Clarkesworld

Clarkesworld #45

~ Cheryl ~ 4 Comments

I had gone to bed by the time the new issue went online yesterday, but it is up now and as usual it is full of wonderful things.

The lead fiction this month is “Futures in the Memory Market” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. That’s also available as a podcast, read as usual by Kate Baker.

Supporting that is “My Father’s Singularity” by Brenda Cooper. The podcast for that will go up in a couple of weeks’ time. (Also I note that this month we have two science fiction stories, both by women. Cool.)

This month’s interview is with the very wonderful Caitlín R. Kiernan, who as ever is upfront and honest about the writing process.

Our cover art is “perseus faces the kraken” by John Barry Ballaran.

And that leaves the non-fiction piece, which I am very pleased with for a number of reasons. “Moonage Daydream: The Rock Album as Science Fiction” by Jason Heller was once of those proposals that had me leaping up and down with glee immediately. Part of that, of course, if because I am a sad, old David Bowie fan who still remembers Ziggy Stardust with a great deal of fondness, but also the article was a great excuse for us to go wild with the YouTube links. Jason managed to pick many pieces of music that are very dear to me, and to introduce me to some I had never heard of but may grow to love. And I’m sure that other people will soon be adding lists of their favorite SF-themed rock albums. If you want to do so, please add them over at Clarkesworld, not here.

I should also thank Jason for working with me to get the article finished in a hurry because the piece I did have scheduled for June got withdrawn at the last minute. This does mean that I have a gaping hole in August where Jason’s article should have been. Those of you who have been promising me a submission please note.

One final note on Jason’s article. We were unable to find any videos from Donald Fagen’s Kamakiriad on YouTube. However, there is a wonderful video of “Tomorrow’s Girls” available (sadly unembeddable) here.

While the whole of Clarkesworld is available for free online, the magazine is now also available in the Kindle store. I have been able to buy it using the Kindle for iPhone app. Neil may have it in iBooks as well by now. Obviously you don’t need to buy it to read it, but if you do so then we have more money available to pay writers, which is what we like to do. #45 isn’t live yet, but doubtless will be soon. In the meantime there are plenty of back issues available.

Kij Does The Right Thing (Again)

~ Cheryl ~ 2 Comments

The finalists for this year’s Theodore Sturgeon Award were announced yesterday. Given that this is an award for short fiction, I was very much hoping that Clarkesworld would have a nominee or two. Well we don’t, but for a very good reason. The jurors very much liked Kij Johnson’s “Spar”, but as Kij is one of the jury she asked for the story to be removed from this list. She had to do it last year for “26 Monkeys” as well. So it is a bit disappointing, but it shows that, for a variety of reasons, Kij is absolutely the right sort of person to be judging that award.

Million Writers Public Vote

~ Cheryl

Those of you who follow my SF Awards Watch blog (and if you don’t why not?) will know that Clarkesworld has a story up for this year’s Million Writers Award. That’s a mainstream award for the best online fiction, of all types, of the year. Our nominee is the Hugo-nominated “Non-Zero Probabilities” by N. K. Jemisin. The short list also contains another Hugo nominee, “Eros, Philia, Agape” by Rachel Swirsky and a story from Fantasy Magazine, “A Song to Greet the Sun” by Alaya Dawn Johnson. The final ballot is by public vote, and that means that the good people of Clarkesworld need to come out in force.

Princess Cheryl Needs You.

Details of how to vote are available here.

A Good Awards Weekend

~ Cheryl ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday morning I woke up to the news that “Non-Zero Probabilities” by N.K. Jemisin was shortlisted for the Million Writers Award.

Today I woke up to the news that “Spar” by Kij Johnson has won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story.

I hasten to add that I have absolutely nothing to do with selecting the fiction for Clarkesworld. I can take no credit for these award successes. But that doesn’t stop me being enormously proud. Huge congratulations to Nora and Kij.

Clarkesworld #44

~ Cheryl ~ 1 Comment

Another month, another issue. While I have been failing to move house, Neil has been busy. Here’s what we have for you in May:

– The lead fiction this month is “A Jar of Goodwill” by the excellent Tobias S. Buckell. That story is also available as a podcast, read as ever by Kate Baker.

– Our second story for May, “A Sweet Calling”, comes from one of last year’s Campbell finalists, Tony Pi. The podcast for that will be available mid-month.

– This month we have two interviews: one with Elizabeth Bear, and one with Marly Youmans, both of whom are fine writers.

– I’m very pleased with this month’s non-fiction article. When Ryan Britt approached me with a suggestion of an article about SF and mainstream fiction I was initially very skeptical, but Ryan promised a fresh approach and he has delivered. His article, “Stranger Than Science Fiction: Into the Alternate Dimension of Mainstream Literature” introduces us to some fascinating writers and suggests potential new markets for SF writers.

– And finally our cover art, “The Biomarket”, comes from Brazilian student Rodrigo Ramos.

