Penumbra No. 7 (Spring 2026)

• A Journal of Weird Fiction and Criticism

• Edited by S. T. Joshi

• ISBN 9781614984948 paperback

• April 2026

• 221 pp

• Cover by Daniel V. Sauer.

The seventh issue of Penumbra features nine original works of weird fiction. Among them are Wade German’s sardonic account of a struggle between two wizards in an imaginary land; James Ulmer’s moving account of a revenant in the rural South; Harley Carnell’s grim account of a birthday party gone wrong; Scott Bradfield’s whimsical portrait of a dog and his owner wrestling with death; and other tales by James Ulmer, Ellen J. Greenham, Scott J. Couturier, Mark Howard Jones, Manuel Arenas, and Lee Weinstein.

Four substantial articles grace the issue. Ben Keene thoughtfully assesses the emotional reactions evoked by weird fiction as a means of establishing the parameters of the genre. James Goho writes an expansive article on the weird work of the little-known British writer Mary Butts, while Perry M. Grayson surveys the diverse work of Frank Belknap Long. Edward Guimont studies the obscure film The Spacewoman Brought Terror (1963) and its cultural and literary analogues.

In the “Dead Reckonings” section of the issue, Darrell Schweitzer evaluates John Langan’s new short story collection; Peter Cannon dissects a new biography of H. P. Lovecraft’s wife, Sonia H. Greene; Leigh Blackmore presents an overview of the work of Australian weird writer Chuck McKenzie; and S. T. Joshi takes note of Ramsey Campbell’s new novel.

Aside from Campbell’s customary “Rant,” the issue also contains poetry by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa, Dmitri Akers, Ann K. Schwader, and other leading contemporary weird poets.

Contents

Fiction

Warlock Corpse / Wade German

Docent of the Lost Apocalypse / Mark Howard Jones

A Rose for the Sleepwalker / James Ulmer

Brass Tacks / Scott J. Couturier

Angelystor’s Shadow / Ellen J. Greenham

Danse Macabre / Lee Weinstein

Birthday Party / Harley Carnell

Dazzle Comes for Death / Scott Bradfield

The Transient’s Dream Verde Valley, Arizona, April 30, 19— / Manuel Arenas

Nonfiction

Feeling Weird: The Primacy of Emotion and Affect in Weird Fiction / Ben Keene

The Rock Brought Shlock / Edward Guimont

Re-enchanting the World:  The Modernist Weird Fiction of Mary Butts / James Goho

Frank Belknap Long, Jr.: Fantasist of Multiple Dimensions / Perry M. Grayson

Ramsey’s Rant: Musical Musings II / Ramsey Campbell

Classic Reprint

Young Strickland’s Career / J. D. Beresford

Poetry

Lines in Late Autumn / Ann K. Schwader

Larvae of the Sarcophagus / Wade German

Pathmate / Manuel Pérez-Campos

Summer Time Gone / Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

Death Would Steal My Voice / Darrell Schweitzer

To Ishtar / Dmitri Akers

Requiem: 2085 A.D. / Carl E. Reed

Dead Reckonings

Reviews by S. T. Joshi, Darrell Schweitzer, Leigh Blackmore, and Peter Cannon

Notes on Contributors