Another month, another Clarkesworld Magazine is unleashed upon the world.

And in this particular case I think I do mean “unleashed’. Kij Johnson’s headline story, “Spar”, is most definitely not work safe. Girl, alien, tentacles: need I say more? It isn’t cute either. Oh no. But it is good, and it is also available in audio.

Also in fiction this month we have Campbell Nominee, Gord Sellar, with “Of Melei, of Ulthar”, which is decidedly weird and has cats in it.

Our interview this month is with Ken Scholes who talks abut fear of writing and how he came to produce his first novel:

It was a dare from my close pal Jay [Lake] and my wife Jen. They convinced me to write Lamentation on September 11, 2006 and I went home that night to start the book. Until then, I envisioned a series of four connected short stories. Jay promised that if I had a rough draft, he’d help me get introduced around at World Fantasy at the end of October. Jen told me she’d cover my share of the household responsibilities if I’d write the book in that seven weeks.

On the cover we have “OH SHIT” by Sean Donaldson. (Yes, it is a month for profanities, sorry.)

And finally, in the lead up to World Fantasy Con and the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, I have purchased an essay about Poe’s influence on genre fiction. G.A. Buchholz explains how Poe worked, not just in horror, but in mysteries and science fiction as well.

All of this comes to you free, but if you happen to like what we do, and you’d like us to carry on paying great writers and artists to bring you great material, then please remember that it is Support Our Zines Day. A contribution would be gratefully appreciated.