debut short story collection told in prose, comics, canvas & photography, themed around the lure of black holes and their unforgiving boundaries.
From the 2022 Chautauqua Janus Prize winner Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos comes a
Sci-Fi, Sensual & Literary
Event Horizon:
Stories of No Turning Back
“Compelling scientific and emotional explorations that raise the question: What awaits us when we cross the line?…All should prove a delight for SF aficionados.”—Kirkus Reviews
Event Horizon: Stories of No Turning Back is a prose-driven collection of stories themed around the astrophysical phenomenon of black holes and their unforgiving boundaries of “no return”—their event horizons. What arises is a tantalizing question for characters grappling with cosmic decisions in their lives, whether in their living rooms, on space stations or exoplanets: what awaits on the other side of the “event horizon”? An array of celebrated artists help answer this through the sequential art of comics, canvas work, and photography. The collection is introduced by comics, prose and astrophysics academia.
244 pages full color: 6 prose stories with art. 3 short comics. 1 one-shot comic (25 pages). 3 letters of introduction by literature and astrophysics academia. Original canvas work. Original photography throughout. Publication date: 15 Dec 2024
Whether courage, resignation, or lust, you’ve crossed the line. Don’t buckle up—seat belts don’t work here.
This book is like you being characters in THE EXPANSE reading bell hooks while sipping a drink at a bar in an asteroid belt with Neil DeGrasse Tyson next to you pointing out some intergalactic sh*t going down in the constellation next door, while your mom is calling you cosmic-collect to remind you of the reality of your messy life back on Earth as you feel the woman on the other side of you slowly running her crystal stiletto heel up your leg.
“Compelling scientific and emotional explorations that raise the question: What awaits us when we cross the line?… Pitsirilos has assembled an eclectic roster of creators from many different mediums, resulting in a work that is diverse in both forms and perspectives… All should prove a delight for SF aficionados.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Yes, we write Sci-Fi, too! By having the courage to place Latinx feminist issues in space and in futuristic settings, Pitsirilos has lifted Latinx literature from the flat earth most of our fiction is set.”
—Ernesto Quiñonez, author of Bodega Dreams
“Event Horizon’s stunning kaleidoscopic and alchemical admixtures of image and word build storyworlds that radically opens our mind-bodies to a future not weighed heavy by failures of the past, but rather that guide us toward thrivance in our collective dreaming of Latinx futurities.”
—Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama, award-winning author of over 50 fiction, comics, animation shorts, and scholarly books.
“Event Horizon transcends traditional storytelling, creating a kaleidoscopic experience that blends scientific curiosity with profound human insights. Stephanie’s ability to navigate the complexities of astrophysical phenomena and existential dilemmas makes this collection a must-read for science fiction and literary art fans. The book promises a journey as unpredictable and mesmerizing as the cosmos itself, encouraging readers to reflect on their own “event horizons” in life.”
—Barney Smith, Story Comic
“Much like the title, reading this collection is a breaking point into the un/known. Is it a black hole? A supernova? A solar flare? This is a remarkable collection of bright visionary talent. When you started reading, it was the past, and when you finish reading this collection, you will be in the future; these stories will linger on and light new paths.”
—Shamika A. Mitchell, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief, WinC Magazine
More about the stories
ANDROMEDA. ART BY SETH MARTEL. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN. COMIC. The human space age is sparked when nine cosmic mermaids descend from the Andromeda Galaxy and leave an indelible mark on the hearts of sailors. First published in Mermaids Monthly, 2021.
SPACE INVADERS. ART BY AARON GUZMAN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN. PROSE. “Staying hit wasn’t supposed to bank me a high score.” A nurse confronts her fertility, estranged mother and assault—as she cares for an elderly holdout in gentrifying El Barrio. Arcade pop culture, women’s bodies, and Puerto Rico’s history of colonization and resistance.
51 SOLSTICE. ART BY RAFAEL ROMEO MAGAT. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN. COMIC. Jay is taken through summer nostalgia and fantasy as he lives life on a space station in the Pegasus constellation—with some planet hopping, and love. First Published by Women in Comics 2022.
THE EVENT DON JUAN OF MYCELIA. ART BY ANTON OXENUK OF MAGNUS ARTS. PROSE. A fungoid Casanova with quantum mechanical hyphae is ravaging the galaxy’s hearts, and star maps. Belise sets out to find the elixir for her family’s generational heartache to restore her planet’s map making mastery. This story is also republishing in Not Your Papi’s Utopia: Latinx Stories of Radical Hope (Mouthfeel Press, 2024).
IN THE NAME OF LOVE. ART BY ERIC NGUYEN OF MAGNUS ARTS, LETTERS BY GABRIELA DOWNIE. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN. COMIC. A man’s words reveal his heart. His actions reveal his desires. Love in the time of holograms.
