Apex Magazine Podcast

"The Matriarchs" by Lois Mei-en Kwa - published in Apex Magazine, issue 137, April 2023. Read it here: www.apex-magazine.com Lois Mei-en Kwa is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, horror, poetry, and tarot non-fiction. A Kundiman fellow from Singapore and Cincinnati, she works and lives with her family in Southwest Ohio. She can also be found at www.loekwa.com. Bobbie Chet, 20, is currently a student and lover of all things entertainment. Past their love for bringing stories to life, they spend their days working on their screenplays and their art to fuel their incessant imagination.  You can find them on Twitter @bobbiechett This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Over Moonlit Clouds" by Coda Audeguy-Pegon - published in Apex Magazine, issue 136, March 2023. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/short-fiction/over-moonlit-clouds/ Coda Audeguy-Pegon is at eir happiest when exploring the farthest reaches of the imaginary, where the mundane waltzes with the impossible and the only limit is cohesive world-building. Born and raised at the foot of the Alps, Coda emigrated to South Africa in eir late teens. This story was written in Cape Town, where e is grateful to live and work. Gabe Hicks is a game designer for digital and tabletop. He created the CMM (an alternative character creation tool for D&D 5e focused on class narrative) that has been featured on the D&D twitch channel. He has worked with Paizo, Critical Role, MageHandPress, and Grim & Perilous Studios. Leading a group called Mythic Grove, he focuses on highlighting smaller creators to give them a platform and opportunity through streaming, design, writing, or other creative mediums with the projects that Mythic Grove creates.  Along with designing games, Gabe is a voice actor and a cosplayer.  You can find him on instagram and twitter @gabeJamesGames This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"River Bargain Baby" by K.S. Walker - published in Apex Magazine, issue 135, January 2023. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com   K.S. Walker writes speculative fiction. You can often find them spending time outside with their family or starting a craft project but probably not finishing it. K.S. Walker has previously been published at FIYAH, Uncanny, Fantasy, and elsewhere. They are online at www.kswalker.net or Twitter and Instagram @kswalkerwrites. Tonia Ransom is the creator and executive producer of NIGHTLIGHT, an award-winning horror podcast featuring creepy tales written by Black writers, and Afflicted, a horror thriller best described as Lovecraft Country meets True Blood. Tonia has been scaring people since the second grade, when she wrote her first story based on Michael Myers. She's a World Fantasy Award Winner, and This is Horror Award runner-up. She lives in Austin, Texas. You can follow Tonia @missdefying on all the socials. Risen is her debut book. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"The Big Glass Box and the Boys Inside" by Isabel J. Kim - published in Apex Magazine, issue 135, January 2023. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/short-fiction/the-big-glass-box-and-the-boys-inside/ Isabel J. Kim is a Korean-American speculative fiction writer based in New York City. She is a Shirley Jackson Award winner and her short fiction has been published in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, and Strange Horizons, among others. When she's not writing, she's either practicing law or co-hosting her internet culture podcast Wow if True —both equally noble pursuits. Find her at http://isabel.kim/ or @isabeljkim on Twitter. Julian Maclurg is a queer, trans writer, director, and voice actor. He has a first-class degree in creative writing and grew up attending theatre and music schools. Above all, he's a storyteller and a writer, and couldn't be more excited to share a story he's so passionate about.  He helms The Night Shift Podcast, an urban fantasy queer led audio drama about a barista entangled trying to unearth the darkness of Echor City.  He's on twitter @gunpowderstars and the show can be found at www.nightshiftpod.com This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Observations of a Small Object in Decaying Orbit" by Margaret Dunlap - published in Apex Magazine, issue 134, November 2022. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/short-fiction/observations-of-a-small-object-in-decaying-orbit/ Margaret Dunlap is the author of more than a dozen published short stories and novelettes appearing in Uncanny, Shimmer, and The Sunday Morning Transport and as part of the Locus Award-nominated team behind Bookburners. She also writes for television where her credits include cult-favorite The Middleman, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, and the Emmy-winning Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. She lives in Los Angeles, at www.margaretdunlap.com, and on Twitter as @spyscribe. Paxton Clifford lives in a tiny apartment near Salt Lake City, Utah with his cat, Suki. Together they play a lot of games, read a lot of books, and think an acceptable number of thoughts. Some of those thoughts, along with links to his social media presence, can be found on his blog, indefinitegrowths.com. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"The Walking Mirror of the Soul" by Renan Bernardo - published in Apex Magazine, issue 134, November 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/ Renan Bernardo is a science fiction and fantasy writer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His fiction appeared in Apex Magazine, Podcastle, Escape Pod, Daily Science Fiction, Translunar Travelers Lounge, Solarpunk Magazine, On Spec Magazine, and others. He was one of the authors selected for the 2021 Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest with his story When It's Time to Harvest. In Brazil, he was a finalist for two important SFF awards and published multiple stories. His fiction has also appeared in multiple languages, including German, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese. Brazilian, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Diogo Ramos is an English teacher, writer, and the Editor-in-Chief of Revista A Taverna (Twitter @atavernarevista), an online Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine that publishes short stories written by Brazilian authors in Portuguese. He's been teaching for almost fifteen years and, once in a while, he dares to translate stories from English to Portuguese. Find him online at: diogolsramos.com This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Nothing That Bleeds" by Leah Ning - published in Apex Magazine, issue 133, September 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/ Content Warning: self harm, suicide Leah Ning lives in northern Virginia with her husband and their adorable fluffy overlords. She spends her non-writing time drawing, playing video games, and playing piano. Her short fiction appears or is forthcoming in PodCastle, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Dark Matter Magazine, and Human Monsters, among others. You can find her @LeahNing on Twitter and on her website, leahning.com. Erika Sanderson trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK. She works as an actor, director, and voice actor. Her stage career spans over 3 decades in which she has created a myriad of roles in a variety of genres from children's theatre to classical plays and musicals. She is an award-winning voice actor, appearing in audio dramas, video games, narrations and educational resources. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"On the Sunlit Side of Venus" by Benjamin Parzybok - published in Apex Magazine, issue 133, September 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/ Content Warning: suicide and grief Benjamin Parzybok is the author of the novels Couch (two-time Indie-Next pick) and Sherwood Nation (chosen for the Silicon Valley Reads program). Among other projects, he founded Gumball Poetry, a literary journal published in gumball capsule machines, co-ran Project Hamad, an effort to free a Guantanamo inmate (Adel Hamad is now free), and co-runs Black Magic Insurance Agency, a one-night city-wide alternative reality game. He lives in Portland, Oregon and can be found at levinofearth.com and @sparkwatson. Doug Nesbit has always had a love of storytelling and worldbuilding, and a fascination with characters, their motivations, and the way drama and conflict shapes a narrative. Their favorite avenues of storytelling are video games, TTRPGs, visual media, and audio dramas/podcasts. They run a duet actual play podcast, RPG For You and Me, and are a cast member on another actual play podcast, Sounds Like Crowes. They love voice work and finding new ways to bring stories and characters to life, and spend most of their time exploring the worlds and creations of others who share that love. Doug is not on any public-facing social media but they can be found on the RPG for You and Me show Discord server which can be accessed through their Patreon at patreon.com/rpgforyouandme.  This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alli Nesbit.  Theme music by Alex White.  Music in this episode is by Alli Nesbit. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Your Space Between" by Marie Croke — published in Apex Magazine, issue 132, July 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/ Marie Croke is an award-winning fantasy and science-fiction writer living in Maryland with her family, all of whom like to scribble messages in her notebooks when she's not looking. She is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop, and her stories have been published or are forthcoming in over a dozen magazines, including Apex Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Dark Matter Magazine, Deep Magic, Cast of Wonders, and Diabolical Plots. You can find her book and short story recommendations at mariecroke.com or chat about writing woes or being book drunk with her @marie_croke on Twitter. Parrish Davis-Sauls is a Chicago actor who specializes in immersive theater and musical improv. She writes in all genres of music and has composed for Shakespeare productions and modern plays as well. She began her journey with classical music and plays guitar, piano, guitalele, and intends to learn many more. She can be found online @parrishdaviss on Instagram. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Sounds used in this episode are licensed from Soundstripe.com. Music in this episode includes “Hidden Beneath” by Michael Briguglio and “Inside the Hidden Forest” by Outside the Sky licensed from Soundstripe.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Creatures of the Dark Oasis" by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam — published in Apex Magazine, issue 132, July 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/ Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam's fiction and poetry has appeared in over 90 publications such as Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Lightspeed, and LeVar Burton Reads, as well as in six languages. By night, she has been a finalist for the Nebula Award. By day, she works as a Narrative Designer writing romance games for the mobile app Chapters. She lives in Texas with her partner and a mysterious number of cats. Laura Jewell is an English teacher in Evanston, IL. She holds a BA in Theater from Miami University and a Master of Science in Education from Northwestern. In her free time she's a Level 7 Enchantress and a full-time mom to an orange cat named Orange Cat. This is her first narration. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Sounds used in this episode are licensed from Soundstripe.com. Music in this episode includes “Ghosts” by Enoch Yang, licensed from Soundstripe.