Writing

Alex Penland has appeared in the following journals, anthologies, and magazines. More work (prose and poetry alike) is also available to subscribers on the Secret Homepage.

Microfiction: First

Finally the lamp fell.

A contained tale of unexpected consequences.

Short Fiction: We, You, and the Gallery

Now we and you are both stranded on this empty, alien world. We do not know if you have survived. We know that only one of us remains, but we are still we, even when most of us are gone.

Two people are stranded on an alien planet. Their cultures are at war; they crashed here in conflict. They cannot possibly fall in love—not like this.

The Champs-Elysees on a crowded day. The Arc de Triomphe is visible above the trees.

Flash Fiction: parisian attic cancer dragon

once again a knight appears. he’s breathing heavily, because he had to climb quite a lot of stairs to get here and it was not a pleasant experience in full plate armor. the knight wonders how the dragon got up the stairs and into the attic but when he asks, the dragon says disdainfully, i flew.

Originally published in the Bear Creek Gazette, the author would like to distance themselves from the press and will no longer provide traffic to that publication.

Therefore, the Secret Homepage for PACD is no longer locked behind a subscription: it is free to read for everyone and will remain free as long as the author is able to do so.

The story itself is presented without comment.

The ceiling of Yad Vashem: two concrete walls leaning together but held apart by steel and glass. There is light coming through the place where they would connect.

Poem: The Notorious

Do you remember Yad Vashem? How
the path that leads you through the
exhibit is chronological and single
lined, each point presented on a hair
pin turn of events[…]

Written well after midnight in Scotland after the announcement of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s passing, this poem explores the experience of a moment in time among strife.

Content warning: genocide (slightly graphic).

Please also consider visiting or donating to Yad Vashem.

 

AI Poetry Series: and only darkness was left

a poem written by an ai text synth using a neural network and the titles of rebellious young adult novels during the potential final decades of the human race (and only darkness was left)

A series of poetry resulting from an AI experiment, utilizing stacked prompts. The title of the first poem is self-explanatory.

NB: This was written and published before widespread use of AI text generators such as ChatGPT; the author wants to note that they do not condone the use of AI to replace creatives, nor approve of AI’s usage in its current form.

Taken inside a dark room. A door with a window opens into a well-lit yellow room. There is a figure standing in the doorway. It is difficult to tell if they are entering or leaving.

Flash Fiction: You Do Not Need to Open the Door

pushcart-nominated 2022

You do not need to open the door. It calls to everyone. You’re nothing special.

“An enigmatic, mesmerizing tale about hope, longing, liminal spaces, and the choices we make.”

Travel through a series of doors, leading to strange places.

An acrobat against a dark sky. The acrobat is holding a firework. Sparks trail across the darkness.

Poem: Twenty-Twenties Triptych

the courtyard of the fae’s seen better days. / these vines are dead. the flowers all turned brown. / queen mab’s upon the throne in drugged-up haze; / tiresias is sitting on her crown.

This is a poem about risk-taking.

For a number of reasons.

A white lace doily.

Flash Fiction: How to Read the Lace

Lace is like that. It’s pretty, but it’s tough. My favorite thing in the world is to watch a friend when I pull and stretch at a recent creation—they react like I’ve dropped expensive glass on a stone floor.

Published in the September 2022 issue of the Open Book Unbound newsletter.

 
An image of the author against a wooden slatted door. Alex is wearing an early-pandemic mask covered in tropical fish on a black background. Their hair is short and dark, with highlights still visible near their hairline. Their gaze meets the camera.

Poem: Parcel

i was not expecting the mask / to arrive today from florida / with a cheerful sticker / of an owl and a sweet note

Written in the midst of the Covid-19 Crisis, Parcel is a snapshot in time.

The Isolation Shorts collection is dedicated to exploring such moments.

Two children, one with long hair and one with short hair, walk through an overgrown meadow.

Poem: These Are The Words

It isn't the anger, / the hurt, / or the doubt. / It isn't the deep-set, / quick need / to get out.

Written shortly after the 2016 election, These Are the Words explores miscommunication between parties.

Primary Carbon is a student-run journal at the University of Iowa. This poem appeared in the first volume.

Two statues outside the entrance of the Abu Simbel complex. One statue is mostly intact; on the other, only the legs remain.

Poem: The Great

writers digest annual contest, honorable mention 2017

He had a reason for his name: “The Great”
Now buried in the Valley of the Kings—
Statues and treasures, all of which abate
Behind the wheel of fate that spins and sings

Written shortly after the 2016 election, this sonnet explores the patterns of tyranny in history.

The Great was awarded an honorable mention in rhyming poetry from Writers’ Digest in its 2017 contest. It can be read below on Writers Resist.

 

Constructed Languages

Some of these constructed languages were constructed for stories—some just for fun. Languages marked with an asterisk (*) are licensed under CC BY 4.0, meaning they can be shared, used, and adapted with attribution. Please feel free to tag Alex on social media or email them with any adaptations.

An image of a lightbulb filament glowing faintly in a dark room. The filament is shaped in a double helix.

Codon*

Codon is a completely impractical micro-language experiment based on RNA structure, created by Alex in 2014. Read about it in the journal post below, or download and use the language however you like.

Codon may be shared and used freely, but only with attribution.

Egyptian hieroglyphs cover ancient stone walls.

The Kallerian Language Family

A chosen one who rejects her fate, the daughter she fails to protect, and the son she leaves behind: these are the main characters of Aerklas, a novel in the query trenches.

The Kallerian Language Family comprises the languages of the secondary world in Aerklas. While it is unfinished, interested parties can read about it on the blog, or check out the informal article in /r/Conlangs’ Segments publication.

 

Writers’ Resources

 
 

Free Download: The Career Reference and Submissions worksheet is a spreadsheet which allows writers to…

  • track their submissions and queries

  • keep track of future submissions

  • take notes on future career moves

Color-coding and various formulae make it easy to see your stats, what’s been accepted or what’s coming back soon, and how long an agent’s had your query.

Free Download: A conlanger’s resource, the Constructed Language Template…

  • keeps track of phonology and grammar rules

  • contains a dictionary function separated by verbs, nouns, and other parts of speech

  • will auto-conjugate and auto-decline words on a “cheat sheet” page

The new template (above) more streamlined, though a bit less flexible: it’s great for smaller projects or new conlangers.
The legacy template below is bulkier, but more in-depth.