AJ Wentz

@ajwentz.com

1666 Followers 1758 Following

Writer of speculative poetry and prose | not hip, cool, or with it | words in Lightspeed, Modern Haiku, Dreams & Nightmares, and elsewhere | co-chair for the 2026 Rhysling Awards | member of SFPA and Haiku Society of America | ajwentz.com

Cat on a couch playing with a strawberry ribbon toy
Closeup of a branch of a foxglove tree/princess tree, which has purple trumpet-shaped blossoms and round seedpods.
A coffee shop with antique furniture. A small television is playing Jurassic Park. A latte topped with rose petals is on a glass coffee table.
Three stacks. One stack of hardcover books (mostly Anne McCaffrey), one stack of paperbacks (mostly McCaffrey, Vonda McIntyre, and Star Trek), and one complete set of Star Trek TNG DVDs.
Cat curled up in a cat bed on a desk. Bookshelves in the background.
Cat cowering under the couch, looking past the camera
A small turtle held aloft by a careful hand. The turtle is not happy, but they are being safely carried to their intended destination.
Cat stretched out on a quilt draped over a lap. The cat is twisted as though in the middle of rolling over, ans she is squinting blearily at the camera.
Screenshot of a received text message: “Does anyone else keep thinking of Hieronymus Bosch”
Cat on the floor of a screened-on patio, next to the screen, dozing in a sunbeam.
On a wicker table sits a book open to “Gooseberries” by Chekhov and a glass of lemonade with a whale on it that says “it’s okay.” In the background is greenery from the backyard.
The camera is looking over the shoulder of a housecat in a screened-in patio. The cat is looking at a small black snake that one can just make out in the grass if you look closely.
AJ (wearing a black fascinator) petting a puppy. The puppy is lying on the back of the couch AJ is sitting on and resting her head on AJ’s shoulder.
AJ on a stage reading from Ways We Vanish by Todd Dillard
close up of multicolored rose bouquet
Two drinking glasses, one featuring Arcanine and the other Snorlax. A t-shirt with Gengar on it, and a white hoodie that says “GOTTA CATCH” on the breast and with Pikachu on the sleeve.
A handwritten copy of Mary Oliver’s “I go down to the shore” next to a latte. Poem text: I go down to the shore in the morning and depending on the hour the waves are rolling in or moving out, and I say, oh, I am miserable, what shall— what should I do? And the sea says in its lovely voice: Excuse me, I have work to do.
A chalkboard sidewalk sign that reads “Indie Bookstore Day April 25.” The sign is in front of Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Patrick Stewart in Macbeth, holding up a bloody hand
Picture of a television playing the Artemis II livestream.
Picture from the camera on the Integrity solar array, showing Integrity, the Moon, and a crescent Earth all in the same shot
A picture looking up at a cat lit from below. The cat is sitting but leaning down, staring intently
Rise, the Artemis II mascot, a small plush moon wearing the earth as a baseball cap, positioned next to the “Earthrise” photo.
The jester from Galavant gazing happily into the distance
Cat sleeping in a cat bed that is atop a desk. In the background, a bookcase.
Cover of Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou, a red book featuring a sketch of a woman’s head hanging from the title by her hair.
Cover of Garth Nix’s Sabriel depicting Sabriel in her blue abhorsen’ tunic and the bells. A shadowy figure is reaching out for her with a clawed hand.
Bookstack! A Suit or a Suitcase by Maggie Smith; Seasons of Glass & Iron by Amal el-Mohtar; Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher; Whidbey by T. Kira Madden; and Trace Elements by Jo Walton and Ada Palmer.
A cat on a quilt, her paws stretched toward the camera, her eyes looking up at the person behind the camera
a manta ray at an aquarium
picture of a street, the yellow lines pointing toward a golden sunset cutting through the fog. In the distance, past an overpass, trees are shrouded in mist.
“It makes no damn sense / compels me though” meme
Henri Fuseli’s The Nightmare.
Picture of AJ at a cafe, with a cup of coffee and a notebook in front of her. Her pen is poised over the notebook. The picture cuts off before showing her face.
A cat giving a strong side-eye/glare
AJ taking a selfie in front of a screen that says “Apple Blossom Poets”
