Uncanny Magazine Issue 52 Launches 5/2

The 52nd issue of Uncanny Magazine, winner of six Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on May 2 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 52nd issue of their six-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on June 6. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 52 Table of Contents:

Cover

  • Low-season Mars Tourist by Antonio Javier Caparo

Editorial

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas

Fiction

  • “The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard (5/2)
  • “The Infinite Endings of Elsie Chen” by Kylie Lee Baker (5/2)
  • “All These Ghosts Are Playing to Win” by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles (5/2)
  • “The Rain Remembers What the Sky Forgets” by Fran Wilde (6/6)
  • “Désolé” by Ewen Ma (6/6)
  • “Want Itself Is a Treasure in Heaven” by Theodora Ward (6/6)
  • “A Lovers’ Tide in Which We Inevitably Break Each Other; Told in Inverse” by K.S. Walker (5/2)

Reprint

  • “And For My Next Trick, I Have Disappeared” by Chimedum Ohaegbu (6/6)

Nonfiction

  • “The Art That Doesn’t Yet Exist” by Caroline M. Yoachim (5/2)
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the AI” by LaShawn M. Wanak (5/2)
  • “Not a Zero-Sum Game: AI vs. Art” by Hana Lee (5/2)
  • “Community Is a Superpower” by Sam J. Miller (art by Yorgos Cotronis) (6/6)

Poetry

  • “In the Wild” by Nnadi Samuel (5/2)
  • “silphium & salt” by Jennifer Mace (6/6)
  • “For my shipmates, a short glossary to aid mutual understanding” by Tehnuka (6/6)
  • “Stone Kingdom” by Angela Liu (6/6)

Interviews

  • Kylie Lee Baker interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (5/2)
  • Ewen Ma interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (6/6)

Podcasts

  • Uncanny Magazine Podcast Episode 51A (5/2): Editors’ Introduction, “The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard, as read by Erika Ensign, “In the Wild” by Nnadi Samuel, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Aliette de Bodard.
  • Uncanny Magazine Podcast Episode 51B (6/6): Editors’ Introduction, “The Rain Remembers What the Sky Forgets” by Fran Wilde, as read by Erika Ensign, “Stone Kingdom” by Angela Liu, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Fran Wilde.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 51 Launches 3/7

The 51st issue of Uncanny Magazine, winner of six Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on March 7 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 51st issue of their six-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on April 4. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 51 Table of Contents:

Cover

  • A Murmur of Dragons by Nilah Magruder

Editorials

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
  • “The Last Body Problem” by Meg Elison

Fiction

  • “A Soul in the World” by Charlie Jane Anders (3/7)
  • “To Put Your Heart Into a White Deer” by Kristiana Willsey (3/7)
  • “Perhaps in Understanding” by AnaMaria Curtis (3/7)
  • “Blank Space” by Delilah S. Dawson (4/4)
  • “In Time, a Weed May Break Stone” by Valerie Valdes (4/4)
  • “Space Treads” by Parlei Rivière (4/4)
  • “Yinying—Shadow” by Ai Jiang (3/7)

Reprint

  • “Bigger Fish” by Sarah Pinsker (4/4)

Nonfiction

  • “BookTok Fame Is a Lightning Strike” by C.L. Polk (3/7)
  • “Choosing to Build a Non-Patriarchal Fantasy World” by Jeffe Kennedy (3/7)
  • “On a Scaffold of Story: Parenting, Politics, and Narrative” by Ruthanna Emrys (4/4)
  • “The Partially Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn” by Riley Silverman (4/4)

Poetry

  • “Dawning” by Tiffany Morris (3/7)
  • “The Music of Birds in Exile” by Ewa Gerald Onyebuchi (3/7)
  • “The Lummi Island Crossing Is Not What You Think” by Betsy Aoki (4/4)
  • “What They Love Now” by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman (4/4)

Interviews

  • Kristiana Willsey interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (3/7)
  • Delilah S. Dawson interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (4/4)

Podcasts

  • Episode 51A (March 7): Editors’ Introduction, “A Soul in the World” by Charlie Jane Anders, as read by Erika Ensign, “Dawning” by Tiffany Morris, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Charlie Jane Anders.
  • Episode 51B (April 4): Editors’ Introduction, “In Time, a Weed May Break Stone” by Valerie Valdes, as read by Matt Peters, “What They Love Now” by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Valerie Valdes.

Pixel Scroll 2/3/23 Listen To Them, The Pixels Of The Scroll! What Files They Make!

