By Caitlin Taylor So From the early 2000s to mid-2010s, young adult films of all genres dominated theaters. YA movie trailers were inescapable during commercial breaks. Up-and-coming actors became household names overnight. While the YA movie craze has since calmed down in 2023, it certainly isn’t a thing of the past. Instead of featuring in […]
Ah, witch lit, that sublime subgenre of fiction where broomsticks aren’t just for sweeping and a full moon means more than a cloudless night. For readers of this enchanted genre, and certainly for its architects, the term “witch lit” evokes a rich tapestry of magical realism, occult traditions, and—most importantly—a celebration of feminine power. Though […]
Crafting literature in the witch lit genre is akin to stirring a cauldron of diverse cultural influences. It’s not merely an assembly of spells and incantations; it invokes universal archetypes and symbols expressed through a rich tapestry of languages and lore. Drawing from an array of traditions, be it Celtic legends or Yoruba myths, Sanskrit […]
Have you ever found yourself eager to dabble in a bit of magic into your narratives? Welcome to the world of witch lit, where the extraordinary hides within the ordinary. Witch lit is a subgenre of fiction that intricately weaves elements of witchcraft into everyday life, creating stories where the mundane and the magical coexist. […]
Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer and an immigrant from Fujian. Her debut novella, Linghun, will be published this spring, as will her collection, Ai Jiang’s Smol Tales From Between Worlds. She also recently announced a new novelette, I Am Ai, coming in June. Her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Magazine of […]
Writers spend a lot of time thinking critically about beginnings and ends. These are crucial moments in creating a satisfying story, but they’re also the easiest turning points to consider. What’s the first moment of trouble, the first moment of choice? What’s the final confrontation, the culmination of the character’s desires and needs? Execution, of […]
I’ve been writing and submitting fiction for nearly two decades now, and while I don’t have an itemized list, I believe I’ve received about one trillion rejections. One particular criticism appeared again and again: The opening is too slow and the stakes are too low. This complaint began to wear at me like a stone […]
Isabel J. Kim is a Korean-American science fiction and fantasy writer based in New York City. An attorney by day, she also co-hosts Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture. Her stories have been included in the Locus Recommended Reading List, as well as TOR.com’s Must Read list. Her work has been published in […]
Nick Olson’s newest book, a speculative novel-in-flash titled Afterglow (Alien Buddha Press), will be released in June. Nick is a freelance editor and author of both literary and speculative fiction. His previous novels, Here’s Waldo and The Brother We Share, are available now. He is the editor of lit zine (mac)ro(mic). Nick let me take an early peek at Afterglow and I loved the complex future history he has envisioned.
1. What is your hottest take on the age old genre vs. fiction debate and how do you see yourself and your work fitting into that? Evan J. Peterson: You asked for it, so here goes. Genre is about money. Genres as we know them are made up to sell books, and they were made […]
What are your writerly obsessions? What theme, idea, or image do you often gravitate towards? As a mixed-race writer (Black and white), I feel myself coming back to the idea of in-betweenness again and again. In fact, I think I gravitate toward the speculative because it allows me to grapple with human issues of love, […]
It’s one of the most memorable Horror movie endings. Heather runs down the stairs of a crumbling house, screaming Mike’s name. He isn’t responding. Anything could’ve happened to him. Then there’s a glimpse of him in the basement. He’s not decapitated or consumed in witchfire. He’s just standing in the corner. That’s all we see […]