No fooling… there is actually quite a bit of news this month. But first, hello to some new subscribers, including those from last weekend’s zinefest in Albany! Upstate New York and the Hudson Valley are flourishing with independent artists, micropresses, and community initiatives, and I truly love to see it.

As promised, a cat picture:

And onto business: “Such Hunger As Ours” is loose on the landscape in issue six of Bloodletter, complete with astonishing artwork that I’m seriously considering getting tattooed on my person. In their promotional lead-up to this issue, the Bloodletter team put together a playlist and movie pairings for each story; mine received “Jesus Almost Got Me” and The Tragedy of Macbeth, for an idea of what kind of vibe is happening here.

You may recall that this story is the inside-out version of “Many Hands,” which is also loose in print from Weirdpunk Books; if you haven’t pre-ordered a copy, now’s the time, as the Profane Sorcery series tends to sell quickly. I’ve got some author copies for giveaways, and I can affirm this zine looks great. Many thanks to Sam, a multi-talented writer and publisher, for including me!

And onto somewhat secret business: I’ll have a poetry chapbook out with Bottlecap Press later this year. haunt / ology began life as a couple of poems written during a recent Study Coven (the two stories mentioned above did too), so my thanks to Lindsay as well, for facilitating such fruitful workshops! I love Bottlecap books; if you’re not familiar, look for them in an indie bookstore or art shop near you—near me, Paper Moon and Bear & Bird Boutique definitely stock Bottlecap selections. The press makes lovely, handmade chapbooks of poetry, essays, and short fiction, and I believe they’re the perfect home for haunt / ology. More details to come!

And onto just-barely-official business: The Mermaid’s Purse, a novella set in the same “weird Florida” as Little Nothing (but not a sequel or otherwise related) will be published by NineStar Press! No release details yet, as I just sent the contract in last week, but I’m excited for Joan—mermaid performer, closeted gar shapeshifter, and big ol’ lesbian—to swim into your hearts sometime in 2027. More on this book’s circuitous path to existence in a long-form entry soon. For now, here’s a peek at Joan in thread form. I treat myself to a thematic embroidery when I finish a project I think has potential…

Now how about a cover reveal? I commissioned a new book cover for Devil’s Cup (sharp eyes might have noticed this item vanished from my shop a few months back) from the very creative John Chrostek, and well: it whips. I feel this captures the grungy 90s-bitchcraft spirit of this book, and it was made entirely with public domain art! Very cool. Devil’s Cup will be back with its new cover and an exclusive bonus short story just in time for your long May weekend.

This edition is lengthier than our usual news updates, but I still want to include a few non-self-aggrandizing links:

• “It’s hard for me to enjoy a character that doesn’t live in a body”: Sophie Strand on the physical alienation (derogatory) of a lot of contemporary lit.

• if, like me, you spend a TON of time looking at book covers, it’s easy to get real jaundiced real fast, in perpetuity. This trip through SFF covers is both fun and eye-opening. Being 30 or 40 years old, I do have great love for the 2000s digital collage covers (especially Everworld’s).

• Speaking of Everworld, all the Animorphs fans you know (me) are losing their minds. In the meantime, revisit the original adaptation on Scholastic Classic.

• I haven’t seen Forbidden Fruits yet, but it feels like my catnip and this interview with its costume designer is so yummy.

• Sunglaciers with the spring-thaw album you need.