THE FOLD. ART BY CRIS DELARA OF MAGNUS ARTS. PROSE. A couple decides where their journey together ends when a new frontier in space opens up—humanity’s farthest jump into a new constellation.
WATCH OUT FOR BLACK HOLES. BLACKBOOK ART BY TRACY 168.
CAPICÚ. ART BY AARON GUZMAN. LOGO BY KRONIKO. COMIC. A mineral in the moon’s Sea of Islands mends the Achilles heel of human DNA—aging—offering clones a lifespan long denied. How long can the Antillano family leverage this secret before the world discovers that the end of human fertility has birthed the beginnings of human immortality? Chapter zero of the graphic novel KLON. 25 page one-shot comic.
GUMERCINDA’S FLOWER. PHOTOGRAPHY BY UNKNOWN & CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN. FLASH PROSE. Eight minutes and twenty seconds to find the rogue flower of Spring. First published in WinC Magazine, YEAR.
GALAXIES, BLACK HOLES, AND HORIZONS. CANVAS ART BY TRACY168.
ORTEEZ FUNERAL HOME. COVER ART BY ANTON OXENUK OF MAGNUS ARTS. STORY ART BY AARON GUZMAN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN. PROSE. A meteorite delivers Nephrim the girl of her dreams, and a funeral package.
EVENT HORIZON SPAGHETTIFICATION. CANVAS ART BY BLUSTERONE.
EVENT HORIZON. COVER ART BY CRIS DELARA OF MAGNUS ARTS, STORY ART BY ARMANDO RAMIREZ. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN. PROSE. A spin around the roller rink expands a woman’s boundaries to a new horizon. In a century that worships fantasy image, Alita confronts the woman she is, putting together the pieces of her mosaic: what it means to love like Venus.
PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN. CANVAS ART BY ANDROMEDA.
Subject Interests: Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Latinxfuturism, Latino Literature, Women’s Fiction, Nuyorico, Puerto Rico, Greece, Space, Black Holes, event horizons, astrophysics, astronomy, Short Stories, photography, style writing, graffiti, abstract art, comics, human sexuality, love stories, romance.
THE BOOKS
The books are designed after a black hole. They feature full art from cover to back (because images crossing over an event horizon appear frozen in time to an observer (you, the reader). The only information you’ll find on the back cover is a barcode (that’s Hawking Radiation; the tiny information that “emits” out). Book blurbs are tucked inside the book on endpapers (just past the event horizon). Book design by Aaron Guzman.
Hardcovers (6.75″ X 9.5″ in size) and digital. In addition to our lead cover by Karen S. Darboe, in the spirit of multiverses, parallel universes and comic book culture: we have two additional cover variants to make three versions of hardcover by an electric team of artists, each offering something special! Some are limited prints. Kickstarter backers received exclusive digital cover variations to the book.
Our main Karen S. Darboe cover is hardcover with foil stamping accentuating the body outline and inner world, hand energy burst and body grid of Alita, in glowing matte yellow.
The Armando Ramirez-Galen Ihlenfeldt hardcover offers blue and white electrified customized endpapers in both print & digital.
The BLUSTERONE hardcover is a limited print run of 100, featuring art from original commissioned canvas work (30” X 20” ACRYLIC AND BLACK GESSO ON CANVAS) printed on textured paper for the feel of a canvas work. The style-writing GoodStrange vibe of the canvas art of this unconventional cover paired with its texture makes this the artists’ book of the Event Horizon collection.
Take a look inside the book
ISBNs
HARDCOVER PRINT
Karen S. Darboe Hardcover ISBN 978-1-958077-01-6
BlusterOne Hardcover ISBN 978-1-958077-02-3
Armando Ramirez Cover ISBN 978-1-958077-09-2
DIGITAL:
Karen S. Darboe Cover Adobe PDF: ISBN 978-1-958077-03-0
EPUB: ISBN 978-1-958077-07-8
BlusterOne Cover Adobe PDF: ISBN 978-1-958077-08-5
Armando Ramirez Cover Adobe PDF: ISBN 978-1-958077-10-8
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Pitsirilos, Stephanie Nina, author.
Title: Event horizon : stories of no turning back / Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos.
Description: New York, NY: Janus Point Press, 2024.
