Shortwave Magazine

Highlighted Stories

Give Me English - A Short Story by Ai Jiang

"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 - A Short Story by Mae Murray

"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

"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

"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 - A Short Story by Barry Charman

"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 - A Short Story by Nat Cassidy

"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…

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Latest NonFiction

YFAFA Tanya Pell Christopher Golden

Your Favorite Author's Favorite Author: Tanya Pell on Christopher Golden

Patrick Barb
As an author, I am incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to conventions, signings, and other events where I have the chance to meet fellow scribes up and down the ladders of success in their careers. One author who I met both online and then later in-person, who has always impressed me with her passion, sense of fun, and supportive nature for all her fellow writers is this week’s interviewee: Tanya Pell…
Your Favorite Author’s Favorite Author: Donyae Coles on Francesca Lia Block

Your Favorite Author’s Favorite Author: Donyae Coles on Francesca Lia Block

Patrick Barb
Donyae Coles is the author of Bram Stoker nominated novel, Midnight Rooms. She is currently working on her sophomore Gothic horror, The Sunken, The Adored. Her short work has been published in a variety of places and she can be found on Blue Sky and Instagram. She is also a recent-ish transplant to my neck of the woods in the Midwest, making the ranks of the weird and creative just that much stronger out here in the middle of the States…
YFAFA Rachel Harrison on Paul Tremblay

Your Favorite Author's Favorite Author: Rachel Harrison on Paul Tremblay

Patrick Barb
Rachel Harrison is one of the most prolific authors currently working in horror fiction. Having established a niche all her own in the genre, she is one creator who never fails to pair big ideas and beloved tropes with fresh approaches informed by character and the realities of modern life. The accolades and her catalog almost speak for themselves.

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