If you look around this site, you’ll find a collection of my recent and archived works, as well as a few links to some other websites. Hang out, check some pages, and see if there’s anything you like. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think of what you find or what you might like to see.
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Author’s Biography (Yes, this is written in the third person, strange, I know, but this is how it’s done.)
Kenneth D. Reimer lives on the Canadian Great Plains with his wife, Lisa, and a cat named Nazca who likes to bite him on the leg. He has three degrees, including a Master’s in English. He enjoys meditation, and whenever possible, he travels the world and attempts to record its wonders. His favourite art form is the short story, but he enjoys writing non-fiction and poetry. When inspiration strikes, he takes on the challenge of longer fiction, ranging from novelettes to novels. He has had short works published in a variety of magazines and anthologies including The NightWriter Review, The Genre Society, Whiskey Tit, Four Tulips, The Saint Katherine Review, The Brussels Review, Scribeworth Magazine, Across the Margin, Graveside Press, and LitBop: Art and Literature in the Groove. Zero Time, his novel of time travel, is available on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. Some of his spoken poetry, as well as travel videos, can be found on YouTube at the Kenneth D. Reimer Channel.
Zero Time
Thirty-two years from today, a beautiful, young artist will take a job at the MacLean Toy Company. She will start paying off her student loan; she will fall in love, and she will begin to travel through time.
When the employees of a toy company uncover a dusty and oddly wired mechanical monkey that enables them to travel though time, one of their team witnesses a terrible truth and spirals into madness. His companions are compelled to track him through an increasingly dangerous space-time continuum where their efforts are sabotaged by a mysterious stranger from the distant region of Zero Time.
They can travel through time, but time itself is running out . . . .
Zero Time can be purchased at Amazon.com.
What I’m Working on Now: July 4, 2026: “A Man Sits…”
Occasionally, a story idea fires my imagination and all the elements come together—the plot arrives fully formed, the dialogue flows, the language cooperates, and I’m fascinated by what I’m trying to achieve. When this happens, it is a joy to write. (Until, of course, the editing process begins, and then I want to poke my eyes out.) The piece I’m working on now, “A Man Sits…,” is one of those story ideas, and it has been an absolute blast to put on paper. It’s also unlike anything I’ve done before.
I was reading over my final revision of “The Stone Buddha,” thinking, “My god, will this ever end?” and I was struck by the idea that it would be interesting to be in the head of a fictitious writer and eavesdrop on his creative process.
So here’s the setup: We observe a writer composing a short story in his journal, and as he writes, we witness his editorial decisions. We see how a story can move in substantially different directions with each edit a writer makes. We are also witness to the writer’s thoughts, and we experience the interplay between an artist and his or her work.
I starting writing, “A man sits and writes a poem.” But then I crossed it out. I thought, “Huh, instead of erasing that, I should just leave it on the page.” And it went on from there.
Later, I added an element where what he is writing reflects what he is experiencing in his life at that moment.
Here’s how it begins: (I had to post a screen image of the first page because this web creator changed all my fonts.)
What I’m working on now: May 17, 2026: “The Stone Buddha”
I’ve just printed what should be close to a final copy of “The Stone Buddha.” Although the story has nothing to do with the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, the idea came to me as I was sitting on one of the island’s beaches.
In a flash, really, I thought how interesting it would be to go into a used book store and find a note left pressed between the pages of a battered text. From there, I developed a narrative where a writer—mired in a writer’s block, travels to a coastal town to find his inspiration and instead comes upon a series of notes in different books that lead him to a dramatic confrontation. The story is a frame narrative, so it begins and ends in a small village on the way to Everest Base camp.
Here’s a sample of the text.
“Before coming to the coast, I’d booked a whale watching tour, and it took up the rest of the day, so I didn’t get to Hemingway until that evening. I was anxious to begin reading, but the afternoon wasn’t wasted, for we did spot some whales. They were all at a distance, however, and mostly just tantalized us with brief glimpses—an eruption of spray, the flash of a white dorsal fin, rolling flukes; so much of them remained hidden, and I wondered what other secrets were out there in that immense blue. Something like the as-of-yet undiscovered story idea that I’d hoped to find in that town by the sea.
“When I got back to the rental, The Old Man and the Sea was waiting for me on the kitchen countertop. I let it sit for a little bit longer while I opened up my laptop. The same empty page stared at me as it had for weeks. I stared back at it, hating its blank, malevolent expression.
“I know I wasn’t locked in a mortal struggle with the computer; I was facing my own empty self, but imagine the sad acknowledgment of your failing as a writer repeatedly illustrated by an empty screen. I should have been writing on paper. At least then you have a physical interface, something you can touch, something with pores and fibers. An empty page is an invitation for creation rather than a confirmation of inadequacy. I never do a first draft on a computer anymore.
