As we start to head into warmer weather with summer right around the corner, there is plenty of exciting new writing to read here at Gamut. We have three new stories in this issue: “The Lack” by C. J. Goldberg is a looping, surreal story filled with tension and the uncanny, but also a dash of hope; “Bone Deep” by Wailana Kalama shows how far two people will go in order to express their love to each other; and “Otherwise Aliyahs” is a bit of science fiction flash that will leave you unsettled, and moved. And for reprints, we three more stories: “Dancing Sober in the Dust” by Steve Toase, a favorite of mine, that disturbs as it educates, the cutting edge theater and costumes of this tale taking us down a path of suffering and expression; “Coral, Again” by E. M. Linden is a haunting story that turns a restless spirit into something else entirely; and “The Things We Burned” by Jennifer Lesh Fleck, is a spirited story of youth and friendship, and what emerges when families are broken apart, fire and destruction always a great release. Our original non-fiction essay this month is “The Marginlisation of Shirley Jackson” by Harley Carnell, which pays respects to one of the first female authors of horror, an amazing writer we still read and talk about today. And our reprint non-fiction is a powerful essay by L. Marie Woods entitled, “African American Horror Authors and Their Craft: The Evolution of Horror Fiction from African Folklore.” Our stunning artwork this month is once again by Orion Zangara. Dig in and enjoy!
— Richard Thomas
Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director
