Small press magazine Shimmer, edited by Beth Wodzinski, is giving away the tenth issue for free (in the form of a 103-page pdf file on the magazine’s web site). The publication is subtitled “Speculative Fiction for a Miscreant World,” and publishes “contemporary fantasy, frequently dark or darkly funny, and always gorgeous.”
Wodzinski announces in her editorial that Art Director Mary Robinette Kowal is departing the magazine following this issue, and that she’ll be replaced by Stephen Stanley (whose art has often appeared in the magazine).
Contents of this free issue include:
“Blue Joe” by Stephanie Burgis
“The Carnivale of Abandoned Tales” by Caitlyn Paxson
“One for Sorrow” by Shweta Narayan
“A Painter, a Sheep, and a Boa Constrictor” by Nir Yaniv
“The Bride Price” by Richard S. Crawford
“Jaguar Woman” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“Firefly Igloo” by Caroline M. Yoachim
“The Fox and the King’s Beard” by Jessica Paige Wick
Interview with Cory Doctorow, conducted by Jen West
“River Water” by Becca De La Rosa
“What to Do with the Dead” by Claude Lalumiére
“The Spoils of Springfield” by Alex Wilson
“Counting Down to the End of the Universe” by Sara Genge
The cover of this issue, “The Ectoplasm of Miss Svengali as Produced by Madam Phantasm Illusionista”, is by Carrie Ann Baade. Interior art is by John Bellotti, Jr., Adam Doyle, Chris Howard, Tom Marcello, and Sean Stone.
Print copies, as always, are available for $6 each.
And the magazine is once again open to submissions. The editor says they’re looking for “unusual and beautifully written speculative fiction”, and that they’re “most drawn to contemporary fantasy, and seek out stories with a strong emotional core.” Payment is one cent per word (minimum $10), and they prefer stories shorter than 5,000 words. For the full submission guidelines, see this page.