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Baffling Magazine #1
Baffling Magazine, Issue 1
Here you will read stories that put the flash in flash fiction, each story a strange glittering jewel:
- Jewelle Gomez gives us a tale of her beloved Black lesbian vampire, Gilda, this time sending her into the near future.
- Izzy Wasserstein weaves a siren song in an extraterrestrial ocean.
- Maxwell Ian Gold’s prose poem is a cosmic horror take on coming out.
- And Nino Cipri spins a tale of existential dread that has just the whisper of the supernatural.
- Jewelle Gomez gives us a tale of her beloved Black lesbian vampire, Gilda, this time sending her into the near future.
- Izzy Wasserstein weaves a siren song in an extraterrestrial ocean.
- Maxwell Ian Gold’s prose poem is a cosmic horror take on coming out.
- And Nino Cipri spins a tale of existential dread that has just the whisper of the supernatural.
40 pages, ebook
Published October 1, 2020
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 21, 2024
Merida, Yucatan: 2060
by Jewelle Gomez 4,5⭐
A must read for fans of The Gilda Stories. Really, this is a lovely short that takes place after the end of The Gilda Stories with ecological focus. It reminded me of History of the New World by Adam Garnet Jones which is part of Love after the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction. Maybe because of this the short-story didn't feel especially original, but I still appreciate it for the story it tells. Definitely would recommend and it's possible to read it on its own (I think), but would be best appreciated with the previous knowledge of The Gilda Stories.
From the Deep, the Music Rises by Izzy Wasserstein 5⭐
Atmospheric dark tale of a woman working in the Deep. Honestly, I'm not sure what could I tell you about it, so just see the quote below and tell me you don't want more of that. I was entranced. Even though, you again could argue that there wasn't anything particularly outstanding about this short.
Cellars, Caskets, and Closets by Maxwell I. Gold 2,5⭐
Nope... just didn't vibe with this at all. It was really hard for me to focus on what was going on and I couldn't really find any kind of connection to the story.
Velvet by Nino Cipri 3⭐
I had high hopes for this one because I just finished The Shape of My Name which was brilliant, but this was just okay-ish for me. I'm not really sure what it was supposed to be about either.
Read all of the stories for free here: https://www.bafflingmag.com/issue-one
A must read for fans of The Gilda Stories. Really, this is a lovely short that takes place after the end of The Gilda Stories with ecological focus. It reminded me of History of the New World by Adam Garnet Jones which is part of Love after the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction. Maybe because of this the short-story didn't feel especially original, but I still appreciate it for the story it tells. Definitely would recommend and it's possible to read it on its own (I think), but would be best appreciated with the previous knowledge of The Gilda Stories.
In her head, Gilda heard Bird’s voice from long ago. “The despoilers have tried to steal everything from us through the centuries. The Lakota can not abandon the land again.”
“My people were dragged here in chains. Perhaps I can not have the same love for this land as you do,” Gilda had responded.
“Generations of your blood has fed this soil,” Bird had replied softly. “Would you leave your ancestors behind?”
From the Deep, the Music Rises by Izzy Wasserstein 5⭐
Atmospheric dark tale of a woman working in the Deep. Honestly, I'm not sure what could I tell you about it, so just see the quote below and tell me you don't want more of that. I was entranced. Even though, you again could argue that there wasn't anything particularly outstanding about this short.
Space and time work strangely in the Deep, its rules a puzzle for physicists, xenobiologists. Ana operates on instinct, using the small changes in pressure and temperature to avoid the displacement of a Leviathan, or the body-wracking presence of warp fish.
Cellars, Caskets, and Closets by Maxwell I. Gold 2,5⭐
Nope... just didn't vibe with this at all. It was really hard for me to focus on what was going on and I couldn't really find any kind of connection to the story.
Velvet by Nino Cipri 3⭐
I had high hopes for this one because I just finished The Shape of My Name which was brilliant, but this was just okay-ish for me. I'm not really sure what it was supposed to be about either.
Read all of the stories for free here: https://www.bafflingmag.com/issue-one
January 18, 2024
After reading Yoon Ha Lee I discovered the exciting world of flash fiction. My first stop was here at Baffling Magazine, which was not yet added to GR at that point in time.
It was love at first sight. I have a soft spot for extremely short works and have read a lot of poetry in my youth.
Baffling Magazine has taken me on a short hike of imaginative and queer fiction. The selection of stories in this issue is excellent, with a small but interesting portfolio of authors.
It was love at first sight. I have a soft spot for extremely short works and have read a lot of poetry in my youth.
Baffling Magazine has taken me on a short hike of imaginative and queer fiction. The selection of stories in this issue is excellent, with a small but interesting portfolio of authors.
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January 15, 2023Read:
Velvet by Nino Cipri
Velvet by Nino Cipri
July 18, 2023
The first issue of Baffling, a collection of flashfiction by LGBTQ writers. The stories here are entertaining, but Velvet by Nino Cipri is the best one.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews