THE BOOK CORNER
COMING THIS APRIL
EPIC POETRY III
COMING THIS MAY.
…ANNOUNCEMENTS…
ONGOING CALL FOR SONNETS
Illuminations of the Fantastic is looking for new sonnets to publish! Invented in the late Middle Ages, the sonnet remains incredibly popular. Skip the endless lines of free verse and become a sonneteer! We're looking for sonnets that are finely crafted, clearly argued, powerful in image, and wonderful to read aloud.
Using AI-generators in any capacity whatsoever is disqualifying.
Email us at illuminationsfantastic (at) gmail (dot) com — use the subject line “Call For Sonnets”. If accepted we’ll send you a link and we’ll go from there!
‘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 the sonnet, a form which 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
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON
…
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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