Editorial | Abyss & Apex

Introduction to Abyss & Apex Poetry Issue 72

The last issue of 2019 will not disappoint you, it is filled with the typically awesome group of poets whose work I’ve had the privelage of reading from all over the world:

Ntil • Luigi Coppola (Sidcup, Kent, UK)

Night in the Rainforest • Kathleen S. Burgess (Chillicothe, OH)

This is How You’re Dealing […]

What Makes an A&A Story?

What makes an Abyss & Apex story? It’s an intangible quality, basically a matter of taste, which is why all authors are wise to read a few back issues of any magazine before submitting to them. But there are some factors that are right in our submissions guidelines that I can quote:

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: […]

Fear and Shadows: The Line Between Horror and Dark Fantasy

Characters deal with horrid things: Lois McMaster Bujold puts Miles Vorkosigan’s brother through hell in her novel Mirror Dance. In Crystal Rain Tobias Buckell has “Azteca” warriors sacrifice people to bloodthirsty alien “gods.” C.J. Cherryh subjects a character to sexual abuse in the name of technological immortality, in Cyteen. Joe Haldeman (in “For White Hill”) lets […]

Introduction to Abyss & Apex Poetry Issue 71

The number of submissions has nearly doubled as well as the number of quality poems received in May. It was difficult to turn away many good poems this July and the forthcoming October issue. However, some poems I simply could not let go, so you will be treated to a larger than normal sampling […]

Introduction to Issue 70 Poetry

We are pleased to publish the following great speculative poems that are also possessed with literary depth. Authors are from all over the country. We open with The Right Hand of Starlight by Gretchen Tessmer (Gouverneur, NY), an ethereal poem to set the tone. It’s followed by Mother of Cacti by Tristan Beiter (Danville, […]

Rejectomancy Revisited

(Editor’s note: This is a reposting, with updated information, about what A&A’s rejection letters mean. Please note that the following haikus are for entertainment purposes only. Sadly, we do not send rejections that contain haikus. )

Burnt manuscriptHas gotten on my hot dogI must eat your words

Petals from heavenWhite envelopes cover me“Thanks but […]

Introduction to Abyss & Apex Poetry Issue 69

First, I want to recognize the nominees for a couple prestigious awards:

2018 Pushcart Prize

“Shadow Sustenance” by Sara Tantlinger Issue 65: Jan 2018 “To Watch the World Burn” by Jason Marc Harris Issue 66: Apr 2018 “Neuraweb” by Logan Thrasher Collins Issue 67: Jul 2018 “Valentine” […]

Annd… They’re Gone.

I had a lesson driven home rather forcefully this past month. It started with my beloved daughter-in-law Rena making a simple trip to a “doc in the box” for abdominal pain. She was sent to the ER. They discovered aggressive cancer. My son’s and her world were shattered.

Four days later she […]

Introduction to Poetry, Issue 68

I love when a slate of poems organically work together. This collection of poems—from first time published poets to award winning poets and writers—explore our great expanse: from the outer reaches of galaxies to the inner universe of the heart. Please enjoy the work of these fabulous poets: Katherine Inskip, […]

Requiem for a Self-Published Novel

Because Abyss & Apex does reviews I get paperbacks thrust at me by hopeful authors at conventions. I get books in my mailbox. I get ebooks in the A&A email, in my personal email… in various formats.

I have just finished reading a novel that someone had given me at a con, […]