Strange Horizons

In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti chats to author Debbie Urbanski about her 2018 Strange Horizons publication and the 13 years of submissions it took to get accepted, writing in the gray areas between genres, and what it means to be artistically honest in your work.Links and things:Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠.Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes.Want to meet the team? Podcast editors Kat and Michael will be at Seattle Worldcon! Come to our Table Talk on Wednesday morning, or to our live episode recording on Friday evening, grab a ribbon, and tell us about your favourite Strange Horizons stories, poems, or special issues.Episode show notes:Read Debbie Urbanski's story, Some Personal Arguments in Support of the BetterYou (Based on Early Interactions)Visit her website, or follow her on Instagram and SubstackBuy her book, After World, or her short story collection PortalmaniaRead Andy Sawyer's Strange Horizons review of After WorldFind more links to her work and other things mentioned throughout the transcript page on our website.

In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Mary Robinette Kowal about the fractal nature of story structure, , and writing to please the teenaged version of you.Links and things:Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠.Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes.Want to vote for Strange Horizons in the Hugos? We have two poems, a novelette, and the magazine all on the ballot! Get your WSFS and/or virtual Seattle Worldcon membership on their website, and you can cast your vote now.Want to meet the team? Kat and Michael will be at Seattle Worldcon! Come to our Table Talk on Wednesday morning, or to our live episode recording on Friday evening, grab a ribbon, and tell us about your favourite Strange Horizons stories, poems, or special issues.Episode show notes:Read Mary Robinette's work in our archives.Listen to the audio of the Portland Strange Horizons 10th Anniversary Reading event on her website.Buy The Martian Contingency and pre-order Apprehension/Red Star Hustle (part of a Saga Double with Sam J Miller)Follow Mary Robinette on Instagram or visit her website to sign up for her monthly newsletter, The Mary Robinette Gazette. Both places abound with talking cat content!Find more links to her work and other things as you read the transcript below.

In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Nghi Vo about how Strange Horizons kickstarted her publishing journey, her weird and interesting life before writing took off, and the fearlessness it takes to make a writing career happen.Links and things:Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠.Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes.Want to vote for Strange Horizons in the Hugos? We have two poems, a novelette, and the magazine all on the ballot! Get your WSFS and/or virtual Seattle Worldcon membership on their website, and you can cast your vote now.Episode show notes:Read Nghi's work in our archivesFollow Nghi on Bluesky or visit her website, nghivo.comBuy her newest book, Don't Sleep With the DeadFind more links to her work and other things as you read the transcript on our website.

In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Naomi Kritzer about her non-linear writing journey, imagining positive futures, and how to deal with the world catching up to your near-future specfic.Links and things:Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠.Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes.Want to vote for Strange Horizons in the Hugos? We have two poems, a novelette, and the magazine all on the ballot! Get your WSFS and/or virtual Seattle Worldcon membership on their website, and you can cast your vote now.Episode show notes:Read Naomi's work in our archives.Visit Naomi's website, or follow her on Bluesky.Order her latest book, Liberty's Daughter, featuring all of the previously serialised Seastead stories from F&SF Magazine.Find more links to her work, along with everything else we talked about today, peppered throughout the transcript on our website.

In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Charlie Jane Anders about her Strange Horizons publications dating all the way back to 2002, charting her journey as a writer and her experience with the magazine over 20 years, as well as her love for community events and bringing people together.Links and things:Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠.Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes.Want to vote for Strange Horizons in the Hugos? We have two poems, a novelette, and the magazine all on the ballot! Get your WSFS and/or virtual Seattle Worldcon membership on their website, and you can cast your vote as soon as the end of this month.Episode show notes:Read Charlie Jane's stories in our archivesVisit Charlie Jane's website, or follow her on BlueskyPre-order Charlie Jane's upcoming novel, Lessons in Magic and Disaster.Find more links to her work, along with everything else we talked about today, peppered throughout the episode transcript on our website.

