A Torch, a Wolf, a Death

By McKayla Gates The ground beneath Yeomra slipped out from under her. Snow mixed with beaten soil slicked the roads surrounding the barracks. With each step, mud seeped between the gashes in her boots, cold finding its way deep into her flesh. The burlap sack the guards placed over her head sucked in with each breath and choked the air out of her. But the men dragging her toward Commander Otsana’s tent did not care Read more…

Avoiding Racism in Fantasy Races

By Clarissa Janeen Speculative fiction is unique in that by separating ourselves from the real world, we have the tools to examine our reality from a perspective that is otherwise unobtainable. Fantasy in particular is known for portraying a multitude of fictional races; it can be concerning for fans of the genre to see this asset used in problematic ways as the portrayal of these ideas in fiction can negatively contribute to real-world ideas of Read more…

Top 5 YA Books to Horrify Your Summer

By Shannon Elaine Sweeney Lose yourself in a world of suspense, mystery, and horror this summer with these eerie stories. Whether you’re lounging on the beach, soaking up some sun by the pool, or hiding from the heat indoors, there’s nothing quite like a well-crafted horror story to keep you on the edge of your seat and give you chills on even the hottest of days. With so many great young adult horror books, it Read more…

Asphyxia

by Katherine Holmes PREFACE “Asphyxia” adapts the ancient Greek myth/play Antigone, wherein the title character defies her newly crowned uncle, Creon, in order to bury her traitorous dead brother according to the funerary rites dictated by the gods. Creon has decreed that anyone who so much as covers the body from carrion shall be put to death; but Antigone argues that her brother, no matter his allegiance in life, must be honored. When Antigone asks for Read more…

Sanderson’s Secret Project Kickstarter: What it means for publishing

by Ali Dening In the spring of 2022, prolific fantasy author Brandon Sanderson asked his fans to crowdfund one million dollars over a thirty day period. In exchange, Sanderson would self-publish four secret novels that he wrote during the pandemic. In just three days, his Kickstarter had raised $20.3 million, busting records (Whitten). In a month, his fans had collectively pitched in $41.7 million (Sanderson). Kickstarter, a digital crowdfunding platform not too unlike GoFundMe, raked Read more…