Archive for March, 2019
Sharp & Sugar Tooth
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About
Sharp & Sugar Tooth: Women Up To No Good is a horror anthology of dark fiction and darker appetites, edited by Octavia Cade. Containing 22 stories of “bad” women, and “good” women who just haven’t been caught yet, it features 22 fearless writers who identify as female, non-binary, or a marginalized sex or gender identity. It’s the third in the Women Up To No Good series, which can be read in any order. It’s forthcoming on 26 March 2019.
Our contributors are based in or hailing from Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, the UK, and all over the United States. Between them, they have won the Andre Norton, Eugie Foster Memorial, Hugo, Lambda, Locus, Mythopoeic, Nebula, Prix Imaginales, Rhysling, Romantic Times’ Critics Choice, This Is Horror, James Tiptree Jr., and World Fantasy Awards, and been shortlisted for the Bram Stoker, John W. Campbell, and Shirley Jackson Awards!
Table of Contents
- Kathleen Alcalá, “The Doll’s Eye”
- Betsy Aoki, “And When We Die They Will Consume Us”
- Joyce Chng, “Dear Son”
- Katharine Duckett, “Gimme Sugar”
- Anahita Eftekhari, “The Fool’s Feast”
- Chikodili Emelumadu, “Candy Girl” (first published in Apex Magazine, issue 66, November 2014)
- Amelia Gorman, “She Makes the Deep Boil”
- Jasmyne J. Harris, “What the Bees Know About Discarded Girlish Organs”
- A. R. Henle, “Strong Meat”
- Crystal Lynn Hilbert, “Soul of Soup Bones” (first published in Apex Magazine, issue 61, June 2014)
- Erin Horáková, “A Year Without the Taste of Meat”
- Kathryn McMahon, “The Honey Witch”
- H. Pueyo, “I Eat”
- D. A. Xiaolin Spires, “Bristling Skim”
- Rachael Sterling, “Alice Underground”
- Penny Stirling, “Red, From the Heartwood”
- Catherynne M. Valente, “The Lily and the Horn” (first published in Fantasy Magazine, issue 59, Queers Destroy Fantasy!, 2015)
- Sabrina Vourvoulias, “A Fish Tale”
- Damien Angelica Walters, “A Lie You Give, And Thus I Take” (first published in Lightspeed, issue 55, December 2014)
- Rem Wigmore, “Who Watches”
- Alyssa Wong, “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” (first published in Nightmare, issue 37, Queers Destroy Horror!, 2015)
- Caroline M. Yoachim, “The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown” (first published in Electric Velocipede, issue 27, 2013 and republished at Drabblecast)
Contributors
“The Doll’s Eye†(original) is by Kathleen Alcalá, the author of six books of fiction and nonfiction, from a collection of magical realism called Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist, to The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island.
“And When We Die They Will Consume Us†(original) is by Betsy Aoki. This is her first speculative fiction publication, though her poems have appeared in Uncanny, Southern Humanities Review, Hunger Mountain, and Calyx, among others.
“Dear Son†(original) is by Singaporean Joyce Chng. Her fiction has appeared in The Apex Book of World SF II, We See A Different Frontier, Cranky Ladies of History, and Accessing The Future. Joyce also co-edited THE SEA IS OURS: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia with Jaymee Goh. Her alter-ego is J. Damask.

“Gimme Sugar†(original) by Katharine Duckett, whose stories have appeared in Apex and Interzone, and been reprinted in Wilde Stories 2015 and The Best of Apex: Volume I. She works in publishing and lives in Brooklyn with her wife.
“The Fool’s Feast†(original) is by Iranian-Canadian Anahita Eftekhari. She has a background in genetics and half a decade of experience teaching ESL in Asia and Europe.
Chikodili Emelumadu is a Nigerian writer currently residing in Cambridge, MA. Her work has been published in Eclectica, One Throne, Omenana, and various other magazines and anthologies. Her “Candy Girl†first appeared in Apex Magazine and was nominated for the Shirley Jackson prize.

“She Makes the Deep Boil†(original) is by Minnesotan Amelia Gorman. Her other monstrous-themed writing appears in the Lovecraftian anthology She Walks in Shadows, and her poetry in Liminality Magazine, Star*Line, and Eternal Haunted Summer.
“What the Bees Know About Discarded Girlish Organs†(original) is by Jasmyne J. Harris, who lives in Washington, DC. Her work is forthcoming in Bayou Magazine.
“Strong Meat†(original) is by archivist, historian, and librarian A. R. Henle.
Crystal Lynn Hilbert lives in the forgotten backwaters of Western Pennsylvania. Her latest stories appear in Betwixt Magazine. Her “Soul of Soup Bones†was first published in Apex Magazine in June 2014.
