Biome

Earth is dying and humans have reached Mars. But is this a step into the future? Or will these dreams be dashed like so many before them?

Morning, Noon, and Night: A Portrait of Mars is by J. M. Williams

J. M. Williams is a writer and music educator in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where he lives with his wife and their cat. He can be found in person at local cafes, bookstores, and movie theaters, and in most places online @JMWwrites. His short fiction has previously been published by The Saturday Evening Post, Macabre Magazine, and Manawaker Studio's Flash Fiction Podcast, and he is currently querying his debut novel.

Find J. M. Williams at jmwilliamswrites.com, as well as Instagram and Bluesky @JMWwrites.

I deeply appreciate your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

When a petroglyph goes missing, Julie feels powerless to help. But when she comes across a Chepi desperately trying to get by in a world that has brushed aside Native spirits, Julie must choose whether she is ready to make the kind of sacrifice she has long avoided.

Green Up in Aisle Thirteen is by Sarina Dorie

Sarina Dorie has sold over 280 short stories to markets like Analog, Asimov’s, Daily Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, and F & SF. She has over one hundred books up on Amazon, including her bestselling series, Womby’s School for Wayward Witches.

The best way to stay in contact with Sarina Dorie, hear about what she is writing, know when she has a new release, or books offered for free on Amazon is by signing up for her newsletter. You can find info about her short stories and novels on her website.

www.sarinadorie.com

Sign up for Sarina's newsletter here: https://sarinadorie.com/newsletter-sign-up

I deeply appreciate your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

In a fate worse than death, Benny is buried alive by his gang on Halloween night. What happens next is stranger and more chilling than he could have dreamed.

The Box Born Wraith is by Kevin David Anderson

Kevin David Anderson is a genre-bending author celebrated for blending horror and comedy, most notably in his breakout cult classic Night of the Living Trekkies. His unique work has gained such cultural traction that it became required reading for university-level "zombie apocalypse" courses. Beyond novels, Anderson's short stories have been published in 60 anthologies, 30 magazines, translated into several languages, and adapted into audio by award-winning podcasts.

Follow him on www.kevindavidanderson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinDavidAnderson/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevindavidanderson/

I deeply appreciate your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

When they die, they go to the Glasshouse. Sofia cares for the dead - those with loved ones and those without, cultivating beauty in the soft, slow decay.

The Glasshouse is by Thane Hespera

​Thane Hespera is a Vietnamese fiction writer with a deep passion for speculative horror, dark fantasy, and surreal ecosystems. Their stories often explore the delicate intersections of human grief, memory, and transformation.

I deeply appreciate your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

Drought has left the land brittle and parched - a controlled burn is needed to restore the land to balance. The only problem? Flora's abuela has left notes that the Cinderbloom, possibly the very last of its kind, lies at the heart of the land about to go up in flames.

Cinderbloom is by Cristina Farinas

Cristina is a Florida-based writer whose work often explores themes of environmental and wildlife conservation, belonging, and journeys of self-discovery. Her short fiction has been recognized in competitions, including winning the 2026 MagicFest Mock Event and shortlisting in the 2026 Parsec Short Story Contest. Her stories are published or forthcoming in Certain Age, 101 Words, Rat Bag Lit, and Quotidian Bagatelle. A passionate storyteller, Cristina also enjoys photography, hiking, and curating her travel blog, Wander Florida.

Follow her on her socials:

https://www.instagram.com/what.cris.writes/

https://bsky.app/profile/criswrites.bsky.social

I deeply appreciate your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

The old Swamp Witch is dead. What hope does her apprentice, Reed, have of filling such big shoes?

Instructions for a Swamp Witch Funeral is by JA Logwood

JA Logwood can be found lurking in the woods of New England where she's raising feral children and friendly goats with her wife. She adores speculative fiction, cozies of any genre and all things queer. Her work has appeared in A Coup of Owls, Rat Bag and Pulp Literature.