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"In The Monster's Mouth" by Tim Waggoner — published in Apex Magazine, issue 131, May 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/ Tim Waggoner has published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. He writes original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins, and his articles on writing have appeared in numerous publications. He's won the Bram Stoker Award, the HWA's Mentor of the Year Award, been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award. His fiction has received numerous Honorable Mentions in volumes of Best Horror of the Year, and he's twice had stories selected for inclusion in volumes of Year's Best Hardcore Horror. He's also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio. Emmie Christie is a fiction writer and narrator. She has narrated the science fiction novel “The Amaranth Chronicles: Deviant Rising”, written by Alexander Barnes and Christopher Preiman. She has written stories for Flash Fiction Online, Infinite Worlds Magazine, and Three-Lobed Burning Eye. You can find more of her work at www.emmiechristie.com or follow her on Twitter @EmmieChristie33. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Sounds used in this episode are licensed from Soundstripe.com. Music in this episode includes “What You Do Not Know” by Joshua Spacht and “Shadow Passage” by Cody Martin, licensed from Soundstripe.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Hoodie" by Tonya Liburd — published in Apex Magazine, issue 131, May 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/ Tonya Liburd shares a birthday with Simeon Daniel and Ray Bradbury, which may tell you a little something about her. She has been the recipient of a 2021 Horror Writers Association Diversity Grant. Her work either is, or has been, used in course materials, including at Writing The Other, as examples of ‘code switching'. She is also an Editor over at The Expanse Magazine. You can find her blogging at https://www.Tonya.ca or on Twitter at @somesillywowzer, or you can join her on Patreon at www.Patreon.com/TonyaLiburd. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Sounds used in this episode are licensed from Soundstripe.com. Music in this episode includes “Dum Dum,” and “Titan” by Ghost Beatz, licensed from Soundstripe.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"To Live and Die in Dixieland" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 130, March 2022. Read it here: https://www.apex-magazine.com/to-live-and-die-in-dixieland Russell Nichols is a speculative fiction writer and endangered journalist. Raised in Richmond, California, he got rid of all his stuff in 2011 to live out of a backpack with his wife, vagabonding all over the world ever since. Look for him at russellnichols.com. JV Hampton Van Sant is a voice actor, tarot reader, and writer living in Western Massachusetts. They can be found on most social media platforms @RedBlaqueGolden. Bee Zelda is your nonbinary busy bee! They play on various podcasts and streams such as The Broadswords, Iron Edda Reforged, Anime Attache, and many more! They are on Twitter @bee_zelda and on Tiktok @beezelda.  Malcolm Ray is a SAG actor and voice actor repped by Stewart Talent. Graduating from Columbia College Chicago, Malcolm has spent nearly a decade in commercial voice-over and being a YouTube personality. He can be heard in various indie projects as well, including The Black Sands, Lackadaisy Cats, Bulletville, and TOME Rpg. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Music in this episode includes “New Whip” “Godfather's Shoes” and “Gravity Dust” by Jay Will, from Soundstripe.com. Find more from Jay Will on Tiktok and Instagram @ xJWill.  Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"It Rises And Falls And Rises Again" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 130, March 2022. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com/ RJ Taylor is a queer speculative fiction writer who writes mostly fantasy, near-future, and weird novels, short stories, and flash fiction. She received her MFA from Emerson College and was part of the pilot year of Grub Street's Novel Incubator program, a year-long intensive novel writing and revision course. She's also had the honor of participating in four Out of Excuses Writing Retreats from which she gained two writing groups and a husband. Her flash fiction is forthcoming from Factor Four Magazine. You can find her at rjtaylorauthor.com or, when the occasional fit of social energy strikes, on Twitter @rjtaylorwriter. Addison Peacock is a writer, podcaster, voice actor, and soup enthusiast based in Los Angeles who can currently be found writing and voicing things all over the great big internet. She plays Moriah Harris on the award-winning actual play podcast A Horror Borealis, and recently appeared as Graham Anderson in The Subjective Truth, Karen in Two Flat Earthers Kidnap a Freemason, and Doris in It Listens from the Radio. Her favorite things are scary stories, cats, and making weird art with her friends. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes “You Are Enough” by Moments. Music and sounds were licensed through Soundstripe.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Sheri, At This Very Moment" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 129, January 2022. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com/ Bianca Sayan (she/they) works in civic technology and resides in Toronto with her spouse and daughter. You can find her previous work in Analog, Augur Magazine, and Tesseracts. JV Hampton-VanSant (they/she) is a voice actor, tarot reader and writer living in Western Massachusetts. She can be heard most frequently on Creepy Podcast. They can be found on most social media platforms under the screen name RedBlaqueGolden. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes “Those Lost” by Moments. Music and sounds were licensed through Soundstripe.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"It Happened in Loontown" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 129, January 2022. Lavie Tidhar is the author of Osama, The Violent Century, A Man Lies Dreaming, Central Station, Unholy Land, and By Force Alone. His latest novels are The Hood and The Escapement. His awards include the World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, the John W. Campbell Award, the Neukom Prize and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. You can find out more at lavietidhar.wordpress.com. This story was narrated by Drew Mierzejewski. Drew Mierzejewski is a writer, actor and overall creative based in Chicago. When he is not working on homebrew D&D campaigns and his podcast Skyjacks: Courier's Call, he is often found collaborating on projects with and cooking food for his wife, Aly. Drew loves creating stories, playing games, and spreading hope in a brighter future. He's on Twitter @worldstoforge. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by Alyson Grauer. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes “Onward Home” by Ryan Saranich, “Silver Screen” by The Night Train, “Cotton Club Electric” by Dresden The Flamingo. Music and sounds were licensed through Soundstripe.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Soil of Our Home, Storm of Our Lives" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 128, December 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/soil-of-our-home-storm-of-our-lives/ Renan Bernardo is a science fiction and fantasy writer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Dark Matter Magazine, Three Crows Magazine, Simultaneous Times Podcast, and Life Beyond Us, an anthology organized by the European Astrobiology Institute. He was one of the writers selected for the Imagine 2200 climate fiction contest with his story “When It's Time to Harvest.” In Brazil, he was a finalist for two important SFF awards and published multiple stories. His fiction has also appeared in Portuguese and Italian. He can be found on Twitter (@RenanBernardo) and his website www.renanbernardo.com. This story was narrated by Sanderson Tavares. Sanderson Tavares is a Brazilian musician, translator, and copy editor, with a not-at-all-secret love for voice acting, a career that he's been pursuing ever since one of those infamous pandemic identity crises hit him in the head (We've all had those, right?!). If you can't find him on a stage playing bass with his pop-rock band Kenzzy, try looking for him on one of his 4 weekly RPG sessions, where his love of storytelling matches his nerdy interests in a perfect marriage. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Immersive," "Thunder Dreams." and "Scissors," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast are provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"To Seek Himself Again" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 127, November 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/to-seek-himself-again Marie Croke is an award-winning fantasy and science-fiction writer living in Maryland with her family, all of whom like to scribble messages in her notebooks when she's not looking. She is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop, and her stories have been published or are forthcoming in over a dozen magazines, including Apex Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Dark Matter Magazine, Deep Magic, Cast of Wonders, and Diabolical Plots. You can find her book and short story recommendations at mariecroke.com or chat about writing woes or being book drunk with her @marie_croke on Twitter. This story was narrated by Leeman Kessler. Leeman is a Nigerian-born American actor and village mayor who, since 2010, has been performing as HP Lovecraft on stage, film, and in his popular web-series advice show, Ask Lovecraft. You can find more of his narration work on the Escape Artists network and on Audible. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Blue Sizzle," "Apprehension," "The Dread," "Magic Forest," "Wounded," and "Stages of Grief," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast are provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Security Breach at Sugar Pine Suites" — published in Apex Magazine, Indigenous Futurists special issue, October 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/security-breach-at-sugar-pine-suites Pamela Rentz is a citizen of the Karuk Tribe and works as a paralegal specializing in tribal affairs. She is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and has been published in Asimov's, Apex, and has a story forthcoming in Fantasy Magazine. Her personal website is www.pamrentz.com. This story was narrated by Marguerite Croft.  Reared in Idaho's Magic Valley, Marguerite Croft (Ojibwe) is a writer, mom, graduate of Clarion West, and part of the team behind the Point Mystic audio drama. She's narrated stories for PodCastle, Escape Pod, and Pseudopod, and recently voiced the character of Octavie Thomas for Kalila Stormfire's Economical Magick Services. She currently lives just south of San Francisco with her family. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Over Under" and "Numinous Shine," both by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast are provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Cottonmouth" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 125, September 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/cottonmouth Please note that this story includes racial violence against Black people and references to slavery. Joelle Wellington grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her childhood was spent wandering the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Her love of the written word led her to a B.A. in Creative Writing and International Studies. When she isn't writing, she's reading and when she's not doing that, she's attempting to bake bread with varying degrees of success. She is represented by Quressa Robinson of Nelson Literary Agency. This month's narrator is Angela Naomi. Angela is a Los Angeles-based actress. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she earned a BA in Sociology. The years in between college and her move to LA were spent teaching dance, acting, and pageant coaching along with performing in musical theater and modeling.  She also worked as a social media marketer for small businesses around the world. Angela served in the US Navy Reserves as a Corpsman then a recruiter. Often mistaken for an extrovert, she's an introvert whose most cherished moments are spent with her family and close friends. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Hush," "Very Low Note," "SPC-x2x," and "Discovery Hit," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast are provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

