Rock and a Hard Place Press is a lit-noir publisher, focused on stories of struggle, tales of the powerless and marginalized, characters on the fringes of society … and what they do next.
“Did you know a young boy drowned? His name was Jason . . . You see, Jason was my son. And today, is his birthday.” — Pamela Voorhees, Friday the 13th
It feels like maybe we’ve done this a dozen times before, and maybe we have. But the Rock and a Hard Place crew is excited to once again announce the publication of their latest issue — this time, Issue Number 13!
And while we would have loved to make this an all-Jason Voorhees issue (there were plans), it would have been tone-deaf to release the latest issue of our socially conscious literary magazine without acknowledging the context of the United States of America’s spiral into a fascist hellscape.
As we mentioned in our newsletter (why aren’t you already signed up for our newsletter?), we’re extra-proud of this issue because it represents the ongoing quest for art in the face of relentless, oppressive stress in the real world. There’s value in storytelling during times of fear, stress, and apparent totalitarianism. Through storytelling, we can reconnect to our lost humanity, pushed aside during a natural fight or flight survival response, and we can speak to (or rage against) the times in which we live.
We hope you’ll pick up this latest issue and enjoy the stories within. And make sure to check out that “Fun w/ RHP” feature while you’re at it!
On the topic of socially conscious crime fiction, next month, we’ll be opening for a special themed anthology, guest edited by Curtis Ippolito, on climate change crime fiction! Check out the call for submissions, and get your tales of heists and hurricanes ready to submit. You don’t want to miss being a part of this short story collection!
And if you’re still itching for more opportunities to send us your work, of course there’s always our monthly Stone’s Throw stories. Our next prompt is a doozy — a Hector-Acosta-inspired prompt for crime fiction inspired by pop punk or pro wrestling.
Thanks for being a part of our RHP community, and look for more exciting news about planned projects for the year coming out shortly!