Angela Liu

2026

“What We Mean When We Talk About The Hole In The Bathroom”
– love, marriage, and liminal spaces
Uncanny Magazine Issue 69
– narrated (with an interview) in Uncanny Podcast 69A

“The Island of Sea Turtles and Blood”
– a horror story about a remote island where everything is beautiful and delicious
Apex Magazine Issue 152

“The Doll Problem”
– a flash story about when a doll you’ve never seen before appears on your couch
Nightmare Magazine
– also narrated by Si Chen on the Nightmare podcast

“Spinal Tap”
– spinal taps and candy
The Commuter (Electric Literature)

“Firecrackers on 28 Mott Street”
– a group of kids sneak into the last alchemy shop in Chinatown
Cast of Wonders
– Reprinted from Worlds of Possibility

2025

“Empire State of Mind”
– what if the most popular song in the country was slowly driving you insane (literally)?
Shadows and Signals: Speculative Mysteries (Frivolous Comma)

“How To Set Up Your Mourning Robot”
Lightspeed Magazine
– reviewed in Locus

“Barbershops of the Floating City”
– in a world when you can relive your favorite memories through haircuts, who are the people who cut the hair?
Uncanny Magazine Issue 64
– Interview about the story here
– 1st Place in Uncanny Magazine’s 2025 Reader Poll
– recommended on Vanessa Fogg’s April – June 2025 Short Fiction Recs
– recommended on Tar Vol on
– recommended on The Bad Grammar Bulletin
– Longlisted for BSFA Awards

“Brainstem Disco, 2191”
– a story that explores the link between memory and music (with its own mini soundtrack)
Clarkesworld Issue 224
– Audio version here
– recommended on The Bad Grammar Bulletin
– reviewed on Locus
– reviewed on SFRevu

“Swallow Test”
Nightmare Magazine Issue 155
– recommended on Vanessa Fogg’s July – August 2025 Short Fiction Recs

“The Philosophical Quandaries of Meeting Your Doppelganger in Moonshine City”
– what if you keep seeing your doppelganger in advertisements? what if the new mall elevator dropped you off on a strange secret floor?
The Dark Magazine Issue 118
– Reprinted from Escalators to Hell: Shopping Mall Horrors Anthology

“KAOSU, The Last Moving Country in the World”
– a story about dark tourism, influencers, and what to do for that one million-Likes shot
Cast of Wonders
– Reprinted from Dark Matter Magazine #16

“The Day We Returned to Sunnytown“
Fusion Fragment Issue 15
– a sci-fi mystery about 90s/00s Internet culture, childhood love, and how to let go
– recommended on Nebula Suggested Reading List

“Pinocchio Photography”
Clarkesworld #198
– If you could take a photo with any loved one, dead or alive, who would it be? A sci-fi story about capturing the photographic moments we always wanted that never actually happened. Inspired by the B&W albums my parents brought when they immigrated to the US
– reviewed/recommended at Locus
– recommended on Nebula Suggested Reading List
– recommended on 2023 Locus Recommended Reading List
– German translation in Ihr Körper, das Schiff
– reviewed at Tar Vol on
– reviewed at Tangent Online
– reviewed at SFRevu
– reviewed at The Grimoire Reliquary

“The Time Traveler’s Cookbook”
Cast of Wonders 533
– a time traveler journeys throughout history in search of her mother’s favorite foods
– reviewed at Maria Haskin’s Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Short Fiction Round-up – April 2023
– recommended on Vanessa Fogg’s March – April 2023 Short Fiction Recs
– recommended on Nebula Suggested Reading List
– Longlisted for BSFA Awards

“Imagine: Purple-Haired Girl Shooting Down The Moon”
Clarkesworld #201
– inspired by the early days of Midjourney, this is a cyberpunk story that imagines what happens to art in a world where everyone just wants to escape
– 2024 Nebula Award Finalist
– 2024 Ignyte Award Finalist
– recommended on Nebula Suggested Reading List
– Clarkesworld 2023 Reader Poll Finalist (3rd Place)
– Longlisted for BSFA Awards
– Polish translation in Nowa Fantastyka

“Kwong’s Bath”
khōréō
– All dreams come true for those who ascend to the Floating City, but at what price? A fantasy about siblings, familial responsibility, and the ghosts we all live with.
– reviewed/recommended at Locus
– recommended on Vanessa Fogg’s July – September 2023 Short Fiction Recs
– recommended in A.C. Wise’s Favorite Fiction of 2023
– recommended on Tar Vol’s 2023 Recommended Reading List
– recommended on 2023 Locus Recommended Reading List

“KAOSU, The Last Moving Country in the World”
Dark Matter Magazine #16
– a story about dark tourism, influencers, and what to do for that one million-Likes shot

“The Koji Show”
Ghoulish Tales #1
– a comedy-horror about a misfit acting troupe, loosely inspired by the yokai story of Kohada Koheiji
Order the retro-style magazine or ebook here.

“The Cursed Universe Inside Your Eye”
Fantasy Magazine
– flash story about a mother, a daughter, and a familial curse
– Longlisted for Wigleaf Top 50 2024
– reviewed at Maria Haskin’s Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Short Fiction Round-up – September 2023

“The Looking Glass Pillow”
NEVER WAKE Anthology, Crystal Lake Publishing (September 2023)
– Buy the collection here (read for free with Kindle Unlimited)

“Devouring the Starry Night”
Dark Matter Magazine #17
– a dark fantasy about a monster living in Van Gogh’s most famous painting
Order the physical magazine: here

“Happiness Quality Quotient”
Fission #3
– a woman’s first job evaluation in a strange town
– Get a copy of the ebook here

“Salt Girl”
Uncharted Magazine
– folktale-ish dark fantasy about a girl obsessed with her father’s eerie salt garden
– 2023 Pushcart Prize Nominated
– Best of the Net Nominee
– Check out my Uncharted interview where I talk about the inspirations and writing process for this story.
– recommended on Nebula Suggested Reading List
– recommended on Horror Writers Association’s The Seers’ Table January 2024

“Time Is An Ocean”
Strange Horizons
– a time traveler love story
– audio version here
– highlighted in Strange Horizon’s 2023 Year in Review

“Dead Zone Ferns”
Martian Magazine

“The Last Gamemaster in the World”
Clarkesworld #207
– recommended on Locus
– reviewed at Tar Vol on
– reviewed at The Grimoire Reliquary

“The Specimens of Red Hill”
Dark Matter Magazine #18
Pre-order here