This was a rough month for the Thomases.
After quite a few careful visits with friends and loved ones, Michael’s luck finally ran out, and he came down with COVID. Thanks to vaccines, boosters, and medicine, it was a mild case, and he managed not to pass it to Lynne & Caitlin. It did mean that Lynne had to solo parent Caitlin for about two weeks, though. Towards the end of that period, Caitlin began to have some medical issues that we suspected might be her kidneys acting up again. We brought her in for tests just two days after Michael left isolation. The results were not good, and poor Caitlin was hospitalized for a week. As we write this, we are home again, but waiting to go back in two weeks for surgery to address another round of kidney stones.
We are extremely fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community. All of the love and support we received while in the hospital meant a great deal to us. Thank you, Space Unicorns. Your kindness is bigger than galaxies.
There is some better news in the universe! As all of you most certainly know, we’ve been running the Uncanny Magazine Year 9: To Fifty … and Beyond! Kickstarter! It will be over when you read this, but we achieved funding for Year 9, and reached many of our stretch goals, which included the DOUBLE-SIZED MILESTONE ISSUE 50! Thank you, Space Unicorns!
This issue is the final issue of Uncanny Magazine Year 8. With the ongoing pandemic and other global issues, it was another tremendously challenging year for everyone. We want to thank our phenomenal staff and every generous member of the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps who made all of this possible. We hope you enjoyed all of the gorgeous stories, poems, essays, interviews, podcasts, and art. This issue contains the bonus novella for Year 8, and we think you will greatly enjoy it along with everything else in the issue. YOU ARE THE VERY BEST, YOU MAGNIFICENT SPACE UNICORNS!!
We have some wonderful news, Space Unicorns!
As you know, our current Assistant Editor Monte Lin will become the new Managing Editor starting with Uncanny Magazine #50 (January/February 2023). We’ve finally found somebody to take over his old duties! Starting with Uncanny Magazine #49 (November/December 2022), the new Assistant Editor will be…
Tania Chen!!!
Tania brings a lot of enthusiasm to the position. We can’t wait to start working with them!
Tania’s Bio:
Tania Chen is a Chinese-Mexican queer writer. Their work has been published in Unfettered Hexes by Neon Hemlock, Strange Horizons, Pleiades Magazine, and Baffling. They are a first reader for Nightmare Magazine and a graduate of the Clarion West Novella Bootcamp workshop of January/Feb 2021. They can be found on twitter @archistratego.
It was a phenomenal pool of applicants. Thank you to everyone who applied!
Uncanny Magazine Year 9 will be fantastic, Space Unicorns. Though many changes are happening, we will continue to have the BEST STAFF in the universe.
Stupendous news, Space Unicorns! “Confessions of a Spaceport AI” by Mary Soon Lee won the SFPA 2022 Rhysling Award for Best Short Poem!
Congratulations to Mary Soon Lee and to all of the finalists!
Fabulous news, Space Unicorns! “That Story Isn’t the Story” by John Wiswell is the Best Novelette Locus Award winner, and “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather” by Sarah Pinsker is the Best Short Story Locus Award winner! Congratulations to Sarah, John, and to all of the winners and finalists!
Once again, congratulations to the other five Uncanny Magazine stories that were finalists: “Mulberry and Owl” by Aliette de Bodard for Best Novelette, “Unseelie Brothers, Ltd.” by Fran Wilde for Best Novelette, “If the Martians Have Magic” by P. Djèlí Clark for Best Short Story, “Proof by Induction” by José Pablo Iriarte for Best Short Story, and “The Sin of America” by Catherynne M. Valente for Best Short Story.
You can find the list of all of the winners and finalists here!
Excellent award news, Space Unicorns!
The World Fantasy Award finalists have been announced! “If the Martians Have Magic” by P. Djèlí Clark and “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather” by Sarah Pinsker are finalists for the Best Short Fiction World Fantasy Award! Also, Editors-in-Chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas are finalists for the Special Award–Non-Professional World Fantasy Award for their Uncanny Magazine work! We are thrilled and honored! Congratulations to all of the finalists!
Magnificent news! Congratulations to Caroline M. Yoachim and Sarah Pinsker! “Colors of the Immortal Palette” by Caroline M. Yoachim and “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather” by Sarah Pinsker are both finalists for the 2022 Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction!
From their website:
The Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction (or Eugie Award) celebrates the best in innovative fiction. This annual award is presented at Dragon Con, the nation’s largest fan-run convention. Starting with the 2020, we will add a video presentation of the award online, along with a reading of a section of each finalist.
The Eugie Award honors stories that are irreplaceable, that inspire, enlighten, and entertain. We will be looking for stories that are beautiful, thoughtful, and passionate, and change us and the field. The recipient is a story that is unique and will become essential to speculative fiction readers.
Along with that news, The Uncanny Thomases planned on attending Chicon 8: The 80th World Science Fiction Convention from September 1-5, 2022! We are sure it went well!
And now the contents of Uncanny Magazine Issue 48! The phenomenal cover is Hunter by Sija Hong. Our new fiction includes Natalia Theodoridou’s tale of wonder and sacrifice “The Prince of Salt and the Ocean’s Bargain,” DaVaun Sanders’s story of love and perseverance “Our Love Against Us,” Rati Mehrotra’s tale of cats, magic, and monsters “Girl, Cat, Wolf, Moon,” Beth Cato’s yarn of time travel and family “The 207th Time I Went Back to March 9, 1980,” Lavie Tidhar’s exploration of duty and relationships “The Portal Keeper,” Andrea Chapela’s (translated from Spanish by Emma Törzs) look at the future and hard choices “As One Listens to the Rain,” Tansy Rayner Roberts’s delightful fairy tale romp “Towered,” and finally Miyuki Jane Pinckard’s gothic novella of love and hauntings “Radcliffe Hall.”
Our provocative and compelling essays this month include “Book Club” by Greg Pak, “Breaking Out of Capitalist Realism” by Juliet Kemp, “Everything Is on Fire Except My Deadlines” by Premee Mohamed, and “Too Dystopian for Whom? A Continental Nigerian Writer’s Perspective” by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. Our gorgeous and evocative poetry includes “On the Plantation of Daughters” by Lalini Shanela Ranaraja, “Identity” by Marissa Lingen, “The Construct’s Co-Emergence” by Linda D. Addison, and “Palingenesia” by Simbo, Olumide Manuel . Finally, Caroline M. Yoachim interviews Rati Mehrotra and Miyuki Jane Pinckard about their stories.
The Uncanny Magazine Podcast Episode 48A features “Our Love Against Us” by DaVaun Sanders, as read by Matt Peters, “On the Plantation of Daughters” by Lalini Shanela Ranaraja, as read by Erika Ensign, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing DaVaun Sanders. The Uncanny Magazine Podcast Episode 48B features “The Portal Keeper” by Lavie Tidhar, as read by Erika Ensign, “Palingenesia” by Simbo, Olumide Manuel , as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Lavie Tidhar.
As always, we are deeply grateful for your support of Uncanny Magazine. Shine on, Space Unicorns!
© 2022 Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