Writing is a challenging task. A profession for some, a hobby for others. Regardless, there is often a shared sense of helplessness when it comes to matters such as who is published, why they're published, and the processes behind those decisions. It is with these three questions in mind (who/why/how) that we subject our short fiction editorial team to your questions and force them to answer on livestream! Join Jason Sizemore, Lesley Conner, and Maurice Broaddus for a live Apex Magazine event—Apex Magazine Editor Q&A, hosted by Beth Dawkins! Remember to check out the Apex Magazine Kickstarter page, running until August 18, 2021. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Survival, After" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 124, July 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/survival-after/ Nicole J. LeBoeuf is a New Orleanian writer of short speculative fiction and poetry appearing in such venues as Cast of Wonders, The Future Fire, Departure Mirror Quarterly, Daily Science Fiction, and the vampirism anthology Blood and Other Cravings (Tor Books, 2011). She also posts weird flash-sized story-like objects to Patreon four times monthly. She currently lives in Boulder, Colorado with her indy RPG-writing husband and their adorably criminal rabbit. Her not-so-secret superhero identity is that of roller derby skater Fleur de Beast of the Boulder County Bombers. She blogs at www.nicolejleboeuf.com and tweets at @nicolejleboeuf. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Giant Wyrm," "Symmetry," "Welcome to Horrorland," and "Fresh Air," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Eilam Is Forever" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 124, July 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/eilam_is_forever Beth Dawkins grew up on front porches, fighting imaginary monsters with sticks, and building castles out of square hay bales. She currently lives in Northeast Georgia with her partner in crime and their offspring. She can be found on Twitter @BethDawkins. Summer Fletcher is the host and assistant editor of PodCastle. When not writing their own stories, they can be found enjoying impractical things like fancy pastry or shooting arrows from horseback. More at https://summerfletcher.com. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Fanfare for Space," "Spacial Winds," "Space Xplorers," "Night Vigil," "Stay the Course" and "Shadowlands 4 - Breath," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"All This Darkness," published in Apex Magazine, issue 123, June 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/all-this-darkness Jennifer R. Donohue grew up at the Jersey Shore and now lives in central New York with her husband and her doberman. She is a Codexian and an Associate member of the SFWA, with work appearing in Escape Pod, Truancy, The Future Fire, and elsewhere. Her novella series, Run With the Hunted, is available on Amazon and most digital platforms. She tweets @AuthorizedMusin. Our narrator this month is A.F. Grappin. A. F. Grappin is an author, craftsman, gamer, and voice actor. His most recent publication is the final volume of The Deadly Studies series of novellas, with the nonfiction history of the micronation Westarctica, 20 Years on Ice, coming later in 2021. With his best friend, he also runs The Chain Nerd Chainmail, creating chainmail jewelry, wall art, trinkets, and more. He streams crafting with metal on Twitch twice a week as TheChainNerd. Vocal credits include appearances on The Voice of Free Planet X, Nobilis Erotica Podcast, This Kaiju Life, and Vampire Needed, as well as the upcoming Final Fantasy VII fan mod, Echo-S.  This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Come Play with Me" and "The Dread," both by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Visit him at www.incompetech.com. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Learn more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at apex-magazine.com.

