Storyglossia sort of gets the One Story treatment around here. At times I think I beat the bushes for it so loud and so often, that I worry if I bring it up anymore it will just get ignored. Then, next thing I know I've ignored five or six issues of it (at least in regards to mentioning it, trust me, each story is being read still). And the thing is, it's probably a silly concept - if people were going to quit coming around here because of repetition, I've given them more than enough excuses to do so.
So, the latest Storyglossia, issue 27, guest edited by Katrina Denza, is up. It's another powerhouse of an issue. In her editor's notes, Katrina notes that while she received many technically awesome stories, the fifteen she included were those that made her lose her breath. Reading through this issue, I fully understand what she meant when she wrote those words.
Alicia Gifford's "Back Wash" had just that effect on me - the last five or six paragraphs I really don't know if I breathed, as I was right there next to Jake, the protagonist, as he boldly reached out for a bit of hope and feeling.
Perhaps not so surprisingly, Laura van den Berg's story, "The Golden Dragon Express" also caught my attention, and again, even in a fairly short amount of space, a huge amount of tension was created, and done so with just the right touch to again, have me flying towards the end, and perhaps not breathing.
And that's just two of the fifteen. The other thirteen are right there with these two. Excellent work by those that I've come to expect it from: Claudia Smith, Kathy Fish, and Myfanwy Collins, as well as exciting work by authors whose work I'd not experienced before, but will be on the lookout for in future tables of contents.
Go check it out.
Thanks for your feedback, Dan!
Posted by: Katrina Denza | April 17, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Thanks so much for reading and commenting on "Back Wash". I'm honored and so grateful to Kat and Storyglossia.
Alicia
Posted by: Alicia Gifford | April 18, 2008 at 12:34 PM