Authors in This Issue
“Heartshock” by Nick Wolven
Nick Wolven’s science fiction has appeared in Wired, Clarkesworld, Analog, and many other magazines and anthologies. He is a frequent contributor to Asimov’s. Although his writing usually focuses on near-future scenarios, he looks back with fondness to the genre’s early emphasis on sweeping tales of space exploration and sometimes even tries his hand at such far-future fantasies, as readers will see in his latest story.
“The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea” by Naomi Kritzer
Naomi Kritzer is a science fiction and fantasy writer from St. Paul, Minnesota. Her fiction has won the Hugo Award, the Edgar Award, and the Minnesota Book Award. She has a spouse, two grown kids, and three cats (the number of cats is subject to change without notice). You can find Naomi online at naomikritzer.com or on Bluesky as @naomikritzer.bsky.social. Her latest book, Liberty’s Daughter, came out in November 2023.
“In the Dark” by James Patrick Kelly
James Patrick Kelly tells us that his tale about dating in the future “started as a ten-minute play, but I liked the idea so much that I thought I would expand it and help it find a wider audience. When this story comes out I will have come back from my third trip to China—in June I’m on the international faculty at the Future Fiction Workshop in Chongqing teaching aspiring Chinese science fiction writers.”
“And to Their Shining Palaces Go” by Betsy Aoki
Betsy Aoki is a poet, game producer, and graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. A Rhysling Award nominee, she won the Auburn Witness Poetry Prize Honoring Jake Adam York, selected by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown. Her debut poetry collection, Breakpoint was a National Poetry Series Finalist and winner of the Patricia Bibby First Book Award. Aoki’s work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Uncanny, Fireside Magazine, The Deadlands, Translunar Travellers Lounge, and anthologized in Climbing Lightly Through Forests (a Ursula K. Le Guin tribute poetry anthology). Her first story for Asimov’s, which depicts an Earth taken over by alien invaders, is dedicated to her parents. Although the tale stands completely on its own, it was written as part of the Many Worlds shared multiverse at www.manyworldsforum.com.
“All the Homes of Terror” by Robert Reed
Of his latest Great Ship tale, the author says, “There was an earlier title for this novelette. I don’t remember what I called it, but somewhere between draft two and draft nine, I stumbled over the phrase, ‘All the Homes of Terror.’ And that is the only name it’s worn since. I recently published a new Great Ship novel on Kindle. Hammerwing is an adventure set in the remote future, on the secret world of Marrow. Hammerwing was my placeholder title, but after several years of on-again, off-again work, nothing better offered its services. I suppose there’s a lesson in this. Then again, lessons are everywhere, and who has the time to find them all?”
“Art Deco Farmhouse, Original Hardwood Floors, Slightly Haunted” by Alice Towey
Alice Towey is a writer of speculative fiction and poetry based out of Northern California. In addition to Asimov’s, her short stories have appeared in Analog, Fireside, and Clarkesworld. Alice is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop. When she’s not writing, she works as a civil engineer specializing in water resources management. Visit alicetowey.com for more information on her writing, as well as photos of her two cats.
“Bachelorettes on the Devil’s Dance Floor” by Stephanie Feldman
Stephanie Feldman is the author of the novels Saturnalia (a Locus Award Finalist) and The Angel of Losses (a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, winner of the Crawford Fantasy Award, and finalist for the Mythopoeic Award). She is coeditor of the multi-genre anthology Who Will Speak for America? and her stories and essays have appeared in or are forthcoming from Asimov’s, Catapult Magazine, Electric Literature, Flash Fiction Online, F&SF, The Rumpus, Uncharted Magazine, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Weird Horror, and more. Stephanie lives outside Philadelphia with her family.
“An Unplanned Hold” by Zohar Jacobs
Zohar Jacobs <Twitter @zoharjacobs> is a Jewish and Greek-American writer who grew up in New Hampshire and now lives in the UK. She has a Ph.D. in Modern History from the University of Oxford and works in cultural policy. A graduate of Viable Paradise, she has work published in the Sunday Morning Transport, Analog, and Clarkesworld. She’s also a first reader for khōréō. Zohar’s first tale for Asimov’s takes an eerie look at the space program.
“Bitter Chai, Sweet Chai” by Anita Vijayakumar
Anita Vijayakumar immigrated to Chicago from a small Indian village at a young age. She obtained a creative writing degree before attending medical school. Anita won third place in the 2023 Stephen DiBiase International Poetry Prize and has recent or upcoming print or online publications in The New York Times Tiny Love Stories, HuffPost Personal, River Teeth, and elsewhere. She is completing a novel that weaves together complicated families, deception, mental health, and an orphanage in the shadows of the Taj Mahal.
“Lost Recall” by Robert R. Chase
Robert R. Chase is the author of three novels and multiple short stories and novellas. His first novel was nominated for the Compton Crook award, and several short stories and novellas have been finalists for Nebula awards. Bob is a retired lawyer who worked as a civilian attorney for the U.S. Army for forty-one years. He currently resides with his wife in Maryland, along with their very stubborn husky-shepherd mix dog.
“Eternity Is Moments” by R.P. Sand
R.P. Sand <rpsand.com> is a theoretical physicist turned science communicator and educator, and writer of speculative fiction whose words in Clarkesworld have made the Locus Recommended Reading List. Cats, coffee, cosplay, and colorful socks are a few of her favorite things. Her first story for Asimov’s takes a deep dive into science and the truth about some complex family relationships.
“Project Fafnir” by Susan Shwartz
After wandering for forty years in the desert of financial services marketing, Susan Shwartz returned to her first love, writing fantasy and science fiction. A five-time nominee for the Nebula, a two-time nominee for the Hugo, and a finalist for the World Fantasy Award, the Philip K. Dick, and the Edgar, Susan has published around thirty books, including anthologies, science fiction, historical fantasy, and Star Trek. Susan has also published about ninety short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and published nonfiction in The New York Times, Vogue, The Washington Post, and Analog. She holds a Ph.D. in English (medieval) from Harvard University, collects SF art, and loves opera, theater, and travel. She now lives in exurban Connecticut with her partner. Susan’s interest in opera, history, and much else are evident in her latest story.
“A Gray Magic” by Ray Nayler
Ray Nayler is the author of the Locus Award winning novel The Mountain in the Sea, published in the U.S. by MCDxFSG and in the UK by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Ray’s second book, the novella The Tusks of Extinction, was published in January 2024 by Tordotcom. Ray is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. His latest tale for Asimov’s reveals a bleak truth about a possible future.