"The Life & Death of Mia Fremont: An Interview with a Killer," published in Apex Magazine, issue 123, May 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/ A. K. Hudson lives in the Pacific Northwest where she works for a video game developer by day and writes speculative fiction by night. Her stories have appeared in various anthologies, including the 2019 Sirens Benefit Anthology. You can find her geeking out over fantasy novels and punctuating her posts with Schitt’s Creek memes on Twitter @TheAKHudson. Our narrators this month are Veronica Giguere and Jackie Mahoney. Veronica Giguere (V.) is a storyteller of the spoken and written word. She narrates across genres, but her favorites are science fiction and fantasy. Her passion for science and innovation shines in her roles as audiobook narrator, science fiction author, podcast producer, and forever-geeky mom. Find her at http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ Jackie Mahoney is a Toronto-based actor, producer and writer who specializes in historic performance. Over the course of the pandemic, Jackie has digitally performed aboard the RMS Carpathia and produced a series of holiday-themed radio plays in support of local non-profits and charities called "The Twelve Plays of the Holidays." She works as an actor and show designer with Live History, an internationally touring interactive historic theatre company, and as a historic actor at Black Creek Pioneer Village and with the Gibson house Museum. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Ossuary 1 - A Beginning," "Spatial Harvest," and "Morgana Rides," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Learn more at www.incompetech.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at apex-magazine.com

"If Those Ragged Feet Won't Run," published in Apex Magazine, issue 122, March 2021. Read it here. apex-magazine.com/if-those-ragged-feet-wont-run Annie Neugebauer is a novelist, blogger, nationally award-winning poet, and two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated short story author with work appearing in more than a hundred publications, including Cemetery Dance, Black Static, and Year’s Best Hardcore Horror volumes 3, 4, and 5. She’s a columnist and writing instructor for LitReactor. You can visit her at www.AnnieNeugebauer.com. New Zealand born fantasy writer and podcaster Philippa (Pip) Ballantine is the author of the Books of the Order, The Chronicles of Art, and The Shifted World series. She is also the co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series with her husband Tee Morris. In nonfiction, Pip has cowritten with Tee Social Media for Writers from Writer’s Digest. Her awards include an Airship, a Parsec, the Steampunk Chronicle Reader’s Choice, the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for steampunk, and a Sir Julius Vogel. Philippa currently resides in Manassas, Virginia, with her husband, daughter, and a furry clowder of cats. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Darkling," "Gathering Darkness," "Leaving Home," "Long Note Four," "The Escalation," "Ossuary 6 - Air," and "Water Lily," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Learn more at www.incompetech.com. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at apex-magazine.com

"The Amazing Exploding Women of the Early Twentieth Century," published in Apex Magazine, issue 122, February 2021. Read it here. https://apex-magazine.com/ A.C. Wise’s fiction has appeared in publications such as Apex, Uncanny, Clarkesworld, and multiple Year’s Best anthologies. Her work has won the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, as well as twice being a finalist for the Sunburst Award, twice being a finalist for the Nebula Award, and being a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. She has two collections published with Lethe Press, and a novella published by Broken Eye Books. Her debut novel, Wendy, Darling, is forthcoming from Titan Books in June 2021, and a new collection, The Ghost Sequences, is forthcoming from Undertow Books in Fall 2021. In addition to her fiction, she contributes review columns to Apex and The Book Smugglers. Visit her at her website. A storyteller of many forms, Aly Grauer has been known to perform onstage, on podcasts, at ren faires, and at world-class theme parks. Of late, she is the audio editor for Skyjacks: Courier’s Call, where she also performs as June Hymnal. Aly is also a writer, teaches dialect lessons, provides narration for audiobooks, and occasionally creates small roleplaying games. Aly and her husband Drew live in Chicago, IL where they both serve as heated furniture for their two cats, Queen Felicia and Wedge. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Melodie Victoria," "Almost New," "Frogs Legs Rag," and "Reawakening," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Learn more at www.incompetech.com. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com