(1) SPACE UNICORNS SOUND OFF. You have until February 21 to make your voice heard: “Uncanny Celebrates Reader Favorites of 2022!”.

…While we have our personal favorites, we’d like to know which stories YOU loved from Uncanny in 2022.

We’ve set up a poll for Uncanny readers to vote for their top three favorite original short stories from 2022. (You can find links to all of the stories here.)

The poll will be open from January 31 to February 21, after which we’ll announce the results. We’re excited for you to share which Uncanny stories made you feel!

snazzy certificate will be given to the creator whose work comes out on top of  the poll!

(2) LOCUS RECOMMENDED READING LIST. The 2022 Locus Recommended Reading List from the magazine’s February issue has been posted by Locus Online.

(3) CEMETARY DANCE DROPS MONTELEONE. [Item by rcade.] He was still an active columnist for the magazine, 29 years after the bigoted column. Not any more, though:

(4) A FAREWELL TO HARMS. Priya Sridhar writes “My Goodbye Letter To J.K. Rowling: What To Do When Your Magical World Has Cast You And Your Friends Out With Hate” at Medium in Counter Arts. (Via Cat Rambo.)

… J.K. Rowling has joined the list of these creators that break their pedestals. I’ve been debating on writing this article for several years, because I did not understand. How could a woman that wrote about fighting tyranny with courage and friendship say such things, to hurt people? Why would she dig herself deeper, going from misappropriating Navajo beliefs to claiming that trans people do not exist?

This recent transphobia has provided the answer. YouTuber Jessie Gender posted a video revealing that JKR found her tweets about Jessie talking about Hogwarts Legacy, and decided to send her own fanbase against one person, labeling her a “trans gamer”. Jessie had to spend Christmas in Buffalo, New York, dealing with the fallout. According to the video, JKR apparently earns more money every time she talks about this issue in her hateful way. She didn’t care that she would be hurting a vulnerable person if it got the desired reaction.

JKR isn’t causing controversy because she is being an idiot. She’s harassing marginalized creators and critics to earn more revenue from her books and establish power over those that disagree with her.

Now, doesn’t that sound familiar? Oh yes, I know two bigoted characters that did exactly the same thing in the Harry Potter series. Spoiler alert: they were not protagonists, or even heroic side characters….

(5) BLACK HERITAGE IN HORROR. The Horror Writers Association Blog continues its series: “Black Heritage in Horror: Interview with Beatrice Winifred Iker”.

What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?

I grew up in Southern Appalachia with a rich sociocultural history to draw from. The horrors and allure of the South are genuinely neverending, fostering my interest in the genre, specifically in the subgenre of southern gothic.

Aside from that, I’m fascinated with the darker tendencies and desires of the human mind. We spend so much time assimilating and confining ourselves to social norms, but I’m more interested in examining people and histories who choose not to or don’t have a choice….

(6) IT’S A FELONY. Them explains why “Some Florida Teachers Are Removing Books from Classrooms Due to New State Law”.

Teachers in Florida’s Manatee and Duval counties are removing or physically covering up books in their classrooms after the State Board of Education ruled that a law restricting the books a district may possess applies not only to school libraries but to teachers’ classroom books as well.

House Bill 1467, which went into effect last July, requires that all schools’ books may only be displayed if they’ve been deemed appropriate by a librarian or “certified media specialist” who has undergone state retraining. Under the guidelines, books must be “free of pornographic material” and “appropriate for the age level and group.” New training approved by the State Board of Educators also asks media specialists to avoid books with “unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination.”

Breaking the law is a third-degree felony: A teacher could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for displaying or giving students a banned book. 

There’s a good chance that these “unsolicited theories” and “student indoctrination” tactics apply to the disproportionately high number of banned books that feature queer and trans characters, as well as other marginalized communities. A report from nonprofit group PEN America released last September found that over 41% of books banned over the past school year were targeted due to LGBTQ+ content…

(7) SCAM REVEALED. At Writer Beware, Victoria Strauss alerts everyone to: “Peak Fake: United Writers Organization and the Perpetual Eagle Awards”.

There’s a new solicitation doing the rounds. It’s from United Writers Organization, which describes itself as a “leading professional organization” for writers and publishers, and it delivers exciting news: you’ve been nominated for an award! A “complimentary nomination certificate” is yours for the asking–you don’t even have to pay! Although of course it would be nice if you became a UWO member, which will cost you a mere $99….

… Of course this is a scam–the out of the blue solicitation is a big clue, as are the language and grammar mistakes and telltale info from UWO’s domain registration–just 7 days old as of this writing, somewhat contradicting “Est. 1957” in the UWO logo….

