DSP Issue 1 // Beginnings

Microfiction, poetry, and musings from among the stars.

Leo Flynn

Nov 27, 2021

Dear reader,

Greetings from the other side of the universe. This is my first ever issue, and I hope you enjoy it!

This Transmission Contains

My writing update
What I’m reading
Some short fiction
Some celestial poetry
Interesting things worth consuming

Writerly Segment

I'm revising Mara's Awakening to fix sentence structure and improve flow. Once that's done, I'll send it to my next set of beta readers.

As a fun side project, I'm writing a standalone sci-fi novel. I'm collecting all the notes and random scenes into one manuscript. Wish me luck!

Fiction Segment

6 Story

Jupiter's moon Europa is now habitable.

50 Microfiction

"Don't be afraid," she murmured as she spacewalked for the first time. Suddenly, she sensed a presence. Her heart raced, then slowed as she gasped for air. The vacuum seeped into her suit. She tried to cover the tear, to no avail. In space, no one hears you cry out.

100 Flash

Blue pillows prop Tommy up in his bed. He's scrolling through the channels on his TV. It's midnight and he can't sleep. The show he's watching finally gets good when an alien invader appears on the screen.
Only for him to realize it's not the show he'd been watching, it's the news program with an urgent announcement. The outsiders people have worried about for centuries have finally come for Earth.
Tommy is frozen in fear, his hands are icy, he can't breathe - then the power goes out, plunging the room into darkness. "The aliens are here!" he yells. "I'm next!"

Literary Segment

What I’m Reading

I’m reading a fantastic collection of short stories called Dreaming Down Under. It’s an anthology of Australian speculative authors. Highly recommend it!

What I’m Eyeing

Been hearing a lot of great things about the Systems Divine series. A Les Mis space opera retelling? Yes, please!

Poetry Segment

Interstellar Haiku

there's no place
none, that isn't united
by traveling stars

Galactic Verse

we push on
through the relentless black
for now we've gone
there's no turning around
no resting place
save the powdery moons
the sterile stars
the bleak planets
distant and indifferent
and still we go on
through the dark interstellar space
where the white holes are spinning
and time is a meaningless word
where entropy is all that remains
and then one day,
one fatal dawn, you open your eyes
and I am there beside you
we have not spoken for years now
barely a gesture between us
but now you're here, alive
and you smile
let us begin our lives together
all over again

Recommendation Roundup

Poetic Ponderings // 5 Pieces Of Scifi Poetry
Art Archive // Spaceship Art By Ridward Chandra
Scifi Stories // Best Scifi & Fantasy Of 2021

If you enjoyed today’s transmission, why not fuel my creative addiction by buying me juice?

See you in the stars.

Kind regards,