In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, we present a soundscaped reading of Jordan Kurella's poem, 'this tree is a eulogy', and afterward Kat Kourbeti chats to Jordan about his writing process, the wonders of New Weird fiction, and the magic of writer friendships.Links and things:Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠.Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes.Episode show notes:For the poem reading:Narration by Jordan KurellaSoundscape by Michael IrelandMusic credit: 'Reawakening' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0.For the interview:Follow Jordan Kurella on Bluesky, or check out his website.Read Jordan's work in our archives, including his poem 'this tree is a eulogy'.Pre-order Jordan's upcoming novella, The Death of Mountains.Find more links to his work, along with everything else we talked about today, peppered throughout the episode transcript.

In this special episode of Strange Horizons at 25, Kat Kourbeti sits down with fiction editors Hebe Stanton and Kat Weaver, as well as poetry and administrative editor Romie Stott, to talk about some of the work we published last year, just as the Hugo nominations deadline draws close.Links and things: Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠. Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes.Episode show notes: Read the full Azimuth post including all links to today's recommendations, plus some extras for good measure. Follow Romie Stott on Bluesky Read Hebe Stanton's SFF review blog Follow Kat Weaver on Bluesky Follow Kat Kourbeti on BlueskyAnd of course, find a fuller list of what we talked about today as you read the transcript on our website .

In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, Kat Kourbeti sits down with longtime friend and Seattle Worldcon Poet Laureate Brandon O'Brien, chatting all things speculative poetry, TTRPG design and actual play streaming, and the impact of markets that have many readers and editors—hey wait, that's us!Links and things: Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠. Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes. Did you know SH@25 is eligible for the Best Related Work category in the Hugo Awards? Keep us in mind for your 2025 ballot!Episode show notes: Follow Brandon on Bluesky, or sign up to his newsletter, Afternoon Tea. Read Brandon's work in our archives Get a Seattle WSFS Membership and longlist your favourite SH poems today! Find more links to everything we talked about as you read the transcript on our website.

In this episode of Strange Horizons @ 25, editor Kat Kourbeti sits down with SFF critic and writer Bogi Takács for an in-depth conversation about the role of criticism in the SFF space, plus an overall look at their varied career. Links and things: Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠. Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes. Did you know SH@25 is eligible for the Best Related Work category in the Hugo Awards? Keep us in mind for your 2025 ballot! Episode show notes: Follow Bogi on Bluesky, and visit their website, BogiReadsTheWorld.com Read Bogi's work in our archives, including their reviews, poems, and fiction. Buy Bogi's latest collection, Power To Yield and Other Stories Find more links to their work and everything else we talked about, as you read this episode's transcript.

In this episode of Strange Horizons @ 25, producer Michael Ireland sits down with acclaimed SF author John Scalzi to discuss his 2001 story Alien Animal Encounters, which just so happens the only story he ever submitted anywhere, plus his long and decorated career in the SFF genres. Links and things: Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠. Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes. Did you know SH@25 is eligible for the Best Related Work and Best Fancast category in the Hugo Awards? Keep us in mind for your 2025 ballot! Episode show notes: Visit John Scalzi's website, or his blog, 'Whatever' Read his 2001 story, Alien Animal Encounters, in our archives Follow John on Bluesky, @scalzi Preorder When The Moon Hits Your Eye, out March 2025 Find more links to John's work, along with links to everything we talk about in this episode, on the transcript page.

In this special episode of SH@25, editor Kat Kourbeti narrates 'Little Brother' by Bruce Holland Rogers, originally published on 30 October 2000. Hosted by producer Michael Ireland, with warm holiday wishes from the entire SH Editorial Collective. Read the story on the SH website. Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click ⁠here to record an audio message⁠, and ⁠here for video⁠. Join our ⁠Patreon⁠ for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes. Did you know SH@25 is eligible for the Best Related Work category in the Hugo Awards? Keep us in mind for your 2025 ballot!

