Shortwave Magazine

Latest NonFiction

Your Favorite Author’s Favorite Author: Cynthia Pelayo on Samuel Beckett

Back during the height of the pandemic, when the HWA held a virtual version of their annual StokerCon, Cynthia Pelayo was one of the first authors who really welcomed me to the fold, who made me feel like I belonged and that I was part of something bigger than myself and my work alone. I’ve never forgotten that little bit of kindnes…

Your Favorite Author's Favorite Author: Pedro Iniguez on Ray Bradbury

Patrick Barb

This month, I had the chance to chat with the incredibly talented Pedro Iniguez about a favorite author that’s shared between the two of us: Ray Bradbury. Throughout this conversation, I found myself considering and re-considering Bradbury and his oeuvre as a result of the different perspective that Pedro provided…

Your Favorite Author's Favorite Author: Kristina Ten on Mariana Enriquez

Patrick Barb

In writing this column, I get to learn about new-to-me authors and I get a chance to see some familiar favorites through the eyes of others whose writing I admire. Additionally, this column and the immensely positive response it’s received has allowed me to connect with newer authors who’ve reached out to share their kind words about this project. Kristina Ten is one such author…

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Highlighted Stories

"Give Me English"

Ai Jiang

I traded my last coffee for a coffee. How ironic. My finger jabbed at the ordering machine. The Langbase implanted in my brain popped up in front of my eyes, and I watched as the word disappeared. A heavy breath escaped my lips. I would have to trade my teas next…

"The Imperfection"

Mae Murray

Mira was in a hospital gown looking at her phone. The girl with the bleach-blonde pixie cut had been tantalizing in her OKCupid photo, but when they met last week, she noticed the deep-pitted acne scars peppering her jawline and the glaring red spots on her cheeks and between her thick brows…

"FFUNS"

Johnny Compton

Holding the unlabeled black video cassette somehow reassured her of the legitimacy of its contents. With that reassurance came effervescent nausea, an ugly, unreal sensation befitting the place she was in and the sight that awaited her…

Latest Fiction / Short Stories

"We Are a Little Hotel"

Ai Jiang

At UM Hotel, we provide the best service, ranging from emotional and physical support, unconditional love and care, domestic upkeeping, and self-sacrifice. To book a room, please text your check-in date and time in the following format to…

"After the Fall"

Barry Charman

The carcass fell without warning. A series of frenzied thunderstorms had unfurled abruptly across the sky one morning, followed by blunt stabs of tortured lightning; but there was no true hint of what was to come. The skies had suddenly cleared, and then it had simply tumbled down…

"The Art of What You Want"

Nat Cassidy

The businessman and the doctor sit in the doctor’s private office deep in the bowels of the massive new medical complex. “Holeeeeeeeeeee shit,” the businessman says. He’s barely in his forties, but comfort and success have kept the years from his face, making him look more like the homecoming king he once was than the adult he currently is…