Golem Shows the True Meaning of Christmas

Prague, Czech Republic — The holiday season really can bring people together. When an unexpected tree shortage meant that the town square might go without its traditional symbol this year, assistance came from an unusual source. The local earth golem, who is normally employed as a personal assistant to Rabbi Loew, offered its services as a literal stand-in.

“Golem not need to sleep. Or move. Just stand in square. Kids decorate.” Asked why it volunteered, the golem explained, “Want to learn

Winter is Coming, which is a thing it does every year.

Winter is slowly, finally arriving where I live. The weather report teases me with threats of snow (no accumulation). The Halloween decorations that plague me are now (mostly) replaced/adjuncted with Christmas lights. The pumpkins rot quietly, as is their wont.

This time of year makes me reflective. I ponder what to do differently next year. One of those things is writing publicly more. I plan to reboot this site with more (and more interesting) content, on a more regular

Fierce Storm: Stories for the Resistance

After a long hiatus, I started thinking about short ficton again. Here's a thing I wrote while I was watching the world slowly crumble some night recently. I don't even remember the specific outrage...there are so many to choose from lately. Anyway, microficion for you.

Interview with Djibril al-Ayad of The Future Fire

The Future Fire, a magazine of speculative fiction, is celebrating ten years of publishing! Take a moment to tremble in awe, won’t you? It’s hard out there for any small publisher, but TFF carved out a niche by embracing social and political themes in the stories they publish. Read on to learn from editor Djibril al-Ayad how the magazine operates, what TFF is looking for in terms of new content, and what future fires will be sparked.

TFF