"Mr. Death" — published in Apex Magazine, issue 121, January 2021. Read it here: https://apex-magazine.com/mr-death/ Please note that this episode contains references to child death. A former academic and adjunct, Alix E. Harrow is now a full-time writer living in Kentucky with her husband and their semi-feral kids. She is the author of Hugo-award-winning short fiction, and her debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. Find her at @AlixEHarrow on Twitter. Chris Lester is a writer, voice actor, scientist, and podcaster. He is the creator of Metamor City, an urban fantasy series that has won three Parsec Awards for excellence in audio fiction. His books can be found on Audible, Amazon, and many other online retailers. In addition to voicing his own work, he has narrated stories for Escape Pod, Nobilis Erotica, and Erotica a la Carte, and for author Abigail Hilton. To learn more about his fiction, hire him for audio work, or subscribe to his fiction podcast The Raven and the Writing Desk visit his website at chrislester.org. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Bittersweet," "Grim League," "Heart of Nowhere," and "When the Wind Blows," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Root Rot" -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 121, January 2021. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com Fargo Tbakhi (he/him) is a queer Palestinian-American performance artist. He is the winner of the 2018 Ghassan Kanafani Resistance Arts Prize, a Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, and a Tin House Summer Workshop alum. His writing is published in Strange Horizons,  Foglifter,  Hobart,  The Shallow Ends,  Mizna,  Peach Mag, and elsewhere. His performance work has been programmed at OUTsider Fest, INTER-SECTION Solo Fest, and has received support from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. He is currently a Halcyon Arts Lab Fellow and works at Mosaic Theater. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Theme music by Alex White. Other music in this podcast includes "Tempting Secrets," "Stay the Course," and "Night Vigil," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a bimonthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

The Apex Magazine Kickstarter continues until August 19! In this Q&A session, Andrea Johnson leads Apex editorial team Jason Sizemore, Lesley Connor, Maurice Broaddus, and Shana DuBois through a wide array of topics and listener questions - from the slush pile, to the fiction they love, to plans for the zine.

This is a special announcement: the Kickstarter for Apex Magazine's relaunch is LIVE! This campaign will run July 20th-August 18th with a funding goal of $7,500. If funded issue 121 will come out January 2021, along with a new episode of the podcast.   Some of the rewards available include bundles of signed books, critiques from the Apex Magazine team, mystery boxes, and Apex alien head artwork.   Check out the Kickstarter here! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/apexpublications/apex-magazine-2021  

"N-Coin," by Tobias S. Buckell -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 120, May 2019. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com Tobias S. Buckell is a New York Times Bestselling author born in the Caribbean. He grew up in Grenada and spent time in the British and US Virgin Islands, which influence much of his work. His novels and over 50 stories have been translated into 18 different languages. His work has been nominated for awards like the Hugo, Nebula, Prometheus, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction Author.  He currently lives in Bluffton, Ohio with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of dogs. He can be found online at www.TobiasBuckell.com. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "That's a Wrap," "Laser Groove," and "Voltaic," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Our narrator for this episode is Drew Mierzejewski. Drew holds a Masters in Acting from Northern Illinois University. He is a performer currently based out of Orlando where he wrangles velociraptors and explores the theme parks. He is a longtime roleplaying game enthusiast and Dungeons and Dragons gamemaster. He is co-creator of Warda which is an RPG actual play/audio drama/fiction podcast set in an original fantasy world he created with his wife, Aly Grauer. For more information, visit http://www.welcometowarda.com and follow Drew on Twitter @worldstoforge. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Professor Strong and the Brass Boys," by Amal Singh -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 119, April 2019. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com Amal Singh is a professional screenwriter currently living in Mumbai, India. His web-shows are on YouTube, while his fiction has appeared in Syntax & Salt, Truancy, Mithila Review, among others. He is constantly in search of meaning in life and drowns his sorrows in copious amounts of tea.  This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "Backbay Lounge," "Basement Floor," "Bicycle," "Covert Affair," "Dances and Dames," "Egmont Overture Finale," "I Knew a Guy," "Pure Attitude," "Smoother Move," "Too Cool," and "Waltz, Tchaikovsky Op. 40," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. This podcast also includes "E Pari Ra," "The Turtle Dove," and Thomas Tallis's "O Nata Lux," all within the public domain and performed by KT Bryski. Other music created and performed by KT Bryski. Some sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Our narrator for this episode is Dave Robison. Dave is a passionate Literary and Vocal Alchemist (and unrepentant nerd) whose creative ADHD prompts him to pursue a wide range of projects. He’s narrated dozens of stories for audio fiction podcasts, brainstormed hundreds of story ideas with some of the stellar luminaries of the literary firmament, designed board games, and created software platforms. If it celebrates the storyteller’s craft in some way, shape, or form, Dave has either done it, is doing it, or will do it. Dave is also the creator of ARCHIVOS, a new web-based story development tool for storytellers. Check it out at https://archivos.digital Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