(8) FESTIVAL OF MONSTERS. The Center for Monster Studies has put out a call for papers for the 2023 Festival of Monsters Conference. The conference will be held October 13-15, 2023 at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The deadline to submit abstracts and short bios is March 1.

The Center for Monster Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz is an interdisciplinary research, arts, and outreach organization focused on the ways monsters and tropes of monstrosity both perpetuate and contravene forms of social and cultural injustice. Each year we host a Festival of Monsters that brings together scholars, artists, students, and members of the general public to consider these issues.

Our 2023 Festival of Monsters (Oct. 13-15 in beautiful Santa Cruz) includes an academic conference, performances, readings, presentations from monster-makers in theatre, film and television, and events in association with an exhibit at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) entitled Werewolf Hunters, Jungle Queens, and Space Commandos: The Lost Worlds of Women Comics Artists.

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers or presentations on any aspect of monsters or monster studies. We are particularly interested in work that addresses the following topics:

Women creators of monsters

Monsters and misogyny

Monsters in comics

Monsters and sexual politics from any time period

Monsters and queerness

Papers from all disciplines are welcome. Because participants in the Festival include members of the general public as well as people from within the academic community, we ask that proposed papers consider the Festival’s mixed audience. We welcome complex theoretical concepts and scholarly interventions, but please make sure the terms and stakes of your paper are articulated as clearly as possible.   

Please submit 250-word abstracts and 50-word bios to [email protected] and [email protected] by March 1, 2023.

(9) MEMORY LANE.

1937 [Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]

Now it is time for my all-time favorite Beginnings. It’s the first words of Tolkien’s The Hobbit, a novel I’ve read so many times that I know it by heart at this point. I consider it a perfect novel. 

Now we all know that the hobbit here is named Baggins but that won’t know here until the third paragraph of the novel, a nice touch indeed.  

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats—the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill—The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it—and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining-rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left-hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep-set round windows looking over his garden, and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river.

This hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours’ respect, but he gained—well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.

(10) TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS.

[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]

  • Born February 3, 1925 John Fiedler. He’s solely here as he played the ever so bland bureaucrat who gets possessed by the spirit of Jack the Ripper on the Trek episode “Wolf in the Fold”. I’m less interested in him, though it was a stellar episode, than who wrote that screenplay. It was written by Robert Bloch, a master of horror who would write two other Trek episodes, “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” and “Catspaw”. (Died 2005.)
  • Born February 3, 1933 George Gipe. Screenwriter, The Man with Two Brains. He also wrote Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid but it’d be a stretch to consider that even genre adjacent. He wrote novelizations of Back to the FutureExplorers and Gremlins. And his Nearer to the Dust: Copyright and the Machine is interesting early (mid sixties) look at the potential effects of computers on copyrights. (Died 1986.)
  • Born February 3, 1938 Victor Buono. I remember him best in his recurring role of Count Manzeppi in The Wild Wild West. In his very short life, he showed up in a number of other genre roles as well including as a scientist bent on world domination in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea in an episode titled “The Cyborg”, as Adiposo / Fat man in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Colonel Hubris in  The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Professor William McElroy / King Tut in Batman, Sir Cecil Seabrook in The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. and Mr. Schubert on Man from Atlantis. (Died 1982.)
  • Born February 3, 1954 Shawna McCarthy, 69. Editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction from 1983 to 1985, and Realms of Fantasy from 1994 to 2011. Sheila Williams in her history of the former said “While remaining a welcoming home for new writers, Shawna’s Asimov’s acquired an edgier and more literary and experimental tone.” 
  • Born February 3, 1963 Alex Bledsoe, born 1963, aged sixty years. I highly recommend his Tales of The Tufa which can sort of be described as Appalachian Fae though that’s stretching it. His Eddie LaCrosse novels remind of Cook’s Garrett PI series and that’s a high compliment as that’s one of my favorite fantasy PI series. Anyone read his Firefly Witch series? And to my surprise, he’s stopped writing fiction altogether.
  • Born February 3, 1970 Warwick Davis, 53. At least fifty live and voice appearances since first appearing in the Return of the Jedi in in place of Kenny Baker who was going to be a Ewok before he fell ill. Did you know he’s in Labyrinth as a member of the Goblin Corps? I certainly didn’t. Or that he did a series of humorous horror films centered around him as a Leprechaun? They did well enough that there was six of them. Hell he even shows up in Doctor Who during the Time of the Eleventh Doctor. 
  • Born February 3, 1979 Ransom Riggs, 44. He’s best known for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children which I’ll confess I know absolutely nothing about, so educate me. I know it was turned into a film by Tim Burton which could a Very Good Thing. 

