October issue: The Underworld
Days of the dead tend to cluster around this time of year, whether they be Aztec, Greek, Celtic or Christian. Maybe the harvest season, full of life as it is, prompts a shadowy reflection of its opposite. Maybe the death of summer inspired ancient people to reflect on their mortality. Maybe the looming winter forces questions of survival, and the dead seem the group to consult.
Or maybe the border between life and death really does thin, this time of year.
What follows are fourteen short pieces on the theme of the Underworld. Our writers explore mythology, human neurology, the criminal underworld, and the Jungian subconscious. We were moved, entertained, and disturbed by the content of this anthology, and we're confident you will be as well.
As always, these pieces are accompanied by original AI artwork. Our next anthology will come out in the new year, and it will be on the theme of Renaissance. To submit, send your piece to liminal.literary@gmail.com by December 10th.
"The Chthonic Ones" by Juliet Rania
An Eleusinian journey through the land of Hades and the microbial present.
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"The Situationship of Neptune" by Ana de Portela
Eccentric contortions prove irresistible for spying neighbors.
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"Welcome to Meta-Hell: Underworlds for Bad Guys" by Charlotte Dune
What would you do to avoid an eternal, digital Hell?
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"The Psychic, the Trickster, and the Afterlife" by Daniel Pinchbeck
Will civilizational paradigms shift propel "psi" phenomena to the forefront of the collective mind?
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"Love in Mictlan" by Deanna Araceli
An Aztec woman journeys through nine levels of the underworld to reunite with her beloved.
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The Monsters of Tartarus prompt a Jungian exploration of the psyche.
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"Halloween: Past, Present, Future" by Arielle Friedman
Two philosophies vie over Halloween's consumerist present and its Celtic origins.
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A metaprogramming breakthrough spawns shifting lifepaths.
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"Spell For the Immaculate Dead" by Paradox Pollack
A boy escapes a fire and a man channels the Gorgon Medusa.
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"Jaundice of the Soul" by Mimi Bordeaux
Body horror as existential whiteout overtakes a fractured neurology.
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"Chain Link Fishing Net" by Puma Buck
A trip to the grocery store becomes a site of psychological breakdown and emotional breakthrough.
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"The Grasshopper" by Dory Cote
A child digs through the earth and a woman comes to terms with her past.
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"Through The Door" by Valerie Smith
A death ritual conjures a strange message from grandma.
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"Death in Time" by Stacey Lynn Cook
A death doula peers into the past and encounters a specter from the 1980s.