Fantastic Fiction at KGB is a monthly speculative fiction reading series held at the famous KGB bar in NYC, and hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel. Some of our past readers include N.K. Jemisin, Joe Hill, Jeffrey Ford, Scott Westerfeld, Kelly Link, China Miéville, Nancy Kress, Paul Tremblay, Joyce Carol Oates, Samuel R. Delany, Holly Black, Michael Swanwick, Kit Reed, Peter Straub, Catherynne M. Valente, Jeff VanderMeer, Scott Lynch, Elizabeth Bear and many other talented authors.
Audio from Sept 9th, with Jeffrey Ford & John C. Foster
Here’s the audio from the Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading, with guests Jeffrey Ford & John C. Foster, recorded live at the KGB Bar on September 9th, 2026.
Support the Fantastic Fiction at KGB series by clicking here! (https://gofund.me/7c171ebc)
(https://bookshop.org/p/books/pandemonium-waltz-jeffrey-ford/2890309706ac8779?ean=9781590217863&bkshp-astro=t)
Jeffrey Ford
Jeffrey Ford is the author of five novels The Physiognomy, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, The Girl in the Glass, The Shadow Year, and Ahab’s Return. His short stories are collected in eight books, the most recent being Big Dark Hole and The Pandemonium Waltz (https://bookshop.org/p/books/pandemonium-waltz-jeffrey-ford/2890309706ac8779?ean=9781590217863&bkshp-astro=t). Ford’s fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies from Reactor.com to McSweeney’s to The Oxford Book of American Short Stories and been widely translated. It has garnered World Fantasy, Nebula, Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, Hayakawa, and Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire awards.
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(https://bookshop.org/p/books/final-boys-john-c-foster/131ae18572210d8e?ean=9798218774820&bkshp-astro=t)
John C. Foster
John C. Foster is a writer of horror and crime fiction in Brooklyn, New York and has been afraid of the dark for as long as he can remember. He is the author of ten novels, including Final Boys (https://bookshop.org/p/books/final-boys-john-c-foster/131ae18572210d8e?ean=9798218774820&bkshp-astro=t), Hate House, and Leech. His short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies including Dark Moon Digest, Strange Aeons and Lost Films, among others. Find him on most social media platforms at johnfosterfic for updates on writing and his pitbull Coraline.
1 Sept 2026
Audio from August 12, with guests Suzanne Palmer & Kailee Pedersen
The following audio was recorded live at the KGB Bar on August 12th, 2026, with guests Suzanne Palmer & Kailee Pedersen
Support the Fantastic Fiction at KGB series by clicking here! (https://gofund.me/7c171ebc)
(https://bookshop.org/p/books/ode-to-the-half-broken-suzanne-palmer/c25293d2e12b9a50?ean=9780756419585&bkshp-astro=t)
Suzanne Palmer
Suzanne Palmer has won Hugo Awards for her novelettes, “The Secret Life of Bots” and “Bots of the Lost Ark”, and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for her novella Waterlines. Her latest novel, Ode to the Half-Broken (https://bookshop.org/p/books/ode-to-the-half-broken-suzanne-palmer/c25293d2e12b9a50?ean=9780756419585&bkshp-astro=t), is a standalone SF tale about a retired old war mech living in the old Botanical Garden in the ruins of New York City. She also completed her four-book series, The Finder Chronicles, about an interstellar repo man. She is currently working on new things, both short and long, as one does.
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(https://bookshop.org/p/books/sacrificial-animals-a-novel-kailee-pedersen/3c7d99648106284d?ean=9781250328267&bkshp-astro=t)
Kailee Pedersen
Kailee Pedersen is the author of queer poetry chapbook Pastorale and the Midwestern Gothic novel Sacrificial Animals (https://bookshop.org/p/books/sacrificial-animals-a-novel-kailee-pedersen/3c7d99648106284d?ean=9781250328267&bkshp-astro=t), which was named one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2024 and a finalist for Best Horror at the 2025 Libby Book Awards. Adopted from Nanning, China, she works as a software engineer and opera singer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel.
15 Jul 2026
Audio from July 8th, with Sam Rebelein & Victor Manibo
Here’s the audio from the July 8th, 2026 Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series, with guests Sam Rebelein & Victor Manibo, recorded live at the KGB Bar.
Support the Fantastic Fiction at KGB series by clicking here! (https://gofund.me/7c171ebc)
(https://bookshop.org/p/books/galloway-s-gospel-a-novel-sam-rebelein/e126077f045932bb?ean=9780063423954&next=t)
Sam Rebelein
Sam Rebelein writes and teaches in Poughkeepsie, NY. His fiction has appeared in PseudoPod, The Deadlands, Bourbon Penn, Press Pause Press, Ellen Datlow’s prestigious Best Horror of the Year, and elsewhere. His first three books (The Poorly Made and Other Things, Galloway’s Gospel (https://bookshop.org/p/books/galloway-s-gospel-a-novel-sam-rebelein/e126077f045932bb?ean=9780063423954&next=t), and the Bram Stoker award-nominated novel Edenville) are all set in the fictional world of Renfield County. His sci-fi horror chapbook Meatship is also available from Rapture Publishing. For more about Sam’s work, and pictures of his scruffy pooch Frodo, follow him on Instagram @rebelsam94.
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Victor Manibo
Victor Manibo is a Filipino novelist living in New York. He is the author of the science fiction novels The Sleepless and Escape Velocity, and the crime thriller Dead Note. His first horror novel, The Villa, Once Beloved (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-villa-once-beloved-victor-manibo/1aa2d757aa1c0daa?ean=9781645661382&next=t), is out now from Erewhon Books. Aside from his books, he also spins fantastical tales in his career as a lawyer. Find him online at victormanibo.com and on most social media platforms @victormanibo.
Inside a recent episode
Audio from March 16th with Rio Youers & David Nickle
Published 25 Mar 2016 · Transcript excerpt
[…] The mayor's cousin explained the rules then as he has at each subsequent Thursday. One, there are only ever two combatants in a knife fight, and each combatant is allowed a knife. Two, the knives are to be provided by the combatants in a keen, clean condition, free of rust, other objects, scissors, hammers, axes, surgical instruments, shall not be considered knives for the purposes of the knife fight. Three, combatants shall arrive, stripped to the waste, and well -labricated so as to keep knife fight from becoming a wrestling match, which is unseemly. Four, goose fat is considered an acceptable lubricant for the purposes of a knife fight. […]
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