Identifiers: LCCN: 2024911712 | ISBN: 978-1-958077-01-6 (hardcover) | 978-1-958077-02-3 (hardcover)
| 978-1-958077-09-2 (hardcover) | 978-1-958077-03-0 (pdf) | 978-1-958077-08-5 (pdf) | 978-1-958077-
10-8 (pdf) | 978-1-958077-07-8 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH Short stories, American. | Science fiction. | Literary fiction. | BISAC FICTION / Science
Fiction | FICTION / Short Stories | FICTION / Literary
Classification: LCC PS3616 .I87 E84 2024 | DDC 813.6–dc23
Meet the Artists
BlusterOne; Cyrus Amir Boquín; Karen S. Darboe; Cris Delara; Gabriela Downie; Aaron Guzman; Galen Ihlenfeldt; Kroniko; Rafael Romeo Magat; Seth Christian Martel; Eric Nguyen; Anton Oxenuk; Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos; Armando Ramirez; Tracy168.
ARTISTS
BLUSTERONE
CYRUS AMIR BOQUÍN
KAREN S. DARBOE
CRIS DELARA
GABRIELA DOWNIE
AARON GUZMAN
GALEN IHLENFELDT
KRONIKO
RAFAEL ROMEO MAGAT
SETH CHRISTIAN MARTEL
ERIC NGUYEN
ANTON OXENUK
STEPHANIE NINA PITSIRILOS
ARMANDO RAMIREZ
TRACY168
Whether on canvas, paper, clothing, or hard hats… James Alicea has some GoodStrange vibes going on with his style-writing infused art. Canvas work and Cover Artist for Limited Hardcover.
Community physician by day, photographer by… night? Co-publisher of Janus Point Press who captured some of the narrative photography and pin-up you see in here.
(Magnus Arts). Exquisite illustrator of comics, especially women (Marvel, Boom Studios, Dynamite). The cover artist for Event Horizon’s lead hardcover.
(Magnus Arts). Illustrator, painter and pin-up artist of numerous comics covers and oil painting portraits. You see that Wonder Woman she did for DC?! Story art.
Illustrator and letterer. As patrons of style-writing aka graffiti, we appreciate some good letters. Letterer for comics (DC), including one of ours.
Where to start? Graphic designer, illustrator, graphic artist… Tag teams with cousin Stephanie often for comics. Our everything designer and illustrator for numerous works.
Pin-up artist, colorist, indie game developer. Our colorist for the internal art and variant cover art by Armando Ramirez.
Luis “Güillo” Cruz Martes is a graphic designer, muralist, plastic artist. Logo development for KLON.
Illustrator of comics with some fine lines (2021 winner Mad Cave Studios Talent Search, FutureQuake, Birds of Prey, WinC, Mad Cave Studios). Illustrator.
Graphic designer, illustrator, author (The Mare, Graphic Mundi). Also often tag teams with Stephanie for comics and book design. Illustrator and graphic designer for the Event Horizon Cocktail menu.
(Magnus Arts). Sought-after illustrator of comics (Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse) and you’ll see why when you see his work here.
(Magnus Arts). Wicked illustrator and painter of fantasy. Especially lovely with steam. Story art.
Stephanie’s critically acclaimed work can be found in numerous anthologies, magazines, co-creator platforms and artists’ book form. She is the recipient of the 2022 Chautauqua Janus Prize for her story “Jean”. Her creative mediums are prose, comics, graphic novels, and zines. Home is New York City. Writer and Co-publisher.
Illustrator with bad-a** lines and inks. Variant cover art and story art.
The legendary Wildstyle Lovesterone, an “old-timer” legend of NYC’s graffiti scene. Abstract canvas work, black book message. We love you, Tracy. A website with links to articles on his life, and some interviews.
With introductions by:
Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama (Professor Latinx). An award-winning author of over 50 fiction, comics, animation shorts, and scholarly books. He is an inductee of the National Cartoonist Society, Texas Institute of Letters and Ohio State University’s ODI Hall of Fame. He is founder and director of the Latinx Pop Lab and holds the Jacob & Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas, Austin.
Dr. Marcel Agüeros. Professor of astronomy at Columbia University who enjoys tackling classic questions in stellar evolution and examining the environments that stars like the Sun create for their planets. Recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Barack Obama.
Dr. Mariana Espinosa Aldama. Physicist, visual artist, and science researcher specializing in communicating cosmology, gravitation, and foundations of physics through images and data visualizations. Member of the Mathematical Modeling of Social Systems Department at the Research Institute on Applied Mathematics and Systems at UNAM.
109 enthusiastic book fans and generous humans “backed” Event Horizon on Kickstarter with $12,077 in preorders and investment in our artists and imprint. We were funded of our goal within one hour of launch, and highlighted by the platform with a coveted “Project We Love”. You can still visit the campaign page to see how we launched this book.
These are some exclusive giveaways our Kickstarter backers will receive for preordering the book in launch stage. Make sure you don’t miss our next campaign by joining our newsletter.
Interviews