“A Year Without the Taste of Meat†(original) is by Erin Horáková, a southern American writer who lives in London. She’s working towards her literature PhD, which focuses on how charm evolves over time.

“The Honey Witch†(original) is by Kathryn McMahon, an American writer living abroad with her British wife and dog. Her fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in The Baltimore Review, Crack the Spine, and Necessary Fiction, among others.
“I Eat†(original) is by H. Pueyo (@hachepueyo on Twitter), an Argentine-Brazilian writer of comics and speculative fiction. Her work has appeared before in print and online venues like Clarkesworld, The Dark, and Broken Metropolis, among others. She currently lives in Brazil with her boyfriend and their interminable piles of work to do.
“Bristling Skim†(original) is by D.A. Xiaolin Spires who stares at skies and wonders what there is to eat out there in the cosmos.
“Alice Underground†(original) is by Rachael Sterling, who lives in sunny Santa Monica, California, teaching music to preschoolers most mornings and writing most afternoons. You can find her talking about books on YouTube under the name Rae Sterling.

“Red, From the Heartwood†(original) is by Penny Stirling, who edits and embroiders in Western Australia. Their speculative fiction and poetry can be found in Lackington’s, Interfictions, Strange Horizons, and other venues.
Catherynne M. Valente is the New York Times bestselling author of over two dozen works of fiction and poetry, including Space Opera, the Orphan’s Tales series, and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. She is the winner of the Andre Norton, Eugie Foster Memorial, Hugo, Lambda, Locus, Mythopoeic, Prix Imaginales, Rhysling, Romantic Times’ Critics Choice, and Tiptree awards. Her “The Lily and the Horn†was first published in Fantasy Magazine‘s 2015 Queers Destroy Fantasy! issue.
“A Fish Tale†(original) is by Sabrina Vourvoulias, the author of Ink, which was named to Latinidad’s Best Books of 2012. Her fiction can be found in Uncanny, Tor.com, Strange Horizons, and Crossed Genres.
Damien Angelica Walters wrote Sing Me Your Scars, Paper Tigers, and Cry Your Way Home. Her short fiction has been nominated twice for a Bram Stoker Award and reprinted in The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror and The Year’s Best Weird Fiction. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two rescued pit bulls. Her “A Lie You Give, And Thus I Take†was first published in Lightspeed in December 2014.

“Who Watches†(original) is by Wellington-based Rem Wigmore, who also published under Summer Wigmore. Their first novel The Wind City was published in 2013 by Steam Press and they had a short story in the 2016 At the Edge anthology.
Alyssa Wong was a finalist for the 2016 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her fiction has been shortlisted for the Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Locus Award, and the Shirley Jackson Award. Her “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers†was first published in the 2015 Queers Destroy Horror! issue of Nightmare, and won the 2015 Nebula Award for Best Short Story and the 2016 World Fantasy Award for Short Fiction.
Caroline M. Yoachim has written dozens of short stories, appearing in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and her short story collection, Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World & Other Stories. Her “The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown†was first published in Electric Velocipede in 2013 and was featured in The Drabblecast.

Editor Octavia Cade is a New Zealand writer with a PhD in science communication and a particular interest in science history and marine studies. She has most recently been researching the reproductive strategies of Zostera muelleri seagrass. She has had around 30 short stories published, in places like Clarkesworld, Asimov’s, and Apex Magazine, amongst others. Her poetry collection on the periodic table, Chemical Letters, was published by Popcorn Press and her novellas have been published by Masque Books, Paper Road Press, and The Book Smugglers. She has been nominated for BSFA and Elgin awards, and has won three Sir Julius Vogels, twice for best novella (The Ghost of Matter and The Convergence of Fairy Tales) and once for best fan writing, for a series of columns on food and horror, which became Food and Horror: Essays on Ravenous Souls, Toothsome Monsters, and Vicious Cravings (Book Smugglers, 2017).
Reviews & Mentions
Mentioned in:
- “March Offers Terrific Science Fiction & Fantasy for Every Kind of Reader,” John DeNardo, Kirkus Reviews, 27 February 2019
- “10 Fantastic Science Fiction & Fantasy Anthologies to Celebrate International Women’s Day,” Maria Haskins, B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog, 8 March 2019
~~~
There are fairy tales, horrible murders, and romances, straight, lesbian and …complicated. Some are sexy, some are disturbing, and some are both. I devoured this collection quickly and eagerly.
—”Sharp and Sugar Tooth: Women Up To No Good – Book Review,” Jennifer Muirhead, Weekend Notes, 16 June 2019.
