“The New Bedlam Project” is a web zine based around the town of New Bedlam and its inhabitants.  Each short story or poem tells a tale of this strange, haunted, and possibly cursed small town.  The stories vary in length between one screenful of text and several pages.  If you like horror or dark, urban fairy tales, you’ll probably find something here to enjoy. 

There are currently three issues posted online.  New readers may want to start with “Through New Bedlam” by Jodi Lee, which is in the first issue.  The piece is short but it sets up the mood of the collection and gives the reader insight into what the various writers are trying to accomplish.

The third issue has one poem and 8 short stories.  The first story is “The Grass is Always Greener”.  It’s a very short, urban horror story about a travelling salesman confident of selling his dictionaries to the school and all the writers living in the town.  Unfortunately, the denizens of New Bedlam don’t take kindly to strangers.

“This Town Hides an Inferno” is the longest story.  It stars a preacher with a past but without a church, the local tart with a heart of gold, and a mysterious stranger who comes to town.  The characters are well-drawn and the ending leaves as many questions as answers.

“Bluebeard’s Daughter” is the kind of dark fairy tale that could take place in a town like New Bedlam.  There’s not much action but the point of view is interesting.

I finished the issue in a few hours but fortunately there are currently 2 other issues online.  If you enjoyed “Eerie, Indiana” or like short stories in a horror vein, you’ll probably find several you’ll enjoy in these collections.  New Bedlam is an interesting town, although strangers would be advised to pass through it fairly quickly.

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