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CALL: Opossum seeks music-driven fiction & poetry

Opossum, a semiannual literary magazine of works “animated by music,” seeks poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that is “pulsing with beats, haunted by melodies.” Past issues have included stories inspired by the Oslo death metal scene and the likes of Bob Dylan, James Brown, and Freddie Mercury. They pay at least $12/page, with minimums of $100 for short stories and essays and $75 for poetry and flash fiction.

Read the full post on Dale Cameron Lowry’s blog for writers.

FOR WRITERS: Queer Enough

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FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Thianna Durston: Thianna and I discussed this topic, and wanted to come at it in a way that doesn’t inflame too much passion but engenders a good discussion instead. In Romance, it’s typically fairly obvious that your characters are gay, or bi, or lesbian, or transgender or gender fluid, or ace, etc, based on the relationships they pursue and the way they express themselves in the story. But when you’re writing speculative fiction that’s not romance, it can seem a bit trickier, especially to new authors, to portray a character’s orientation, gender … Read more

TV: Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams is Here!

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams

“From the mind of the prolific sci-fi author, comes the new anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. With 10 standalone episodes and a sweeping all-star cast, each epic story will explore fantasy, humanity, and a future we’ve only begun to imagine.” Stop. You had me at Buscemi. This looks particularly good based on the cast alone and it starts today! Not sure how I missed this but I’m glad I saw it in time. By Dave Post – Full Story at Worlds Without End

FOR READERS: Not All Good Speculative Fiction is in Books

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FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Kari Trenten: Any science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction in something other than book form that you’re fond of? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

FOR READERS: Can’t Get Enough of the Trope

Freakishly Big Sword

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFers Jenna Hale and Jana Denardo: What tropes do you love that you don’t see often? We often hear about things we don’t want to see any more. How about trying something more positive. What tropes would you like to see more of (this could be for both readers and authors). Extra points for spec fic-specific tropes :) Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

FOR READERS: How Did You Become a Speculative Fiction Feader?

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FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer J. Scott Coatsworth: For each of us, there was a time when we first discovered sci fi or horror or fantasy or paranormal fiction – or maybe all four. For many of us, it was a revelation, and changed the course of our lives. So when did it happen for you, and how? Did you stumble upon Lord of the Rings at a library, or see one of Sherri Tepper’s books in the checkout line? Was it a Steven King book-turned-film? Or maybe seeing your friend read the Twilight series? Or maybe … Read more