It is somehow October, and I have a new piece of science fiction poetry and a new piece of flash fiction out on the same day!
Do you like time loops, Regency dramas, mother-daughter relationships, and sarcasm? How about classic SF robots and poetry?
If the answer to either of those is “yes,” “maybe,” or even just “What?”, then I am happy to introduce you to “What Not to Do When You’re Polymorphed and Stuck in a Time Loop” and “The Three Laws of Poetics,” which came out this month in a brand new and a solidly established magazine, respectively.
Flash Fiction: Of Time Loops and Tea
First up, what do you get when you drink a polymorph potion and suck the essence out of powerful mages in a desperate attempt to get out of a time loop?
(Used under a CC-BY license from George M. Groutas)
It sounds like the start of a highly specific and very strange joke, but it’s also the concept behind “What Not to Do When You’re Polymorphed and Stuck in a Time Loop,” out now from a new magazine called The Sprawl.
I’m particularly excited to be in the first issue of the magazine, which has a focus on queer, feminist, anti-colonial content. If that sounds up your alley, definitely go check out the full contents of the issue. It has a bevy of fantastic poems and stories! (I hear a print version is in the works, as well.)
If you like this story, you might also enjoy some of my other published fiction, since this isn’t the first zany thing I’ve written that messes about with time travel tropes.
In particular, I’d recommend “How to Break Causality and Write the Perfect Time Travel Story,” from Translunar Travelers Lounge in 2019. It’s science fiction instead of fantasy, but hits some similar notes!
Science Fiction Poetry: The Three Laws of Robotics Poetics
My other new publication is a short piece of science fiction poetry titled “The Three Laws of Poetics,” appearing in the November/December issue of Asimov’s as well as for free on their website.
If you’ve ever read Asimov’s short fiction, it’s probably obvious just from the title what I was doing with this piece. And, yes, it’s just what you think: an examination of the classic SF author’s three laws of robotics, but applied to poetry and poets instead of (his vision of) robots.
If you’re an Asimov fan, I hope you enjoy it.
And even if you’re new to Asimov (or untinterested in his problematic stereotyping or personal behaviour, which I definitely understand) you don’t need to be a fan to read and hopefully enjoy the poem. It should stand alone.
What is Science Fiction Poetry?
As defined by Suzette Haden Elgin, who coined the term, science fiction poetry treats scientific matters with “rigor.” Today, the term describes poetry that uses science fiction tropes. Science fiction poetry is a type of speculative poetry, which also includes fantasy and horror poems.
Speculative poetry today
Today, most science fiction poets consider themselves speculative poets (or just poets!) and–as Elgin herself lamented as far back as 1999–her proposed definition of poetry that had “rigor” never realy stuck.
In fact, the topic of “what is science fiction poetry” is probably a good way to get into a debate with most people who write poetry with science fictional themes. If all that sounds like fun, check out the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA).
And if you’d like to read some excellent speculative poetry, the SFPA’s annual contest is a fantastic place to start.