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Review: Books of Asian horror: Silk and Sinew, Insect Hag and Other Stories, and Zhiguai

  I have been drawn to horror literature of late, not despite but because of some dark experiences. I am reminded of how horror in fiction can offer catharsis, a way of processing real-life pain and fear. Of how darkness in art can be a comfort—a friendly tap on the shoulder, a shared moment, a missive that arrives to say, You’re not alone.   Here are a few horror books I’ve read this summer, filled with strange tales to both unsettle and comfort, reminders that none of us are alone—not truly alone—in the dark.   Silk & Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror from the Asian Diaspora In Silk and Sinew, editor Kristy Park Kulski has gathered together 20 beautiful stories of darkness. The authors and poets (yes, there’s some poetry here as well) represent voices from a range of backgrounds and cultures, including China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Armenia, and Lao. Ghosts, shamans, fox spirits, sleep paralysis...
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Short fiction recs! April-June 2025

  Due to personal matters, I was not able to get as much short fiction read as usual these past few months.   But here are some short stories I did read and love.   “Haunting Beauty” by T.K. Rex in Uncharted Magazine The American Hotel looks and feels like it was built right after the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco’s worst day ever. The ceiling has one long, thin crack that makes me nervous, and white latex paint over decades of lead smoothing the edges of the carved molding all around the ceiling and the floor. A brass chandelier holds candle-flame-shaped incandescent bulbs, about a third burned out, and the carpets are…carpets.   The American Hotel is in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, and has seen much better days. But a hungry model needs to eat, and so agrees to meet a photographer there for a photoshoot. There, the model (and reader) learn that not all hauntings are terrifying or unwelcome. The American Hotel has secrets to share, but sec...
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New story! "Support Forum for the Care and Feeding of Your Personal Spirit-angel"

  I have a new story out today! “Support Forum for the Care and Feeding of Your Personal Spirit-angel ” is a dark little piece about Internet forums, cult dynamics, and angels who promise to heal every wound in your soul. It’s my second publication in Uncharted Magazine, a wonderful venue for literary speculative and genre fiction. 
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Short Fiction recs! Feb-March 2025

  Some stories I've read and loved.   Stories from Flash Fiction Online’s  Winter Folklore Issue   “The Ice Cutter’s Daughter and Her Looking Glass” by Nadia Born in Flash Fiction Online The ice cutter’s daughter dreams that her world is melting. She knows the theory of thawing from common things: how candle wax weeps or sugar hisses in a skillet. But she’s not prepared for the severity of the sun.   She can’t hide her glee. After all, what young woman doesn’t secretly delight in the destruction of everything she knows?   The ice cutter’s daughter dreams of a summer land where “all things are melted and wild.” She leaves everything behind to find this distant country, to follow her dream. But what is the price she’ll play? A gorgeous, aching tale of both loss and gain, of dreams fulfilled—of a new home found—but also of what’s irretrievably lost.   “The Heartbreaker’s Apprentice " by Catherine George A job ad, posted online. The on...
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Short fiction recs! December 2024--January 2025.

  This cold February I offer you a mix of stories from the old year and the new. Some are dark; some speak of loss and disaster and warn of terrible futures. But there are also stories that speak of warmth and comfort, coziness and love. And there are stories that mix dark and light in various ways, finding hope and beauty among loss.     Published in 2024 “Stranger Seas Than These” by L. Chan in Clarkesworld It is two days since our original projected mission end date. We are running out of oxygen and we are trapped in the throat of a god. Technology and a prudent safety review panel have kept casualties on deep dives low, but abyssal layer dives have always been risky. Still, there hasn’t been a fatality in years and none, to the best of my knowledge, within the trachea of one of Pelagia’s Godwhales. Perhaps they will name a safety rule after us.   A submersible crew trapped in the body of a giant, dying tentacled “Godwhale.” A scientist who seeks to...
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New Story! "The Path She Sings" is now free to read at The Deadlands

  My latest story, “The Path She Sings, ” is now up and free to read at The Deadlands! It’s a weird little bit of dark fantasy/horror, and it’s just over flash-length at only a little over a thousand words. And with this, I cross out one of the squares on my writer’s bingo card—The Deadlands has been a dream market of mine for years. I’m honored to finally appear in their pages, alongside beautiful fiction, poetry, and essays from talented writers. Go read the whole issue if you can!
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Quote: Letter of Ming Dynasty writer Yuan Hong-dao to his friend Li Zi-ran

Have you been writing any poems recently? If you're not writing poetry, how are you getting through these dreary days? A person can only be happy when he finds something to put his heart into. Some people put their hearts into chess, some into beautiful women, some into a particular skill or craft, some into writing.     --Excerpt, translation by Stephen Owens in his book, An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911
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