Short-Story.Me is a new genre short story magazine and its free. Why not subscribe? My fantasy story, “The Dragon Bride”, will be published there in about a month. Be sure, I’ll celebrate with a post when it comes out! But there’s other great stories out now. Have a look.

The Oxford Book of Short Poems has arrived! With great restraint, I waited for the end of the day to dip into it. Found Shelley’s “Waning Moon”. Had my first glimpse of why so many people have liked his poetry. The Waning Moon And like a dying lady, lean and pale,Who totters forth, wrapped in…

Sitting on the back lawn, eating watermelon in the evening shade and spitting the pips into the garden.

From the seeding of soil microbesto the trigger of volcanoeswe terraform and warm exile.Our bodies wake to new rhythmsof Martian seasons, blue shadowsand whirling dust devil danger.For our new life is made of Mars.It’s in the green cellwalls of plantsand the red blood of our bodies.It is our new, mythic heavenwhere God never walks, never…

I think I’ve mentioned previously that I read The Economist. I’m interested in the world of business, but not inclined to dip my toe in it–an annoying pub bar expert, that’s me. You don’t have to believe me, but I saw the financial crisis coming. I couldn’t understand what these credit derivative swaps and similar…