2014 Roundup

Our first year did not end with a whimper, nor did it start with one thanks to amazing support from the SFF community. In 2014, we published 9 invited authors, accepted 14 more tales, and turned away hundreds of submissions. All of which resulted in 4 issues containing 23 arresting stories. It would be unseemly to tout our own favourites (we’ll never tell), but several pieces generated some online buzz this year or were positively reviewed, and we took note. It’s these much-discussed stories we’d like to flag during nomination season, since they already seem to have caught on with our readers. Thank you for the notice! –RR

Aurora Awards (Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association)

Short Fiction

Kate Heartfield, Their Dead So Near (Issue 1)
Amal El-Mohtar, Mon pays c’est l’hiver (Issue 1)
Helen Marshall, Death and the Girl from Pi Delta Zeta (Issue 1)
Kate Heartfield, Bonsaiships of Venus (Issue 4)

Related Work

That would be where to nominate Lackington’s, if you’ve a hankering to do so.

James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council

Vajra Chandrasekera, On Being Undone by a Light Breeze (Issue 2)
Alexandra Seidel, A Quest for Fire (Issue 3)
Rose Lemberg, Stalemate (Issue 4)

Carl Brandon Parallax Award (Carl Brandon Society)

Amal El-Mohtar, Mon pays c’est l’hiver (Issue 1)
Sofia Samatar, A Girl Who Comes Out of a Chamber … (Issue 2)
Vajra Chandrasekera, On Being Undone by a Light Breeze (Issue 2)
Yukimi Ogawa, Not Her Garden (Issue 3)

Carl Brandon Kindred Award (Carl Brandon Society)

Vajra Chandrasekera, On Being Undone by a Light Breeze (Issue 2)

Nebula Awards (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America)

Short Story

Kate Heartfield, Their Dead So Near (Issue 1)
Amal El-Mohtar, Mon pays c’est l’hiver (Issue 1)
Helen Marshall, Death and the Girl from Pi Delta Zeta (Issue 1)
Rose Lemberg, A City on Its Tentacles (Issue 1)
Jack Hollis Marr, Before the Rains Came (Issue 2)
Sofia Samatar, A Girl Who Comes Out of a Chamber … (Issue 2)
Vajra Chandrasekera, On Being Undone by a Light Breeze (Issue 2)
Alexandra Seidel, A Quest for Fire (Issue 3)
Sonya Taaffe, In Winter (Issue 3)
Yukimi Ogawa, Not Her Garden (Issue 3)
Rose Lemberg, Stalemate (Issue 4)
Penny Stirling, More Embers than Feathers Filled the Firmament (Issue 4)
Kate Heartfield, Bonsaiships of Venus (Issue 4)

Hugo Awards (World Science Fiction Society)

Best Short Story

Kate Heartfield, Their Dead So Near (Issue 1)
Amal El-Mohtar, Mon pays c’est l’hiver (Issue 1)
Helen Marshall, Death and the Girl from Pi Delta Zeta (Issue 1)
Rose Lemberg, A City on Its Tentacles (Issue 1)
Jack Hollis Marr, Before the Rains Came (Issue 2)
Sofia Samatar, A Girl Who Comes Out of a Chamber … (Issue 2)
Vajra Chandrasekera, On Being Undone by a Light Breeze (Issue 2)
Alexandra Seidel, A Quest for Fire (Issue 3)
Sonya Taaffe, In Winter (Issue 3)
Yukimi Ogawa, Not Her Garden (Issue 3)
Rose Lemberg, Stalemate (Issue 4)
Penny Stirling, More Embers than Feathers Filled the Firmament (Issue 4)
Kate Heartfield, Bonsaiships of Venus (Issue 4)

Best Semiprozine

Lackington’s qualifies, but are we good enough? This is not for us to say, but it is worth being a bit coy about — and somewhat brazen, given our rookie status.

Of course, every 2014 story (barring a few reprints in Issue 1) is eligible for your consideration, and we’re grateful for all the readers who show nomination love for a particular tale or illustration. And if nothing in our catalogue piques your interest, be sure to champion short fiction and artwork appearing in other venues. It’s a valuable and beloved field with little “return” for its creators, and our SFF colleagues impress us every day with the work they do. Watching writers, artists, editors, and zines land on these lists is as rewarding as it is reassuring. So don’t forget to vote this awards season — a moment’s work means a great deal to those on the receiving end, and to those tireless awards committees, too.