Fusion Fragment Monthly - September 2023
The Latest from Fusion Fragment HQ
New FF on the way!: FF#18 releases next Friday, September 22nd! We've got a stellar lineup of writers making their FF debuts in this one with some incredible stories. You'll be able to get your copy on Friday right here: https://www.fusionfragment.com/issue-18/
Reading Period Update: The September reading period, which ran from the 1st to the 8th, resulted in a whopping 791 submissions--almost 100 stories per day! As I write this, the field's been narrowed down to eighteen, from which I'll make final decisions shortly. And stay tuned for info on the next reading period!
Starred Review for Green Fuse Burning: FFer Tiffany Morris (FF#7) scored a starred review in Publisher's Weekly for her upcoming novella from Stelliform Press. PW called it "a subtle and refreshing twist on the cabin in the woods trope". You can preorder from Stelliform here.
Room Fiction Contest: FFer Melissa Ren (FF#20) placed third in Room Magazine's 2023 fiction contest, which happened to be judged by one of my favourite writers, Heather O'Neill. Go have a read!
August Published Works by FFers
Issue #9 of Translunar Travelers Lounge was released in August (co-edited, I should mention, by FFer Bennett North) and featured a trio of stories by FFers: Brandon Crilly's "Birdbrain", Malda Marlys's "Whose Woods These Are", and Andrew Najberg's "Do You Read?"
"A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Apocalypse Go Down" by A.D. Sui in Haven Speculative
"Admired" by M. Christine Benner Dixon in Penumbric
"Crackle Ball" by Marisca Pichette in Penumbric
"Dark Patterns" by Angela Liu in Strange Horizons
"Gel Pen Notes from Generation Ship Y" by Marisca Pichette in Clarkesworld
"I, Luminescence" by Avra Margariti in Haven Speculative
"Let the Field Burn" by M.C. Benner Dixon in Flash Fiction Online
"Little Fish, Big Fish" by Jennifer Hudak in Flash Fiction Online
"Many Faces" by Melissa Ren in Where The Meadows Reside
"No Justice for Deserters" by Pauline Barmby in Stupefying Stories
"Sink" by Avra Margariti in Necessary Fiction
"The Rainbow Bank" by Uchechukwu Nwaka in GigaNotoSaurus
"Untraditional" by Melissa Ren in Heduan Review
"Window Boy" by Thomas Ha in Clarkesworld
Recommendations from FF HQ
My fave read from August was Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. An update of David Copperfield as filtered through the opioid crisis, this one was by turns bleak, funny, and sad, and always engaging. I can't remember the last time I've blazed through a 500+ page book so quickly.
As for movies, if you've only seen Jenna Ortega in Wednesday or Scream (like I had) then prepare to be absolutely knocked flat by her powerhouse performance in The Fallout. She plays Vada, a teen girl dealing with the aftermath of a school shooting. I usually have gripes about how teenagers are portrayed in movies, but this one feels on point. It's an amazing coming-of-age story that I can't recommend enough.
Obligatory Photo of Associate Editor Henry
POV: You have just given Henry a treat and he will now stare at you until you leave so he can enjoy it in peace.