How have I found myself writing Shoreline of Infinity’s first editorial of 2023?!
When I initially got involved with the magazine back in 2019, with a weird little 1,000-word story featured in Issue 14, I never thought I’d one day be sitting here, contemplating how to introduce a new issue.
I’m thrilled with the stories and voices we have the privilege of featuring in number 34, from brilliant writers in Scotland and beyond. There are stories populated with sprout-children, alien wolves and murderous cleaner-bots, poetry that brings the ineffably human into outer space, as well as speculative nonfiction wondering what will emerge once the structures we’ve built collapse.
I couldn’t be more grateful to Mark and Noel for giving me the chance to work with them. But even more, I am grateful to them for simply founding an excellent magazine, and for their tireless commitment to science fiction, both in Scotland and beyond.
I’m well aware of what a heavy mantle myself and the rest of the core team of Pippa, Russell and Ann have taken on – four of us to replace just two founders! And we’re determined to do the magazine justice, celebrating the history of Scottish science fiction while looking towards the future, not only to what Scottish SF might look like ten or fifty years from now, but how it might continue to reflect the changing landscape of the genre, and continue to be in dialogue with the issues facing all of us right now.
And as we put the finishing touches on Issue 34, and spring gently starts to poke its nose out of the ground, I find myself looking forward to new beginnings, new stories, new friends and new horizons for Shoreline in 2023.