New Fiction and Poetry

"In the City of Kites and Crows," a dark dystopian fantasy about love in the wake of a revolution, has just been published in the autumn issue of Kaleidotrope. In September, my Weird tale "It Will Make You Hate the World" appeared in Mantid Magazine and my poem "To the Waters"--the first I've published since 2014!--appeared in Liminality.

In more personal news, the ongoing family crisis (TM) is ongoing and critical. Thoughts, prayers, and good vibes appreciated.

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Saturday, October 01, 2016

poetry, short fiction

I love having this problem...

This morning, as I read through the Mirror Dance slush, I again think to myself: I need to limit the number of poems one poet can submit at a time. Because I only publish four issues a year. And there are some poets who submit five amazing poems at a time, and while I prefer not to publish multiple pieces by one person in an issue, it would be unbearable to pass on this incredible, incredible poetry...

Mirror Dance poets, you guys spoil me!

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Friday, August 30, 2013

editing, Mirror Dance, poetry

Poetry Recommendation

Having recently accepted another story from the very talented Sandi Leibowitz for Mirror Dance, I found myself thinking again of her haunting poem in Apex's December 2011 issue: To a Gentleman Who Is Visited. If you haven't read it yet, check it out. And if you have read it already, it really deserves another look.

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

ghost story, Mirror Dance, poetry, recommendations, Sandi Leibowitz

Poetry Recommendations

Two gorgeous poems by Heather Sommer: Origin, from Strange Horizons, and Traveler, from decomP. Two very different kinds of incredible. Enjoy!

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

poetry, recommendations, Strange Horizons

Rhysling Award

The Rhysling Award winners have been announced, and "The Curator Speaks in the Department of Dead Languages!" won in the Long Poem category! Congratulations to the other winners!

Short Poem
1. Shira Lipkin, "The Library, After"
2. Erik Amundsen, "The Lend"
3. Lyn C. A. Gardner, "In Translation"

Long Poem
1. Megan Arkenberg, "The Curator Speaks in the Department of Dead Languages
2. G. O. Clark and Kendall Evans, "The 25-Cent Rocket: One-Quarter of the Way to the Stars"
3. Mary Turzillo, "The Legend of the Emperor's Space Suit (A Tale of Consensus Reality)"

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Monday, July 16, 2012

award, poetry, Rhysling, Strange Horizons

Mirror Dance Summer 2012

"Passages: Stories of Gateways and Guardians"  is now online! This issue has gods and fairies, heroes and monsters, ghosts and vampires, temples and mysterious forests and icy fog-shrouded mountaintops. (It also has a few mysterious formatting issues, which I am trying desperately to sort out, and incredible original art by Shirl Sazynski, which should more than make up for the formatting.) Happy reading!


Also, in honor of this issue's theme, have a look at these fascinating entrances that are clearly gateways to Narnia.

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Friday, June 01, 2012

editing, fantasy, fiction, Mirror Dance, poetry, publishing, reading

"La Mort et son puceau" by Rebekah Curry

This is a beautiful poem. The concise and flowing language. The reimagining of the Persephone myth as a love story. And yes, the gender dynamic. Beautiful.

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Thursday, May 31, 2012

myth, poetry, recommendations

New market for fantastical poetry!

I thought some of my Mirror Dance poets might be interested in this: Through the Gate is a brand-new magazine for fantasy poetry with "emotional and literary depth" and a special interest in myth and folklore. Find the full guidelines here. This sounds like a fantastic project and I can't wait for the first issue!


Speaking of gates and traveling through them, the line-up for the Summer 2012 Mirror Dance (theme: Guardians and Gateways) is complete. Mike Phillips and Robert Shmigelsky return to our pages, while we'll be welcoming Shirl Sazynski, Jamieson Ridenhour, K. A. G. Broderick and many others to their first (but hopefully not last!) Mirror Dance issue. The issue goes live on June 1. Hope to see you there!

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Friday, May 25, 2012

magazines, Mirror Dance, poetry, publishing

Dead Languages

"The Curator Speaks in the Department of Dead Languages," a long poem with a long title, appears in Strange Horizons this week. Read and enjoy!

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Monday, June 27, 2011

poetry, publishing, Strange Horizons

Now is the Winter of our Discontent...

...made summer by the shiny summer issues of many magazines!

Mirror Dance's Summer 2011 issue is online. As always, the summer issue has a theme: Kunstkammern, stories of secrets and curiosities. We have lots of delightfully odd tales, so head on over and check them out!

My poem "Song Before a Quest" appeared in Issue 13 of Cabinet de Fees yesterday, and "The Conqueror of Mars, to his Beloved" is in Ideomancer today.

Also, I have received two very shiny acceptances to two very shiny publications in the last week, but I'll wait until all the contracts are in hand before I announce any more details.

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Wednesday, June 01, 2011

magazines, poetry, publishing

Haiku!

Just a quick brag-post to announce that my haiku for Cycle 7, Week 19 at DailyHaiku were selected for the editors' choice award.

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Sunday, February 06, 2011

haiku, poetry

O Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness...

