Apex Magazine is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine featuring original, mind-bending short fiction. EDITORIAL Words from the Editor-in-Chief—Jason Sizemore FICTION Stars So Sharp They Break the Skin — Matthew Sanborn Smith Mother Jones and the Nasty Eclipse — Cherie Priest Cherry Wood Coffin — Eugenia Triantafyllou Luisah's Church — Nisi Shawl Fifteen Minutes Hate — Rich Larson Cold Blue Sky — JE Bates NONFICTION Interview with Matthew Sanborn Smith — Andrea Johnson Interview with Cover Artist Anna Dittmann — Russell Dickerson How I Learned to Follow My Own Advice and Let It Go — Tobias S. Buckell Signal Intrusion — Kirk Jones COLUMNS Between the Lines with Laura Zats and Erik Hane Page Advice with Mallory O'Meara and Brea Grant