Asian Fantasy & Science Fiction
Time for a drabble from a new contributor, Fariel Shafee! The Relic of Love & Lust Fariel Shafee At nighttime the heat was unbearable. Mamun lay on the floor, asking for some air. When he opened the door to the courtyard, the full moon flashed. The breeze was sudden and it brought in the smell... Continue Reading →
Hello friends, hope everyone is doing well! After a 6-month break, I'm pleased to be able to relaunch our poetry series, INSTINCTS, with a fantasy poem by Japanese writer, Yukari Kousaka. The Divine Beasts Yukari Kousaka The Azure Dragon shook the Kiyomizu Temple After one tail-wag, extinguished the forest The spiritual creature flew with great... Continue Reading →
Please enjoy today's drabble, 'Home of Lyrics' by Maggie D. Brace! Home of Lyrics Maggie D. Brace The waning sun slanted across the yurt, illuminating the protective elemental symbols on each wall: fire, water, earth, metal, and wood. An intertwined design wove its way about the roof’s smoke-stained wooden crown. After sunset, Batu opened the... Continue Reading →
Designing covers for our anthologies is always an equal measure of stress and excitement, but I'm really happy with how this cover turned out 🙂 Mythical Beings of Asia is the fourth volume in the Insignia Drabbles series. This anthology includes 60 drabbles (100-word stories) and 2 bonus flash stories inspired by Asian folklore. Release Date: planned for... Continue Reading →
Thanks everyone, submissions for Mythical Beings of Asia are now officially closed. View the list of contributors on the new Mythical Beings of Asia page.
Our second Author Spotlight this week introduces Maria S. Picone. Maria is a new Insignia contributor, joining us for Southeast Asian Fantasy Drabbles. She has 3 drabbles featured: 'A Royal Request', Uneasy Alliance' and 'The Dead Can Only Haunt You'. Hopefully we'll see her work in future Insignia anthologies too. Please enjoy Maria's 'Twenty Questions'... Continue Reading →
Please enjoy this next excerpt from Insignia 2020: Best Asian Speculative Fiction, a YA dark fantasy piece set in the Philippines, penned by the amazing Celestine Trinidad! Celestine is a regular INSIGNIA contributor: check out her author page for links to her publications with us. (I recommend the excerpt of her story 'Horse Feet' too).... Continue Reading →
Hi everyone, I haven’t posted a story for awhile, so came up with this little piece-perfect for summer! The cicadas are out in force here in Nagoya now, and one was right outside my window the other day, going to town. How rude, interrupting my writing time 🙂
Love them or hate them, it’s not a Japanese summer without a million semi surrounding you.
Here’s an interesting article about Japanese cicadas if you’re interested to learn more: Japan Times link.
And thanks to my sister Beth for challenging me to write a cicada-themed story.
The Girl Who Ate Cicadas
by Kelly Matsuura
Until her third birthday, little Himeko never ate a thing. She only drank water and refused anything else.
The doctors were baffled, but as the child was healthy, they insisted her parents not worry.
Then one summer, Himeko was out in the garden and found a cicada stuck…
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We haven't had a poem in awhile, so here's a lovely piece by a regular Insignia projects contributor, Vonnie Winslow Crist. 'Lee Chung-Chung's Painting Tells a Story' By Vonnie Winslow Crist Sky: blue grey, cloud laden, seasonal birds wing their way northward, beaks splitting air as genetic memory sounds a fevered blood call. Tree:... Continue Reading →
It's my honor to introduce Eisuke Aikawa, contributor to our newly-released anthology, Japanese Fantasy Drabbles. Born in Chiba in 1977, Eisuke Aikawa is a writer based in Fukuoka. He has published two collections of short stories, Hiking (2017) and Kumo wo hanareta tsuki (2018). His short fiction has appeared in venues such as Bungakukai,... Continue Reading →
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