In this episode of SH@25, Editor Kat Kourbeti sits down with Vivian (Xiao Wen) Li to discuss her foray into poetry, screenwriting, music composition and more, and also presents a reading of her two poems published in 2022, 'Ave Maria' and 'The Mezzanine'. Links and things: Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click here to record an audio message, and here for video. Join our Patreon for early episode access, or donate through any other way to hear your name and message in our next episodes. Did you know SH@25 is eligible for the Best Related Work category in the Hugo Awards? Keep us in mind for your 2025 ballot! Episode show notes: Visit Vivian's website, or follow her on social media (Bluesky/Instagram) Read Vivian's poems 'Ave Maria' and 'The Mezzanine' in our archives Find more links to Vivian's work, along with links to everything we talk about in this episode, on the transcript page. Leave us a comment and let us know what stories from the archives you'd like to hear next!

In the 5th episode of SH@25, editor Kat Kourbeti sits down with author E.M. Faulds to chat about her 2022 story, Broken Blue, combining Eldritch horrors with mundane moments, writing female characters, and bigging up your crew when you have the chance. Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click here to record an audio message, and here for video. Join our Patreon for early episode access. Did you know SH@25 is eligible for the Best Related Work and Best FanCast categories in the Hugo Awards? Keep us in mind for your 2025 ballot! Episode show notes: Visit E.M. Faulds' website and follow her on social media (BlueSky / Instagram) Read E.M.'s microfiction over your coffee break on her Ko-fi page (and throw her some change while you're there) Read E.M.'s story Broken Blue in our archives Buy a copy of Gallus, the 2024 Glasgow SF Writers' Circle anthology Check out Nova Scotia Vol II from Luna Press Check out Ada King, E.M.'s novel, and Under the Moon, her short story collection featuring all-female protagonists Find more links to E.M.'s work, as well as recommendations and links to other media we talked about, on our episode transcript page.

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Dan Hartland speaks with reviewers and critics Rachel Cordasco and Will McMahon about science fiction in translation (SFT), and specifically about those books appearing from small presses based in the US. They discuss recent news on NEA grants to these publishers, the SFT ecosystem in general, and how the literature might reach wider a wider readership.A transcript of this episode is available at the Strange Horizons website.Episode LinksPublisher's Weekly article about the NEA funding withdrawalRachel Cordasco's list of SFT from Small American PressesThe first episode of Open Letter's 3% Podcast recent seriesThe Translated Hugo Initiative

In the third episode of Writing While Disabled, Kristy Anne Cox and Kate Johnston sit down with author Donyae Coles for a frank and candid discussion around adjusting one's life and writing processes around one's disability, finding support to help with the tasks that become difficult, and how genre can lend itself to telling disabled stories authentically.Show notes:This episode was produced and hosted by Kristy Anne Cox and Kate Johnston, and edited, mixed, and transcribed by Kat Kourbeti.The theme song, "Funky - Upbeat Loop" by ispeakwaves, is licensed under CC BY 4.0.Want to send us a question? You can do so here!Buy 'Midnight Rooms' by Donyae Coles here.Find Donyae's short fiction linked on her website.Follow Donyae on Bluesky and Instagram.Find Kristy on her website here.Our fund drive for 2026 is now live!Contribute to funding our next year on Kickstarter and get awesome rewards like signed books by your favorite authors, ebook copies of the magazine, a special iron-on patch, your name in the credits of a poem, artwork or review, and much more.Read the 2025 Fund Drive issue.Vote for Strange Horizons in the Hugo Awards!We have two poems, a novelette, and the magazine all on the 2025 Hugo Awards ballot! Get your WSFS and/or virtual Seattle Worldcon membership on their website, and you can cast your vote now.