“I closed the computer and decided to see how Santiago—Hemingway’s old man in the novella—would fare in his quest. Like I said, that book was a cheat because I’d already read it. I knew what was going to happen to Santiago, but I also knew that as a reader changes, invariably, what he reads changes too. Plus, and Sandy, I know you’ll mock me for thinking this, but sometimes a little magic might intervene. Maybe the ending would be altered in some way, something to hint that you shouldn’t take it all literally. Maybe a typesetter had made a mistake, and there was a Wicked Bible version of The Old Man and the Sea.”
Sandy looked at me. “A Wicked Bible?”
“Yeah, it was a reprint of the King James version where a typesetter forgot the word ‘not.’ One of the commandments reads: ‘Thou shalt commit adultery’.”
She laughed and said, “I want one of those,” then she looked at Godwin. “And with The Old Man and the Sea?”
He shook his head. “There was no magic this time, but I did find something altogether unexpected.
“I studied the cover as I had done earlier that day, searching for some clue as to what new treasure awaited me inside, but I only saw the surface story: the sea, the isolation, a small fishing village—nothing to indicate a story of triumph clothed in a tale of despair.
“When I opened the book, I was surprised to see a folded slip of paper fall out from between the pages and spiral to the floor. This, of course, did not evoke any reaction beyond mild curiosity: it was a used book; the previous owner had most likely used the paper as a bookmark and forgotten about it. I set down the novella and picked up the paper. I unfolded it and read it.
“Then I read it again. I picked up the Old Man and shook it with one hand, curious if anything else was in there.
“Nothing more slipped from the pages. Based on what the note said, it wasn’t a forgotten bookmark: it had been put there intentionally. I flipped carefully through the book, wondering if something had been written on any of the pages. Nothing, it was just that slip of paper.
“I want to stress that I wasn’t that impacted by the note. My curiosity was engaged for certain—who wrote it? Who was the intended audience? Abstract questions expressing a mild interest. Basically, I thought, ‘Huh,’ and that was it.
“I stayed up late….”
I interrupted him. “What did the note say?”
Sandy added, “Yeah, you can’t leave us hanging.”
Godwin hesitated for a moment before continuing. “It read: How do you determine failure at the conclusion of a quest? That was it. Given the inconclusive nature of Santiago’s experience, I thought it was a fitting question, and that was the end of it. I did find it strange, though, that it said failure rather than success.” He shook his head. “You have to wonder why they bothered, especially when they just sold the novella to the bookstore. I mean, who was it for?
Publishing News: February 23, 2026: “Drowning” and “Writing on Napkins”
The City Key, an online journal dedicated to experiences related to living in cities, has published two poems of mine—“Drowning” and “Writing on Napkins.” This journal believes that cities are a great inspiration for the creation of writing that captures the human experience. In my two poems, I express the juxtaposition of hope and dismay that I experienced working nights in a bar. Here’s a link to the website: The City Key
Publishing News: October 15, 2025: “Requiem”
“Requiem,” a short story of mine, has just been published by Scribeworth Magazine (volume 1, issue 3). This is an online literary magazine—free to read, and I’m proud to be a part of it.
“Requiem” was written on the highway between Calgary and Regina. Heading West, the final paragraph pressed itself upon me, and since I was driving, I had to dictate the passage to my companion who thumbed the words into her phone. The rest of the story spoke with increasing insistence until I was able to find some scrap paper, switched to the passenger seat, and feverishly let the words out.
I edited this piece, but I hardly feel like I wrote it. Where it came from, I have no idea—the topic was nowhere close to my thoughts. It arrived almost fully-formed, and I was simply the medium used to put it on paper.
To me, this is a story of quiet defiance. It is an assertion of irrepressible humanity in the midst of another essential human characteristic. Here’s a link to the page: Scribeworth Magazine
Publishing News: August 29, 2025: “Flight”
Across the Margin, an online journal, has just published a poem/short story of mine called “Flight.” I think they’ve done a very nice job with it.
This piece is an experiment. I love the Haiku form, and I was curious how it would translate into prose—not the prescriptive line lengths, but the manner in which Haiku takes two disparate ideas and transforms them into one. Each image or thought, reflects on the other, and we learn something new regarding them both. Somewhat unimaginatively, I call it a Prose Haiku.
