Three people lie in a prison cell. One is a murderer. Can his companions help him unlock the door to his own mind before his unreasoning rages claim their lives. The Hour before Morning explores a distant future in which the human heart is much the same. The Ash’torians see their conquest of the Outliers as a triumph of civilization. The Outliers see it as servitude. Their resistance takes many forms, from non-violence to terrorism. Yet one thing remains constant: compassion endures.

For centuries, the planet Perdita has warred over the proper use of high technology. Now the West-of-Now family has crash landed on the planet, bringing with them the secrets of jae, a tech as perilous as it is powerful.  For pro-tech Ethan and anti-tech Sherayna, their actions will decide whether Perdita will enter into a new golden age or face destruction.

“Perdita is… a future of the heart and mind that we can actually hope for.” — Nye Joell Hardy, author of The Crows of Bedu.

“In stories that range from fantasy to sci fi to realism, some of Portland’s most vital voices have come together to celebrate Le Guin’s lasting legacy and influence on that most subversive of human faculties.” Featured authors include Molly Gloss, Fonda Lee, Curtis Chen, David D. Levine, Juhea Kim, Jessie Kwak, and more. In Arwen’s “Let It Die,” a young healer from the serene, low-tech Kiri society faces the costs of tech limitation.

Tales of oppressive, surreal systems, including Arwen’s story “Leech” on the perils of teaching in a market-driven age.

A Fabled Collective anthology of stories of magical women, featuring Arwen’s “The Rebirth of Joy,” a fairytale of grief and transformation.

“A collection of 14 uplifting stories about perseverance, courage, and love.” A WriteHive anthology, featuring Arwen’s “Seeing Turquoise,” a fantasy exploration of a settler colonist’s grappling with colonial violence. Contributors include Sarina Dorie, S.M. Fox, Matt Bliss, R. Jean Mathieu, Emmeryn Palladino, K.M. Veohongs, Raven J. Demers, Kiera Alventosa, Carter Lappin, Emma Sloley, Valerie Hunter, Lindsay Mansfield, Karl El-Koura

“Dive into the nostalgic feel of fairytales, but don’t get too comfortable. This mixture of fantastical twists and origin stories will leave you begging for more… Featuring stories by Charlotte Langtree, S.A. McKenzie, Barend Nieuwstraten III, Lauren Marrero, Danielle Davis, Elle Hartford, Mindi Briar, Arwen Spicer, and Liv Strom.” Arwen takes a look at Peter Pan in modern times.

“The Worldkeeper’s Circlet.” What makes a mosquito precious?

This honest and sometimes irreverent anthology features a wealth of spiritual questing through a Christian lens, including Arwen’s story “The Descent of the Wind,” an exploration of an angelic fall as trauma.

An anthology of tales where neurodivergence, queer identity, and time travel meet, featuring Arwen’s story, “Veils and Gifts,” a prequel to the film, The Eater.

“This edited collection approaches the most pressing discourses of the Anthropocene and posthumanist culture through the surreal, yet instructive lens of Jeff VanderMeer’s fiction.” Includes Arwen’s “Acceptance and Continuation: Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy and Hope in the Anthropocene.”

“The Legacies of Ursula K. Le Guin explores how Le Guin’s fiction and essays have built a speculative ethical practice engaging indigenous knowledge and feminism, while crafting utopias in which human and other-than-human life forms enter into new relations.” Arwen explores Le Guin’s relation to indigenous science fiction.