Screenshot from a weather app: Severe Weather Alert Special Weather Statement Severity: Moderate Possible threat to life or property Weather Event Onset 1:17 AM (CST), February 19 Description Expect south to southwesterly winds around 10 to 20 mph by Thursday afternoon with some gusts in excess of 30 mph at times. Very dry air will be located over the area with minimum afternoon RH values between 15 to 30 percent. This will make it possible for wildfires to ignite and spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. If a wildfire is observed, report it by dialing
A red-pink cocktail with a thick layer of foam in a coupe glass. There is a red swirl pattern on the top.
A whiskey glass on a table. In the background. a stage lit with string lights
A graphic that looks like a receipt. Neon text surrounds the receipt: 2025 Poetry The receipt itself reads: AJ Wentz's 2025 Poems “Girlie-Pop Cyborgs Dream of Revolution,” Eye to the Telescope, Issue 58 “The World Is Ending, but the Drive Thru Is Still Open on Broadway and Eighth,” Star*Line, Volume 48, Issue 1
A flyer with flowers: Little Rock, Arkansas Monthly event Apple Blossom Poets Poetry Workshop Join us for a morning of poetry in which we exchange feedback on one another's work. 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM FEB. 21 2026 Room 502 Arminta Berry Room CALS Main Branch
A stack of books on an armchair next to a plush owlbear: The Fourth Island Spindle an Dagger Strange New World Through Gates of Garnet and Gold Ghostly Bat Eater
a three-year old in the most 90s windbreaker track suit lying on her stomach with her chin in her hands while reading a magazine. Beside her is a plush polar bear wearing christmas pajamas
a curly-haired toddler in a watermelon romper clutching a stuffed bunny and grinning mischievously
Hand holding a candy heart that says “Buzz off,” but “buzz” is on the edge of the candy, and it kind of looks like it says “fuck off.”
A hand holding up a class of whiskey. In the background, a television is playing Star Trek: Voyager. A cat is on the lap.
Photo of a painting hanging on a wall. The painting is of a figure approaching a lake in the middle of a forest. At the center of the lake is a sword, but the sword is being held by a skeleton. Look closer, and the area surrounded the lake is full of bones.
AJ Wentz’ poetry (speculative) "Girly-Pop Cyborgs Dream of Revolution" Eye to the Telescope Issue 58 "Pareidolia; or, Seeing What Has Never Been" Hot Springs Poetry Festival Zine "Waxwing" Hot Springs Poetry Festival Zine "The World Is Ending, but the Drive Thru Is Still Open on Broadway and Eighth," Star*Line Volume 48, Issue 1 "Are We Saying the Same Thing?" Celebrate Discovery "The Cybernetic Brain Did Not Cure My Anxiety" Celebrate Discovery "The Weight of All These Stares" Celebrate Discovery "Uhura" Celebrate Discovery
A cocktail in a stemless wine glass on a table with a bowl of fake pomegranates, a candle, and a sign declaring the event to be “Bright Nights” at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
Closeup of a charcuterie board with three cheeses
A young AJ wearing black and white and standing in front of a white brick wall
Cat on a quilt, looking up into the camera
Hand holding up a berry cocktail in a coupe glass in front of Twilight
A latte in an earthenware mug with rose petals sprinkled on top next to an open laptop at a coffee shop. The name of the shop “Rose Garden Market & Co.,” is on the wall.
Screenshot of a tumblr post: bluecoolkind: pop culture intertextuality is just so damn *fascinating* today a parody movie (50 shades of black) comes out, based on the 50 shades of grey movie, which was based on the 50 shades book, which was based on twilight, which was somewhat based on interview with the vampire (which anne rice based on an earlier short story she wrote), which was based on Dracula and other vampire stories, which originally came from Dr. John Polidori's The Vampyre (even though Vampires were a thing in folk tales before then, he was the one who made them all classy, etc.) so really, like so many things, this is all Lord Byron's fault. theaudientvoid: It is kinda funny how two different staples of the horror genre (the vampire and the mad scientist/monster combo) both have their origins in the horrifying experience of being trapped in a cabin with Lord Byron.
A copy of the Hot Springs Poetry Festival zine next to Persephone the cat
A copy of Acorn: a Journal of Contemporary Haiku on the ground surrounded by acorns and autumn leaves.
Two woman dressed as Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars from the cover art for “Die with a Smile”
AJ and friend recreating the album art in the second picture
dewy web strung across branches diamonds at her throat