Khairete! Em hotep! Salaam! Welcome to the Summer Solstice 2023 issue of Eternal Haunted Summer!

Our theme for this issue is genesis. The Latin term derives from the ancient Greek génesis (meaning “origin, source, beginning, nativity, generation, production, creation”), which in turn derives from the even older hypothetical Proto-Indo-European term *ǵénh₁tis (“birth, production”). The word is, at its essence, about creation. Beginnings. New beginnings. Birth and rebirth. Transformation from one form into another, from one state of being into another. And the contributors to the Summer Solstice issue have taken the essence of “genesis” to heart and created something truly unique and original.

A number of the poets and authors who appear in this issue dove deep into world mythology and spirituality, reweaving and reworking primal tales of creation. See, for example, the Egyptian-based “Dua Djehuti” by Denise Dumars and the Hebrew-based “Fiat Nox” by Nicole J. LeBoeuf. Sai Liuko makes their EHS debut with the Finnish-inspired “Ilmatar, Bear Sons That Sing,” as does Gary Every with the cosmogonic “Tohono Creation.” Colleen Anderson draws upon the epic Kalevala for her poem, “Vainam Tames Fire,” while “The Fall of the King” by Anthony Bernstein looks to the seasonal myth of the dying and rising God.

Others looked to the creation of individual cultures or beings, such as in the haunting poem “The Gorgon” by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa; the deeply angry “how we quit the forest” by Allie Marini; and “On the Origin of Fairies” by Lorraine Schein, a sweet-hearted poem inspired by Peter Pan. Mark Arvid White offers us the mythical-meets-the-mundane “Raven and the Breech Baby,” while William Ramsey pens the humorous and light-hearted “The Test Flight of Chang’e” (based on Chinese lore).

Still other contributors approached the topic as one of transformation, especially on a personal level. See, for example, the ecstatic/languid “aftermath of an evening reverie with Pan and Dionysus” by Emma Hancock and Adele Gardner’s “Brigid the Poet,” in which the author muses on their relationship with the Celtic Goddess. “Call of the Mórrigan” by C. McKenna-Rice is a rousing call to action, while the narrator of “I Just Want to Be a Monster” by Silvatiicus Riddle proclaims their desire to abandon their mundane humanity. “Into the Mound” by Scott J. Couturier is a fae-haunted journey of metamorphosis and longing, while Calliope Mertig brings us the painfully, nakedly personal “To the Far-Shooting God of Poetry, Healing, and Sunlight.”

Other poets and authors took the prompt and spun it as a warning: the world has been created. It can be uncreated and recreated, and not always in a manner that benefits humanity. In “The Coyote to Carl” by David Cravens, an ancient being reminds an oblivious humanity that there are powers far older than us in the world. Katherine Yets’ poem imagines “Creation” as cyclical and doomed to repeat, to the detriment of a greedy humanity. Gerri Leen’s eco-horror poem “Gaia on the Steps of Cataclysm” draws upon ancient Greek mythology and modern climate science, while “NOT SHADOW: My Family Fell From the Sky” by Alicia Hilton is a haunting mixture of science fiction, horror, and mythology and “One Single Seed” by Stephen James is a cautionary eco-fable about greed and destruction.

Still other poets and authors looked to the human act of creation, either alone or through divine inspiration (sometimes asked for, sometimes not). “Emily at Midnight” by Mariel Herbert (re)imagines the creative process of the Bard of Amherst. Kelly Jarvis’ “The Quickening” warns of the pain (and power) of poetic inspiration and immortality, while “rock art” by Mark A. Fisher looks to the Paleolithic past and the first human artists.

A few contributors took a mournful approach, lamenting the changes brought about by genesis, by creation, by transformation. Such can be found in Deborah Sage’s heartbroken poem “Before” and the Sleeping Beauty-inspired “What Do We Have” by Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman.

Finally, some contributors took the opportunity to create something entirely new: new tales, new cosmogonies, new mythologies. See the fantastical world-within-a-world “Beneath an Unknown Sky” by Dawn Vogel and the epic “Dragon Moon” by Lyri Ahnam. “Novus Edda” by Maxwell I. Gold is a wholly original creation myth, while “The Three Charming Cats” by Jessica Lackaff reads like a folktale for adults.

Outside of the theme for this issue, we also have two essays: “Cordelia and Beauty: The Gifts Bestowed on Youngest Daughters in Literature” by Nicole Kapise-Perkins and “Exploring Pagan Themes and Issues: An Overview of Academic Journals and Popular Magazines” by Yuliia Vereta. And in reviews, we have Ghost Talker (Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries Book One) by Byrd Nash [reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan], Revival of the Runes: The Modern Rediscovery and Reinvention of the Germanic Runes by Stephen Edred Flowers [reviewed by Erin Lale], and Vesper and Onion by Vera Greentea and Sara Webb [reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan].

As always, our thanks go out to the wonderful poets, authors, essayists, and reviewers who made this issue possible. Without them — and dedicated readers such as you — Eternal Haunted Summer would not exist. Our Winter Solstice 2022 issue marked our thirteenth anniversary. May the Summer of 2023 mark the beginning of another thirteen amazing years.