I found that after each story I had to put the book aside so that I could process and ponder what I had just read. Even after a few weeks, I find my mind wandering back to an idea, a character, a situation from the stories and I just sit and think. Sometimes its because it was shocking, sometimes because the situation was heart-breaking, other times its the particular twist of a well-known idea or theme that strikes me. There wasn’t a single story that I hated — and most I really liked. Sharp & Sugar Tooth is definitely a book that I am recommending to my friends – it is a very worthwhile read.
—”Review: Sharp & Sugar Tooth: Women Up to No Good,” A Book Geek, 11 July 2018.
~~~
Our Kickstarter was mentioned, promoted, or reviewed in:
- “Broad Knowledge: 35 women up to no good. Guest post from Joanne Merriam.” Liz Loves Books, 28 June 2018
- “The Weekly Roundup: June 22, 2018,” Paper Cat Press, 22 June 2018
- “June 20, 2018—Arts Etc.,” International Examiner, 20 June 2018
- “Guest Post: Joanne Merriam (Upper Rubber Boot Books) on Publishing & Building Community,” Christi Craig, 20 June 2018
- “An Interview with Joanne Merriam and Octavia Cade – Bonus Round!,” A.C. Wise, 15 June 2018
- “13 Queer Speculative Short Story Collections and Anthologies to Read Right Now,” Maria Haskins, B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog, 13 June 2018
- “WOMEN UP TO NO GOOD – Kickstarter Opportunity & Interview,” Tammy Sparks, Books, Bones & Buffy: Adventures in Speculative Fiction, 13 June 2018
- “The Limits of Language: PW Talks with Christina Dalcher,” Norah Piehl, Publishers Weekly, 8 June 2018
- “Quick Questions – Octavia Cade and Joanne Merriam of Women Up To No Good,” Charles Payseur, Quick Sip Reviews, 6 June 2018
- “June 6, 2018—Arts Etc.,” International Examiner, 6 June 2018
- “Interview with Joanne Merriam, editor of Broad Knowledge,” Sarena Ulibarri, 6 June 2018
- “GUEST POST: How A Small Press Is Born,” Alexa, A Thousand Worlds, 6 June 2018
- “Links and It’s Been a Day Already,” Martha Wells, 4 June 2018
- “An Interview with Joanne Merriam and Octavia Cade,” A.C. Wise, 16 April 2018
26 March 2019
Barnes & Noble Rec!
Lovely to see Broad Knowledge and Sharp & Sugar Tooth recommended in Maria Haskins’ “10 Fantastic Science Fiction & Fantasy Anthologies to Celebrate International Women’s Day” at the B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog!
9 March 2019
Floodgate Poetry Series Vol. 5
It will earn its place on the shelf where you keep your most important books.
—Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
Buy indie! IndieBound, Powell’s or the dropdown below. Also available on Amazon.
Go to: About | Goodreads | Reviews |
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About this book:
Floodgate Poetry Series Vol. 5 collects three chapbooks in a single volume: Sarah Rebecca Warren’s Price of Admission, Derrick Weston Brown’s On All Fronts, and T.R. Hummer’s Dark Meter.
This is the fifth volume in the Floodgate Poetry Series, edited by Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum. Chapbooks—short books under 40 pages—arose when printed books became affordable in the 16th century. The series is in the tradition of 18th and 19th century British and American literary annuals, and the Penguin Modern Poets Series of the 1960s and ’70s.
Sarah Rebecca Warren is a writer, educator, and musician. She lives in Norman, Oklahoma and teaches for Oklahoma State University. Sarah received scholarship to study at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference in 2016, and her writing has appeared in Oklahoma Today, Gravel, Luna Luna, and other journals. Her poems “Anatomy of an Eating Disorder†and “Chimayó Mercado†won first place in the Arcturus Fall 2017 Poetry Contest, adjudicated by Ruben Quesada. Sarah is a regular contributor for World Literature Today.
Derrick Weston Brown holds an MFA in creative writing, from American University. He has studied poetry under Dr. Tony Medina at Howard University and Cornelius Eady at American University. He is a graduate of the Cave Canem and VONA Voices summer workshops. His work has appeared in such literary journals as The Little Patuxent Review, Mythium, The Tidal Basin Review, and Vinyl Online.
Terry Randolph Hummer is an American poet, critic, essayist, editor, and professor. His most recent books of poetry are After the Afterlife and the three linked volumes Ephemeron, Skandalon, and Eon.
