Welcome to a new annual anthology created in honor of the late Joanna Russ, American writer, academic, and feminist whose work shone brightly in the male-dominated field of speculative fiction of the latter half of the twentieth century. Heiresses of Russ offers readers in one volume the best lesbian-themed tales of the fantastical, weird and otherworldly, published during the prior year. Editors JoSelle Vanderhooft (Sleeping Beauty, Indeed and Other Stories) and Steve Berman (the Wilde Stories series) read countless books, periodicals, and webzines to collect a range of talers--from new voices as well as award-winning authors--that celebrate the spirit of Russ's fiction: stories of sorceresses and spectral women, lost daughters and sisters of myth. The transformative power of the written word becomes magic and tests the boundaries of gender, identity and a woman's dreams.

This expanded volume from Lethe Press collects the finest gay speculative fiction of the prior year--stories of undead lovers, stranded astronauts, ghosts and phantom reflections, men lost in an inhospitable wilderness, and fiends who hide under handsome veneers, all written by award-winning authors (Laird Barron, Richard Bowes and Joel Lane) and fresh voices in the field (Nick Poniatowski and Jeffrey Ricker) No other anthology provides readers the widest variety of gay men facing the weird, the fantastic, and the horrific.

In author Steve Berman's second collection of stories and essays, he once more guides readers through the dark paths of his imagination. In these tales of regret a scent of loneliness entices children to start eating away at a caretaker's historic house, a nursery rhyme tempts a young lover, and a meek accountant finds himself abandoning the mundane life he knew to chase after monsters.Steve Berman has been a finalist for the Andre Norton (his novel Vintage), the Gaylactic Spectrum, the Golden Crown Literary, and the Lambda Literary Awards. He resides in southern New Jersey.

"All in all, "Trysts" is a marvelous collection and a surprisingly adept debut for Berman. Goths, fans of the horror and dark fantasy genres, and those seeking a little something to spice up an autumn evening will all certainly get their money's worth here." - The New York Blade

In the 2013 volume of Wilde Stories--a critically acclaimed series reprinting the best of the prior year's gay fantasy, horror and science-fiction tales--editor Steve Berman has collected stories of adolescents suffering growing pains in the midst of lake monsters, boyfriends seeking a safe pest-free shelter in an infested dystopian world, the most unique story of a boy and his dog ever written, a forbidden encounter between prison guard and inmate, and pirates encountering a fabled living island. A dozen tales written by award-winning authors including Laird Barron, Richard Bowes, Hal Duncan--and new talent including L. Lark and Rahul Kanakia.

The canon of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the foremost writers of dark and atmospheric fiction and poetry, offers readers haunted shores teeming with various erudite men brooding in the waning light over their feelings for unobtainable women. Yet, whether the tales or verses are grotesque or sinister, Poe's narrators are Outsiders, dealing with emotions that so many LGBT individuals feel: isolation and abandonment as well as loneliness and lost love. In the Shirley Jackson Award nominated Where Thy Dark Eye Glances, editor Steve Berman has assembled a range of tales that queer the prose and poetry of the Poe, the man himself, as well as dark and eerie stories about reading Poe's work.

Red Caps might be a rock band. Or they might be something more sinister, a fey source of sounds that are but the backdrop to thrills and misadventures. These thirteen stories provide readers jaded with the traditional, Old World fairy tales and tempts them with new stories that will engage bored readers from their suburban ennui. Closets are waiting to be explored. Escape from work camp leads to a dangerous encounter on a wet road. That high school year book is magical and might be mocking you...or helping you find love. And isn't love one of the central premises of the fairy tale? These teenage boys and girls need not fear that their love has no worth, because Steve Berman has written for them princesses who love maidens and adorkable students who have wondrous and smart boyfriends. Readers can be assured that, if the tale does not end happy, it ends most memorably.

