Late Summer Pop

WHAT HAPPENED to the days when fiction had an idealistic magic to it, created by literary magicians like Robert Louis Stevenson or F. Scott Fitzgerald with tales of mysterious personas with unreal qualities– romantic characters who in Fitzgerald’s timeless phrase were “simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” Does one find that magic from today’s writers?

Not often, but alert editors can occasionally stumble upon it– as we did with our new feature story, “Killian and the Black Blade!” by C. A. Shoultz. An exciting narrative about a fencing club. A story designed to be read. Enjoy.

No further time to mark the oddness of her foe. The two girls tossed salutes and bent their knees to ready. Killian, as was her habit, advanced first, and broadly, long steps directing her with strident purpose. This flicker of initiative was usually enough to pass the opposition into defense, quail them back and give her early triumph. But the sable girl, to Killian’s shock, advanced as well, every bit as swift as she. In fact, the girl moved faster, so that abruptly both were in each others’ range. Killian lunged and thrust-–

Art and Life, Life and Art

Pop Lit Fiction

WHERE do the experiences of art and life meet? It’s a question the artist– any artist– at some point is required to ask. When an actor is playing a role, he becomes that role– that character– yet at the same time remains the original person living through the experience of playing the part, on stage or in front of a camera.

These are thoughts occasioned by our new feature story, “Something to Tell” by John Van Wagner, in which his character is overwhelmed by the museum art around him– yet is about to have an experience to match or surpass it. The well-written tale is the latest in a series of excellent short stories we’ve been privileged to offer over the past year.

We hope you enjoy the experience of reading this absorbing story.

His trembling fingers search photos, flipping through scores of pictures of paintings, so lifeless and flat, now, sterile stabs at vicarious experience.

Human Fiction

Pop Lit Fiction

WITH IMMENSE CHANGE happening or about to happen at all levels of the literary and publishing worlds with the advent of A.I.-generated texts, at New Pop Lit we’re thinking about what’s important in our modest project. What do we wish to say or accomplish in coming months?

MOST IMPORTANT for us is the ideal of human creativity. Publishing the very best fiction and poetry– which we’ve been doing– while exploring new ideas of deep learning of human beings instead of deep learning of machines. Ideas counter to those of plutocrats pumping billions of dollars into ever-more advanced, ever-more insane technologies.

OUR LATEST example of excellent fiction not generated by bots is our new feature, “The View from a Window of the House on the Embankment” by Mark Marchenko. A story about the old Soviet Union– its author calls it “an alternative history fiction piece”– but maybe also a story about today. We hope you like it.

When the knock came at the door, Georgy was standing with his hands at the windowsill, gazing out of the window. Grey sky hung over Moscow. Before his eyes was ground covered with autumn splashes of orange and red, the square that was named after Repin (it was in 1958 when the monument to Ilya Repin, a Russian realist painter, was built on Bolotnaya Square; in 1962 the square was renamed Repin Square) just a couple of months ago, withered grass awaiting the first snow, a band of water, and the walls of the Kremlin. A river, slow, almost black, under his feet.

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(ALSO, the “Save the Writer!” petition calling for labeling of A.I.-generated books– a modest ask– is ongoing. Please read and consider signing. 441 readers and writers have done so to date. Thanks!)