On Sale September 2026! “Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn, Vol. 2"!

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In an exciting 164-page anthology, more than 60 emerging and established voices of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, horror, and other genres join to deliver fresh visions and explorations regarding the “forgotten” terrain and deep recesses of the American Midwest!

“This new volume of monstrous mayhem builds upon the chaos and dark mysteries of the first,’” writes anthology editor Randy Brown. “King Kong scoops the Loop on an L-Train skateboard! Four kaiju take on the faces of Mount Rushmore! A catfish Siren haunts and hunts the local rivermen!”

The book “Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters, Vol. 2”  collects nearly 70 short poems and 400-word narratives of mythic beasts that illuminate, celebrate, or challenge stereotypes of Midwestern identity. Sections of the new anthology tentatively include:

  • Fiends & Neighbors: Were-hogs and Hodags and Bigfoot, oh my!
  • Towns Without Pity: Giant monsters attack the block, while haunted houses beckon!
  • Black Roads & Murky Waters: Get out of the lake!
  • Deepest Darks & Far Afields: Things sure are weirder than they used to be!

To motivate other writers, veterans, and readers, the anthology includes 7 pages of discussion-starters and prompts, for use in writing workshops, book clubs, and other gatherings.

The first volume of the “Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn” anthology series is here at this link.

Randy “Sherpa” Brown is the past editor of “MIDWEST FUTURES: Poems and Micro-Stories from Tomorrow’s Heartland” (2025) and “Giant Robot Poems: On Mecha-Human Science, Culture & War” (2024). His other editorial credits include the anthologies “Things We Carry Still: Poems & Micro-Stories about Military Gear” (2023), and “Why We Write: Craft Essays on Writing War” (2019). He is a member of the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA), and lives and works in Central Iowa.

Starting SEPTEMBER 2026:

Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters (164 pages, Middle West Press LLC), available in a $19.99 trade paperback edition through Amazon and other booksellers, as well as a $9.99 Kindle e-book edition exclusively via Amazon.

“Middle West Press LLC (www.middlewestpress.com) is a Johnston, Iowa-based editor and publisher of non-fiction, journalism, and poetry. As an independent micro-press, we publish one to four titles annually. Our projects are often inspired by the people, places, and history of the American Midwest.”

To connect with us via social media, visit: https://linktr.ee/middlewestpress

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