The Heartbeat of the Universe collects poems from the top writers in the science fiction and literary genres, including voices such as Jane Yolen, Bruce Boston, Robert Frazier, Jessy Randall, and many others. These poems, selected by editor Emily Hockaday from the pages of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine and Analog Science Fiction and Fact over the past decade, examine the Universe’s smallest particles and largest astral phenomena. These poems travel through time, speak to and from the dead, explore the body and quantum physics, all depicting the human condition and allowing readers to learn more about their universe and themselves. The book is available to preorder from Interstellar Flight Press.

There will be a virtual release party/reading on April 4 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Central via Zoom. Register free at Eventbrite.

Featured Readers

• Jane Yolen
• Ian Goh
• Robert Frazier
• Mary Soon Lee
• Kristian Macaron
• Annie Sheng (D.A. Xiaolin Spires)
• Josh Pearce
• Holly Day
• Jackie Sherbow
• Leslie Anderson
• Timons Esaias
• Ashok Banker
• Jessy Randall
• Stewart C Baker

Advance praise for The Heartbeat of the Universe: Poems from Asimov’s Science Fiction and Analog Science Fiction and Fact 2012–2022 edited by Emily Hockaday.

Connie Willis: When I first started reading science fiction as a teenager, I always loved discovering the occasional poem tucked in among the short stories and novelettes in the Year’s Best collections, and I was so happy when Analog and Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine carried on the tradition of including poetry in their definition of what science fiction could be.  And now this!  It’s a true delight to see so many wonderful poems in one place!  And such an infinite variety!  There are poems here exploring virtually everything you can think of: —aliens, ants, quantum entanglement, grocery stores, 1950s sci-fi movies, math, music, Marie Curie, the National History Museum, messages from (and to) the dead, and poetry itself—and ranging from the elegiac to the soaring, the nostalgic to the futuristic, the harsh to the contemplative.  A truly galactic collection of science fiction’s best poems and poets!

Fran Wilde: The Heartbeat of the Universe gathers poems into a story of the world, past, present, and future, as seen through sound and rhythm, wonder and science. It is a collection that spins and weaves—using both experimental and formal structure—a core connectivity: that we are all, each of us, in every moment, speculative and liminal, and the poetry that recognizes this is truly special. My heartfelt congratulations to the authors and editors of this magnificent book.

Bryan Thao Worra, former SFPA President (2016-2022): This collection constitutes an important step in keeping our appreciation of speculative poetry alive and well, with a remarkable sampling of the diverse voices and approaches poets featured in Analog and Asimov’s over the past decade. In an age when so many challenge the role of poetry in science fiction and fantasy, the editors have taken great care to remind us of how much has been achieved, and how more is yet possible. A commendable achievement, and I look forward to returning to this collection in the years ahead.

Table of Contents (Click for larger image.)