It’s still technically summer, and while I know you’re impatiently waiting for the onset of sweater weather, never fear: the August 2024 issue of Defenestration is here, so at the very least you won’t be bored. (At least for now. I don’t know how long it will take you to read six short stories and six poems. Probably not very long. So maybe you won’t be bored for the next 45 minutes. If we’re lucky, the weather will get cooler in that short time and you’ll be able to break out that sweater in your closet that’s been tempting you with is scandalous softness all summer.)

Now, before you get to reading, let’s get some editorial-type announcements out of the way. First, if you’re interested in sending us nonfiction or fake nonfiction, please keep in mind that we typically have our content scheduled months in advance, so topical humor is typically a hard sell. That being said, I’ve been trying to make a point of keeping space open around Halloween and Christmas, so if you have anything that might fit those holidays, don’t let our typical aversion to topical humor scare you. Second, our fake nonfiction category blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction, so if you’re not sure what category your submission fits into, don’t worry about it. Try your best to categorize it, and Eileen and Bigfoot and Japhet and I will figure it out. For example, we’ve had several submissions lately that were sent to us as fiction that we eventually accepted as fake nonfiction. No harm, no foul. If we like it, we’ll make sure it gets published under the appropriate category!

Okay! On with the show! This month features demons that are actually demons and hell beasts that might actually be aliens. We’ve also got mosquitos, noisy frogs, famous last words, and adventures in Russian literature. And that’s just a taste.

Now, if I carefully press this button here and pull this lever here, the Defenestration inbox opens to poetry and short story submissions. And there we go! Please send us short stories and poetry as we try to fill our December 2024 issue of Defenestration!

—Andrew Kaye, Editor-in-Chief

Short Stories:
Eric Lawson, “All Sales Are Final”
Dave Lovell, “Flying In Circles”
Carrie R. Hinton, “After ‘the End'”
Olga Zilberbourg, “Untrampled by Horses”
George Beckerman, “A Narcissist Walks Into A Bar, Because Two Is One Too Many”
Scott Erickson, “Don’t try to remove the device because the electronic lock can only be opened by a company representative”
Alex McNall, “Total Donation”

Poetry:
Monica Dobos, “According to Trader Joe’s Grocery Bag”
M. Benjamin Thorne, “The Bog King”
Kelly Scott Franklin, “Overheard Aboard the Zeppelin Hindenburg, May 6, 1937, 7:24 PM”
Theric Jepson, “Outlaw Diary (abridged)”
Ethan Kwak, “The Traveler”
Rochelle Jewel Shapiro, “Me In That Pink Chiffon Dress, 1964”

Downloadable Copy:
Defenestration, August 2024