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Yesterday, my Facebook stream conveniently grouped together posts about four different Kickstarter projects. (What's the collective noun for Kickstarters?) I like them all, and backed them all, and so I'm presenting them to you.

Note that the first one on this list has only about 12 hours left to go. (But is also more than fully funded.) The others have longer.

Also note that the only one of these that isn't at or beyond its initial funding goal is Electric Velocipede, so if you want to focus your donations on projects that aren't already funded, EV is the one of these to look at.

Unstuck: New Literature of the Fantastic and the Surreal (only 12 hours left)

“[A] nonprofit literary journal based in Austin, Texas. We emphasize short stories, poems, and even essays with elements of the fantastic, the futuristic, the surreal, or the strange. Our first issue . . . was released last December. . . . We're currently raising funds for our second issue, which we hope to release in November. Your donations will help us cover print and distribution expenses, and will also help us pay our contributors.

“We find it frustrating that so many readers who enjoy the fantastic or futuristic work of adventurous ‘literary’ authors . . . haven't discovered the stories of brilliant ‘genre’ authors. . . . And vice versa: we're sure that many fans of smart, ambitious genre writing are missing out on a number of authors who should be among their favorites.”

Only about 12 hours left to go on this one! They're fully funded, and then some. But nonetheless a worthwhile project.

Unexploded Cow from Cheapass Games

Remember Cheapass Games? They haven't published any of their quirky entertaining low-budget games in several years, but they're making a comeback. Their first project is a high-production-values new edition of their game Unexploded Cow, which I haven't played and, honestly, don't care all that much about. But I backed this project anyway, because I'm very pleased at the idea of more Cheapass games in the future.

“Even if you don't contribute to our Kickstarter campaign, we still need your help. Ask for Cheapass Games at your local game store, and let them know we're back on the scene.”

I particularly recommend watching the video for this one.

This, too, has more than met its goal, but has nice stretch goals that you can still help out with. 17 days left to go.

Electric Velocipede (not yet fully funded)

“Electric Velocipede is an eclectic, speculative fiction magazine. The magazine was founded in 2001 and has published at least two issues (and the occasional double issue) every year since. . . . [EV] went online at the end of 2011 with issue #23. . . . This campaign will help us keep the magazine online, where it can be read for free.

“[W]riters who published early work with EV include Catherynne M. Valente, Hal Duncan, Aliette de Bodard, Rachel Swirsky, Shira Lipkin, and many more. [E]stablished writers have also graced Electric Velocipede's pages: Jeffrey Ford, Jeff VanderMeer, Liz Williams, Jay Lake, Alex Irvine, Marly Youmans, Chris Roberson, Genevieve Valentine, and Ken Liu,” among others.

If they don't make their $5000 goal, they'll have to shut the magazine down. If they do, then they'll publish four issues online in 2013, and will work on other funding sources for subsequent years.

They've just started this Kickstarter; 29 days and $3600 to go.

Geek Love: An Anthology of Full Frontal Nerdity

“[A] 200-page, hard-bound, full-color collection of geeky, erotic stories and illustrations, photographs and comics.

“We’ve got sexy librarians, raid nights, geek boys in leather and lace, tentacles, sexbots, superheroes and high-tech toys galore.

“Geek Love isn't just smart and sexy. It's also sex-, gender- and geek-positive. The stories and art in the collection showcase and support a broad spectrum of geeks, genders, body types, classes, races, abilities and sexualities.

“[W]e're Kickstarting the project to pay our contributors, and to cover the costs of the cover art, layout and printing.”

This one, too, has just started, and they're already only $800 short of their initial goal, with 30 days left to go.

Antiquities and Tangibles: A Short Fiction Collection (only 21 hours left)

Added later, because I forgot to include this one this morning.

Tim Pratt's new short-fiction collection, featuring three new original stories plus assorted recent stories that have appeared elsewhere.

And because the project has achieved several stretch fundraising goals, anyone who contributes at least $10 will also get (in addition to the new book) a new complete-short-stories ebook, featuring over 100 of Tim's stories, plus notes. That's right: every short story that Tim Pratt has ever written can be yours for only $10, if you back this project within the next 21 hours.

PS: While I'm here, a side note to people who set up Kickstarters for anthologies and magazines (not aimed at the ones above in particular, just a general note): It would be helpful to me as a potential backer if you would give more indications of how much you're paying your contributors. For example, I'm generally less interested in funding a project that doesn't pay contributors, and generally more interested in funding a project that pays contributors pro rates.

PPS: Many worthwhile Kickstarter projects go by without my backing or linking to them. I apologize to those of you who I've ignored—my Kickstarter support tends to be haphazard and intermittent, and lack of mentioning a project doesn't mean I don't like it. In this case, it just happened that four projects that caught my interest showed up at the same time, which was enough to push me over the activation-energy boundary.