Heartlines Spec, Issue 9 (Winter 2025)

Issue 9 features farewells, apocalypses, the decay of laws of physics and things lurking in the water, waiting to drag you under. These endings are all balanced with new beginnings. Much like the death card in tarot signifies transition, these stories and poems speak of new, kinder, communities that emerge from the rubble, of gardens that spread after the end, of the metamorphosis of a life into another. Short FictionCounting To A Hundred by Aishatu AdoThe Last Two Gardeners of Mars by Irene W. CollinsSnow, Stars, Stone by Ariel Marken JackOf Flowers and Snails by Allie LeighAfter Ever, Happily by Elis MontgomeryHow Grey was my Valley by M. J. PettitLooped by Nadia RadovichAt the End of the World, Meet Me By the Vending Machines by Catherine Tavares Poetrygrotto by Leah DuarteI Consult a Spiritualist by Merna Dyer SkinnerOn Time We Have Spent by Holly EastonMissing You, No Matter Where I Am by Anna MaddenFive of Us by Jayasri Sridhar Non-FictionSee You After Dark (When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder) by Laura DeHaanVolunteering Something of Myself by Monique Cuillerier Heartlines Spec is a speculative magazine focused on long-term friendships and relationships. It's the comfort of the known, the fierce hug of someone that knows you best. We are a primarily a Canadian magazine, looking to feature writers identifying as being from Canada/Turtle Island. Issues are produced three times a year: February, July, and November.