Originally published on March 18, 2026 via email

News

NOMULATED!

I was lying in my hospital bed when I got an email from the SFWA.

Wait. Let me back up.

I was in the hospital several weeks last year and it was a drag. Unfortunately I had a repeat of similar issues this month and, though not as severe, I’m back at the same hospital. I’m hoping by the time this newsletter goes out, I’ll be home. (UPDATE: I’m home!)

About three days into my stay at my least favorite resort, I got a brief and mysterious email to call the SFWA. I almost didn’t, fearing it was a fundraising pitch. (I’m a writer. We just aren’t wired to expect good news.) When I did call, I was informed that my audiobook, The Tower, had received enough votes to be nominated for the SFWA Andre Norton Nebula Award!

For those not in the know, the Nebula Awards are the “Oscars” of the science-fiction and fantasy literature field. The Brand Name SFF writers you’ve heard about — Herbert, Deleny, Le Guin, Clarke, Asimov — all Nebula winners. The awards are voted on and presented by professional writers.

After a few short questions (Was I the author? Yes. Did I use AI/LLM in the writing process? No. Would I accept the nomination? Absolutely yes.) I was informed this was the SFWA’s awkward way of saying I had been nominated for a Nebula Award and congratulations.

Sometimes I think the universe is inordinately concerned with balance. Silver linings all have their clouds. At least for once the universe was tipping back in a more preferable direction. If you ever find yourself three or four days into a hospital stay, I recommend getting nominated for a Nebula. It’s a real boost and will make your medical journey much more tolerable.

My thanks to the SFWA voters and congratulations to my fellow nominees!

Out Now

At last, the greatest science fiction story ever told (about testicles) is out of the bag! Thrilled to announce my short story “‘We Require an Engine,’ Said the Testicle Collective” is out now in Translunar Travelers Lounge!

When a collective of escaped testicles kidnaps his dairy cow and demands a spaceship to flee Earth’s toxic masculinity, a grizzled ex-rocket engineer must build their ride—and finally confront his own emotional baggage.

When the barn door swings open, you are greeted, as usual, by the sweet green smell of hay undercut by the sharp scent of manure and a half-dozen other woody, mossy and pungent aromas. All of them comforting.

“Ruby?” you ask of the dark, empty barn, your voice at this hour a phlegmy whispering croak. It appears Ruby has performed the magic trick of escaping while the doors were shut.

In her place, towering above you in a wobbling, glowing mass—

Testicles.

Hundreds of them.

Pale. Bulbous. Disturbingly large.

Greetings, they rumble inside your skull, sending uncomfortable vibrations downward. We require your assistance.

You gently close the barn door.

This story was originally inspired by a joking misinterpretation of a class SF novel cover. I’ll dive more into that in a future newsletter!

Even More New Fiction

Everything’s coming up Anaxagoras.

I had two short stories published this month and the second is, along with “Testicle Collective,” also one of my absolute favorites. They both have themes of toxic masculinity.

Every weekend, a boy accompanies his grandfather in the NICU to cuddle infants from war-torn lands—but there’s more to the old man’s healing touch than meets the eye.

His cuddles are curtains of sun on your bare brown skin, soaking through your muscles, until your bones are warm and glowing.

This story was sparked by a news report of an actual grandpa baby cuddler and also by enraging reports of babies having to be flown out of Gaza because there were no more hospitals left to treat them.

“Gumba Cuddles” is out now in Hell Itself. I’d love for you to give it a read. It holds some surprises.

New Story Sale

After letting it sit on my hard drive for 5 years because I’m an idiot, I have finally sold my dark fantasy flash “How to Survive a Corn Maze” to Lightspeed.

This is a mostly-vibes story and entirely unconcerned with plot.

This is my 8th sale to Lightspeed.

You have been led to the place of the bone ravens. They are just what they sound like. They feast on bones. Freshly extracted and wet. Dripping with life. Their beaks are razors. Their claws are scalpels. Their eyes dark and heartless.

The bone ravens land one by one. Gathering. Feathers whisper like corn stalks. This language you do understand. It is an expression of a primal need.

Of Hunger.

Coming soon to Lightspeed!

Reading Log

Capsule reviews of vintage SF short stories

“It’s a Good Life” (1953) by Jerome Bixby in The 18th Golden Age of Science Fiction MEGAPACK: Jerome Bixby, Wildside Press. This is a remarkably modern-feeling story for its era, immersing the reader in the terrified inner lives of the denizens of a small town at the mercy of a three-year-old boy with godlike psychic powers. Famously adapted as an iconic Twilight Zone episode. While Bixby’s story was faithfully translated nearly beat-for-beat, it still offers a greater depth and nuance that offers us a better understanding of the true nature of the boy at the center of events. What’s striking is that Bixby does not portray Anthony as malevolent — his most destructive acts stem from the emotional logic of a young kid: misguided attempts to help, or impulsive reactions to fear, confusion, or even boredom. “Like the time Mrs. Kent’s husband, Sam, had come walking back from the graveyard because Anthony liked Mrs. Kent and had heard her mourning.” Anthony is introduced to the reader as he is torturing a rat, forcing it to eat itself until it eventually dies from pain. Sadistic, yes, but Anthony is responding to his aunt’s revulsion of rats. Later, in a sequence not adapted for TZ, we find Anthony peacefully enjoying a secluded meadow where he senses the minds of the small animals and does what he can to help them live their best lives — hardly monster stuff. The adults’ enforced cheerfulness (“It’s a real good day”) is not the satire of permissive parenting that common interpretations would have you believe, but a tragic survival mechanism. It’s not that Anthony forces everyone to be happy, it’s that if you dare to express disappointment, Anthony might try to help you or fix things…often with horrifying results. Anthony is both monster and victim — a lonely child whose omnipotence isolates him from everyone who might truly care for him.

That’s plenty of news for March. Subscribe for more and thanks for reading!

ICYMI

If you’re just joining the party, here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to and where you can find my work.

Coming Soon:

• “Ladd’s Robot Repair,” SF novelette forthcoming in Lightspeed Magazine.
• “How to Survive a Corn Maze,” horror flash fiction forthcoming in Lightspeed Magazine.

My latest short stroy, “‘We Require an Engine,’ Said the Testicle Collective” is out now and free to read in Translunar Traveler’s Lounge. Other recent fiction includes “Gumba Cuddles” in Hell Itself. Visit my Bibliography for a full list of fiction and other works.

I am the author of the Andre Norton Nebula Award nominated middle grade audiobook, The Tower (Recorded Books, 2025), narrated by Christopher Gebauer. Available wherever audiobooks are sold, or check your local library. My guest post about The Tower was recently featured on My Favorite Bit.

I wrote for Nickelodeon’s Glitch Techs, an animated sci-fi adventure about teens who hunt video game monsters that have broken out into the real world. I also created and co-executive produced Amazon Studio’s first live-action kids and family series, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, about an ordinary suburb that hides extraordinary magic.

About

Anaxagology is a free monthly(ish) newsletter from author and speculative fiction writer David Anaxagoras featuring essays, previews of works in progress, behind-the-scenes story notes, reading logs, and the occasional giveaway. Subscribe now! You can learn more about Dave at his website, or follow him on Bluesky.