(11) CHEAP IS GOOD, FREE IS BEST. “12 Surprisingly Low-Tech Special Effects Moments In Movies” – these are Ranker’s favorites.

Before there was computer-generated imagery (CGI), special effects crews often had to use practical effects to achieve their cinematic vision. Many of these practical effects were surprisingly low-tech genius creations that prove creative thinking often trumps throwing loads of money at a problem.

Practical effects include any special effects created without the use of computer-generated imagery. It’s a kitchen-sink term that incorporates everything from prosthetics to pyrotechnics to miniature models. Find out which grotesque movie monster was constructed in part with strawberry jam and creamed corn. How did they create that swirling tornado in The Wizard of Oz, which still looks great even by today’s visual effects standards? Some of these films were made more recently when computer effects were readily available. Yet, the filmmakers opted to get creative and go old-school low-tech practical effects that yielded a more authentic-looking result.

First up –

The Tornado In ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Was Made From A Stocking Wrapped Around Chicken Wire

Back in the 1930s, practical effects were not a stylistic choice, they were a necessity. At the beginning of The Wizard of Oz, a tornado takes Dorothy (Judy Garland) from the barren lands of Kansas to the magically magnificent world of Oz. 

The production hired prolific special effects master Arnold Gillespie to figure out how to create the movie’s famous twister. The Academy Award winner attempted several different methods before finally getting it right…. 

(12) RETRO SFF. Michael Dirda reviews The Hopkins Manuscript by R.C. Sherriff in “The moon falls to Earth in a 1939 novel that remains chillingly relevant” at the Washington Post (behind a paywall.)

Late last month, NASA announced that an asteroid would pass exceptionally close to the Earth. As Jennifer Hassan wrote in The Washington Post, “NASA was quick to reassure people that the asteroid, which is estimated at between 11 feet (about 3.5 meters) and 28 feet (8.5 meters) across, would not end life as we know it on our planet.” Suppose, though, a much larger celestial object — say, the moon — were actually to crash into Earth. What then?

This is the scenario of R.C. Sherriff’s novel “The Hopkins Manuscript” (1939), recently reissued by Scribner. From its opening pages we learn that more than eight centuries have gone by since “the Cataclysm” and that Europe, particularly England, has been left a barren wasteland. For years, however, archaeologists of the Royal Society of Abyssinia have been seeking artifacts to help “reconstruct the lost glory of the ‘white man.’” During one expedition to what was once London, a young scientist, out gathering brushwood, unearths a small vacuum flask, inside which is a handwritten account of life in a small village called Beadle during the days leading up to the lunar catastrophe….

(13) IT’S BEING LET GO. “’Never Let Me Go’ Series Not Moving Forward at FX” reports Variety.

… The show was originally picked up to series by FX back in October and was meant to air exclusively on Hulu. It had originally been reported as being in development at FX in May 2022. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, production had not yet begun before the decision to scrap the series was made.

The drama series was inspired by Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 science fiction novel of the same name, which was previously adapted into a film in 2010. The film was written by Alex Garland, directed by Mark Romanek, and produced by Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich….

(14) BIG APPETITES. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] Raquel Welch please note… “Neanderthals lived in groups big enough to eat giant elephants” says a Science story.

Meat from the butchered beasts would have fed hundreds.

On the muddy shores of a lake in east-central Germany, Neanderthals gathered some 125,000 years ago to butcher massive elephants. With sharp stone tools, they harvested up to 4 tons of flesh from each animal, according to a study that is casting these ancient human relatives in a new light. The degree of organization required to carry out the butchery—and the sheer quantity of food it provided—suggests Neanderthals could form much larger social groups than previously thought…

[Thanks to Mike Kennedy, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, James Reynolds, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Andrew Porter, Michael Toman, and Cat Eldridge for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day by Jack Lint.]

