Penumbra No. 1 (2020)

Penumbra is a new annual journal that seeks to present cutting-edge articles on weird fiction as well as original weird fiction by some of the most talented contemporary writers in the field. This first issue contains scintillating new fiction by such veterans as Mark Samuels and Michael Aronovitz, as well as by new and up-and-coming writers such as Curtis M. Lawson, Manuel Arenas, Belicia Rhea, and others. As a “classic reprint,” we present a rare story by Gertrude Atherton.

Among the works of criticism and scholarship, Matt Cardin studies a story by Thomas Ligotti; John Tibbetts supplies a detailed overview of the ghost stories of Edith Wharton; James Goho analyzes the work of Simon Strantzas; Darrell Schweitzer assesses the eccentric tales of John Collier; and Nancy Holder demonstrates the frequency with which Sherlock Holmes has entered weird fiction over the decades. Other essays touch on the work of Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Dunsany, China Miéville, Jean Ray, and William Hope Hodgson. Mark Samuels translates a little-known essay on weird fiction by Stefan Grabinski, while Jason V Brock provides an essay on zombie films.

We also feature verse by such leading contemporary as Wade German, Adam Bolivar, John Shirley, Darrell Schweitzer, Nicole Cushing, and Leigh Blackmore.

All told, Penumbra is a rich feast of weird fiction, poetry, and criticism, showing the vibrancy of a genre that is enjoying immense popularity in the present day.