Drama / 2m, 4f Based on police case-files, Beachwood Drive is a smart, character-driven drama that tells the story of Nadya, a Ukrainian prostitute and single mother smuggled into Los Angeles. Nadya attempts to free herself from the snares of both the Russian Mafia and the Los Angeles Police Department after she's arrested in a sting operation. The mystery of Nadya's disappearance unfolds Rashomon-style, as the story is retold from four different perspectives: first, that of Hansonia, Nadya's African-American novelist neighbor who baby sits Nadya's 10 year-old daughter; the story gets re-imagined through the eyes of Rocky, Nadya's Native-American client, a meat-packer and family man from El Monte, grappling with an identity crisis; Crowell, a crusty vice detective with literary aspirations has his take; and finally, there's the angle of Vera, the Russian woman running the prostitution ring who is both protector and monster. Before its New York premiere, Beachwood Drive was invited to perform in the Lublin International Theatre Festival, it was also developed in Los Angeles by Playwrights Arena and Theatre of NOTE, with the assistance of the LAPD and the U.S. Department of Justice. It's an unflinching, erudite and dramatic look at slavery in its many forms. In New York, it triggered vigorous discussions from organizations opposing human trafficking and rights abuses. "...intelligent...[a] theatrical presentation of human connection in the digital age...mines the strange dynamics of unexpected pairings...Lena Starostina is just the right mix of beautiful and faded - her stillness sets her apart: at times it reads like fierce self possession, at others like a consuming loneliness...compelling and mysterious..." - The New York Times

Winner of the Specturm Award. Often compared to Ursula Le Guinns ground-breaking "The Left Hand of Darkness," "Dark Waters Embrace" is a fascinating look at issues of human (and alien) sexuality. Stephen Leigh creates a rich world with elaborate care and uses this alien backdrop to delve into issues of survival, sexuality and the meaning of life itself. *****The fact is that Stephen Leighs new novel is a fine piece of work and one that deserves to reach a wide readership.NY Review of Science Fiction*****

Carlos Theopelli had been dead for years, and no one cared about his life's work: the so-called "Destiny Matrices." As far as most people were concerned, Theopelli was just another crackpot scientist, and pretty much a jerk, to boot. But not to Angela. And not to the mage-dwarf Caleb Mundo and his pet mindbeast Alice. To them, Theopelli's notebook -- and his corpse -- might be the key to survival. Everything swirled around the confused mind of Joan the Flower Man, who had used pages from the notebook to wrap the flowers she sold on the NYC streets. *** Add into the mix Dirk, a former history professor turned rock singer, as well as Ecclesiastes Mitsumishi, an eccentric mortician, and Abel Henderson, a preacher with a pet prophet, and you're ready for a wild romp through multiple realities, as well as world-saving heroics. *** Expect the unexpected at the ABRAXAS MARVEL CIRCUS

There is a certain magic growing up with life-long friends. The charmed existence became almost dream-like with two young boys growing up in a small neighborhood surrounded by an old, dense forest. **** But what happens when fantasies start becoming all too real? Grotesque and bloody rites give rise to a fey and magical girl who threatens to destroy the last remnants of the boys' idyllic childhood existence...whose mere presence may set the jealous boys at each other's throats. **** Hidden among the trees they know so well, Rob and Mark confront a grim, violent solution to their problems. This is a story of choices, a tale where the wild, romanticized dream-scape of youth intersects the gray world beyond, where fantasy collides and merges with reality. **** "I was blown away by The Woods...The magic in this story is both beautiful and disturbing... Leigh's prose is elegant, his plotting tight, his character work outstanding."-David B. Coe, Crawford Award-winning fantasy author

Originally Published as 'Thunder Rift.' *** "Replete with adventure, mystery, and sociological conflict."-Publishers Weekly *** First contact was never supposed to be like this. * A sudden rift appears in near-earth space, causing electronic components to permanently fail and cause total chaos. As Earth's fragile technological society disintegrates, no one can answer the obvious question-what is the rift, and who or what has created it. * A new generation comes to age attempting to answer these questions, and Taria Spears, an anthropologist, is selected as part of the crew on the exploratory ship Lightbringer. Lightbringer's mission is to investigate the worm-hole like Rift and, if possible, to pass through it to find out what lies on the other side, and to seek some answers. * But what if all they find is an alien culture where sound, not sight is the primary sense?

The descendants of humans marooned on the strange planet known as Mictlan have survived against almost impossible odds and have reached a tentative peace with themselves and the native inhabitants. **** Perhaps the most terrifying change has been the development of a third human gender-the mid-male 'Sa' fundamentally changing the meaning of relationships and social structures humans have known for thousands of years. **** Adjustments to these changes and influences have come at a terrible physical and emotional cost. The fragile peace governing the communities hide deep rivalries, prejudices and animosities. **** Then a young human 'Sa' is kidnapped and savagery rules as long-buried emotions and feelings burst forth and the planet is gripped in a storm of violence-a violence that threatens to destroy all. **** Yet there may be salvation. For an imposing curved monolith called 'The Speaking Stone' holds ancient knowledge that may help bring true peace to the people of Mictlan. But the knowledge itself is buried deep within cryptic hieroglyphs that must be deciphered if the planet's inhabitants are to survive.