Clarkesworld is a user-supported enterprise. We can only continue to bring you the finest fiction because of your kind donations. See here for ways in which you can contribute.

Clarkesworld is Locus Award Finalist

~ Cheryl ~ 2 Comments

Now that’s what I call a birthday present!

You see, having Clarkesworld on the Hugo ballot for Best Semiprozine is a great honor, but it is still for semiprozine. Being on the Locus Award short list for Best Magazine means we are playing with the big boys now. The other finalists are Asimov’s, Analog, F&SF and Tor.com. It is the equivalent of having Neil Clarke up for Best Editor: Short Form (which of course he should be – maybe next year).

Plus, of course, we have the inimitable Kij Johnson on the short story list again. If you haven’t read “Spar” yet, go here. Kij, of course, has a good chance of winning.

The rest of the lists are pretty impressive too. There are a few omissions I’m sad about, but I am very happy for John Berlyne because Secret Histories is an awesome book. I’m also very pleased to see Charles Vess on the artist ballot. I cannot for the life of me understand why he never gets a Hugo nod.

The Fantasy Novel list is particularly awesome.

Now I want to go to Seattle in June. Fuck.

Happy, Happy #Hugos

~ Cheryl ~ 7 Comments

That is the best nominations list I can remember. I’ll write more later when I’m not doing it with one finger on an iPhone, but basically what I wanted to say is…

Go Clarkesworld!

I am so proud of Kij and Nora.

Clarkesworld #43 Online

~ Cheryl

As we have to say on this day every year, it is really, most sincerely, true; there is a new Clarkesworld available.

Issue #43 contains the usual two stories. We headline with “Between Two Dragons” by Yoon Ha Lee. That one is also available as a podcast (wow, 31 downloads already). Our second story is “January” by Becca De La Rosa (who is studying Ancient Greek at university in Dublin – wow again). That one will be podcast in a couple of weeks’ time.

Our interview this month is with the very wonderful N.K. Jemisin (she of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms). And in my department movie critic Dan Kimmel discusses the use of aliens on the big screen.

Finally, we have another great cover, this time from French artist, Aimé Jalon.

Clarkesworld on BFS Award Long List

~ Cheryl

The British Fantasy Society has issued the long list for their 2010 awards. This is essentially just a list of recommendations. It isn’t clear how many people have to recommend a work to get it on the list — it could be only one — so it is way premature to be talking about “nominations”. However, it is always good to be in the running, and Clarkesworld is. You can see the full lists in all categories here.

Clarkesworld #42 Online

~ Cheryl ~ 1 Comment

Yes, it is that time of the month again. A new issue of Clarkesworld magazine went live yesterday, and it has the usual mix of excellent content.

First up in the fiction department is “Alone With Gandhari” by Gord Sellar. Gord was a Campbell nominee last year and lives in South Korea. His previous story for Clarkesworld, “Of Melei, Of Ulthar”, made the Locus Recommended Reading List.

Gord’s story is also available as a podcast, read as ever by the wonderful Kate Baker.

Our other story for March is “The History Within Us” by Matthew Kressel, who also runs the excellent Senses Five Press. Matthew’s story will be podcast later in the month.

The non-fiction article this month is “Future Brains: Neuroscience Fiction versus Neuroscience Fantasy” by Luc Reid. I was particularly interested in what Luc had to say about the nature of memory. Our brains are very weird things.

The March interview is with Kij Johnson and focuses particularly on her amazing, and now Nebula-nominated, story, “Spar”. This is, of course, another opportunity to satisfy the large number of people who find my blog by searching for the term “tentacle porn”, but don’t let that put you off. What Kij has to say about the story is fascinating:

It’s deeply unpleasant as a story, offensive on many levels. I knew it worked as a story, but I wasn’t sure how it would be read and I wasn’t thrilled to be thought of as a tentacle-porn girl. There are a couple of sections that I hated, but they were effective and in they stayed. This is a story I love without liking it at all.

Finally our cover art for this issue is “Retro Robots” by Georgi Markov, who, I see from his bio, lives in a small village in Bulgaria. I love the way the Internet allows such people to sell to us.

By the way, Hugo nominations are due very shortly. Please do consider the many fine stories that we published last year. Clarkesworld is, of course, eligible in the Semiprozine category.

If you like what we do, and happen to have some cash to spare, Princess Cheryl always welcomes new minions. We get to publish great material because we pay well, and we can only do that with your help.

Nebula Thoughts

~ Cheryl ~ 3 Comments

Looking through the ballot, it is great to see such a wide variety of sources for the short fiction nominees. As I noted earlier, Clarkesworld got two short stories onto the ballot. Interzone has one in novelette and one in novella. Subterranean Press has two novellas, and Tachyon one. Of the “big three” digest fiction magazines, Asimov’s has five nominees, F&SF two, and Analog none at all.