One of the more admired characters in Western literature happens to be a murderer, a villain, a fiend: Count Dracula. Irish author Bram Stoker's classic novel stands high in the canon of speculative fiction, influencing countless twentieth- and twenty-first-century storytellers in a variety of mediums. It is only natural for the outsiders of society to reinterpret the world's most infamous vampire through the lenses of their own experience. Who is more outside of society than Dracula? Perhaps the writers of queer-themed speculative fiction and their characters.... In Suffered from the Night: Queering Stoker's Dracula, editor Steve Berman provides a worthy companion to Lethe Press's widely acclaimed earlier anthologies of queered canon, A Study in Lavender: Queering Sherlock Holmes and Where Thy Dark Eye Glances: Queering Edgar Allan Poe. Here you will find dark tales (and a poem) of Dracula himself, his minions willing and not, his implacable enemies, and their heirs. Prepare to be guided into the deep recesses of the queer imagination by an impressive array of award winners, veterans, and bright new lights.

Greek myths held that Oceanus to be a massive river surrounding the land. A Titan, son of sky and earth, he was depicted as a handsome, muscular man whose torso ended in a scaled tail. As the Olympians emerged, Oceanus retreated, his domain restricted to strange and dangerous shores, the realm of sailors' fortunes and worries. So, too, are the eleven tales within the pages of The Touch of the Sea: fantastical, at times eerie, with sightings of mermen, water spirits, and sea beasts (even the fabled "living island," the aspidochelone) as well as a smattering of pirates. What makes these stories memorable is that they affirm the masculinity of the sea, the taste of brine on another man's lips. Become mates with such award-winning authors as Joel Lane and Jeff Mann--seasoned storytellers 'Nathan Bourgeoine, Chaz Brenchley, and Alex Jeffers--and a wide array of coxswains: Brandon Cracraft, Jonathan Harper, John Howard, Vincent Kovar, Matthew A. Merendo, Damon Shaw--under the helm of editor Steve Berman.

Welcome to a new annual anthology created in honor of the late Joanna Russ, American writer, academic, and feminist whose work shone brightly in the male-dominated field of speculative fiction of the latter half of the twentieth century. Heiresses of Russ offers readers in one volume the best lesbian-themed tales of the fantastical, weird and otherworldly, published during the prior year. Editors JoSelle Vanderhooft (Sleeping Beauty, Indeed and Other Stories) and Steve Berman (the Wilde Stories series) read countless books, periodicals, and webzines to collect a range of talers--from new voices as well as award-winning authors--that celebrate the spirit of Russ's fiction: stories of sorceresses and spectral women, lost daughters and sisters of myth. The transformative power of the written word becomes magic and tests the boundaries of gender, identity and a woman's dreams.

Speaking Out features stories for and about LGBT and Q teens by fresh voices and noted authors in the field of young adult literature. These are inspiring stories of overcoming adversity (against intolerance and homophobia) and experiencing life after "coming out." Queer teens need tales of what might happen next in their lives, and editor Steve Berman showcases a diversity of events, challenges, and, especially, triumphs.

The legends of Fairyland tell that one should never taste the food or sip the drink, or else risk being caught there forever. But the tempting morsels in So Fey are irresistible Lambda Award-finalist editor Steve Berman brings together acclaimed fantasy writers with some of the brightest names in speculative and LGBT fiction to create tales that are moving and magical. These stories of romance and grief, adolescence and identity, struggle and hope will enchant readers who long for a fantastic escape--and a wonderful twist One sample of this bewitching treat is sure to trap you in its pages From the pains of loss in Holly Black's "The Coat of Stars" to dealing with issues of identity in Richard Bowes's "The Wand's Boy" to Melissa Scott's look at the dangers of love in "Mister Seeley" So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction takes you into worlds that are at once amazing and familiar. With tales that tear and tug at the heart but never cease to enchant, this exciting and unique collection of 22 stories will last long in the minds of readers.

Storytelling can be a way of spinning straw into gold, of showing ourselves we have drawn a long straw in this life. Charmed Lives offers readers a collection of over thirty short works of fiction and personal essays as an alternative to the stories that society often tells about gay men. Some are whimsical with a touch of enchantment, some profoundly spiritual, others romantic--all offer insight into modern gay life that will inspire and shed light on the grace of being gay with tales of hope against adversity and love over loneliness.