An e-zine about spaceships, aliens, science, memory, motherhood, magic, and cats.
Yesterday I read a beautiful story in a top market that helped me understand pieces of myself, and I stayed up late having a conversation where quotes from it helped me explain a dynamic in my life that’s been going on for decades.
This is everything art should be. Continue reading “Thoughts on the Helicopter Story”
Deep breath. It doesn’t feel like it today. BUT. I tried to watch Murphy Brown from the beginning, back when it got rebooted. And that’s a show that was ground-breakingly feminist for its time. And now… oh my god. It’s sooooooo full of sexist tropes. There are only two women, and they’re constantly at each other’s throats. Murphy is constantly put down for not being feminine enough. Continue reading ““Are We Winning?””
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in All Worlds Wayfarer, Issue I: Summer Solstice 2019, June 2019
The red sun glowed like an evil eye on the forward viewscreen. It stared into Irudy’s soul. Once it had been the warmth on her fur and the shine in a smiling sky while she ran through fields, her paws bare against the wholesome dirt. Now it was death’s mocking wink, as the cold, stale air of her cargo ship recycled endlessly through algae filters and mechanical pipes. Continue reading “For the Sake of Mushrooms”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Midwest Furfest 2019 Conbook, December 2019
Water splashed into the Ob’glaung Station airlock, wetting three sets of feet — a pair of red-furred paws belonging to a Heffen, a pair of gray-tufted paws belonging to a Woaoo, and a pair of green-scaled S’rellick talons. A long blue fin hovered, trailing over the water’s surface, as an icthyoid Lintar swam eager circles through the air. Continue reading “Welcome to Ob’glaung”
Snow used to be something that fell during the night and melted away before you got up in the morning.
Now snow is something that falls next week in the weather app and melts away before you actually reach that day.
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Midwest Furfest 2019 Conbook, December 2019
Sunny’s belly gurgled, and she adjusted the heavy weight of the techno-ecto-pack on her back. The hardworking yellow Labrador hadn’t been able to grab a meal all day long. Not even a snack. Her ecto-busting team was too busy dissipating ghosts, exorcising possessed buildings, and laying ghouls back to rest. It had been one haunt after another, non-stop, ever since the first phone call that Halloween morning. But what were they supposed to do? Who else were the good dog and cat citizens of Dogotham City gonna call? Continue reading “Ecto-Busters One”
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Furvana 2019 Conbook, September 2019
Jamie watched the roiling waves, searching for unicorns in the white spray. She sat on the golden sand of the freezing Oregon beach, clutching her favorite book, The Last Unicorn, to her chest. Her toes were red and numb from wading. The water was too cold for swimming.
That feeling when an otter in a raft shows up to save a bunch of cats who’ve been slowly drowning in the middle of a lake while arguing with each other about the best way to swim.
Spaceship log: an ancient star we used to steer by has gone dark. The maps in the database must be reconfigured.
Mike Resnick wrote one of my favorite books — A Miracle of Rare Design. It’s the ultimate transformation book, and it meant a great deal to me in high school, because it told me that no matter how I changed in the future, I would always still be myself.
RIP Mike Resnick.
Sixty years ago, Buddy Holly rhymed “maybe” with “baby,” “funny” with “honey,” and “glad” with “sad,” and I’m still listening to it today.
Don’t overthink your art. Just make it.