Asa

Ranking the Pain of Stinging Insects, From ‘Spicy’ to ‘Shockingly Electric' Remembering one passionate entomologist who poetically described and classified more than 70 species' painful stings.

And if you’d like to know more about Justin Schmidt and his pain index for insect stings, here’s a neat read to start you off!

www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the...

The Schmidt Pain Index: A Love Story Every insect was a chalk outline of agony / defined, evaluated, ranked / by how much it hurt

Do you love bugs? I love bugs. They’re basically tiny living poems.

Anyway, here’s a new poem about these neat little guys, and how much loving things hurts.
(As always, mind the trigger warnings. And if you have entomophobia, definitely give this one a pass.)

strangehorizons.com/wordpress/po...

Thank you for your kind words! I’m sorry you are haunted too.

POETRY by Asa Delaney The Schmidt Pain Index: A Love Story  Quote "Every insect was a chalk outline of agony defined, evaluated, ranked by how much it hurt" 24 March 2025 Strange Horizons

The Schmidt Pain Index: A Love Story 
by Asa Delaney @unlikelyasa.bsky.social

"Every insect was a chalk outline of agony
defined, evaluated, ranked
by how much it hurt"

Read the full poem at the link to the latest issue in our bio!

If you like horror and/or poetry, check out my ghostly "For Poppy" at @apparitionlit.com

But please mind the trigger warnings—I don't want to hurt you more than you want to be hurt.
apparitionlit.com/for-poppy/

The Fire Poems - Small Wonders You can still see what it looked like before the fire. / The outline of it is still seared into the sky

Step into the ashes (mind the nails, though) and visit the house that burnt down in "The Fire Poems" by @unlikelyasa.bsky.social:

smallwondersmag.com/...

Candy - Testimony Of The Accused & Black Plastic Bags — Creepy Candy - Testimony Of The Accused *** Written By: Atfil and Narrated By: Alicia Atkins *** Content Warning: Dangerous Weight Loss Methods, Sleazy Main Character, Teenage Death *** Black Plastic...

New short #horror story out on #CreepyPod! Listen wherever you get your #podcasts!

And no trigger warnings on this one! It’s family-friendly*!

www.creepypod.com/episodes/202...

*only if your family likes horror

A color photo of library shelves filled with books, behind a tabletop with an open book, beneath an insert, containing a black and white photo of Andrea Junker, to whom the accompanying quote is attributed: "If you're afraid that books might change someone's thinking, you're not afraid of books, you're afraid of thinking."

A gentle reminder:

"If you're afraid that books
might change someone's thinking,
you're not afraid of books,
you're afraid of thinking."
~Andrea Junker

:-)}

White text "Free to read online!" on black stripe at top. White text "ISSUE 27: ANACHRONISM" on black stripe at bottom. Black text "FOR POPPY Asa Delaney" on light blue stripe in middle. Thin black border. Background is a zoomed-in crop of cover art by Annalise Jensen (close-up sections of green plants, purple and rose gold wallpaper, and figures' grey and purple clothing).

Free to read online today!

"For Poppy" by Asa Delaney @unlikelyasa.bsky.social

apparitionlit.com/for-poppy

You can get Issue 27: Anachronism and support Apparition Lit at apparitionlit.com/issues!

Oh! It looks like there's a free audiobook version on (United States) Audible! I think that might be a pretty neat way to experience it, if you're into that. :)

Excerpt from "sorry" in "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" a choreopoem by ntozake shange Reads: “lady in blue one thing i dont need is any more apologies i got sorry greetin me at my front door you can keep yrs i dont know what to do wit em they dont open doors or bring the sun back they dont make me happy or get a mornin paper didnt nobody stop usin my tears to wash cars cuz a sorry i am simply tired of collectin ‘i didnt know i was so important to you’ i’m gonna haveta throw some away i cant get to the clothes in my closet for alla the sorries i’m gonna tack a sign to my door leave a message by the phone ‘if you called to say yr sorry”

Excerpt from "sorry" in "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" a choreopoem by ntozake shange Reads: "call somebody else i dont use em anymore’ i let sorry/ didnt meanta/ & how cd i know abt that take a walk down a dark & musty street in brooklyn i’m gonna do exactly what i want to & i wont be sorry for none of it letta sorry soothe yr soul/ i’m gonna soothe mine you were always inconsistent doin somethin & then bein sorry beatin my heart to death talkin bout you sorry well i will not call i’m not goin to be nice i will raise my voice & scream & holler & break things & race the engine & tell all yr secrets bout yrself to yr face & i will list in detail everyone of my wonderful lovers"

"and their ways i will play oliver lake loud & i wont be sorry for none of it i loved you on purpose i was open on purpose i still crave vulnerability & close talk & i’m not even sorry bout you bein sorry you can carry all the guilt & grime ya wanna just dont give it to me i cant use another sorry next time you should admit you’re mean/ low-down/ triflin/ & no count straight out steada bein sorry alla the time enjoy bein yrself"

The world seems a little bleak right now, so here's my first Bluesky reminder that "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" by ntozake shange exists.

This piece and others like it can still speak to you even if you (like me) are not who it's technically for.

Issue 27 cover peeled back to reveal text: "There’s magic in a lot of places. Aden doesn’t know that a talking bird is more magical than the rest of it." - ANOTHER OLD COUNTRY by NADIA RADOVICH

ISSUE 27: ANACHRONISM available July 15th!

With fairy tale vibes, three stories weave together and explore the anachronism theme on multiple levels in "Another Old Country" by Nadia Radovich @nadiaradovich.bsky.social

Issue 27 cover peeled back to reveal text: "Trauma inhabits a body the way a ghost inhabits a home" - FOR POPPY by ASA DELANEY

ISSUE 27: ANACHRONISM available July 15th!

The anachronism theme brought us such varied, unique takes. We are in love. Leading up to the Issue 27 release, we'll share excerpts from the poems and stories.

This poem pulls no punches. Get ready.
"For Poppy" by Asa Delaney @unlikelyasa.bsky.social

Congrats!

ALT: lavender background with image of issue cover, brown text “TABLE OF CONTENTS! CREATORS: Asa Delaney, Ayòdéjì Israel, Cass Wilkinson Saldaña, Coby Rosser, Kelsea Yu, Leah Ning, Mary Soon Lee, Mykki Rios, Nadav Schul-Kutas, Nadia Radovich.” Cover art by Annalise Jensen @may12345.bsky.social

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ANNOUNCING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR ISSUE 27: ANACHRONISM!

POETRY:
Asa Delaney “For Poppy” @unlikelyasa.bsky.social
Ayòdéjì Israel “Experiencing Grief Amidst Aliens”
Coby Rosser “Light Lies”
Mary Soon Lee “The Archive of Birds”
Mykki Rios “Galatea Pt II”

Hi, I'm Asa.