Hooray for autumn and the plentiful publication it brings!

1. The Autumn 2010 issue of Mirror Dance is live and lovely. Check out the great fiction, poetry, and a piece or two that falls between the cracks.

2. My story "Rosewinter" appears in the current issue of Niteblade. This is a pretty old story, originally written in fall of 2008, though reworked quite a bit since then. For those of you playing along at home, "Rosewinter" uses a spiral chronology similar to the one in "The Copperroof War," and is (along with "Cesare") one of the only villanous-woman's-first-name-titled stories I ever successfully completed, though I have ten or twelve sitting around in draft form.

3. My story "The Father of the Riverborn" appears in the current issue of Port Iris. This story is much newer, and the viewpoint character also plays a role in my novel-in-progress Jaquemart. This is also the only time you will ever, ever hear me talk about gender roles in fiction: "I’m familiar with psychoses...And this sexual-role nonsense sounds like a culture-wide psychosis."

4. I also have a story appearing in the September issue of Flagship, and poems appearing in Cabinet des Fees and Illumen. More on those as they come in.

5. The proof of Crimethink arrived today with all its pieces in the proper place! I pressed the fancy little approve button, and now you can buy a print copy from the Crimethink storefront: https://www.createspace.com/3476062. Remember that all proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders.

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Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Mirror Dance, poetry, publishing, short fiction, titles, updates

Just sittin' here, twiddling my thumbs...

An update on Crimethink, for those of you who worry I've completely forgotten about it: I ordered the proof copy earlier this week, and it should be showing up any day now. From here, it's just a matter of ensuring I didn't make any silly typos, approving the proof, and telling you all where to buy it.

I actually finished a poem this week, which is more than I've finished for months. I also realized I haven't been submitting my haiku and tanka as frequently over the past year as I did before. I'll have to fix that, though I notice Modern English Tanka is marked as temporarily closed on Duotrope. Time to mosey on over and see what's up...

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Saturday, August 14, 2010

Crimethink, poetry, tanka

Website functioning again!

My freewebs site was sorely in need of an update, and a number of the links had completely ceased to function. Everything should be in working order again. (If you do find a bad link, please let me know!)

A few of my stories and poems had become inaccessible when they were removed from the internet or when the publications they appeared in shut down. For those of you who missed "Leanansidhe" (July 2007), "A Choice of Treason" (November 2007) and "The Shadow of Nemesis" (July/August 2008) the first time around, they are available now.

Don't thank me until you've read them, though. "A Choice of Treason" in particular was a very early work.

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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Cthulhu fhtagn, fiction, poetry, voice, weird fiction, writing

Poem in Enchanted Conversation

http://www.enchantedconversation.org/2010/04/servants-tale-by-megan-arkenberg.html

I'm glad this poem found such a lovely home. And those of you readers who like Mirror Dance will almost certainly like Enchanted Conversation. :-)

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

fairy tale, fantasy, poetry

Dwarf Stars 2009

One of my haiku and my haibun (that is, my only every published haibun) are Dwarf Star Award nominees this year. I've known it for a while--it's just taken me this long to find a link for you, dear reader.

http://www.sfpoetry.com/dwarfstars09.html

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Monday, December 14, 2009

poetry, that's MY name on the ballot

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

I should have checked this magazine out around sixteen days ago, when the first issue came out, but reading for Mirror Dance and Lacuna has kept me busy. Fortunately, I found a small break this morning, and discovered that I actually do enjoy unapologetic Sword & Sorcery when it's done intelligently.

I particularly recommend James Lecky's story "The Black Flowers of Sevan" and Elizabeth Barrette's poem "Ansel's Army."

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Friday, July 17, 2009

fantasy, fiction, poetry, reading, recommendations

Mirror Dance Updates

I am in need of one more poem for the Spring 2009 issue of Mirror Dance. There is one fiction and one poetry slot open in the themed Summer issue, "Villains and Antiheroes." Finally, I have nonfiction/opinion/art slots open in both these issues; the Summer item should relate to the theme, but I will consider a wide variety for Spring.

Submissions information can be found here.

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Thursday, February 12, 2009

art, editing, fiction, Mirror Dance, nonfiction, poetry, publishing, updates, writing

Poetry II

I've finished revising two more poems, and one of my older works, "The Sorcerer's Daughter," has been accepted for publication in Every Day Poets.

It has taken me this long to check out the Winter 2009 issue of Goblin Fruit. There are, as usual, a number of brillinat poems in this issue. My personal favorites are "Zeus Love Poem" by Maura MacDonald and J. C. Runolfson's unsettling "O.D.".

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Monday, February 09, 2009

Every Day Poets, Goblin Fruit, poetry, publishing, reading, recomendations

For all the world like cutler's poetry / upon a knife...

I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.
~Oscar Wilde

I hear you, Oscar.

It's been a good week on the poetry front. I've recieved my contributer's copy of MindFlights' fourth print issue; had poems accepted by Polu Texni and Silver Blade; and written/revised two and a half poems, including one in Spanish.

I only wish I was kidding about that last.

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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

foreign language, poetry, publishing, writing