Two Short Stories For Nebula Award Consideration

Author Michael H. Hanson would like to promote two of his science fiction stories that were published this year to all Members of the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) for consideration toward the 2026 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.

“After The Bomb” was published in THE JUNK MERCHANTS: A Literary Tribute to William S. Burroughs, Volume 1, on June 24, 2025.

Something unimaginable has happened. A nuclear weapon has been detonated over New York City. It kills millions of innocent non-combatants. The sick, radiation poisoned survivors crawl out of the rubble to rebuild society only to realize an unbelievable truth. The world has not gone to war, only New York City was attacked, but for some nightmarish reason the outside world never comes to New York’s aid. All communication from outside New York has been cut off. Massive impenetrable steel and concrete walls have been erected around the city, and anyone who attempts to leave the city, whether by land, sea, or air is instantly targeted and killed. All appeals for help from New York City’s survivors are ignored. This daily horrifying mystery is just the background for a tale of impossible survival and desperately clinging to crumbs of hope to make it from one day to the next.

“Shopping With Umbillica” was published in THE JUNK MERCHANTS: A Literary Tribute to William S. Burroughs, Director’s Cut, on October 7, 2025.

An unusual man suffering from a macabre bout of parasitism lives a bizarro life in a weird, psychedelic, futuristic city. The mere act of going to a local grocery store becomes a trippy, sensory overlord for a protagonist forced to ingest a wide variety of designer drugs to counteract a host of psychological and physical ailments. Perhaps this protagonist’s greatest challenge is interacting with a world that is one part surreal fantasy, and one part deceptive death trap.