THE SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY POETRY ASSOCIATION PRESENTS The Alchemy of Stars II AWARD WINNERS SHOWCASE 2005–2018 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITED BY Sandra J. Lindow The Alchemy of Stars II Also available from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association The 2019 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2018 Edited by David C. Kopaska-Merkel The 2018 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2017 Edited by Linda D. Addison The 2017 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2016 Edited by David C. Kopaska-Merkel The 2016 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2015 Edited by Charles Christian The 2015 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2014 Edited by Rich Ristow The 2014 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2013 Edited by Elizabeth R. McClellan The 2013 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2012 Edited by John C. Mannone The 2012 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2011 Edited by Lyn C. A. Gardner The 2011 Rhysling Anthology: The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of 2010 Edited by David Lunde The Alchemy of Stars: Rhysling Award Winners Showcase Edited by Roger Dutcher and Mike Allen Order from sfpoetry.com/rhysling.html or contact [email protected] The Alchemy of Stars RHYSLING & DWARF STARSII AWARD WINNERS SHOWCASE 2005–2018 THE SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY POETRY ASSOCIATION 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITED BY Sandra J. Lindow Copyright © 2018 by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association in the names of the individual contributors. All works used by permission. All rights to individual poems revert to authors or poem copyright holders. No part of this compilation may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the SFPA president, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical or analytical reviews or articles. Editor: Sandra J. Lindow Book Design: F. J. Bergmann Publisher: Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association SFPA President: Bryan Thao Worra Cover image by Sing Yun Lee and Jonathan Hedley Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Alchemy of Stars II: Rhysling and Dwarf Stars Award Winners 2005– 2018, selected by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association; edited by Sandra J. Lindow. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-09-317263-8 1. Poetry. 2. Science fiction poetry. 3. Fantasy poetry. 4. Horror poetry. I. Lindow, Sandra J. For more information about the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, visit www.sfpoetry.com Foreword: The Alchemy of Reflection and Imagination The Science Fiction Poetry Association’s first award anthology,Alchemy of Stars, was released in 2005 and covered award-winning poems from 1978 to 2004. This earlier volume chronicled the birth and development of a young, mostly American organization that had established high standards of literary quality; however, when we assembled Alchemy of Stars II, it became clear there’d been many exciting developments in our field that deserve remark. To its credit, over the years, the SFPA has become an increasingly international organization, bringing with it a diverse range of literary influences. Since its founding in 1978 in the U.S., the SFPA (now the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association) has been blessed with members from over nineteen nations including Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Romania, Poland, Israel, South Africa, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, the Hmong, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. We have members with roots in the Caribbean and the African Diaspora. Almost every state in America has at least one member. Our membership represents a continuum of poets, writers, and readers. Some are primarily readers who write and share their own poetry only occasionally. Others are deeply passionate about speculative poetry and dedicate most of their literary output to the field. Our award winners also vary in their activity in the field. Some are mainstream poets who also write genre poetry. Some, like Jane Yolen, continue to demonstrate mastery of both speculative prose and poetry. Others, like Neil Gaiman, are recognized primarily as prose writers. Furthermore, we have found that combining poets who write science fiction, fantasy and horror under a single umbrella organization may not always be a comfortable fit. Nevertheless, we applaud the dynamic results and are pleased that for all of the ups and downs that come with forming a community, there has been space for all of these voices to find a place for themselves. The field of speculative poetry has grown tremendously in the last four decades. Along with the Rhysling and Dwarf Stars Awards for individual poems, the Elgin Awards are presented for genre poetry books and chapbooks. We must applaud how from the start, SFPA’s founders had the vision and enthusiasm to believe that not only would speculative poetry continue to be written but also that work which embraced the deeply and perhaps even absurdly imaginative might then find space in various literary and genre publications. What an ambitious, audacious proposal that was, to hold down a space for so many poets around the world to express themselves creatively, probing the limits of what verse embracing science fiction, fantasy, and horror concepts could bring to the world. Our poets have often been the literary tip of the spear, experimenting with new forms and rules, new technologies and often transgressive ways of speaking truth to power and challenging assumptions and conventional wisdom. As our editors of Star*Line will attest, many have often done so at great professional and cultural risk. v What has been gratifying to see is that the membership of the SFPA has not been afraid to nominate poems by both emerging voices and established voices. Women, men, and non-binary poets have been nominated across a truly diverse range of ages and experiences. Poets with accessibility challenges or who reflect various points of neurodiversity have been nominated, as have refugees and writers of color, even those who would be considered ethnic minorities in their own nations. Many have written from poverty or faced limits of education and opportunity. But here, we have come together in shared wonder. It’s a delight to see how over the years, these nominations emerged organically, even as our membership asks the vital question: “How might we encourage our journals and institutions to embrace even more speculative poetry in the decades ahead?” Many literary societies have asked us: what’s the secret of our literary longevity? and I’m not certain there’s one single answer. Reviewing the organization’s history, there has been intentionality in ensuring our diverse voices know there is a space for them here, one that has been reflected in how we include one another as volunteers, officers, award chairs and editors. There have been growing pains from time to time, but overall, I think there’s much to celebrate. The SFPA has created a community where many diverse poets and readers can actively engage with one another, and this dynamic engagement has identified gaps of cultural awareness that can be bridged through discussion. I dearly hope we continue this tradition. As we’ve said over the years: The SFPA believes our various communities, poetic and otherwise, flourish via the free exchange of ideas. The very best of our speculative poetry shows us not only the worlds that might have been, but also worlds that still might be. These poems don’t take the safe way out, but rock boats and starships. For some readers, these award-winning speculative visions can be challenging. But despite our various worldviews, I hope that we still feel we can come back and share a common galley, partaking in our love of poetry while exploring the outer boundaries of the imaginative and the fantastic. The SFPA has a challenging course ahead to live up to all of our shared ideals. It will require ongoing conversations with our membership, regarding our disparate viewpoints, our awards, and indeed all aspects of our field. We don’t want any of us to feel afraid of these conversations. Diverse voices and diverse experiments are needed in speculative poetry. So much of our best work in speculative poetry comes from communities who fought hard against negativity, dismissal, misogyny, homophobia, racism, and inequality. You will see that strongly reflected in many of the poems in this volume of The Alchemy of Stars. If we want a diverse and vibrant field of science fiction and fantasy as a whole, we must not neglect the trails blazed in the territory of “what if ?” poetry, a key beginning for many diverse voices. With all of this in mind, let’s keep the conversation going constructively. Read on with joy and keep inspired and creative. Transform worlds! Bryan Thao Worra SFPA President 2016– vi Science Fiction y Fantasy Poetry Association All-Star Introduction Somewhere in the universe a butterfly opens its wings … The history of SFPA has been an expanding evolution that moves from operatic fascination with outer space to the minute but ultimately expansive inner space of a haiku. Initiated by Suzette Haden Elgin, the Science Fiction Poetry Association was created in 1978. In 2017, the membership voted to rename the organization The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association to more clearly reflect the diversity of the genre. Now in its 40th year, the SFPA continues to embrace the quality and structures of mainstream poetry while maintaining the energy and enthusiasm of the early years of fandom. Welcome to The Alchemy of Stars II. In celebration of SFPA’s 40th anniversary we have compiled a continuation of our original Alchemy of Stars: Rhysling Awards Showcase edited by Roger Dutcher and Mike Allen, now a collection of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Association’s Rhysling and Dwarf Stars awards since 2005.