Joyce Carol Oates provides us with the infernal tale (and the inspiration for next month's cover). "In Shock" introduces us to a young woman named Rachael whose life is turned upside-down by a bicycle accident near her home in semi-rural Pennsylvania.

In "The Birthday of the World," Ursula K. Le Guin takes us far away to show us a young woman born into godhood and the difficulties she faces as she comes of age.

Each story is powerful and moving. In the same issue, they serve as a great reminder that in our back yard or on another planet, being human isn't easy, but it does have its rewards

The coming issues will also bring us new stories by Dale Bailey, N. Lee Wood, Amy Sterling Casil, Kit Reed, and Carolyn Ives Gilman, to name but a few. (You see! Santa really did get that letter!) Unfortunately, rising costs have forced us to increase our prices with next month's issue. So if you've been meaning to subscribe, dawdle no more---in addition to saving money, you'll be making sure you get lots of fabulous fantastic fiction.