Online sf notes from all over

Filed under: Links, Speculative Fiction
4 Comments

It continues to frustrate me that I don't have time to read everything I want to read.

Here are a bunch of neat, interesting, and/or useful speculative-fiction-related items, most of which I haven't had a chance to read in any detail, but all of which look interesting to me:

  • After a seven-month hiatus, the Internet Review of Science Fiction is back. There are some placeholders 'n' stuff, but they've posted new content and will be filling in the placeholders over time. Glad to see them back online, especially Lois Tilton's reviews of short sf.
  • Speaking of short fiction reviews, The Fix is a free online short-fiction-review'zine from TTA Press, the publisher of Interzone, Black Static, and Crimewave. Managing editor Eugie Foster appears to have jumped over there from Tangent Online, which has been on hiatus since September. I've liked the reviews I've read at The Fix so far. (Btw, some of the short-fiction review sites I listed three and a half years ago are also still around, though some others, alas, are not.)
  • Futurismic is still "a website for people interested in the future and the effects of science and technology on the present" and still blogging. I hope to have some cool news about them to post sometime soon, but in the meantime, the blog's certainly worth reading. Of particular note in the context of my entry here is their Friday Free Fiction feature, with links to lots and lots of free online fiction. (That was one of several blogs that linked to Warren Ellis's new webcomic, FreakAngels, which looks interesting so far.)
  • The deadline for applications for both Clarion West and Clarion is impending rapidly. For both, they have to receive applications by March 1 (that's not a postmark date, that's a received-by date); if you're applying after February 24, the CW folks recommend submitting by email. (Note that applying to CW by email costs an extra $30 for photocopying fees, to be deducted from your tuition if you're accepted.) If I'm understanding right, Clarion (San Diego) requires submissions to go through their web form rather than on paper, and you have to get a registration code before you can submit, so don't wait 'til the last minute. I gotta say, both workshops have an even more remarkable than usual lineup of instructors:
    • Clarion West: Paul Park, Mary Rosenblum, Cory Doctorow, Connie Willis, Sheree R. Thomas, Chuck Palahniuk.
    • Clarion San Diego: Kelly Link, James Patrick Kelly, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Neil Gaiman, Nalo Hopkinson, Geoff Ryman.
  • Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show is featuring one free story from each of their first four issues during the month of February. (Including one story by Card himself, from the Alvin Maker universe.) To read the free stories, follow the link to their main page, then click one of the first four issue numbers in the "Past IGMS Issues" sidebar on the left; one story from each of those issues is marked "Free Story."
  • The preliminary Nebula ballot was posted a month ago, but I've been out of touch. Congrats to--well, I was going to list y'all who might be reading this, but there are too many of you. I'm pleased to know so many cool writers. Congrats to all on the ballot! The preliminary Stoker ballot has also been announced; congrats to all on that as well!
  • Cecilia Tan's new collection of erotica (including some sf, I believe), White Flames, is coming out in mid-April from Running Press.
  • Doug Lain and M. K. Hobson have a new online 'zine called Diet Soap; it's a little unclear to me what their focus is, but their submission guidelines say they're looking for "fiction, essays, reportage, and art that documents and accelerates the deterioration of the late capitalist order" and that they want "stories that defy genre distinctions."

I think there were a couple other things I wanted to mention here, but I'm blanking. If I think of 'em, I'll add 'em.

4 Responses to “Online sf notes from all over”

  1. Anonymous

    Hey Jed! Just a note to say hi, your short fiction review list is MONDO helpful, and also to confirm that YES, White Flames has sf/f stories mixed in with so-called “real world” fiction. All are erotic, naturally.

    I hear tell that the cover design is even up on the major bookselling websites. The print date is April 15th, I ought to be “touring” mostly in May.

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  2. Cecilia Tan

    And that’s me above. I tried to use the LJ username to sign in but it doesn’t appear to have worked. I’m “ceciliatan” at LJ if we’re not already mutually friended…)

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  3. John T. Cullen

    Thanks for your interesting web page. I thought I’d post that, as a published author, I’m tired of the midlist struggle and am devising a new/ancient strategy for letting readers everywhere read (free, complete, and without obligation other than to remember they are copyright-protected) 16+ of my novels at my website–http://www.johntcullen.com/. I’ve been online since 1996, and actually had two books published by Byron Preiss’ imprint at Simon & Schuster as a consequence. Long story–details at the website. Happy Reading!–John T. Cullen

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  4. Jed

    Cecilia: Thanks for the notes!

    John: On the one hand, I don’t normally let people use my comments section to promote their own sites. On the other hand, you’re providing stuff of potential interest to my readers, for no direct commercial benefit to yourself; and as the former editor of Deep Outside (one of the first online sf magazines to pay pro rates) you get some slack. And I do want to encourage writers to make their work freely available online.

    But I think it’s worth noting that I found a couple of aspects of your comment to be phrased in a somewhat misleading way. [I originally said more here, but later decided that I was being silly and that my comment probably sounded more hostile than I meant it, so I did some trimming and editing of this comment later. Apologies to anyone who read the original version.]

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