Enough has already been said about this year, so I won’t — except to say that this is not the kind of year I would’ve expected to be my most productive thus far. Funny how things work, isn’t it? I released seven short stories and one interactive fiction game this year, and if you’re considering possibilities for awards in the new year, give them a look!
- “The Last Ship Out of Exville” | Kaleidotrope, Winter 2020
A space station populated by misfits prepares one final show before fascists take over. (Short story – 1,388 words)
Recommended by Karen Burnham in Locus, June 2020 - “Purplefall” | Broadcasts from the Wasteland, April 2020
After the death of her father, a grieving woman seeks answers from the gods. (Audio short story – 9 minutes, 45 seconds) - “A Compass in the Dark” | Analog, May/June 2020
A woman discovers how easy it is for lunar spirits to lose their way. (Short story – 2,150 words)
Reviewed in Rocket Stack Rank - “The Forests Here Are Always Dark” | GlitterShip, Spring 2020
On a world divided between eternal day and night, a trans woman struggles to ensure people see her as she is. (Short story – 5,356 words)
Reviewed in Quick Sip Reviews - “The Dreadnought and the Stars” | Glitter + Ashes, Neon Hemlock, 2020
Long after the end of the world, a giant lesbian wanders the remnants, looking for her love. (Short story – 5,656 words)
Reviewed in Quick Sip Reviews - “A Brilliant Light, An Unreachable Dawn” | Recognize Fascism, World Weaver Press, 2020
A traveller returns home to find that they both have changed, and that she doesn’t fit inside its walls anymore. (Short story – 4,488 words) - “Little Rituals” | Heavy Metal Jupiters and Other Places, NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, 2020
Two space travellers share a quiet moment on a planet doomed to be engulfed by its sun. (Short story – 536 words) - “The Luminous Underground” | Choice of Games, 2020
Strange things are going down in the Underground! Build your team, descend beneath the city streets, and face down daemons with magic and science in this 660,000-word work of interactive fiction!
The other members of the Clarion West Class of 2019 have been busy this year, too – consider checking out everything they have up for consideration, too!
Phoebe Barton - Science Fiction Writer 