Today is Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-melt-your-face-off hot. Thankfully, we have air conditioning and no shortage of things to keep us occupied inside today during one of those terribly muggy Central Illinois summer days. Though the world is theoretically opening up, we’ll be staying in for the time being. Other than the normal awful summer weather, things are improving here at the Uncanny Headquarters. Caitlin has remained healthy since February and has even returned to in-person school. Hugo the Cat continues looking for a way to get to the nefarious squirrels in the backyard, sadly with little success.
Meanwhile, Lynne and Michael are PLOTTING with the rest of Team Uncanny, as it is that time of the year. We will be running an Uncanny Magazine Year 8 Kickstarter starting REALLY SOON! Keep watching our Twitter and Facebook feeds and our newsletter for more information!
Stupendous news, Space Unicorns! “The Inaccessibility of Heaven” by Aliette de Bodard is a Best Novelette Locus Award finalist, “Burn or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super” by A.T. Greenblatt is a Best Novelette Locus Award finalist, “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson is a Best Short Story Locus Award finalist, “Dresses Like White Elephants” by Meg Elison is a Best Short Story Locus Award finalist, “The Sycamore and the Sybil” by Alix E. Harrow is a Best Short Story Locus Award finalist, and “50 Things Every AI Working with Humans Should Know” by Ken Liu is a Best Short Story Locus Award finalist! Congratulations to Aliette, A.T., Rae, Meg, Alix, and Ken!!! Plus, Uncanny Magazine is a Best Magazine Locus Award finalist, and Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas are a Best Editor Locus Award finalist!
We are so honored!
A huge congratulations to all of the phenomenal finalists!
From the Locus website:
The Locus Science Fiction Foundation has announced the top ten finalists in each category of the 2021 Locus Awards . These results are from the February 1 to April 15 voting, done by readers on an open public ballot. Congratulations to all!
Fabulous news, Space Unicorns! Three Uncanny Magazine stories, 2 poems, and an essay are 2021 Ignyte Award finalists! “The Inaccessibility of Heaven” by Aliette de Bodard a finalist for a Best Novelette Ignyte Award, “My Country Is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou is a finalist for a Best Short Story Ignyte Award, “You Perfect, Broken Thing” by C.L. Clark is a finalist for a Best Short Story Ignyte Award, “Fin” by Terese Mason Pierre is a finalist for a Best in Speculative Poetry Ignyte Award, “Hungry Ghost” by Millie Ho is a finalist for a Best in Speculative Poetry Ignyte Award, and “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Excellence” by Nibedita Sen is a finalist for a Best in Creative Nonfiction Ignyte Award! Congratulations to everyone!!!
Plus, congratulations to former Uncanny Magazine Managing/Nonfiction Editor Michi Trota! Michi is a finalist for The Ember Award for unsung contributions to genre!
It is a fabulous ballot! Congratulations to all of the finalists!
From the Ignyte Award website:
The short list is derived from 15 BIPOC+ voters made up of FIYAHCON staff and previous award winners, of varying genders, sexualities, cultures, disabilities, and locations throughout the world. They are referred to as the Ignyte Awards Committee. Committee members were not permitted to nominate their own works or works of which they were a part. The Committee was not limited to selections authored or otherwise created by BIPOC. Public voting on the shortlist does not permit write-in nominations. Each year, we ask one year’s winners to be part of the subsequent year’s committee to ensure fresh perspectives and to help prevent repeated nominations of the same popular authors as recognized in many other genre awards.
More wonderful news, Space Unicorns! The 2021 Aurora Awards finalists have been announced, and two Uncanny Magazine pieces are on the final ballot! “The Death of the Gods” by Leah Bobet is a finalist for the Best Poem/Song Aurora Award, and “So You Want to Be a Honeypot” by Kelly Robson is a finalist for the Best Short Story Aurora Award! Congratulations to Leah, Kelly, and to all of the phenomenal finalists!
From the Aurora Awards website:
This ballot is for works done in 2020 by Canadians. The Aurora Awards are nominated by members of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association. The top five nominated works were selected. Additional works were included where there was a tie for fifth place. An online awards ceremony will be held on Oct 16, 2021 hosted by Can-Con ( http://can-con.org/ ). Voting will being on July 31, 2021 and close at 11:59 pm EDT on September 4, 2021. NOTE: Due to Covid-19, works normally in Fan Organizational are in the Fan Related Work category.
And now the contents of Uncanny Magazine Issue 41! The spectacular cover is Seelie Springs by Alexa Sharpe. Our new fiction includes Tananarive Due’s exploration of family, health, and hard choices “The Wishing Pool,” Eleanor Arnason’s tale of ghosts and cultural differences “The Graveyard,” Shaoni C. White’s story of sacrifice and rebellion “Diamond Cuts,” Tochi Onyebuchi’s journey through a lifetime and beyond “Presque vue,” Ellen Kushner’s Elizabethan drama of friendship and art “Immortal Coil,” and finally C. S. E. Cooney’s yarn of betrayal and revenge “From the Archives of the Museum of Eerie Skins: An Account.” Our reprint is “The Chameleon’s Gloves” by Yoon Ha Lee, originally published in Cosmic Powers.
Our provocative and compelling essays this issue include “Through a Thousand Eyes” by Nisi Shawl, “The Necessity of Slavery Stories” by Troy L. Wiggins, “The Bad Dad Redemption Arc Needs to Die” by Nino Cipri, and “WWXD: A Warrior’s Path of Reflection and Redemption” by C.L. Clark. This month also includes a new editorial column by Nonfiction Editor Elsa Sjunneson called “Imagining Futures: Reading to a Better World.” Our gorgeous and evocative poetry includes “Sonnet for the Aglæcwif” by Minal Hajratwala, “Hitobashira” by Betsy Aoki, “After The Tower Falls, Death Gives Advice” by Ali Trotta, and “Radioactivity” by Octavia Cade. Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Eleanor Arnason and C. S. E. Cooney about their stories.
The Uncanny Magazine Podcast 41A features “The Wishing Pool” by Tananarive Due, as read by Matt Peters, “Sonnet for the Aglæcwif” by Minal Hajratwala, as read by Joy Piedmont, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Tananarive Due. The Uncanny Magazine Podcast 41B features “Presque vue” by Tochi Onyebuchi, as read by Matt Peters, “Radioactivity” by Octavia Cade, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Tochi Onyebuchi.
As always, we are deeply grateful for your support of Uncanny Magazine. Shine on, Space Unicorns!
© 2021 Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
Lynne and Michael are the Publishers/Editors-in-Chief for the four-time Hugo and Parsec Award-winning Uncanny Magazine.
Nine-time Hugo Award winner Lynne M. Thomas was the Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013). She co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords (with Tara O’Shea) as well as Whedonistas (with Deborah Stanish) and Chicks Dig Comics (with Sigrid Ellis).
Along with being a six-time Hugo Award-winner, Michael Damian Thomas was the former Managing Editor of Apex Magazine (2012-2013), co-edited the Hugo-finalist Queers Dig Time Lords (with Sigrid Ellis), and co-edited Glitter & Mayhem (with John Klima and Lynne M. Thomas).
Together, they solve mysteries.