I have read three of the Best Novel nominees: Finch, The Windup Girl and The City & The City, and loved them all. I have a copy of Boneshaker on my “to read” pile. I’ll pick up the Gilman and Barzack when I get home to California.

I think it is time that SFWA stopped pretending that the Bradbury is for scriptwriting. By all reports Avatar was an amazing movie in many ways, but everyone seemed to agree that the script was awful.

The Norton short list looks much more representative of the field this year. It includes a book from Tachyon, and a book serialized online. Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan has moved up my “to read” pile (though it is in California so it will have to wait). I’m delighted to see Cat Valente getting more recognition, but I’m now kind of worried that Fairyland and Palimpsest are going to be competing for nominations in the Hugos, and that neither will get in as a result.

Congratulations are due to Mary Robinette Kowal and her team for a very smooth operation. It is great to see the Nebulas going off without a hitch.

Clarkesworld Stories on Nebula Ballot

~ Cheryl

How do you know that you are one of the best short fiction markets around? When you published two out of the six finalists for this year’s Nebula Award for short stories. To be fair, Asimov’s managed to bag two of the slots as well, but they’ve been doing that for a long time. This is new for us. And pretty new for an online magazine as well. So, many congratulations to Neil, Sean and the slush-reading team; and special congratulations to Nora and Kij. The selected stories are:

Kij’s story is also available as a podcast. Neil has announced that Nora’s story will be available as a podcast sometime this evening.

Mid-Month Audio at Clarkesworld

~ Cheryl

It is mid-month audio time again at Clarkesworld. We podcast our main story when the issue goes live. The second story in the issue is podcast in the middle of the month. So you can now enjoy “The Language of the Whirlwind” by Lavie Tidhar, as read by the wonderful Kate Baker, here.

Overlord Clarke’s Secret Weapon

~ Cheryl ~ 2 Comments

At Clarkesworld we are subject to all sorts of attacks: computer viruses, spam plagues, zombie armies, alien space fleets, and of course evil overlords from parallel dimensions. It is essential that we have defense forces to counter such threats. Overlord Clarke has therefore been busy constructing a Secret Weapon with which to repel invaders. Unfortunately the weapon appears to have had something of a mind of its own, and I understand that some of them have escaped into the galaxy. If you happen to see any of them, do let us know. Or better still, send for your local friendly Time Lord.

Snow Dalek

More pictures here.

Locus Recommended Reading List

~ Cheryl ~ 2 Comments

The Locus Recommended Reading List for 2009 is now available online. This is one of the best sources available for what is good to read, and what is likely to be a contender for awards, from the past year. Of course I am a little biased, because I have some input into the compilation of the List. However, that input is largely in areas such as novels and non-fiction, which I know a lot about (though I’m also delighted to see Boilerplate on the Art Book list). I tend to leave the short fiction sections to folks like Jonathan Strahan, Rich Horton and Gardner Dozois who are experts. Consequently I am delighted that a number of stories from Clarkesworld have made it into the list. As ever, you can read them free online. Here they are:

Congratulations to all of the writers. We’d have no magazine without you.

Update: Overlord Clarke has reminded me that two Wyrm Publishing books, Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias S. Buckell and Unplugged: The Web’s Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy: 2008 Download, Rich Horton (ed.) are also listed. Sales of these books help keep Clarkesworld free, so please keep buying them.

Clarkesworld Reader Poll

~ Cheryl ~ 1 Comment

Our readers have spoken, and the results are in the current issue of Clarkesworld. Yes, I have already mentioned this. Why am I doing a separate post? Well, at this time of year everyone is looking for potential Hugo nominees. (Those of you attending BASFA tonight will be discussing that very topic.) And people always complain that the field is so vast that they don’t know where to start looking. Well, Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy nominated magazine publishing some of the finest writers in the field. The stories that come out on top in our Readers Poll are therefore going to be quite special. And they are all free to read online. Here are the top four stories (three of them by women, two by people of color).

Go take a look. It’s good stuff.

And let’s not forget the artists, OK? The artist category is one that sees almost no movement from year to year. There are more than half a dozen professional artists out there, people. I am in awe of the magnificent job Neil does in finding fabulous cover art. I’m also delighted with our winner. You may remember me getting rather excited about that cover when #38 first came out. Kazuhiko Nakamura produces some fabulous art. He has several more wonderful images on his web site, Mechanical Mirage. And here’s the original of “Brain Tower” without all of our logos and stuff on it.

Brain Tower

I’d love to see him get a few nominations.

Clarkesworld #41

~ Cheryl

Yes, it is that time of the month again. Clarkesworld Magazine #41 is now online. For your reading pleasure we have a bunch of wondrous things. We also have the results of the 2009 Readers’ Poll, and I’m delighted with the winners. More about that later, but first, the contents.

I particularly enjoyed working with Russ on his article as I have an earth science degree myself. Also the article ended up featuring an innovative type of renewable electricity generator, which is immediately relevant to my day job.

I’ll do a post about the Readers’ Poll later.