NB: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE. "Curse Like a Savior," by Russell Nichols -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 118, March 2019. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com Russell Nichols is a speculative fiction writer and endangered journalist. Raised in Richmond, California, he sold all his stuff in 2011 and now lives out of a backpack with his wife, vagabonding around the world. Find his work in Fiyah, Apex Magazine, Fireside Fiction, Strange Horizons, Nightmare Magazine's POC Destroy Horror special issue and others. Look for him at russellnichols.com. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "On the Ground," "Arcadia," and "Angel Share," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator for this episode is Dominick Rabrun. Dominick Rabrun was born in Brooklyn, New York, and now lives near Washington, DC. At an early age he discovered his love of cartoons, computers, books, comics, and video games. This led to an exploration of experimental and artistically expressive artwork as an adult. Dom fully embraces the syncretic nature of his art, which is powered by a complex and unique mixture of influences and mediums. He can be seen and heard weekly on Dom’s Sketch Cast, a show that blends interviews, animations, and experimental video art. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Cold Iron Comfort," by Hayley Stone -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 117, February 2019. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. Hayley Stone is a writer, editor, and poet from California. She is best known for her adult sci-fi novel, Machinations, which was chosen as one of Amazon’s Best Sci-fi & Fantasy Books for 2016. Her short fiction has appeared in Fireside Fiction, Escape Pod, Flash Fiction Online, and various anthologies, while her speculative poetry is widely available online. Hayley loves to hear from readers and writers. Find her at www.hnstoneauthor.com and on Twitter @hayley_stone. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "Mirage" "Dreamlike," and "Ice Demon," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by KT Bryski. Our narrator for this episode is Charity Rodriguez. Charity is a teacher by day and voiceover artist by night. As a voiceover artist she has a passion for telling and sharing stories with people of all ages. While her first love is fantasy, she is fascinated by stories of people from every walk and way of life and sees every day as an opportunity to explore the world around her. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"The Pulse of Memory," by Beth Dawkins -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 116, January 2019. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. Beth Dawkins grew up on front porches, fighting imaginary monsters with sticks, and building castles out of square hay bales. She currently lives in Northeast Georgia with her husband and two dogs. She can be found on Twitter @BethDawkins.  This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "Almost in F," "Mind Scrape," "Tenebrous Borthers Carnival: Mermaid," and "Water Prelude," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com.This podcast also included "Caro Mio Ben," a piece in the public domain performed by KT Bryski.  Our narrator for this episode is Drew Mierzejewski. Drew holds a Masters in Acting from Northern Illinois University. He is a performer currently based out of Orlando where he wrangles velociraptors and explores the theme parks. He is a longtime roleplaying game enthusiast and Dungeons and Dragons gamemaster. He is co-creator of Warda which is an RPG actual play/audio drama/fiction podcast set in an original fantasy world he created with his wife, Aly Grauer. For more information, visit http://www.welcometowarda.com and follow Drew on Twitter @worldstoforge. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.  

"Towards a New Lexicon of Augury," by Sabrina Vourvoulias -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 114, November 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com Sabrina Vourvoulias (www.sabrinavourvoulias.com) is an award-winning Latina journalist whose work has appeared at PRI’s The World, The Guardian US, Philly.com, and Philadelphia Magazine, among others. After years of adhering to AP style, and juggling the conventions of English- and Spanish-language journalism, she turned to speculative fiction. Her short fiction has appeared at Uncanny Magazine, Tor.com, Strange Horizons, GUD Magazine, Crossed Genres, and upcoming in Apex Magazine, as well as in numerous anthologies. She is also the author of Ink, a near-future, immigration-centered dystopia which draws on her memories of Guatemala's armed internal conflict and of the Latinx experience in the United States. It was named to Latinidad’s Best Books of 2012, and was reissued by Rosarium Publishing in September 2018. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and a dog who believes she is the one ring to rule them all. Follow her on Twitter @followthelede and on Facebook @officialsabrinavourvoulias. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "Anguish," "Reaching Out," "Soaring," and "Spring Thaw," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator for this episode is Sandra Espinoza. Sandra Espinoza is a New York born and raised voice actress trained at Edge Studios and Shut Up & Talk. Being Spanish bilingual with a background in English literature, she has always been fascinated with what people were saying and the broad palette of ways to say it.  After a childhood where video games were banned from the house, she’s 180’d so hard that she’s finally in them and never leaving. Some games Sandra’s voiced for include Heroes of Newerth, Marvel’s Avengers Academy and the critically acclaimed Wadjet Eye Games point-and-click adventure game Unavowed as Mandana. Get to know her at dustyoldroses.com and follow on Twitter and Facebook @dustyoldroses. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"On the Day You Spend Forever With Your Dog," by Adam R. Shannon -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 115, December 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. Adam R. Shannon is a career firefighter and paramedic, as well as a fiction writer, aspiring cook, and steadfast companion of dogs. He and his wife live in Virginia, where they preside over the furry whirlwinds of two resident canines as well as visiting foster dogs. His work has appeared in Compelling Science Fiction, Every Day Fiction, the anthology Behind the Mask, and elsewhere. He’s a graduate of Clarion West 2017. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "Rumination," "Wounded," "Loss," "Pensif," and "Dark Walk," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org Our narrator for this episode is Erica Hastings. Erica works as a Review Analyst by day, an action/comedy writer by night, and a voice actor on weekends and holidays. For the last ten years, she has lived in Ottawa, Ontario, where she also runs a free brainstorming and story critique session at the Ottawa Writer’s Circle. Her biggest project is her serial novel that she publishes to https://theotherkindofroommate.com/ in which there is also longing for a loved one, but that loved one is coffee. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"With Lips Sewn Shut," by Kristi DeMeester -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 113, October 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. Kristi DeMeester is the author of Beneath, a novel published by Word Horde Publications, and Everything That’s Underneath, a short fiction collection from Apex Books. Her short fiction has appeared in approximately forty magazines, including Ellen Datlow's The Year's Best Horror Volume 9, Stephen Jones' Best New Horror,  Year’s Best Weird Fiction Volumes 1, 3, and 5, in addition to publications such as Black Static, Pseudopod, and several others. In her spare time, she alternates between telling people how to pronounce her last name and how to spell her first. Find her online at www.kristidemeester.com.  This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "Lone Harvest" and "Magic Forest," both by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org. Our narrator for this episode is Veronica Giguere. Veronica (V.) is a storyteller of the spoken and written word. She narrates across genres, but her favorites are science fiction and fantasy. Her passion for science and innovation shines in her roles as audiobook narrator, science fiction author, podcast producer, and forever-geeky mom. As a recovering academic with a passion for science and innovation, she uses her love of learning and appreciation of writing to fuel her audiobook narration. Spending fifteen years in higher education has taught her that there is something to learn from every story, be it fiction or nonfiction. You could say that she traded a university classroom for a recording studio, and narration is her path to lifelong learning. According to her fellow Secret World Chronicle coauthors, she writes about metahumans battling alien fascists in modern-day Atlanta. According to her kids, she makes funny noises into a microphone and take breaks to run, crochet, and play video games. And according to her husband, she is addicted to coffee and Star Wars. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.  

