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Bewildering Stories

Challenge 798

Easy As Pie

  1. In J. C. G. Goelz’s Responsibilities of Being a Man: Parts 1 and 2 are loaded with emotional tensions. Between whom? What are their causes?

  2. In P. S. Nolf’s Jack Spriggins, Villain, what elements of current social satire might be found in Mrs. Blunderbore’s account?

  3. In Robin Helweg-Larsen’s Preparing for Post-Humanity, if non-humans were smarter than human beings, would they be smart enough not to “fool around” with humans? Or might humans resemble sheep? Stories or poems on the subject will be considered.

  4. In Charles C. Cole’s A Pantoum of Everyday Intercourse: What secrets does your smartphone know about you that might be revealed in a seance or otherwise? Please do not send details to BwS; your favorite social media mega-corporation probably already knows.

  5. In E. J. Pace’s As American As Apple Pie, what is most important to remember about baking the pie when it comes to preserving the lethal potency of apple seeds?

  6. In Peter Ninnes’ Ice Cream and Wombat: How does the mystery of Marcus’s sister, Wilma, explain his fascination with ice cream? Does Marcus know the answer or does he only surmise it?

  7. In Ljubo Popovich’s Stars, Hide Your Fires:

    1. How do the title and epigraph fit the story?
    2. At the end, the narrator chooses to return to the origin of Magellan’s voyage. What must also happen in order to give his decision any meaning? How does the story illustrate the concept of the future described in “Wishful Thinking”?
  8. In Gary Beck’s Lunacy:

    1. Is the poem a poem or an extended slogan? Can you cite equivalents on any subject in the literary history of any language? If so, how do they resemble or differ from “Lunacy”?
    2. Short poems (<120 words) expressing different points of view will be considered.

Responses welcome!

date Copyright © February 25, 2019 by Bewildering Stories
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