Uncanny Magazine Issue 50 Launches 1/3

The 50th issue of Uncanny Magazine, winner of six Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on January 3 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 50th issue of their six-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on February 7. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 50 Table of Contents:

Cover

  • Sharps and Soft by Galen Dara

Editorials

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
  • “The Tired Body Problem” by Meg Elison

Fiction

  • “Collaboration?” by Ken Liu and Caroline M. Yoachim (1/3)
  • “Cold Relations” by Mary Robinette Kowal (1/3)
  • “How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark (1/3)
  • “Waystation City” by A. T. Greenblatt (1/3)
  • “Horsewoman” by A.M. Dellamonica (1/3)
  • “Flower, Daughter, Soil, Seed” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (1/3)
  • “One Man’s Treasure” by Sarah Pinsker (2/7)
  • “The Father Provincial of Mare Imbrium” by E. Lily Yu (2/7)
  • “Silver Necklace, Golden Ring” by Marie Brennan (2/7)
  • “Miz Boudreaux’s Last Ride” by Christopher Caldwell (2/7)
  • “Bad Doors” by John Wiswell (2/7)
  • “Prospect Heights” by Maureen McHugh (2/7)

Nonfiction

  • “The Haunting of Her Body” by Elsa Sjunneson (1/3)
  • “Something in the Way: AI-Generated Images and the Real Killer” by John Picacio (1/3)
  • “What a Fourteenth Century Legal Case Can Teach Us about Storytelling” by Annalee Newitz (1/3)
  • “The Magic of the Right Story” by A. T. Greenblatt (2/7)
  • “The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm: Audio Writing” by Diana M. Pho (2/7)
  • “Building Better Worlds” by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (2/7)

Poetry

  • “The Hole Thing” by Neil Gaiman (1/3)
  • “Love Poem: Phoenix” by Terese Mason Pierre (1/3)
  • “The Credo of Loplop” by Sonya Taaffe (1/3)
  • “Kannazuki, or the Godless Month” by Betsy Aoki (1/3)
  • “The Witch Makes Her To-Do List” by Theodora Goss (2/7)
  • “Temperance and The Devil, Reversed” by Ali Trotta (2/7)
  • “Driving Downtown” by Abu Bakr Sadiq (2/7)
  • “Hel on a Headland” by Elizabeth Bear (2/7)
  • “To Whomsoever Remains” by Brandon O’Brien (2/7)

Interviews

  • Ken Liu and Caroline M. Yoachim interviewed by Tina Connolly (1/3)
  • Eugenia Triantafyllou interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (1/3)
  • E. Lily Yu interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (2/7)
  • Christopher Caldwell interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (2/7)

Podcasts

  • Episode 50A (January 3): Editors’ Introduction, “Cold Relations” by Mary Robinette Kowal, as read by Erika Ensign, “Love Poem: Phoenix” by Terese Mason Pierre, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Mary Robinette Kowal.
  • Episode 50B (January 17): Editors’ Introduction, “How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark, as read by Matt Peters, “Kannazuki, or the Godless Month” by Betsy Aoki, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing P. Djèlí Clark.
  • Episode 50C (February 7): Editors’ Introduction, “One Man’s Treasure” by Sarah Pinsker, as read by Matt Peters, “The Witch Makes Her To-Do List” by Theodora Goss, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Sarah Pinsker.
  • Episode 50D (February 21): Editors’ Introduction, “Bad Doors” by John Wiswell, as read by Erika Ensign, “Driving Downtown” by Abu Bakr Sadiq, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing John Wiswell.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 49 Launches 11/1

The 49th issue of Uncanny Magazine, winner of six Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on November 1 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 49th issue of their six-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Amazon Kindle and Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on December 6. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter  and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 49 Table of Contents:

Cover

  • The Light Between the Sea by Maxine Vee

Editorials

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
  • “The Horny Body Problem” by Meg Elison

Fiction

  • “Rabbit Test” by Samantha Mills (11/1)
  • “Transference” by Vivian Shaw (11/1)
  • “The Other Side of Mictlān” by Matthew Olivas (11/1)
  • “To Walk the River of Stars” by Emily Y. Teng (11/1)
  • “Travelers’ Unrest” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (12/6)
  • “can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time” by Iori Kusano (12/6)
  • “Earth Dragon, Turning” by Anya Ow (12/6)

Reprint

  • “A Fall Counts Anywhere” by Catherynne M. Valente (12/6)

Nonfiction

  • “The Necessity of Trans Joy” by Izzy Wasserstein (11/1)
  • “For Your Re-Consideration” by Jennifer Marie Brissett (11/1)
  • “Across the Afterverse: A Conversation with Afropunk SF/F Author Alex Smith” by Alex Jennings (12/6)
  • “What Do the Dying Know?” by Karen Heuler (12/6)

Poetry

  • “A Dead, Divine Thing” by Eshqin Ahmad (11/1)
  • “Crossing” by Ewen Ma (11/1)
  • “Sang Kancil at the Protest” by May Chong (12/6)
  • “A Testament of Bloom” by Taiwo Hassan (12/6)
  • “I Am a Little Hotel” by Ai Jiang (12/6)

Interviews

  • Vivian Shaw interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (11/1)
  • Iori Kusano interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (12/6)

Podcasts

  • Episode 49A (November 1): Editors’ Introduction, “Rabbit Test” by Samantha Mills, as read by Erika Ensign “Crossing” by Ewen Ma, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Samantha Mills.
  • Episode 49B (December 6): Editors’ Introduction, “Travelers’ Unrest” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, as read by Matt Peters, “A Testament of Bloom” by Taiwo Hassan, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Nina Kiriki Hoffman.