"Field Biology of the Wee Fairies," by Naomi Kritzer -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 112, September 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. Naomi Kritzer is a speculative fiction writer and blogger. Her 2015 short story "Cat Pictures Please" was a Locus Award and Hugo Award winner and was nominated for a Nebula Award. She has lived in London and Nepal. She currently lives in Minnesota and blogs on local elections. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "The Snow Queen" and "Sneaky Adventure," both by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator for this episode is Brea Grant. Brea is an e-reader who moonlights as an actress and filmmaker (most recently, she can be seen on the television show The Arrangement and in movies like A Ghost Story and Dead Awake) and daylights as a podcast co-host on the show Reading Glasses. She writes comic books, reads sci-fi, and thinks ghosts are funny. You know her face from television. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"PRISM," by Stefanie Elrick -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 111, August 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com Stefanie Elrick is a writer, artist and performer from Manchester, UK. As a performance artist she’s blood-lined love poetry onto her body during ‘Written in Skin’ www.writteninskin.com and been strapped to a 12ft spinning timepiece for ‘KAIROS’ www.kairosophy.com. She returned to her first love, fantasy horror, in the winter of 2015 and made her debut in Martian Migraine’s Press Cthulhusattva: Tales of the Black Gnosis. She also features in Comet Press’s 2017 anthology, The Year’s Best Hardcore Horror. Visit her at www.stefanieelrick.com This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "It Is Lost," "Return of Lazarus," and "Ossuary 2 - Turn," by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator for this episode is Blythe Haynes. Blythe is a Toronto-based actor and voice talent. With KT Bryski, she is one of the co-founders of Gangway! Theatre Company, a new theatre company focused on creating and celebrating Canadian and female-focused works. Select theatre credits include Six Stories, Told at Night (Toronto Fringe), A Canticle of Light (Missed Metaphor Productions), In His Name (Canadian History Project), and Mary's Wedding (Toronto Fringe). Select voice acting credits include Campfire Radio Theatre, The Drabblecast, Apex Magazine Podcast, and the original podcast release of Six Stories, Told at Night. Find out more at www.gangwaytheatre.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.  

"When You're Ready," by M. Ian Bell -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 110, July 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com M. Ian Bell lives in New Jersey, where he teaches English and math. He mentors adolescents during the school year and co-directs a boys' camp in New Hampshire in the summer. His work can also be found in Shimmer Magazine, and you can follow him on Twitter at @m_ianbell. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast includes "Cryptic Sorrow" and "Water Lily," by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator for this episode is Norman Hussey. Norman is a writer, director, and actor located in Toronto, Ontario. He is one of the co-founders of the independent theatre company "Missed Metaphor Productions," who just produced their first show: A Canticle of Light, by KT Bryski. He is currently writing a full length horror tragedy play that Missed Metaphor will produce next year. Visit their website www.missedmetaphor.com for more details in the near future. In the meantime, he is working on a variety of other projets in various fields including writing and narrating children's stories and creating a role playing text-adventure video game. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.  

"Suzie Q," by Jacqueline Carey -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 109, June 2018. CONTENT WARNING: graphic sexual situations and self-harm. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com New York Times bestseller Jacqueline Carey is the author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning Kushiel's Legacy series of historical fantasy novels, The Sundering epic fantasy duology, postmodern fables Santa Olivia and Saints Astray, the Agent of Hel contemporary fantasy series, and the forthcoming standalone, Starless. Jacqueline enjoys doing research on a wide variety of arcane topics, and an affinity for travel has taken her from Iceland to China to date. She currently lives in West Michigan. Further information is available at www.jacquelinecarey.com. Join her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jacquelinecarey.author, or follow her on Twitter at @JCareyAuthor. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Virtutes Vocis" and "Shadowlands 5: Antechamber," by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator for this episode is Lauren Harris. Lauren is a narrator, editor, and author of new urban fantasy release, UNMAKE, book two in the Spellhounds series. More on her narration and writing can be found at www.laurenbharris.com. Apex Magazine podcast, copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.    

"Cold Blue Sky," by J.E. Bates -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 108, May 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. J.E. Bates is a lifelong communicant of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other mind sugar and screen candy. He's lived in California, Finland, and many worlds in between. He can be found at twitter.com/jeebates or https://jebates.com. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Dopplerette," "Floating Cities," "Interloper," and "Overworld," all by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license. For more information, visit him at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project. Find out more at www.freesound.org.  Our narrator for this episode is Alyson Grauer. Alyson is an actor, author, and podcaster currently based in Orlando. She is the co-creator of Warda, a tabletop RPG podcast set in an entirely original fantasy realm. You can learn more about this Edwardian-inspired setting at www.welcometowarda.com and bit.ly/WardaPodcast. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies from Xchyler Publishing and the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences' Tales From The Archives. Her first novel "On The Isle of Sound and Wonder" is a fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest." For more information on her work, visit www.dreamstobecome.com and follow her on Twitter at @dreamstobecome. Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Clap Your Hands," by Andrew F. Kooy -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 107, April 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. Andrew F. Kooy is a full-time dad, a part-time instructor at Dillard University, a rookie in New Orleans' premiere all-male dance Krewe, and a member of the Peauxdunque Writers' Alliance. He received his MFA from the Creative Writing Workshop at the University of New Orleans. His work can be found in The Stockholm Review of Literature, Barely South Review, and is forthcoming from Bird's Thumb. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included the public-domain hymn tunes "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Maitland," performed by KT Bryski. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project -- find out more at www.freesound.org. Our narrator for this episode is Christopher Soren Kelly. Christopher is an actor and director, known for Infinity Chamber (2016), The Tangle (2018), and Ink (2009). Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"A Priest of Vast and Distant Places," by Cassandra Khaw -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 106, March 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com. Cassandra Khaw writes horror, video games, tweets for money, articles about video games, and tabletop RPGs. These are not necessarily unrelated items. Her work can be found in professional short story magazines such as Clarkesworld, Fireside Fiction, Uncanny, and Shimmer. Cassandra's first paranormal rom-com Bearly a Lady released this year. Her recent Lovecraftian Southern Gothic, A Song for Quiet, is a considerably different animal. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Immersed," by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Visit him at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project -- find out more at www.freesound.org. Our narrator for this episode is Marie Bilodeau. Marie is an Ottawa-based author and storyteller, with eight published books to her name. Her speculative fiction has won several awards and has been translated into French (Les Editions Alire) and Chinese (SF World). Marie is also a storyteller and has told stories across Canada in theatres, tea shops, at festivals, and under disco balls. She is co-host of the Archivos Podcast Network with Dave Robison, co-chair of Ottawa's speculative fiction literary convention CAN-CON with Derek Kunsken, co-chair of Ottawa ChiSeries with Nicole Lavigne and Matt Moore, and a casual blogger at Black Gate Magazine. Visit Marie at www.mariebilodeau.com. Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.    

