Editorial

AE #6

Letter from the Editors #6

BY D.F. McCourt and the AE staff

Spending time representing AE at conventions over the past year, I’ve been reminded again and again that few people in the world bring such passion to their interests as science fiction fans. It’s a fundamental trait of the geek personality to latch onto some object of fascination and fall entirely down the rabbit hole. But there’s a dark side to this laser-like attention as well. As easy as it is to love something, it can be easier to loathe it.

“he” and “she” or “I” and “you”

Over the Transom: A Rose Without a Name is Not as Cool a Companion

BY Duff McCourt and Helen Michaud

We get a lot of stories about pronouns in our inbox — characters who have no other handles than “he” and “she” or “I” and “you.” There’s a certain seductiveness for an author to leaving names unspecified — not only can you avoid coming up with an appropriate one, but you can argue that leaving things more open-ended allows readers to can fill in the blanks from experience and identify more closely with the characters. But there’s a risk associated with it as well.

AE #5

Letter from the Editors #5

BY D.F. McCourt

It’s coming up on our first birthday and, in the tradition of hobbits and magazines, we have got you some great presents. The first present, the one you knew you were getting but should still be excited about, is new science fiction. Our lead story this month, “Last Words” by Chester Burton Brown (whose artwork has previously appeared in AE) brings a beautifully natural Bukowskian voice to an all too recognizable future. Later in the issue, alongside excellent pieces by writers and artists new to AE, you’ll get a chance to hear from Silvia Moreno-Garcia again, in a poignant tale of the forgotten and powerless.

Can you write a science fiction romance? Yes.

Over the Transom: What We Point to When We Say AE

BY Duff McCourt and Helen Michaud

I’m not here to argue about genre. AE is a science fiction magazine, but we freely — and proudly — admit that we have a generous interpretation of what fits in that category. A quick skim of our publishing history shows that we can be quite fond of stories that employ a light touch with science fictional elements. Indeed, you’ll find it hard to convince us that drawing a crisp distinction between “science fiction” and other genres is a useful endeavour. (Can you write a science fiction romance? Yes. A noir detective story? Yes. A coming-of-age tale? A comedy? Yes and most certainly yes.)

What is a story?

Over the Transom: What Makes a Story

BY Duff McCourt and Helen Michaud

I don’t like the word slush. It calls to mind the vast quantities of snow, sleet, freezing rain and wintry mix that have collected everywhere in mounds of white-slowly-turning-to-grey after a recent spate of winter storms. It summons visions of dark, semifrozen pools whose depths are treacherously unknowable until it’s too late. And worst of all, the name slush pile as applied to a publisher’s unsolicited submissions recalls the image of weary editorial assistants mechanically slapping form rejection letters on manuscripts laden with the hopes and dreams of their authors.