2022 Hugo Awards

The winners of the 2022 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer were announced on Sunday, September 4 at Chicon 8. (Detailed statistics for the nominating and final ballots are available in this PDF.)

The winners are:

BEST NOVEL

  • A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine (Tor)

BEST NOVELLA

  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers (Tordotcom)

BEST NOVELETTE

  • “Bots of the Lost Ark”, by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, Jun 2021)

BEST SHORT STORY

  • “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)

BEST SERIES

  • Wayward Children, by Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC

  • Far Sector, written by N.K. Jemisin, art by Jamal Campbell (DC)

BEST RELATED WORK

  • Never Say You Can’t Survive, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tordotcom)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM

  • Dune, screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth; directed by Denis Villeneuve; based on the novel Dune by Frank Herbert (Warner Bros / Legendary Entertainment)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM

  • The Expanse: Nemesis Games, written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck, and Naren Shankar; directed by Breck Eisner (Amazon Studios)

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM

  • Neil Clarke

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM

  • Ruoxi Chen

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

  • Rovina Cai

BEST SEMIPROZINE

  • Uncanny Magazine, publishers and editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas; managing/poetry editor Chimedum Ohaegbu; nonfiction editor Elsa Sjunneson; podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky

BEST FANZINE

  • Small Gods, Lee Moyer (Icon) and Seanan McGuire (Story)

BEST FANCAST

  • Our Opinions Are Correct, presented by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders, produced by Veronica Simonetti

BEST FAN WRITER

  • Cora Buhlert

BEST FAN ARTIST

  • Lee Moyer

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK

  • The Last Graduate, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey Books)

ASTOUNDING AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER

  • Shelley Parker-Chan

VOTING STATISTICS. There were 2235 valid final ballots (2230 electronic and 5 paper) received and counted from the members of Chicon 8. More information about the 2022 Hugo Awards, including detailed voting statistics is available on the Chicon website here.

ABOUT THE HUGO AWARDS. The Hugo Awards are the premier award in the science fiction genre, honoring science fiction literature and media as well as the genre’s fans. The Hugo Awards were first presented at the 1953 World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia (Philcon II), and they have continued to honor science fiction and fantasy notables for nearly 70 years.

The physical Hugo Award consists of a rocket mounted on a base that is designed specifically for that year’s awards. The base for the 2022 Hugo Award trophy was designed and created by Brian Keith Ellison, while the 2022 Lodestar Award was designed and created by Sara Felix. More information on this year’s designs can be found here.

A full list of past finalists and winners can be found on the official Hugo Awards website here.

[Based on a press release.]

Uncanny Magazine Issue 48 Launches 9/6

The 48th issue of Uncanny Magazine, winner of five Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on September 6 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 48th issue of their five-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Amazon Kindle and Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on October 4. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter  and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 48 Table of Contents:

Cover

  • Hunter by Sija Hong

Editorials

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
  • “The Fat Body Problem” by Meg Elison

Fiction

  • “The Prince of Salt and the Ocean’s Bargain” by Natalia Theodoridou (9/6)
  • “Our Love Against Us” by DaVaun Sanders (9/6)
  • “Girl, Cat, Wolf, Moon” by Rati Mehrotra (9/6)
  • “The 207th Time I Went Back to March 9, 1980” by Beth Cato (9/6)
  • “The Portal Keeper” by Lavie Tidhar (10/4)
  • “As One Listens to the Rain” by Andrea Chapela (Translated from the Spanish by Emma Törzs) (10/4)
  • “Towered” by Tansy Rayner Roberts (10/4)
  • “Radcliffe Hall” by Miyuki Jane Pinckard (10/4)

Essays

  • “Book Club” by Greg Pak (9/6)
  • “Breaking Out of Capitalist Realism” by Juliet Kemp (9/6)
  • “Everything Is on Fire Except My Deadlines” by Premee Mohamed (10/4)
  • “Too Dystopian for Whom? A Continental Nigerian Writer’s Perspective” by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (10/4)

