** Finished is April, finally went back to check if it had a Goodreads entry. Review forthcoming. ( )

***My thoughts***
Even though it made me cry there were too much 'one-liners' that drove the message home. Like the author wanted to make sure that we got what the point was of the story. I was just happy to see 2 moms surviving and other women helping in a world that is against them. Also making clever use of natural resources was enjoyable to read about ( )

“Imagining Place: The BBC Miniseries” by Elsa Sjunneson
Some lovely musings.

“Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson
⭐3
Even though it made me cry there were too much 'one-liners' that drove the message home. Like the author wanted to make sure that we got what the point was of the story. I was just happy to see 2 moms surviving and other women helping in a world that is against them. Also making clever use of natural resources was enjoyable to read about

So far only listened to:

~ Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse by Rae Carson - 3*
What do you do when you want a baby but it's the Zombie Apocalypse? How selfish is it for you to bring a child into the world and risk the entire encampment? These two mom's leave the encampment and give birth in a prepared and secured tractor trailer.

The author doesn't sugar coat the nightmare situation our MCs find themselves in.

An enjoyable collection of short fiction and poetry, though of course I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. I may have enjoyed the non-fiction and poetry more than the short stories in this one.

Quick thoughts on what I read:
“Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson
This story was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards, and is why I picked up this volume to read now (rather than later). However, it wasn't my style of story... which should have been obvious from the title. I'm not a fan of zombie stories in general, so this one wasn't likely to win me over.

“My Country Is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou
Really neat look at memory and immigration and belonging. Have food on hand when you read this one; it made me hungry.

“You Perfect, Broken Thing” by C.L. Clark
This one wasn't my style of story either: the main action point in the story is a physical competition that read a bit like an even more extreme X Games kind of thing, and I am not a fan of sports so it lost me on that count.

“And All the Trees of the Forest Shall Clap Their Hands” by Sharon Hsu
This is a sort-of a Narnia retelling from the POV of a dryad, and it should have been right up my alley. It got darker than I prefer, though, and I kept feeling like there was more to the story beyond the Narnia references that I was missing.

“The Spirit of the Leech” by Alex Bledsoe
This is a fun story, and if the reader can see where it's going, it is believable that the main character would not.

“Braid of Days and Wake of Nights” by E. Lily Yu
I liked the premise and the set-up and the main secondary character (Vivian) of this one. The main character made some odd decisions to my way of thinking, but then again I'm not in her shoes. The descriptions, especially near the end of the story, were wonderful.

“Writing with My Keys Between My Fingers” by Meg Elison
“Street Harassment Is an Access Issue” by Katharine Duckett
The non-fiction I read was thought-provoking and worth a read. I don't normally read the non-fiction in these magazines (simply because I buy them for the fiction) but I'm glad I didn't skip these. Some of the issues I was aware of to start with, but there were new things and nuances that are less obvious.

And the poetry:
“Who Do You Think You Are” by Ada Hoffmann
“Elegy for the Self as Villeneuve’s Belle” by Brandon O’Brien
“The Death of the Gods” by Leah Bobet
“A tenjō kudari (“ceiling hanger” yōkai) defends her theft” by Betsy Aoki
The poems were all enjoyable, and nicely crafted, and I find it really hard to review poetry. If you enjoy poems with a speculative bent, you should check these out. ( )