"We are New(s)," by Bentley A. Reese -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 106, March 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com Bentley A. Reese is a Wisconsin-born writer who has always had a love for Science Fiction. He has been published in many magazines, such as Shimmer, Bourbon Penn, and now (to his complete surprise and utter joy) within the pages of Apex. An alumni of UW-Madison, Bentley is currently one of few genre writers studying at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He wrote this piece last fall while studying abroad in London and walking the streets of Whitechapel. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Ice Flow," "Harmful or Fatal," "In a Heartbeat," "Severe Tire Damage," and "The Dread," all by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Visit him at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project -- find out more at www.freesound.org.  Our narrator for this episode is Blythe Haynes. Blythe is a Toronto-based actor and voice talent. Select theatre credits include, "In His Name" (Canadian History Project), "The Killdeer" (Alumnae Theatre), and "Mary's Wedding" (Toronto Fringe Festival). Select podcast credits include "Campfire Radio Theater," "Six Stories, Told at Night," "The Drabblecast," and "Tales from the Archives." With KT Bryski, Blythe is one of the co-founders of Gangway! Theatre Co. She looks forward to returning to the Toronto Fringe in 2018 with a stage adaptation of KT Bryski's "Six Stories, Told at Night." Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies," by Alix E. Harrow -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 105, February 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com/ Alix E. Harrow is a part-time historian with a full-time desk job, a debilitating re-reading habit, and authorial ambitions. She and her husband live in Kentucky under the cheerful tyranny of their one year old and border collie. Find her at @AlixEHarrow on Twitter. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Supernatural," "March of the Mind," and "Bittersweet," by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License. Visit him at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project -- find out more at www.freesound.org. Our narrator for this episode is Lori Henry. Lori Henry is a voice actory and travel writer based in Canada and the UK. She has an interest in great storytelling and compelling characters. You might even recognize her voice from other spooky podcasts. You can find out more about her on her website, www.lorihenry.ca. Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine s a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.  

"The Heaven-Moving Way," by Chi Hui (translated by Andy Dudak) -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 104, January 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com/ Born in north-eastern China, Chi Hui was a member of the editorial team of Science Fiction World 科幻世界 from 2006 to 2010. Chi currently works as an editor in Chengdu. She uses pen names Heixiaomao 黑小貓 [Black kitten] and Soulaxia for her fantasy and World of Warcraft themed writings, respectively. She has published more than twenty pieces of science fiction writing under the name Chi Gui, including "Duzi" 獨子 [Only Son], "Guizhe wulu" 歸者無路 [Road of No Return], and "Chongchao" 蟲巢 [Bugs' Nest]. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Lost Frontier" and "Spatial Harvest," by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License. Find out more at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator for this episode is Curtis C. Chen. Once a Silicon Valley softwar engineer, Curtis C. Chen (陳致宇) now writes fiction and runs puzzle games near Portland, Oregon. His debut novel WAYPOINT KANGAROO is a science fiction thriller about a superpowered spy facing his toughest mission yet: vacation. The sequel, KANGAROO TOO, sends our hero to the Moon. Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.    

"Origin Story," by Ursula Vernon (writing as T. Kingfisher) -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 104, January 2018. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com/ Ursula Vernon is the winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Mythopoeic Awards. She has written a number of children’s books, short stories, and comics, and writes for adults under the name T. Kingfisher. She likes fairy-tale retellings, gardening, and has strong opinions about heirloom beans. You can find more of her work at redwombatstudio.com. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Virtutes Intstrumenti," "Vanishing," and "Long Note Four," all by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License. Find out more at www.incompetech.com. Other sounds in this podcast provided by the Free Sound Project; learn more at www.freesound.org. Our narrator for this episode is Blythe Haynes. Blythe is a Toronto-based actor and voice talent. Select theatre credits include, "In His Name" (Canadian History Project), "The Killdeer" (Alumnae Theatre), and "Mary's Wedding" (Toronto Fringe Festival). Select podcast credits include "Campfire Radio Theater," "Six Stories, Told at Night," "The Drabblecast," and "Tales from the Archive." With KT Bryski, Blythe is one of the co-founders of Gangway! Theatre Co. She looks forward to returning to the Toronto Fringe in 2018, with a stage adaptation of KT Bryski's "Six Stories, Told at Night." Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.

"Behind Her, Trailing Like Butterfly Wings," by Daniela Tomova -- published in Apex Magazine, issue 103, December 2017. Read it here: http://www.apex-magazine.com/ Daniela Tomova was born in the ruins of countless civilizations and experienced first-hand yet another empire fall when she was only 8 years old. Her surreal, animal-filled childhood lives in stories which, while true, have nonetheless earned her the nickname Keyser Söze. She left her home country to study business at the Ohio State University and soon enough, she found herself peddling data around Europe just to make a living.  Daniela draws her inspiration from the visceral folklore of the Balkans, the surrealism of Russian science fiction, the dreams of Ray Bradbury and the delirious, severe beauty of Northern Norway.  She lives in an abandoned airport in Oslo, Norway with her partner and their cat. This Apex Magazine podcast was produced by KT Bryski. Music in this podcast included "Ghostpocalypse 1," "Shadowlands 4," "Deep Noise," "Night of Chaos," and "Thunder Dreams," all by Kevin MacLeod. Visit him at www.incompetech.com. Our narrator this month is Dave Robison. Dave is an avid Literary and Vocal Alchemist who pursues a wide range of creative explorations. A Brainstormer, Keeper of the Buttery Man-Voice, Pattern Seeker, Dream Weaver, and Eternal Optimist, Dave's efforts to boost the awesomeness of the world can be found at The Archivos Podcast Network, the Vex Mosaic e-zine, and through his work at Wonderthing Studios. He’s currently shepherding two projects into the world: Archivos (http://www.archivos.digital, https://www.facebook.com/ArchivosStories/), a story mapping and presentation tool, and Manifest (https://www.facebook.com/ManifestGame/) a board game combining the positional strategy of chess with the fantastical diversity of Magic: The Gathering. Apex Magazine podcast, Copyright Apex Publications. Apex Magazine is a monthly short fiction zine focused on dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Find us at http://www.apex-magazine.com.