Poetry

  • “On the Plantation of Daughters” by Lalini Shanela Ranaraja (9/6)
  • “Identity” by Marissa Lingen (9/6)
  • “The Construct’s Co-Emergence” by Linda D. Addison (10/4)
  • “Palingenesia” by Simbo, Olumide Manuel (10/4)

Interviews

  • Rati Mehrotra interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (9/6)
  • Miyuki Jane Pinckard interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (10/4)

Podcasts

  • Episode 48A (September 6): Editors’ Introduction, “Our Love Against Us” by DaVaun Sanders, as read by Matt Peters, “On The Plantation of Daughters” by Lalini Shanela Ranaraja, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing DaVaun Sanders.
  • Episode 48B (October 4): Editors’ Introduction, “The Portal Keeper” by Lavie Tidhar, as read by Erika Ensign, “Palingenesia” by Simbo, Olumide Manuel, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Lavie Tidhar.

Uncanny Magazine is Kickstarting Year Nine

Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are launching a Kickstarter for Year Nine of their five-time Hugo Award-winning professional online Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine: Uncanny Magazine.

Each issue contains new and classic speculative fiction, fiction podcasts, poetry, essays, art, and interviews. Uncanny Magazine is raising funds via Kickstarter to cover some of its operational and production costs for the ninth year, with an initial goal of $20,000, plus added stretch goals of three original covers and a special double-sized issue 50. The Kickstarter launched today, July 21, and runs through August 22: “Uncanny Magazine, Year 9: To Fifty … and Beyond!”

Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, and provocative nonfiction, with a deep investment in our diverse SF/F culture. We publish intricate, experimental stories and poems with verve and vision, from writers from every conceivable background. With the hard work of the best staff and contributors in the world, Uncanny Magazine has delivered everything as promised (or is in the middle of delivery) with our Years One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Eight Kickstarters. This year, the magazine has been recognized as a Hugo Award finalist, six stories have been recognized as Hugo Award finalists, five stories have been recognized as Nebula Award finalists (with one winning), and two stories plus the editors-in-chief have been recognized as World Fantasy Award finalists. We are deeply honored and grateful,” nine-time Hugo Award-winner Lynne M. Thomas says. 

“We couldn’t have done all of this without the amazing support of our Kickstarter community, who we call the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps after our logo mascot. This is also their magazine; their support makes it possible for us to make all of this amazing content available for free on our website. We still feel Uncanny‘s mission is important, especially in these times. And hopefully, we will meet the stretch goals and be able to create a double-sized milestone 50th issue,” six-time Hugo Award-winner Michael Damian Thomas adds.

For the special double-sized milestone 50th issue, Uncanny has solicited original short fiction from Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award-winning and nominated authors and bestselling authors including: Aliette de Bodard, Christopher Caldwell, P. Djèlí Clark, A.T. Greenblatt, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ken Liu, Sarah Pinsker, Catherynne M. Valente, Fran Wilde, John Wiswell, Caroline M. Yoachim, and E. Lily Yu. (There will also be numerous slots for unsolicited submissions in the other 5 issues.) For the special double-sized milestone 50th issue, Uncanny has also solicited original essays by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Sam J. Miller, Annalee Newitz, Diana M. Pho, Elsa Sjunneson, Arley Sorg, and Michi Trota, and solicited poetry by Betsy Aoki, Elizabeth Bear, Neil Gaiman, Theodora Goss, Brandon O’Brien, Terese Mason Pierre, Abu Bakr Sadiq, Sonya Taaffe, and Ali Trotta.

Uncanny Magazine issues are published as eBooks (MOBI, PDF, EPUB) bimonthly on the first Tuesday of that month through all of the major online eBook stores. Each issue contains 5-6 new short stories, a reprinted story, 4 poems, 4 nonfiction essays, and 2 interviews, at minimum.

Material from half an issue is posted for free on Uncanny’s website (built by Clockpunk Studios) once per month, appearing on the second Tuesday of every month (uncannymagazine.com). Uncanny also produces a monthly podcast with a story, poem, and original interview. Subscribers and backers will receive the entire double issue a month before online readers.

[Based on a press release.]