For anyone interested, here is the link: https://acrossthemargin.com/flight/
Publishing News, July 19, 2025: “The Song of the Corpse”
For anyone interested in a little light-hearted horror, my poem, “The Song of the Corpse,” has been been published in an anthology of horror poetry by Graveside Press. The title of the anthology is Gathered Here Today, and it’s available in both digital and paper copies. Here is a link to the publisher’s website: https://graveside-press.com/
Publishing News: June 1, 2025: “Morning in the Bay” and “The Liquid Canvas”
Ever since studying linguistics in university, I’ve been acutely aware of the limitations of language, and as a writer, the inadequacy of the medium is something I struggle with almost daily. I think this difficulty becomes most evident when a writer attempts to describe water. Imagine standing in a pool (preferably in the Caribbean with a margarita in hand—double-fisted, if you would like) and looking at the play of the sun on the rippling water surface. Every time I do this, I shake my head at the impossibility of capturing that image in words. (Now, the more margaritas I drink, the easier the task seems, but then I just fall asleep.)
Well, Four Tulips, an online journal that features poetry, has published two poems of mine that represent my attempt at capturing the impossibility of water in words.
For anyone interested, the following link will take you to “Morning in the Bay,” and at the bottom of that page, there is an arrow that will take you to “The Liquid Canvas.” I hope you enjoy them.
https://www.fourtulips.com/archives/morning-in-the-bay
Publishing News: March 5, 2025: “Vancouver Night”
The Saint Katherine Review has published another poem of mine. This one is titled “Vancouver Night” and was written on Vancouver Island while looking east toward the mainland. The night was overcast and gloomy, and that mood definitely found its way the poem. I hope you enjoy the imagery.
Publishing News: March 5, 2025: “Water and Sky”
While visiting some friends on Gambier Island, located off the western shore of British Columbia, I spent time on a perch overlooking West Bay. The play of water, earth, and sky evoked a number of poems, and one of them, “Water and Sky,” has been published on a beautiful online literary journal called the Saint Katherine Review. Here is the link: https://www.stkatherinereview.com/blog.
Publishing News: March 3, 2025: “Minotaur”
Another one of my favourite stories – “Minotaur” – has just been published in an anthology of short stories, poetry, and artwork. As you can see below, the anthology is called Litbop: Art and Literature in the Groove. This collection is full of some beautiful work. It’s available from Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback copies.
Publishing News: December 2, 2024: “A Paper Koan”
One of my favourite short stories, “A Paper Koan,” has just been published by an online and print journal called Whisk(e)y Tit. (Yes, Whiskey Tit.) I love this story (As I should, I suppose. It would be sad if I hated one of my own stories.), and it’s exciting to see it in print. I hope everyone enjoys it. I took the photograph that accompanies it in Angkor Wat, Camodia.
Here’s the link: https://whiskeytit.com/wt-journal-issue-11/
What I’m working on now: November 30, 2024: “The Killings”
I’m just finished writing “The Killings,” and it tops out at seventeen pages. The idea for this story came to me at the same time as “Terminus,” but I wrote the rough for it while I was in Zimbabwe. It’s about a couple who travel to Southern Africa to go on safari, but while self-driving through the countryside, they encounter an experience beyond what they could have imagined.
I will classify this as fiction, but almost the entirely of this story is true, and the events I describe either happened to me directly, or they were described to me by someone who experienced them first-hand. Although the writing came to me easily—it mostly flowed from my pen—I found the story difficult to write. It forced me to consider aspects of our existence that were uncomfortable to deal with. (But, what should I have expected from a story with this title?)
What I’m working on now: November 20, 2024: “Terminus”
I’ve just finished the rough copy of “Terminus,” a horror story set in Botswana. A thirty-something couple have been on safari and are now going to the Kalahari Desert to see a Meerkat colony and then spend the night on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan. (This name is too much of a mouthful for a short story, so I just call it the Kalahari Salt Pan. Inaccurate, I know, but I envision a reader getting tongue-tied and being pulled out of the context of the story—never a good thing.) Anyway, enroute to their destination, they encounter several circumstances that hint at a world somehow out of joint, and finally they come face to face with…. Well, that I can’t say, can I? (Where would be the fun in that.)
This is an odd thing, but writing this horror story has been a lot of fun. I was in Namibia when I got the idea. We were driving across the desert, and as I watched the desiccated landscape stretch before us, something began to nag at the base of my spine. It took a little teasing to get it out, but “Terminus” spilled into my consciousness almost fully formed. I immediately pulled out my journal and began writing. This kind of story, where I’m more the recipient of the narrative rather than its creator, is a pleasure to create.
Another reason I’ve enjoyed writing this is because most of it is autobiographical. My wife and I did go on safari in Botswana, and we did visit the Meerkats and then spend the night sleeping on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan. Now, of course, our story did not end with horror; rather, we capped off the adventure with a celebratory round of whiskey and Amarula.
