Is there anything worse than a blank mind in front of an equally blank, expectant page?
I started writing this foreword three times. First, I had a whole spiel about summer, death and growth. But it left me as cold as the winter days I (as a hater of summer) long for. Then I tried writing about change and how we evolve. That just seemed tired. Next, I found an unused draft about my haunted childhood home – it was good but not seasonally appropriate; I’ll keep it for Halloween. Then, it struck me: why not write about what I’m feeling?
Max Turner – Publisher
Rhiannon Wood – Editor in Chief
Dr. Sarah Boyd – Editor
Leonie Natascha – Publishing Assistant
Cover Image – Girls by Kinga Howard via Unsplash
You don’t have to have everything figured out, let the future be the future, be present now and have trust that you will end up where you’re supposed to be.
Cover Design – A Coup of Owls
A Coup of Owls: Spring 2026 (issue 22)
Published by A Coup of Owls Press
June 2026
This issue is available to read or as a download at the bottom of this page.
Contents
Bayo. Big Ideas, No Money.
by Solape Adetutu Adeyemi
Unforgettably delicious.
Signed Away
by Bec McKenzie
It’s a hot day in LA, and an unnamed actress is interviewed by a reporter trying to get more info about her agent, an implied supernatural creature she signed her True Name away to in exchange for stardom.
Part of a Woman’s Life
by Camden Rose
When their coworker dies, two women are left struggling to figure out what to talk about.
The Evening Tide
by Nivara Lune
A woman attends a solstice festival hoping to find her way back to the sister she signed away, only to be made to watch herself do it again.
To See What We Cannot Unsee
by Mandira Pattnaik
Malti, Rani, and the narrator are the ugly interns in the Monitoring Room at Death Depot. Their training is limited to watching people via giant CCTV screens, and when they must observe Preeti Taneja and her loathed White husband, things might remain unfinished.
Madame Fern
by Lisa Cai
In the 2050s, detective Mrs Sui enters a fundamentalist commune to investigate human trafficking incidents related to the settlement. Joining a Canadian diplomatic mission to the commune, she arranges a temporary marriage with Madame Fern to find out what happened.
Good as Gold
by Kelly Murashige
A girl struggles with her confusion and feelings of inadequacy as she and her mother prepare for the Rapture.
Accretion Disk
by Meagan Kane
A black hole makes herself a coat.
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