I once read that people facing parole hearings have a much better chance of release if their hearing is early in the morning. This is because, by the afternoon, the parole board has decision fatigue—the parts of their brains responsible for hearing testimony and weighing evidence are literally exhausted, and so they just start saying no to everyone. This is, in fact, a terrible reality that incarcerated people face in this country, and it's only one of the very many aspects of the carceral system that has to fundamentally change.

Short fiction reviews by Danai Christopoulou. Stories reviewed include "A Pilgrimage to the God of High Places" by Marissa Lingen (published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies), "The Plasticity of Being" by Renan Bernardo (published in Reactor (previously Tor.com)), "At Night She Dreams of Silverfish" by Monica Joyce Evans (published in Apex), and "We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read" by Caroline M. Yoachim (published in Lightspeed).

I. It’s 4am on 5/27/2024.

II. It’s been an interesting few months. I got fired in November. Ran a gofundme to support me in December. Also, got admitted to Chicago’s Art Institute as a student. Started fighting with Unemployment in January. Drained my measly 401k in February. Finally got my money from Unemployment. Received a read from a cherished friend, because of which I’m moving to Chicago in July.

III. These poems and fictions, like my life at the moment, are about change. Resisting it. Surrendering to it. Massaging it and its outcomes.

Short fiction reviews by Danai Christopoulou. Stories reviewed include "An Incomplete Body Has No Answers" by Angela Liu (published in Lightspeed), "Your Sword, Your Trumpet" by Anjali Patel (published in The Deadlands), "In the Year 2067 I Will Be 95 Years Old" by Sage Tyrtle (published in Reckoning), and "If You Wake" by Avra Margariti (published in Hexagon).

Short fiction reviews by Danai Christopoulou. Stories reviewed include "There Are Only Two Chairs, and the Skin Is Draped Over the Other" by Alexia Antoniou (published in Bourbon Penn), "Give Me English" by Ai Jiang (reprinted in Fusion Fragment), "The Memory Shop" by Melissa Ren (published in Fusion Fragment), and "Godskin" by CL Hellisen (published in Strange Horizons).

Haven Spec Magazine is now a pro-paying market! We're grateful to everyone who supported our Kickstarter, and we are so glad to be able to give our wonderful authors the rates that they deserve. We have big plans for 2024, including interviews with some amazing editors, stories from across the width and breadth of the human experience, and short fiction reviews from your very own Haven Spec staff (okay, mostly Danai). I very much want Haven Spec to be a part of the wider SFF community, and that means paying people what they deserve, shouting out the stories and magazines we love, and publishing as much awesome fiction and poetry as we possibly can.

Short fiction reviews by Danai Christopoulou. Stories reviewed include "For as Long as You Want It" by Kanishk Tantia (published in Apex Magazine), "Kiss of Life" by P.C. Verrone (published in Fiyah Magazine), "Stars Don’t Dream" by Chi Hui and translated by John Chu (published in Clarkesworld), and "Persistent" by AGA Wilmot (published in Gamut Magazine).

Thanks for checking out our column, the Short Fiction Review, here at Haven Spec! Three short story reviews by TJ Price.

Thanks for checking out our column, the Short Fiction Review, here at Haven Spec! For me, there's always a shifting set of criteria when it comes to what constitutes a really great story. It could be that the characters are distinctly well-drawn and that I find the emotional stakes moving. It could be that the world-building is top-notch and integrated seamlessly into the text of the story, providing a rich and vibrant setting for a piece. It could be that the writing itself, on a sentence level, is so stunning that it makes my jaw drop. It could be a combination or something entirely different. I'm always on the lookout for something that does entirely new things with the conventions of prose.

The Publishers of the Standard Novels, in selecting "Frankenstein" for one of their series, expressed a wish that I should furnish them with some account of the origin of the story. I am the more willing to comply, because I shall thus give a general answer to the question, so very frequently asked me—"How I, when a young girl, came to think of, and to dilate upon, so very hideous an idea?"