How many stories and how often may I submit? Our usual policy of allowing authors to only submit a story once every 7 days is lifted for this issue so while you may only submit one at a time, you can send in something else as soon as we pass on the first one.When can I expect a response to my submission? We will endeavor to reply as quickly as possible to submissions, but since assembling the special issue is similar to assembling an anthology, stories being seriously considered may be held until March 1, 2015 to allow our editors to consider everything before making their final decisions.How long is the submission period? Submissions open Octoand will close at 11:59 p.m.Steampunk is also welcome, as long as whatever is powering your cool stuff isn’t magic. This includes the social sciences, so dystopias are welcome, as are stories set in post-apocalyptic worlds. What is science fiction? At LIGHTSPEED, we think of science fiction as fiction that speculates on our world, where the basis of that speculation is science, not magic.How queer does my story need to be? We very much want to see diverse queer representation and queer themes, but we are focused on the identity of the authors and the quality of the story, not the “this much queer content per story” meter.No fantasy for this special issue, though if our Kickstarter campaign goes well we might unlock Queers Destroy Fantasy! and Queers Destroy Horror! special issues as well. What can I submit? Science fiction short stories, up to 7500 words. (Please note that the “A” in QUILTBAG is for “ace/on the asexual spectrum,” not “ally.” We hope allies will support this special issue, but if you are not yourself queer, please do not submit.) How do you define queer? Gay, lesbian, bisexual, demisexual, asexual, pansexual, intersex, transgender, genderfluid, genderqueer–if you fit within the QUILTBAG, we want you.Who can submit stories for consideration for the special issue? Anyone who identifies as queer.Who are the guest editors for the special issue? Seanan McGuire is our overall guest editor and she will also be selecting and editing the original short stories (1500-7500 words) Sigrid Ellis is our flash fiction editor (We’ll be launching a Kickstarter on January 15 to help fund making the special issue a double issue. LIGHTSPEED’s 2015 special issue will be Queers Destroy Science Fiction!, an all-science fiction issue entirely written, edited, and illustrated by queer creators. I recommend people drop what they are doing and go read “Sarah’s Child.”īigelow, Susan Jane. “Sarah’s Child.” Strange Horizons, May 19, 2014. This story has been one of my favorites this year and I found its examination of identity, longing for motherhood, and communication between spouses to be both touching and deeply poignant. If you want to find out more about her writing you can check out her blog, The Extrahuman Union, or follow her on Twitter always a pleasure to have the opportunity to review science fiction written by other trans folks, particularly such an amazing short story. Susan Jane Bigelow has published three novels and numerous short stories, including a piece in the trans literature anthology, The Collection. In terms of trans content in science fiction, Bigelow’s story not only features a queer transgender woman as the protagonist, but Bigelow herself is a trans woman. While I won’t spoil the science fiction twist of the connection between Sarah and June here, I will reveal that the story unpacks something many trans people think about, “what would my life have been like if I had been born cisgender instead of trans? Would my life have been different?” As the dreams and notes continue, Sarah discovers the link between her, Sheldon, and the mysterious June. She even begins exchanging mysterious handwritten notes with Sheldon. Soon Sarah begins receiving texts addressed to “June” and talking about Sheldon, the son she dreamed of having. Pregnancy, babies, those dreams came with Sarah tries to dismiss her dream as a side-effect of hormones, but the dreams continue and become more intertwined with her life as the story goes on. While she wakes from this dream and discovers she is happily married to her wife, Janet, she also realizes that despite the vividness of her dream they don’t have a son. The titular Sarah is a queer trans woman who has a dream about having a biological son. In honor of WisCon 40 finishing this week–which was an amazing experience–I’m posting a review of Susan Jane Bigelow’s short story “ Sarah’s Child.”įirst published on Strange Horizons in May 2014, this story made it to the honor list for the 2015 Tiptree Award.
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