Episode 30: David C. Kopaska-Merkel

Airdate: 1 December 2022

David C. Kopaska-Merkel, a retired paleontologist, has been writing speculative poetry and fiction since the 1970s. He won the 2006 Rhysling award for best long poem (for a collaboration with Kendall Evans), and edits Dreams & Nightmares magazine (since 1986).

He has edited Star*line, an issue of Eye To The Telescope, and several Rhysling anthologies, David C Kopaska-Merkel has served as president of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association , and is an SFPA Grandmaster. His poems (more than 1200 of them) have been published in Asimov’s, Strange Horizons, Night Cry, Kaleidotrope, and more than 200 other venues.

Some Disassembly Required, his latest collection of dark poetry, is out from from Diminuendo Press (available from the author and from Amazon). @DavidKM on twitter. Blog: https://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/

Poems read by Diane Severson.

Episode 23: Miguel O. Mitchell

Airdate: 13 October 2022

Miguel O. Mitchell, PhD is a Black speculative poet, science fiction and fantasy author, visual artist, and retired chemistry professor living in the metro DC area. Two of his poems, “A Descendant’s Gift” and “Becoming,” were nominated for the 2022 Rhysling Award in the Long Poem category by members of SFPA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association.

In contrast to the generally serious tone of his poetry and prose is his mostly lighthearted paperback book of illustrated poems, Periodic Table of Alien Species (Elements 1-86), available from Barnes and Noble.

To find out more about his speculative poetry and visual artwork, visit his website: miguelmitchellsart.com