#canberra writes

[fionnmacpherson]

It’s time for another Lost Souls: Macabre Dreams event! This time it’s exploring the beauty and struggles of caretaking, and how art and especially dark and challenging art can help us find ways to explore our feelings and emotions.

Hosted by yours truly! If you’re in Canberra and want to come along, here is a link for the details and tickets!

The Horror of Care - Readings and Music

Not all creativity heals, but sometimes it can bring a strange kind of peace. And even new ways of seeing and being in the world.

[fionnmacpherson]

It’s award season! I have one story eligible for Best Short Story in the 2026 Ditmar Awards.

‘Bottom Feeders’ was published in Issue 02 of Lost Souls Magazine, and was shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for Best Short Horror Fiction! I am also eligible for Best New Talent if anyone felt like casting a vote in my direction!

I also have to shout out the CSFG anthology ‘Never Say Die’ which I helped bring together and features a whole cast of amazing writers! Not to mention the amazing cover illustration by Maddison Lee which is eligible for Best Professional Artwork!

You can vote for the awards using this form: https://form.jotform.com/260567334914865

If you’re not sure if you’re eligible to vote, TR Napper has done a great blog post about it here: https://nappertime.com/ditmar-voting-is-open-and-you-can-nominate/

Happy voting everyone!

[fionnmacpherson]

Do you want to read a ghost story?

So excited to have had my story ‘Margaret Wakes Up on the Sofa’ published by Banksia Journal! One of the first stories I ever put up for critique and I’m so happy that it’s found a home.

You can read it here: https://banksiajournal.com/margaret-wakes-up-on-the-sofa/

Margaret Wakes Up on the Sofa | Banksia Journal

Margaret rose to consciousness reluctantly, heavy with the weight of slumber. She blinked as her eyes slowly remembered how to see.

[fionnmacpherson]

Something wicked this way comes…

Lost Souls is excited to announce our upcoming event Spellbound! This will be a night of exploring the ties that bind us, and the dark magic in our covens and communities.

It will also be the launch of Issue 03 of the magazine! This issue means a lot to me, it was the first that I edited all of the fiction pieces. You guys are in for a treat with this one.

A huge shout out to our performers, @chpearcewrites, Americo Alvarenga, Imogen Wall, Megan Cook, and Maddie Jiang. I can’t wait to see what dark arts they will weave for us.

You can get tickets here:

https://events.humanitix.com/spellbound-readings-and-music-lost-souls-macabre-dreams

Spellbound - Readings and Music (Lost Souls/Macabre Dreams)

Would you like to try living deliciously? Want to gather with others venerating the gods of old? Join us for a taste of witchy readings and