjoys music and art and deep moments in the redwoods of northern California.
Romie Stott is the administrative editor and a poetry editor of Strange Horizons. Her poems have appeared in inkscrawl, Dreams & Nightmares, Polu Texni, On Spec, The Deadlands, and Liminality, but she is better known for her essays in The Toast and Atlas Obscura, and a microfiction project called postorbital. As a filmmaker, she has been a guest artist of the National Gallery (London), the Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston), and the Dallas Museum of Art. You can find her fairly complete bibliography here.
Sara Polsky is the author of the YA novel This Is How I Find Her. Her book reviews and poetry have appeared previously in Strange Horizons.
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2 Mar 2026

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Strange Horizons invites non-fiction submissions for our March 30 special issue on “Fungi in SFF.”
Once I’ve finished writing, I will fold this letter up and tuck it into the Tristram you kindly loaned me (may it be our Galeotto … ). I’ll knock on your door, at which point I will most likely encounter a puzzled maidservant, who will ask who in the world I am, and I will explain that I am returning a book you were kind enough to bestow on me (generous creature that you are and clearly down-on-their-luck weatherworn would-be poet that I am).
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