ANNOUNCEMENT:
‘POETRY CORNER’ WILL BECOME ‘THE SONNET CORNER’
The IF editors have decided that The Short Poem Corner, which debuted in 2023, will become The Sonnet Corner in the next edition of the magazine.
We believe a broad variety of poetic forms is desirable, but it has become difficult to read through the sheer volume of submissions, ninety-nine percent of which are free verse. The online poetry community has many outlets for free verse, so many that, while we would prefer not to rule them out, we are confident the best of these poems will find a home elsewhere.
As for Illuminations of the Fantastic, we have decided on a singular form—the sonnet—to advocate and elevate above all others.
Poets, searching for the rare journal that not only accepts but invites poetry in traditional forms, can now put Illuminations of the Fantastic at the top of their list. Invented in the late Middle Ages, the sonnet remains very popular. It has bequeathed a unique epithet on its writers—to compose sonnets is to be a sonneteer.
We now invite you to submit the best (single) sonnet you have inside you, written anew, crafted with care, beautiful and true.
Disclaimer: by submitting to Illuminations of the Fantastic Magazine you acknowledge you will not submit AI-generated prose or verse, nor convert free-verse poems into sonnets using AI.
Join the sonneteers!
—The Editors
ISSUE NO.15
edited by Samuel J. Stephens, Philip J. Palacios, & Nathan Gilmore
STORIES: FORCE OF NATURE | BELLY OF THE BEAST | HOLMES & MORIARTY | EPITAPH FOR A GUMSHOE | THE FILMS OF NIGEL KNEALE | SHORT POEM CORNER #2 | FILM FILINGS
Illuminations of the Fantastic is proud to present its fifteenth issue! This second mystery-themed issue puts us amid dark crimes in dark settings. How did Sherlock Holmes first encounter the mastermind architect, the 'Napoleon of Crime', Moriarty? We discover this and more four action stories: twists of fate, last-minute escapes. And we rediscover the unique filmography of British screenwriter Nigel Kneale, dip into some new short poems, and an extended discussion about Hayao Miyazaki's newest, The Boy and the Heron.
February 15th, 2024
THE SHADOW OF THE WOOD
A Serialized Novel
The monk Ellias is summoned to the secluded village of St. Alban’s, where he must unravel not one mysterious death, but two, as the village’s tensions mount ever higher.
by Benjamin Wolaver & Samuel J. Stephens
Short Poem Corner Vol.II
This new installment of Short Poem Corner contains dizains by Dr. Bartel, a strophic poem by Camille DaSilva, and sonnets by Gilmore and Stephens.
We also have New Submission Guidelines for searching poets.
MOVIE BALCONY
A movie blog for new and classic films. Monthly review editions for our ‘Film Filings’ series. Also includes rankings, essays, news, and opportunities to contribute.
THE ARCHIVES
OPEN ALL DAY AND NIGHT
Library of all previous issues and series. A great place to browse and bookmark for a rainy day.
chief editor:
SAM STEPHENS
managing editor:
PHILIP J. PALACIOS
associate editor:
NATHAN GILMORE
associate editor:
DIANA MASSENGALE
art consultant:
EVANGELINA STEPHENS
published by:
ILLUMINATIONS OF THE FANTASTIC
founders:
SAM STEPHENS & PHILIP J. PALACIOS
city location:
NASHVILLE, TN
publishing years:
2020-present
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