Great Free Science Fiction.

Science fiction is the intersection of human experiences and change— whether technological, social, environmental, or philosophical. Good science fiction overlaps with other genres and comes in many shapes and sizes, right down to the extraordinary haiku-stories we publish in the ultra-shorts collection: AE Micro.

A world where the Davos cabal catch a parasite that modifies their neurochemistry, changing cutthroat lords of industry into benevolent humanists? Done. A world where virus-infected smart fridges build a rudimentary sentience? Done. Where municipal policies use behavioural engineering and illegally harvested personal data to make cities tick? Done yesterday.

Science fiction is a way for us to explore worlds that might be. It’s a free-form improvisation where policy, technology and even human nature are up for grabs. This is a chance for us to explore futures that might be, and find the realities that we can can build… or avoid.

That’s why you’ll find AE fiction published alongside essays and opinion pieces about what these stories actually mean to us. Their contexts, the symbolism that they weave, and the craft of writing that they embody are all part of the story.

Fair Rates for Authors and Artists.

We pay our authors and artists at rates that respects the value of their craft, because we believe that published writing should be paid. Creating literature is a vocation, not a hobby. We are an SFWA eligible market.

A close corollary to fair rates is a fair process. At AE authors come first – and that’s reflected by a fair publishing cycle, reasonable deadlines, and the time and effort we put into meaningful feedback and editorial support to help make every story the best that it can be.

We’re Canadian.

We provide a home for unapologetically Canadian fiction. You don’t need to be a Canadian to submit here, but we give special consideration to Canadian writers. We live in a nation where what it means to be “Canadian” is changing, and AE is a place to explore what we might become.

On an average day, about 75% of our content is Canadian. We gladly welcome writing from all backgrounds – but stories about Canada or written from a Canadian perspective will always come first.

Supporting Emerging Authors and Underrepresented Voices.

We publish vibrant and diverse voices, especially those that are traditionally underrepresented in science fiction. AE welcomes and mentors authors who are new to writing, and who write from unusual or underrepresented perspectives.

We’re very proud to have been the first venue of publication for authors who have gone on to have stellar careers in scifi, and to have published writing from vibrant perspectives – including new immigrants, indigenous canadians, and many others. When fiction includes the voices of everyone in our communities, the stories we tell are rich and powerful.

Creative Commons

We publish under a Creative Commons license because stories grow in impact and power every time a new reader discovers them. We want these stories to be as widely available and accessible as possible, and the stories that are published here will be available forever.