Find her at @jalogwood.bsky.social

I deeply appreciate your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

War-forged but vulnerable, wise with the memories of another life, another body, a tiny alien returns to its own kind. But can it keep the pieces of itself long enough to share the tale of its lost progenitor? Should it even try?

Homecoming by Proxy is by Erin Cullen

Erin Cullen is a neuroscience researcher and speculative fiction writer based in New York City. Erin’s writing has appeared in various magazines and anthologies plus scientific journals even experts only look at for the pictures. Erin is nominally on BlueSky @erinrcullen.bsky.social but more often coming up with excuses to be offline and outdoors.

I deeply appreciate your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

J. M. J. Brewer, author of the unsettling "Anemone" (Season 1, Episode 7) joins us for a fascinating conversation about trauma, pain, and its expression in fiction.

Support Biome on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BiomeSpec

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Make sure to also check out our most recent written interview with Toshiya Kamei:

https://www.patreon.com/BiomeSpec/posts/interlude-1-161022506/

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

How does Biome pick the stories we publish? What's the value of prizes and recognition?

Your host and Biome editor Alex Zoubine discusses the value of curation and prizes in Sci-Fi and literature more broadly

Check out the Biome submissions portal here if you're curious: https://biomespec.wordpress.com/submissions/

Learn more about the Hugo Awards in Science Fiction: https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2026-hugo-awards/

Learn More about the Nebula Awards here: https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2025/

And of course, check out the official Nobel Prize website here: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/

Check out our recent interviews with some of our Season 1 authors:

Jordan Hirsch: https://www.patreon.com/BiomeSpec/posts/interlude-1-161200342/

M.D. Smith IV: https://www.patreon.com/BiomeSpec/posts/interlude-1-m-d-162930361/

Grigory Lukin: https://www.patreon.com/BiomeSpec/posts/interlude-1-165750671/

Toshiya Kamei: https://www.patreon.com/BiomeSpec/posts/interlude-1-161022506/

Have questions, comments or thoughts? I'd love to hear from you: [email protected]

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

What do ancient trees say when you can finally listen in on their conversations? Just as he is about to retire, an old forester finds out.

Vote (for free) for your favorite Season 1 story here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/157737523 and drop us a line at [email protected]

Old Growth is by Steve Zisson

Steve Zisson is a biotech journalist whose fiction has appeared in Nature’s Future, Daily Science Fiction, and Little Blue Marble, among other places. He edited a science fiction anthology, A Punk Rock Future. He lives north of Boston.

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

Rosita boils with fury and has nowhere to put it. So when a hurricane comes bearing down on her beloved city, she does the only logical thing: she steals her dads' airship and flies straight into it.

Vote (for free) for your favorite Season 1 story here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/157737523 and drop us a line at [email protected]

Storm Chaser is by Toshiya Kamei

Toshiya Kamei (she/they) is a queer Asian writer who takes inspiration from fairy tales, folklore, and mythology.

This story originally featured in Worlds of IF Magazine: https://worldsofifmagazine.com/

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

New Orleans has always had its share of darkness. Tarantulena and her cat, Bright Eyes, have seen it all. When poison starts felling the city's finest families, the witch sets her trap - and something older and more evil takes notice.

Vote (for free) for your favorite Season 1 story here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/157737523 and drop us a line at [email protected]

Bright Eyes and the Lantern Path is by M. D. Smith IV

M.D. Smith IV of Huntsville, Alabama, writer of over 350 flash stories, has published digitally in Spillwords, Flash Fiction Magazine, Flash Phantoms, and many more. Retired from running a television station, he lives with his wife of 64 years and three cats.

Find more of his work at: https://mdsmithiv.com/

If you loved this story and want to read another Bright Eyes story, check out:

"They Don’t Walk Alone" here: https://literallystories2014.com/2026/03/29/sunday-whatever-they-dont-walk-alone-by-m-d-smith-iv/

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

Strange growths appear where violence has happened. Everyone can see them. Not everyone wants to. This is a story about what we do with the things we can't pretend away.

Join us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/ and drop us a line at [email protected]

Anemone is by J. M. J. Brewer.