Which we’re probably going to do when I finish this story and find someone who will publish it. Fingers are crossed.
Publishing News – November 12, 2024: “The Avalanche and the Whale”
I’ve been on a bit of run lately. The NightWriter Review has just published my first travel article: “The Avalanche and the Whale.” As an avid traveller, I find myself constantly torn between the desire to simply live a moment or to capture that moment on film, and this article reflects on that struggle. The link below will take you to it.
https://thenightwriterreview.com/
Publishing News – November 5, 2024: “Love and Ashes”
The Passionfruit Review, an online journal, has just published the first poem of mine to go into print. Written shortly after my mother died, “Love and Ashes” is a reflection on the transient nature of life and the everlasting nature of love. To read it, follow the link I’ve provided below and open issue Thirteen.
https://passionfruitreview.com/
Upcoming Publication – October 31, 2024
Litbop: Art and Literature in the Groove, is an anthology published once a year both as a Kindle ebook and as a print-on-demand paperback. The publisher is Thrilling Tales, and they are going to include my short story “Minotaur” in their upcoming anthology. I will post a link to the issue with “Minotaur” when the next anthology is published.
Publishing News – October 26, 2024: “Child in the Garden”
My first short story is now in print! This is thrilling news for me (probably not quite so exciting for everyone else). The piece is titled “Child in the Garden.” It’s a sci-fi story set twenty years after the events described in Lord of the Flies. You can find it in a beautiful online magazine called The Genre Society, just follow the link below and look in Issue 2. I’ll be forever in their debt for being the first to publish one of my stories.
https://www.thegenresociety.com/ourcollections
What I’m working on now: “The Unholy Cypher”
Sometimes the ideas won’t stop coming. I have several stories in my head along with pages and pages of scratched notes. I was reading about the Book of Soyga manuscript, and the ideas spun about in my imagination until they coalesced into a horror story with the working title, “The Unholy Cypher.” So, that one’s in the works. While in Namibia, four other ideas came to me. For some reason, horror stories were on my mind, so two of the new works will be in that genre, and they will be set in Namibia. I’m going with the working titles: “The Godwana Glyphs,” and “Terminus.” We’ll see if those change. I’m also halfway through a travel non-fiction piece about Deadvlei, a site in the Namibian desert. Lastly, I’ve basically handwritten a fiction piece about a couple that stops in a local market in a small town in an as-of-let undecided country in southern Africa. Whew.
Upcoming Publication – October 11, 2024
There is a beautiful online magazine out of Brussels called The Brussels Review, and they have let me know that they will be including my short story “Two Final Cups of Tea” in an upcoming issue. I couldn’t be more excited. You can check out their website at https://thebrusselsreview.com/, and, of course, I will post a link when the next issue is released.
Upcoming Publication – October 3, 2024
I was travelling in Namibia when I received an email from a publishing company called Whiskey Tit. This company publishes novels, and it also has an online journal. They informed me that they would like to include my short story, “A Paper Koan” in the next issue of this journal. Again, thrilling news! I will post a link to the issue when it is out, but until then you should check out their website at https://whiskeytit.com/.
Upcoming Publication – September 14, 2024
I just received word from The Genre Society, an online magazine featuring “out of this world fiction and poetry,” that they will be publishing my Sci-Fi story, “Child in the Garden.” This is thrilling news! The Genre Society is a beautiful magazine, and you should check it out at https://www.thegenresociety.com/. I will post a link to the specific issue when the story is published.
What I’m working on now: A Waning Moon
Well, I’ve just finished the rough copy of A Waning Moon. It’s a novella now, so no quotation marks. It tops out at seventy pages, with a total of 27, 500 words. I’m pretty happy with it; although, getting a novella published is a challenge. The alternative is so present it as two separate short stories. Each works as an independent narrative, so I could try this approach, but it would be a shame to separate them as compliment each other as a single narrative. (Just for interest sake, I’ve presented one story, “The Wolf of Lunan Sa,” on my short story page.)
What I’m working on now:
I’ve got three projects on the go right now.
Most of my time is taken with a short story called “A Waning Moon,” and I’ve written a post about this on my short story page.
Second is a collection of poetry that I’m putting together. It’s interesting, and a little humbling, to go through a lifetime of poems and decide what needs to discarded, what is worth keeping but shouldn’t be shared, and what is good enough to publish. When I’ve done this, I’ll put together an table of contents with some samples of the poems.
Lastly, and the least enjoyable, is the on-going search for an agent or publisher. Blah. It’s the worst aspect of writing, but when you’ve spend months on a story, you owe yourself the time to find someone who’s will to take it on.