Black Petals, Issue #89
Wow! Eighty-nine times, we've done this and still going strong. Black
Petals has become one of the oldest web zines still crankin' out stories and poetry. Did our first issue, with a cover drawn
in pencil in 1997.
This time, we've added a feature
just below the home page: We are getting quite a bit of help from some of the same artists who provide artwork
for our sister zine, Yellow Mama and we always feel these very talented people deserve recognition, so we now have a page
to recognize all the artists and illustrators. We plan to add to this each issue, so if you like their work, you can go check
them out. Many have websites of their own listed or email addresses where you can speak with the artists and let them know
we appreciate their efforts.
There's a pretty
good lineup of stories and a few good poems for you to enjoy this time around. Blair Frison starts us off with A
Tale of the Dark Web. Nothing good goes on over there, right?
Mike Mulvihill is back with his Drop, Pt 2: Help Thy Neighbor. I certainly hope this chilling prediction of war doesn't
come true! My own story, Gas Stop, is in third place, an adventure in Nebraska, most boring place in the world, right?
But not this time...
Grandad's
Legacy is a story about a gambler's bargain by Jan Cronos and Hive, by Dan Cardoza is a swarm of madness.
My Nighttime Parents is a waking nightmare,
skillfully told by Malik Mandeville and Orphans at the Dark Door is another serial tale by Roy Dorman, a BP regular.
The News That Night is a chilling tale by June Driver in which a white cat figures and The Raft, by Stephen Caesar takes
us to the Sargasso Sea, where things bump up underneath.
The Voice from the Dark has demonic designs in a tale by Scott Simak and in our poetry
log, Mike Mulvihill is back with, Dear Pneumonia and Ghost of Chelmno. Last, but not least, Poet Jason Rice
brings us The Well.
I certainly
hope you guys and gals enjoy this issue and we will look forward to getting with you again next time. Kenny =)
Wichita,
KS 10/14/2019