J. M. J. Brewer is a staunch supporter of nature conservation. His cats are named after lyrics in John Prine, Guy Clark, and Little Feat songs. You can find more of his fiction at jmjbrewer.com.

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

Ship-heart-girl. Hero. Legend. They're making a movie about her and she's earned every frame of it. So why does Alice - new and naive - feel like a threat?

Join us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/ and drop us a line at [email protected]

The Girl Who Shouted ‘Yes!’ at the Heart of Her Ship is by River S.

River is a YouTuber and writer far too obsessed with giant machines and the fragile people who pilot them. Their analysis on the mecha genre can be found on their YouTube channel Pyramid Inu. Currently they are working on a novel that combines their love of mecha angst, realpolitik, and weird fiction.

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

Contaminated pods get destroyed. No exceptions. That's what she wrote. That's what she's transmitting to Harlan, hundreds of years from Earth, along with one quiet addition: she was wrong.

Join us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/ and drop us a line at [email protected]

The Pull of the Dough is by Nicholas Packwood

Nicholas Packwood has taught narrative design in Game Design at George Brown Polytechnic, Toronto since 2009 and been program coordinator for Screenwriting & Narrative Design since 2015. Currently on hiatus, he appears to be taking refuge in Quaker body horror.

Special thanks to our Biosphere Patreon supporter Shanella!

Planetary Administrator Worthington built the perfect system for eliminating every last invasive species from the planet. It worked exactly as designed.

Join us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/ and drop us a line at [email protected]

After You Catch Them All is by Grigory Lukin

Grigory Lukin (rhymes with "story" and "win") is an award-winning filmmaker and an internationally published author of fiction and nonfiction. He’s also a vagabond with three passports and far too much free time. His writing has appeared in Phano, The Colored Lens, and multiple anthologies. He enjoys pastries, museums, and hiking from Mexico to Canada. His secret lair is in Montreal. Find him at www.linktr.ee/grigorylukin

Find and follow Grigory on:

Blog: http://grigorylukin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellamellowfellow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grigory.lukin

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/grigorylukin.bsky.social

Every marriage has moments where you wish your partner were a little different. Marge never expected to be handed the list.

Join us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/ and drop us a line at [email protected]

The Winnowers is by Christopher Thomas

Christopher Thomas lives in eastern Kentucky and has published short fiction in the Los Angeles Review, The Eckleburg Review, Eclectica Magazine, WENSUM and elsewhere. He has one published novel, Never Sated, Never Sane (Chromium Press, 2005).

Check out more of Christopher's work at: https://www.chillsubs.com/profile/cadamt

Support us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes:

https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/

Or give us a tip on buymeacoffee.com/biomespec.

Every dollar helps us bring you more stories.

Share your thoughts with Biome! Reach us at [email protected]

She crossed the stars to start over. She didn't expect the planet to give her daughter back to her — even if only for a moment on the petals of a flower.

Join us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/ and drop us a line at [email protected]

Find Me Again is by Nissa Harlow

Nissa Harlow lives in British Columbia, Canada where she dreams up strange stories and writes some of them down. Her short fiction has appeared in Rat Bag Lit, Scary Stories Whispered in the Rain, and Tales from the Crosstimbers.

Find Nissa on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nissaharlow/

Substack: https://nissaharlowauthor.substack.com/

Website: https://nissaharlow.com/

In a cracked and thirsty land, a doubting monk learns that divine wisdom doesn't always announce itself — sometimes it just grows quietly.

Join us on Patreon and get early access to all episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/biomespec/ and drop us a line at [email protected]

Writing on the Wall is by Jordan Hirsch

Jordan Hirsch writes speculative fiction and poetry in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her debut poetry chapbook Both Worlds is available with Bottlecap Press, and Four Women of Saint Paul--a collection of short fiction--is out with Red Bird Chapbooks. Find more at jordanrhirsch.wordpress.com.

Follow Jordan on:

Bluesky: [email protected]

Instagram: @writejordanwrite