Saros 6
Adam's Notes for July 9, 2026
About Me | Instagram | Goodreads | Letterboxd
Saros issue six is out now, guest-edited by yours truly! PDF and epubs are available free on the site, and paper copies will be available soon for a small cost. To celebrate the release, I spoke with the four authors— Sheldon Birnie, Susan R. Morritt, David Kloepfer, and Marisca Pichette—whose stories are in the issue.
Sheldon Birnie
What’s the opening line of your story?
“Couple guys from my hockey team were showing off their fancy wristwatches the other night, as we were sitting around swapping lies after a big 6-1 win for the good guys.”
What’s your story about, and what inspired it?
The story, which is part of a series of interconnect stories that may or may not turn into a novel, is about a guy named Slulder Bilnie who finds his life increasingly controlled by technology in a manner that is slowly but surely driving him crazy. It was inspired by a couple guys from my hockey team who were showing off their fancy wristwatches one night, as we were sitting around swapping lies after a big 6-1 win for the Lumbercats hockey club of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
What’s a book, film, or other piece of art you’d recommend to anyone who enjoyed your story?
This winter, I was on a real (Philip K.) Dick kick, which no doubt either inspired or was inspired by this series of stories I found myself writing, about technology, paranoia, and one's sense of identity. Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? are worth reading, regardless, but certainly if you dug this story, you might enjoy any or all of them.
Where can people find you online (if you want to be found)?
@badguybirnie or @badguybirnie.bsky.social or sheldonbirnie.substack.com
Bio: Sheldon Birnie is a writer, dad, and beer league hockey player from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of the short story collections Where the Pavement Turns to Sand (2023) and More Strange Visions (forthcoming), both from Malarkey Books.
Susan R. Morritt
What’s the opening line of your story?
“You won’t last a week.”
What’s your story about, and what inspired it?
My story is about a young woman who starts a job on a swine breeding farm, working in the farrowing department with sows and litters of piglets. She is assigned a ghastly job to do which contributes to the mysterious disappearance of one of her co-workers.
What’s a book, film, or other piece of art you’d recommend to anyone who enjoyed your story?
Recommendations of books, films or art for people who enjoyed my story: As far as I know, no one else has ever written about this “job”, or contemplated the idea that any aspect of it could be ever be deemed as “artistic”.
Where can people find you online (if you want to be found)?
People can find information about me, and my work presently on Facebook, and upcoming in the near future on my website (under construction.) I have a poetry collection due for release April 13, 2027 (Cynren Press).
Bio: Susan R. Morritt is a writer, visual artist, musician, and former racehorse trainer from Waterford, Ontario, Canada. Her work appears in numerous journals including 34 Orchard Journal, Dark Dead Things, and Inflated Graveworm. She was nominated for The Best of the Net for poetry, as well as others. Susan works part-time teaching turkeys English as a Second Language.
David Kloepfer
What’s the opening line of your story?
“In the operating room, Martin second-guessed himself.”
What’s your story about, and what inspired it?
A man has a wire inserted into his brain for artistic purposes. I honestly cannot say what inspired it. I am a hollow vessel.
What’s a book, film, or other piece of art you’d recommend to anyone who enjoyed your story?
Hmm. Joseph McElroy's Plus.
Where can people find you online (if you want to be found)?
They can email me at david.kloepfer@gmail.com
Bio: David Kloepfer is a fiction writer in British Columbia. His short fiction has appeared in Spank the Carp, Corner Bar, Black Petals, and elsewhere. His first novel, Cheap Thrills, was published by Now or Never Publishing in 2019. He is currently seeking homes for his next 2.5 novels.
Marisca Pichette
What’s the opening line of your story?
“The last station in the universe is built on dreams.”
What’s your story about, and what inspired it?
This story is, at its heart, about connection across diaspora. While laid on the framework of space, humanity’s survival still hinges on the same need: to find each other, to share our stories, and to learn.
What’s a book, film, or other piece of art you’d recommend to anyone who enjoyed your story?
I’d recommend this story regardless: Ken Liu’s “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” on Lightspeed.
Where can people find you online (if you want to be found)?
Bio: Marisca Pichette is a queer author based in Massachusetts. She has published more than three hundred pieces of short fiction and poetry, appearing in Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, The Deadlands, Asimov’s, Lightspeed, Nightmare Magazine, and many others. Her poetry collection, Rivers in Your Skin, Sirens in Your Hair, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker and Elgin Awards. Their eco-horror novella, Every Dark Cloud, is out now from Ghost Orchid Press.
Thanks so much, everyone. And once again, you can check the issue out here.