Reviews:
What follows Price of Admission is a chapbook that pushes the boundaries between traditional poetic form and everyday minutia. If the speaker’s eyes in Price of Admission look everywhere all at once, monitoring the traditions of strangers and family alike, then the speaker’s eyes in On All Fronts look squarely in the mirror. On All Fronts concerns itself with investigating multiple types of fronts—or appearances—and relays varying definitions and quotes including the word “fronts” throughout. […] On All Fronts addresses prominent cultural issues crippling the black community, like in the poem “Meanwhile, at a black funeral home in Chicago, a mortician explains why he mourns, weeps at his expanding profit margin”, which reads, in full:
“We running out of coffins.”
[…] Two engines steer the narrative of T.R. Hummer’s Dark Meter: the speaker’s dexterous attention to and control of meter, and the tension that such discipline towards rule and form creates when situated within the current American political climate. […] Dark Meter is a haunting, lyrically agile collection, a fast-paced yet intimate read that veers between subtle political commentary and moments of unapologetic self-reflection.
—Abriana Jetté, “Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum’s Floodgate Poetry Series,” Stay Thirsty Magazine, July 2019
In this deeply embodied and emotionally powerful collection, Sarah Warren confronts the question of the Price of Admission. What are the costs of love, spirituality, personal and cultural acceptance and understanding? The poems suggest that the hidden costs may well outweigh the obvious ones—“We think there is nothing to undo but ourselves […] We live inside a dream/too compact to let the air in or the devils out.†This collection belies its status as a “first,†combining stunning imagery and metaphor with honesty and earned wisdom. It will earn its place on the shelf where you keep your most important books.
—Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, 2017-18 Oklahoma State Poet Laureate and Director of The Red Earth MFA
Derrick Weston Brown’s On All Fronts is a block party of emotions. Here, the mood shifts quickly from D’Angelo to Ghostface Killah. Brown’s speakers ride the green line, earhustling for round-the-way gossip. They also “…weep, at…black womanless streets.” To the elder throwing shade, they say, “ain’t no besting ‘these bars.'” These poems earned every damn “right to coat each tooth in” gold.
—Alan King, author of Drift and Point Blank
I am glad to have lived long enough to see and feel (and revisit like a much needed friend) Derrick Weston Brown’s “On All Fronts”. These poems are replete with originality (remember saxophonist Lester Young’s artistic credo “You got to be original, man!”) technical and emotional range, and—most importantly—feeling. They entrance the reader; and they make you rethink the world around (and inside) you. Read and re-read and re-read these poems. And recite them out loud. because they are also as musical as a kiss. Lucky us, world. Lucky us.
—Reuben Jackson, poet and author of Fingering The Keys
The twenty poems that make up TR Hummer’s Dark Meter present prosodic correlatives—dark meters—for the dark matter that grasps and warps the sanity and moral conscience of the body politic in the twenty-first century, rendering us helpless, unable or unwilling to define, much less correct, our collective psychosis. TR Hummer’s Dark Meter paradoxically illumines this baleful gravity and shapes it into works of art, as did Poe, Baudelaire, and Rimbaud before him. There is no more essential task of the poet.
—Edison Jennings
Praise for our poets:
For T.R. Hummer:
Praised for its “startling imagery and lyrical descriptions†by Publisher’s Weekly, Hummer’s work is at once ironic, playful, and deadly serious. … Hummer’s own view suggests some of the bleak irony undergirding his recent work: “We are thrown into the world, from where we do not know,†he told the Rumpus. “And we are going somewhere, where we do not know. And all our human drama falls in between.â€
Stark, yes. Tough? Yes. But there’s humor in this voice, a sense of irony and slyness and – well, love for the entropic crap-storm that is our brief flicker on this brief flicker of a planet. This is a mind that sees horror and humor, beauty and cruelty, without needing to polarize them. They coexist, each playing in its own time signature and following its own rules.
—Amy Glynn Greacen, New York Quarterly, on his Ephemeron
For Derrick Weston Brown’s Wisdom Teeth:
Found here are playful experiments with the eintou, bop, and brownku, African American forms seldom approached with such mastery.
—Simone Jacobson, managing editor for Words. Beats. Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture
Son of Langston, come on through.
—Ruth Forman, author of Prayers Like Shoes
Derrick Weston Brown ventures into the canon to echo the voices of Morrison’s Sweet Home Men, then bends his ear to the streets of DC to render the shouts and whispers of corner brawls and slapped down dominoes—all the while balancing the bridge between Ellington and the sacred tribes of hip-hop.
—Tyehimba Jess, author of Leadbelly
Full of wit and whimsy, Wisdom Teeth postulates a poetics of heart-whole appreciation and honesty—for love and life, for family and friends, for literature and history, for pop culture and the poet’s ever-cognizant powers of observation.
—Tony Medina, author of My Old Man Was always on the Lam
5 March 2019