Coming Soon: Basil, Pepper, Salt, and Garlic Greens: A Year in a Witch's Kitchen

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Dragonstairs Press (whose creator, editor, and sole proprietor, I feel obliged to occasionally mention is Marianne Porter) is releasing a new chapbook this Saturday at noon, Philadelphia time (EDT). It's a lovely creation--handstitched, numbered, and signed, in an edition of 80. The wrapper is Thai mulberry paper with incursions of flower petals. 

The story, written by yours truly, is a gentle Medieval fantasy in four rounds, all narrated by Auld Agnes, a witch and a brilliant cook rapidly approaching thirty years of age. 

Here's how it begins:

Basil

Sumer is icumen in

Lhude sing cuccu

—Medieval English Round

Ah, me dears, but when the weather turns into a blistering heat that coats a body in sweat, that's when a cook is at her best. Listen carefully to Auld Agnes. Though I am twice a widow and almost at an age when a woman turns crone and thus unmarriageable, I know my way around a hearth. And life too, for that matter.

Cooking in summer is easiness itself. Fruits and nuts fall from the trees, vegetables burst from the earth, and rabbits, squirrels, and other wildlife blunder into snares without a second thought. Songbirds can be caught with quicklime, plucked, roasted, and eaten cold for breakfast. If you have a milch-cow, as I do, your table will groan under the weight of butter and cheese.

In summer, the laird of the estate is at his least difficult...

And since you ask . . .

The chapbook will go for $11 shipped domestically or $13 shipped internationally.  PayPal only. At 

www.dragonstairs.com. 

Best set your alarm clocks, though. Dragonstairs chapbooks sell out fast.

And though you didn't ask . . .

I really like Auld Agnes as a character. She's capable, outspoken, direct, and a tireless worker. And not one bit more ruthless than a woman occasionally has to be in this difficult world of ours.

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A New Dragonstairs Chapbook, Huzzah!

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Friends of Dragonstairs Press should set their alarms early. Marianne has crafted a beautiful chapbook for a short medieval fantasy by her in-house content provider (me). The fiction chapbooks always sell faster than the non-fiction ones, so I expect this will sell out very quickly.

It goes on sale next Saturday at noon, East Coast time.

Here's the letter that Marianne just sent out to her regular clients:

Michael Swanwick's Basil, Pepper, Salt, and Garlic Greens: A Year in a Witch's Kitchen is a spicy, even saucy, medieval romance, full of useful advice from a woman who knows her way around a hearth, and life, too, for that matter. Issued in an edition of 80, each copy is 5 ½ x 4 ¼ and wrapped in Thai mulberry paper with flower petal inclusions. All are handstitched, numbered, and signed by the author.
They will be offered for sale on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at noon, Philadelphia time (eastern daylight savings) at the Dragonstairs website. www.dragonstairs.com

Shipped domestically, $11.

Shipped internationally, $13.

--

Marianne Porter (she/her)

editor, publisher

Dragonstairs Press

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Big Huge Tachyon Memorial Day Weekend Sale Blah Blah Blah

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Tachyon Publications, publisher of my brilliant and wildly entertaining short story collection, The Universe Box, has a sale this weekend. Twenty percent off of anything and everything when you use the magic code above.

And here I'm supposed to tell you how wonderful I am, blah blah blah.

But I won't. Instead, I'll suggest you go to their home page here and browse their catalog. Because Tachyon publishes a lot of the best SF and fantasy writers at work today, and if you're at all familiar with the field, you're going to find something you want.

I found two books I plan to buy--and that was on the first page only.

Oh, and Tachyon Publications also published most of my previous collections. So, you know, blah blah blah.

And because I know you're curious . . .

No, I won't tell you which two books. I know what writers are like. If I told you, every other writer on that page would conclude that I hated them and that their career was over.

You probably think I'm kidding. But I'm not even exaggerating.

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LOONG'S TALES, edited by Lynn Sun

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Look what came in the mail! A beautifully designed and made (my photo does not do it justice) copy of Loong's Tales, edited by Lynn Sun, from the Eastern Wood publishing house in Singapore. This is the English translation of an original anthology of dragon-themed science fiction stories recently published in Chinese.

There are many different dragons in Chinese mythology, the greatest and most benevolent of which is the loong. As a note in the book says:

This is a book about the Chinese dragon. Unlike dragons in Western mythology, the loong is partnered with auspicious clouds. A symbol of fortune, wisdom, and prosperity. It is a pillar of strength in the heart of the Chinese people.

I received this copy because I had the honor of writing an introduction to the book. I wrote it in part because Ms. Sun, whom I know and respect, asked me to. And in part because I like and admire the Chinese people as a whole. But mostly because I believe the Chinese science fiction community is a force for good, and that works such as this one help to, in Lynn Sun's words, build bridges between China and the world.

The stories herein are:

Regarding Why Humans Have to Seek Dragons by Baoshu (translated by Heather Wang)

Becoming a Dragon by Wang Xiaohai (translated by Wang Xin)

Are You Aware of the Dragon's Transformations? by Zhan Baitang (translated by Deng Weitian)

The Last Speech by He Jianhong (translated by Lina Shiting Lu)

Report on the Origin and Utilization of the Loong Meme by Xinfeng Xike (translated by Xueting C. Ni)

You can find Eastern Wood's website here.

And since I know you're curious . . .

Here's a statement of purpose for Eastern Wood I found online:

Our co-founders, Hans [Lee] and Lynn [Sun], are science fiction enthusiasts and are fluent in both Chinese and English. Well-versed in the Chinese sci-fi genre space, they found it meaningful to create a platform for Chinese sci-fi writers to publish their stories and reach an international audience.

As a Singaporean brand under Potato Productions, we have greater freedom and objectivity in assessing the works we receive, allowing us to bring the best of Chinese sci-fi to readers. In bridging Chinese sci-fi with the English-speaking market, we hope to showcase authentic glimpses into Chinese culture as well as the modern technological advancements of the East.

I am old enough to remember when Nixon first went to China and it first became possible for an American to see how people lived there. And I am young enough to look forward, with hope and optimism, to the major changes still happening in that once ancient and now modern land.

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