About our authors, artists, and the work they create

About Ben Wan

Ben Wan is a cancer survivor who’s been making the most out of his second chance at life. Aside from writing, he’s a former musician who’s performed in Carnegie Hall, a black belt in Kung Fu San Soo, and a coach for Become Sharp in helping introverted clients succeed succeed with dating, confidence, and social skills. He’s currently the co-host and “Man Who Knows Too Much About Batman” for the podcast Superhero Stuff You Should Know, where his cat Alfie makes cameo appearances.

www.benwanwriter.com, @SuperHousePod

Ben Wan’s story “Shortcut to Happily Ever After”
in Metaphorosis Friday, 7 April 2023.
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It came from Mande Matthews

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Mande Matthews’s story “For the Love of Wild Things” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 9 September 2022. The first inkling: I have long been fascinated with permaculture and food forestry, though, I fear, my thumb is blacker than night. I read once that fairies will help you in your garden, though none have bestowed their blessings on mine. Perhaps they see me as the plant murderess that I am. I’m not giving up, though, …

A question for Danny Menter

Q: Are you an outline or discovery writer?

A: A little bit of both, to be honest. I generally start with an image or scene, then work outwards from there. I’ll have a general idea of where the story is headed based on the characters, and plot, but I almost never outline specific scenes. Most of the fine tuning comes later, when I see the fleshing out that characters need, or if there are any glaring plot holes. Especially in a first draft, I like to see where the story wants to go on its own with as little guidance from me as possible, although lately I’ve been playing with prompts and other constraints as a way to prime the engine. Being able to bounce ideas off some kind of boundary, whether that be a word limit, plot detail, or form, can be a lot of fun.

Danny Menter’s story “Pain Eater”
in Metaphorosis Friday, 24 March 2023.
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It came from B. Morris Allen

B. Morris Allen’s story “To the Wild Sea” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 2 September 2022.

September 2022

I woke up one morning with the whole central poem in my head, drawn from a dream I couldn’t remember, except that it had something to do with telepathy. Now, I recognize that I’m not a great poet, but this poem was so clear in my head that I wanted to do something with it, and I formed the story around it. Some readers have found the ending too subtle (or too opaque), but I’d note note that the world it takes place on is all about assimilation. Sarosh’s husband may not quite as completely vanished as it seems. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to notice.

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A question for Michael Barron

Q: What tools do you write with?

A: I do most of my writing early in the morning (it’s not that unusual for me to wake up around 4:00). My typical writing setup is, a mug of black tea on my left, my long-haired orange cat (usually still asleep) on my right, my laptop on my lap, often with the lofi hip hop radio station playing in the background. Also, I need to acknowledge all the authors who have inspired my recent writing: T. Kingfisher, Becky Chambers, Stephen Graham Jones, Chuck Wendig, as well as countless others who have been published in all the sci–fi / fantasy collections I have read.

Michael Barron’s story “River’s Song”
in Metaphorosis Friday, 17 March 2023.
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About Danny Menter

Danny Menter grew up in Central Florida, fled to Madrid after graduating from Florida State University, and currently lives outside of Chicago, Illinois. He is a teacher by day, and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction.

 @MenterDanny

Danny Menter’s story “Pain Eater”
in Metaphorosis Friday, 24 March 2023.
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