In the second audio episode of Writing While Disabled, hosts Kristy Anne Cox and Kate Johnston welcome Farah Mendlesohn, acclaimed SFF scholar and con-runner, to talk all things hearing, dyslexia, and more ADHD adjustments, as well as what fandom could and should be doing better for accessibility at conventions, for both volunteers and attendees.Show notes:This episode was produced by Kristy Anne Cox, and edited & transcribed by Kat Kourbeti. Watch the full video interview with captions, or read the transcript ⁠on our website⁠.The theme song, "Funky - Upbeat Loop" by ispeakwaves, is licensed under CC BY 4.0.Want to send us a question? You can do so here!Find Farah on her website, farahmendlesohn.com, or follow her on Bluesky @effjayem.bsky.social.Pre-order Farah's upcoming book on Joanna Russ's The Female Man on the Luna Press website.Find Kristy on her website here.Don't forget: this year, Strange Horizons is celebrating our 25th birthday!Want to leave us a happy 25th birthday message? Click here to record an audio message, and here for video.Join our Patreon for early episode access, or donate through PayPal or other means here.

In the first audio episode of Writing While Disabled, Kristy Anne Cox is joined by author Kate Johnston to talk about her experiences and challenges as a disabled writer.Show notes: This episode was produced and hosted by Kristy Anne Cox, and edited, mixed, and transcribed by Kat Kourbeti. The theme song, "Funky - Upbeat Loop" by ispeakwaves, is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Want to send us a question? You can do so here! Buy 'Boundary Shock Quarterly 18: Veterans' featuring Kate JohnsTon's story Losing the Tether here. Find Kristy on her website here. Read the transcript (or watch the episode on video) on our website.Don't forget: this year, Strange Horizons is celebrating our 25th birthday! Want to leave us a happy 25th birthday message? Click here to record an audio message, and here for video. Join our Patreon for early episode access, or donate through PayPal or other means here.

In the 4th episode of SH@25, Editor Kat Kourbeti sits down with tabletop game designer and SFF critic Kyle Tam, whose young career has taken off in the last few years. Read on for an insightful interview about narrative storytelling from non-Western perspectives, the importance of schlock and trash in the development of taste, and the windows into creativity we find in moments of hardship. Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click here to record an audio message, and here for video. Join our Patreon for early episode access. Did you know SH@25 is eligible for the Best Related Work category in the Hugo Awards? Keep us in mind for your 2025 ballot! Episode show notes: Visit Kyle Tam's website for her full credits/bibliography Follow Kyle on BlueSky @percypropa.bsky.social Read Kyle's reviews for SH on her author page Back ⁠Devil's Due on Backerkit⁠ Find more links to Kyle's work, as well as recommendations and links to other media we talked about, on the episode transcript page.

In the third episode of SH@25, editor Kat Kourbeti sits down with author Arkady Martine, for an in-depth interview on her multifaceted career, her review writing, and the history that inspired her two-time Hugo Award winning Teixcalaan Empire series. We also present a reading of Arkady's poem, Cloud Wall, which marked her Strange Horizons debut, and remains to this day one of three poems she ever published, with reading by Kat Kourbeti and sound design by Michael Ireland. The music heard in the poetry segment is 'Uprising' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. Want to leave us a happy birthday message? Click here to record an audio message, and here for video. Join our Patreon for early episode access. Show notes: Read a full transcript of this episode Find Arkady Martine in the SH Archives, including her poem 'Cloud Wall', the story 'City of Salt', and her book reviews Follow Arkady Martine on BlueSky (@byzantienne.bsky.social) Buy Arkady's books through Bookshop.org A full list of Arkady's short fiction elsewhere can be found on her website

In the first guest interview of this series, editor Kat Kourbeti sits down with author Kate Heartfield, whose 2015 story 'Limestone, Lye, and the Buzzing of Flies' marked a turning point in her publishing career. Follow Kate on social media @kateheartfield, or sign up for her newsletter on her website: https://kateheartfield.com For fuller show notes and to read the transcript of the interview: http://strangehorizons.com/podcasts/sh25-episode2-kate-heartfield/ ‎ Read Kate's story "Limestone, Lye, and the Buzzing of Flies": http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/limestone-lye-and-the-buzzing-of-flies/ Kate's 2017 fund drive essay "Expanding Ambitions": http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/azimuth/expanding-ambitions/ Buy Kate's books through Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/strange-horizons-25-guests