Uncanny Magazine Issue 47 Launches July 5

The 47th issue of Uncanny Magazine, winner of five Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on July 5 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 47th issue of their five-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Amazon Kindle and Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on August 2. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter  and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 47 Table of Contents:

Cover

  • The Wizard of Light by Kirbi Fagan

Editorials

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
  • “The Pregnant Body Problem” by Meg Elison

Fiction

  • “Fate, Hope, Friendship, Foe” by Marie Brennan (7/5)
  • “Family Cooking” by AnaMaria Curtis (7/5)
  • “At the Lighthouse Out by the Othersea” by Juliet Kemp (7/5)
  • “Blessed Are the Healers” by K.S. Walker (7/5)
  • “If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You” by John Chu (8/2)
  • “To Hunger, As with Perfect Faith” by Radha Kai Zan (8/2)
  • “Bramblewilde” by Jordan Taylor (8/2)

Reprint

  • “The Hurt Pattern” by Tochi Onyebuchi (8/2)

Nonfiction

  • “Finding My Way Back to Solitary Fandom” by Keidra Chaney (7/5)
  • “Wonderful Things I’ve Seen in Science Fiction Fandom” by Gay Haldeman (7/5)
  • “In Defense of the To Be Read Pile” by Jim C. Hines (8/2)
  • “She Is Sword, and She Is Sorcery: Womanhood in The Witcher and The Wheel of Time” by Jeannette Ng (8/2)

Poetry

  • “Quiet and Fragile Try on the Same Romper” by Brandon O’Brien (7/5)
  • “Tuesday, Late Commute” by Sarah Grey (7/5)
  • “Sibylline” by Sonya Taaffe (8/2)
  • “Mirrors” by Millie Ho (8/2)

Interviews

  • AnaMaria Curtis interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (7/5)
  • Jordan Taylor interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (8/2)

Podcasts

  • Episode 47A (July 5): Editors’ Introduction, “Fate, Hope, Friendship, Foe” by Marie Brennan, as read by Erika Ensign, “Tuesday, Late Commute” by Sarah Grey. as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Marie Brennan.
  • Episode 47B (August 2): Editors’ Introduction, “If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You” by John Chu, as read by Matt Peters, “Mirrors” by Millie Ho, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing John Chu.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 46 Launches May 3

The 46th issue of Uncanny Magazine, winner of five Hugos and a British Fantasy Award, will be available on May 3 at uncannymagazine.com

Hugo Award-winning Publishers Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are proud to present the 46th issue of their five-time Hugo Award-winning online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Uncanny Magazine. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards. As always, Uncanny features passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture, along with a Parsec Award-winning monthly podcast featuring a story, poem, and interview from that issue. 

All of Uncanny Magazine’s content will be available in eBook versions on the day of release from Weightless Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. Subscriptions are always available through Amazon Kindle and Weightless Books. The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on June 7. 

Follow Uncanny on their website, or on Twitter  and Facebook.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 46 Table of Contents:

Cover:

  • Wall of Roses by Elaine Ho

Editorials:

  • “The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
  • “The Suffering Body Problem” by Meg Elison

Fiction:

  • “Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home” by C.L. Clark (5/3)
  • “The Eternal Cocktail Party of the Damned” by Fonda Lee (5/3)
  • “Bones Are Stones for Building” by Haralambi Markov (5/3)
  • “This Village” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (5/3)
  • “The Coward Who Stole God’s Name” by John Wiswell (6/7)
  • “Spirit Folks” by Maurice Broaddus and Rianna Butcher (6/7)
  • “Two Hands, Wrapped in Gold” by S.B. Divya (6/7)

Reprint:

  • “The Scholar of the Bamboo Flute” by Aliette de Bodard (6/7)

Nonfiction:

  • “The Boy Who Cried Historical Accuracy” by Francesca Tacchi (5/3)
  • “From Panic to Process: What Taking Criticism Actually Means” by Marissa Lingen (5/3)
  • “Gracias, Orlando: A Genre Film and a Queer Body Awakening” by Héctor González (6/7)
  • “No Astra without Aspera” by Tessa Fisher (6/7)

Poetry:

  • “Timeless Pie” by Beth Cato (5/3)
  • “In Stock Images of the Future, Everything is White” by Terese Mason Pierre (5/3)
  • “Spirituals” by Anjali Patel (6/7)
  • “Wormhole” by Abu Bakr Sadiq (6/7)

Interviews:

  • Haralambi Markov Interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (5/3)
  • S.B. Divya Interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (6/7)

Podcasts:

  • Episode 46A (5/3): Editors’ Introduction, “Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home” by C.L. Clark, as read by Erika Ensign, “In Stock Images of the Future, Everything is White” by Terese Mason Pierre, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing C.L. Clark.
  • Episode 46B (6/7): Editors’ Introduction, “The Coward Who Stole God’s Name” by John Wiswell, as read by Matt Peters, “Spirituals” by Anjali Patel, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing John Wiswell.