
Dear Reader,
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The origins of this journal lay in an early morning prompt writing group at the Santa Barbara Literary Journal. The prompt was “You’ve received e-mails from Andromeda.” We had five minutes to scribble. And as happens at 7 a.m. before the coffee kicks in, it seemed our five-minute stories were nothing short of brilliant. I began to play with the idea that I should use my professional editing and design skills to create a publication that could capture some of that brilliance (well, after enough polishing, perhaps it shone just a little). Meeting so many talented writers at that conference and listening to them talk about the difficulty in getting published, the idea for the Santa Barbara Literary Journal rolled into orbit. And the first volume, which contains a few meteorite shards from the early morning writing prompt group, is named “Andromeda.”
In this issue, among other curiosities, we have a man in a carnal relationship with deadly mushrooms, a customer service representative with an irate Andromedan squid on his case, and a writer whose muse sits on his shoulder and demands donuts. We also have beautiful memoir poems about a childhood in Tabriz, song lyrics, poems, zombies, and even flashers...well, flash fiction, at least. It’s my sincere wish that you enjoy every unique contribution to this journal, and that, if you’re curious about who these writers, singers, and poets are, you will visit our bookstore and purchase Volume 1 Andromeda.
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Best,
Silver Webb
Editrix
Volume 4
Stardust
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May 2018
Le Menu
Fiction
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Emeralds for Andromeda by T. Lawton Carney
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You Get Used To It by Mark Bessey
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Walter’s Demons by Reina Warnert
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Andromeda Prime by Silver Webb
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Petunia’s Baby by Brent Baldwin
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After the Apple by Lisa Lamb
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Blue Brain Terrain by Janet Rendall
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Pests by S.M.C. Wamsteker
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Desert Dusk Music by Thomas Timmins
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Flash Trinity by Ted Chiles
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Love Triangle by Chella Courington
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Lot 136 by Yvette Keller
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Poems
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As I Cannot by Christine Penko
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Rabbits, Detritus, Rain by Christine Penko
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Transverse Range by Marsha de la O
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Invisibility Cloak by Marsha de la O
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Meteor Display by Mary Ames
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Armenian Rhapsody * The Bombing of Tabriz * Blue Watermelon by Mary Freericks
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Plays
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I Do-Nut Think That’s A-Muse-Ing by Stuart Orenstein
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All Pets Go To Heaven by Alessandra Albanese
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Lyrics: The Dance
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Clubhouse by Kate Graves
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Ma Petite Chanson Parisienne
by Magali Michaut and Patrick Rydman
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Last Music Store by Max Talley
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Just Another Daydreamby Sonya Heller
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Desiree by Kim Michalowski
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Santa Fe by Dennis Russell
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Lightning by Bryan Titus
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Mariposa by Laura Hemenway
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Nothing Else Will Do by Bill Lanphar
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Pale Blue Dot by Jen Hajj