Awesome.

The rate of submissions to Hell Itself has picked up significantly in the past couple of weeks, and I'm trying desperately to read the entire Hugo packet. Response times may be a little slower than usual.

A great many people dismiss origin stories, but secondary-world stories about how something came about truly highlight the differences between that world and ours, which makes us reconsider our own. Whether they're connected to a franchise or standalone, I love them when done well. And this one is.

Once again, @reggiekwok.bsky.social delivers a captivating story that no one else would publish. One of the things we're supposed to try to do with our magazines is define what we publish, and this is a story that is very hard to classify. Silly, dark, adult, accessible, weird… I can't define it.

I have made a couple of changes to the @hellitself.bsky.social guidelines. First, I've decided to set a minimum word count of 1,000 words. Second, I've created a two-tier minimum number of rejections so longer stories require fewer to be eligible.

I have a love-hate relationship with flash. When it's done well, as this one is, I'm amazed at the worlds a writer can bring to life in very few worlds. I worry that they're too short to be satisfying, so I think long and hard before accepting one. Hopefully you will love this one as much as I do.

Some unsolicited advice from an editor: In short fiction, especially on the internet, you've only got a couple of sentences to convince a reader to keep reading. Those first sentences are what the theorists call "the promise to the reader," letting them know if this is a story they want to read.

It's important, at least occasionally, to publish stories that are, first and foremost, fun.

I love old pulp literature, despite it being problematic. It really is, on the whole, a mess of racism, sexism, colonialism, and most any other -ism you can think of. You can't (and shouldn't) ignore that, but if you can understand it in the context of the culture of the time, it can be fun.

Hell Itself is going to be shifting to a new schedule. We will be posting one story every two weeks following our March 27 post. The rate of submissions has slowed down, and we want to keep the quality of the stories high. We'll pick it back up again if we find ourselves with another backlog.

I was not aware that he was going to be announced as a finalist when I decided to run the story on Friday. That decision was made purely because I'm behind schedule and it was ready to go. Congratulations, @davidanaxagoras.com!

There are some stories that, when you ask me what it's about or to describe it, I pause and then say, "You know what, just read it." When this one came in, I knew it was one of those. Just read it. You'll be glad you did.

One advantage to having a publication dedicated to one thing—say weird westerns or dark fantasy—is that readers who like whatever that niche is will find it. One of the challenges of stories that blur the lines is they don't really fit in any of those magazines. Even when the story is beautiful.

It should come as no surprise by now that I enjoy @reggiekwok.bsky.social's work. There has to be a place in the genre for stories that are quirky and fun (and not A.I. slop), and Reggie consistently delivers. I'm happy to bring you another piece he wrote.

When this story first landed in front of me, I was struck by the strength of the imagery in it. It's not much like anything @hellitself.bsky.social has published before, but to say our tastes are eclectic would be an understatement. I enjoyed this one, and I hope you do, too.

When I was a young man, Asimov's published "The Last of the Winnebagos" by Connie Willis. I remember reading it, and immediately calling up my best friend who was also a subscriber wanting to discuss it because, as I said at the time, "I feel like I missed at least as much as I got."

One of the things I love about SF/F is how it echoes our reality, changing it in ways that let us examine the real world from a different perspective. This story struck me right away as both topical and timeless.

This is another one that isn't what I usually go for as a reader or an editor, but I remember being taken in by the great character work. It's a short piece, but one I think you'll remember.

I was trying to avoid working in solidarity with the people of Minnesota on Friday, and I apparently never cycled back to hype last Friday's story. And it's a good one.

We would just like to casually point out that the @sfwa.org Recommended Reading List currently contains Hell Itself stories by @rachiea.bsky.social, @crboltz.bsky.social, @deborahldavitt.com, @reggiekwok.bsky.social, @gerrileen.bsky.social, @tedmorrissey.bsky.social, @ktwagner.bsky.social, and more!

I find drag rhetoric fascinating. Humor, but in the style of the legendary court jester: getting laughs by speaking uncomfortable truths and not being afraid to offend. It's definitely a challenging piece. I hope you like it as much as I do.

ICYMI, "The Goblin on My Shoulder" is free to read with @hellitself.bsky.social. This is a story about invisible disabilities. I wrote it before my pain had a name, before I knew what I suffered was real and not "all in my head." I sincerely hope no one can relate, but if you can: I see you.

I will admit that I'm not generally a fan of the short-short. When I like one enough to publish it, it's because I think it's extraordinary. @cjtavares.bsky.social definitely delivered the extraordinary in this one, managing to create a world in 1,000 words without it feeling under-developed.

I've had editor's block lately. I have half a dozen great stories accepted, but none felt like the right story to start 2026 with. Then I looked at the submissions queue, and this one charged my fence. @rajivmote.bsky.social was very good about letting me rush him through editing. Here's to 2026.

@reggiekwok.bsky.social is the sort of writer we need right now: Someone with a distinct and unique voice. I generally enjoy his work, but when this one was submitted I knew we had to publish it. It's entertaining and timely. And maybe just a bit symbolic. I hope you like this one as much as I do

hellitself.com/pala/ Go check this out. It's my latest published short story, and it's free to read. :)

I was absolutely ticked when I saw @gerrileen.bsky.social has sent in a story. I was even more tickled when I read this one and loved it. I'm very glad to have it in my little webzine.

I was told if I wanted to post what they seem to call a rant, I had to do it on my own account. I now have my own account, and I can post a rant if I want to.

I also need to apologize to @marthawells.com for stealing her cover art for my user icon, but I've been signing my editorials "—ART" for so long that I couldn't resist the urge to use an image of Perihelion.

Greetings, all. I have no idea how much I'm going to use this, but the kids said I need my own account if I'm going to get on soap boxes online.