the short stories 2018

Heart and soul of the magazine. Original stories by contemporary writers who understand how badly we, humans, have failed our world, and how inevitable the consequences will be. These are imaginative stories, glimpses of present and future, speculative and cautionary, almost science fiction on the verge of fantasy, and yet much closer to reality than the mindless optimism that blinds most people to the plight we are in. There is a lot of anger, despair and sorrow here, but also profound care, tenderness and hope, a broad range of the human experience in the face of barely imaginable hardships. Great reads all, but also much more than that, food for thought, a final plea for change and, if miracles should still happen, redemption.