"Knapsack Poems: A Goxhat Travel Journal" is a 2002 science fiction short story by

Eleanor Arnason Eleanor Atwood Arnason (born December 28, 1942) is an American author of science fiction novels and short stories. Arnason's earliest published story, "A Clear Day in the Motor City", appeared in '' New Worlds'' in 1973. Her work often depicts cu ...

. It was first published in ''

Asimov's Science Fiction ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine edited by Sheila Williams and published by Dell Magazines, which is owned by Penny Press. It was launched as a quarterly by Davis Publications in 1977, after obtaining Isaac ...

''.

Synopsis

The multiple bodies of a traveling Goxhat poet find themselves in a very dangerous situation.

Reception

"Knapsack Poems" was a finalist for the

Nebula Award for Best Short Story The Nebula Award for Best Short Story is a literary award assigned each year by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy short stories. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a short sto ...

of 2002,Knapsack Poems
at

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...

; retrieved May 2, 2021 and included on the Honor List for the 2002

Otherwise Award The Otherwise Award, originally known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science ...

.2002 Honor List
at the Otherwise Awards; retrieved April 15, 2022 ''

Strange Horizons ''Strange Horizons'' is an online magazine, online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry and non-fiction in every issue, including reviews, essays, interviews, and roundtables. History and profile It was launched in S ...

'' emphasized that the story demonstrates "the ability

f science fiction F, or f, is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets influenced by it, including the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of all other modern western European languages. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounce ...

to imagine the world in some other way,"''Mammoths of the Great Plains'' and ''Tomb of the Fathers'' by Eleanor Arnason
reviewed by Kelly Jennings, at ''

''; published August 16, 2010; retrieved April 15, 2022 while the ''

SF Site ''SF Site'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine edited by Rodger Turner. It is among the oldest of websites dedicated to science fiction and primarily publishes book reviews. It has won the Locus Award and received nominations for ...

'' noted its "relentless humour and strangeness".The James Tiptree Award Anthology 3
reviewed by Jakob Schmidt, at the ''

''; published 2007; retrieved April 15, 2022 ''

Tangent Online ''Tangent Online'' is an online magazine launched in its online incarnation in 1997, though it began as a print magazine in 1993. ''Tangent Online'' is edited by Dave Truesdale, with web-hoster Eric James Stone. The magazine covers reviews of sc ...

'' praised its "imagination" and "sly comments about the life of a poet", calling it "so much fun to read".Asimov’s, May 2002
reviewed by Nancy Jane Moore, at ''

''; published April 2, 2002; retrieved April 15, 2022

References

External links

*{{Isfdb title, 100460
Text of the story
in '' Lightspeed'' Works originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction