So, it used to be that I just didn’t have the money to support crowdfunding and it’s still something that I don’t get to do as often as I’d like, but these days I do at least periodically check out what’s shaking over at Kickstarter and on Patreon, though I’m generally much more likely to do Kickstarter’s one-time backing than Patreon’s recurring payments. There’s so much great stuff out there, but since I can’t afford to support everything myself, I thought I’d start sharing them with you. I haven’t decided how often or how regularly I’ll be doing these posts–that’ll depend on if people find them interesting and useful–but I’m thinking somewhere between weekly and monthly, most likely every couple of weeks to be sure that each one is mostly new content.
I’d also love to hear what you think is cool, so if there’s something you’ve seen that I missed, please share it in the comments!
Things to Read
Hidden Youth: Speculative Stories About Marginalized Children
140k words of brand new short fiction, a cover by Julie Dillon, and interior artwork for every story. At the $10 backing level, you get the ebook, and for $15 you can also get a digital copy of 2014’s Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History.
From their page:
“Heroes of Red Hook is a collection of cosmic horror tales taking place during the Jazz Era with a very important focus. The protagonists of this anthology are members of the various under represented demographic in Lovecraftian fiction. Our heroes and heroines are the outsiders who are most often blamed (wrongly so) for the actions of various alien horrors of the mythos. Our stories put the spotlight on ethnic and religious minorities, immigrants, independent free thinking women, those with special needs, and members of the LGBT community. This collection features people struggling to overcome not only the horrors beyond mankind’s understanding, but an oppressive society seeking to deny them basic human rights.”
Evil is a Matter of Perspective: An Anthology of Antagonists
I’m not 100% sold on this concept from the team at Grimdark Magazine, but there are some authors I really like in their Table of Contents. It’s also very close to being funded with 22 days left to go and seems likely to hit at least a couple of very nifty stretch goals over the next three weeks.
Enough Space for Everyone Else: An Anthology
This optimistic project had me at “no war/imperialism narratives,” but it’s also focused on showcasing diversity.
Things to Play With
Steampunk-ish paper dolls? With an octopus? Yes, please.
I don’t play many card games these days, but the tagline on this one, “A Game of Shirking Your Duty,” made me chuckle.
Exoplanets: A Planetary Life-Development Boardgame
“Exoplanets is a dynamic game for 2-4 players, wherein each player contributes to the creation of an entire planetary system. Each player’s role in Exoplanets is to expand the system by adding new planets, create and evolve life forms, and fulfill various tasks. To fulfill these tasks, you will manipulate the planetary system in any way necessary, potentially altering the relations between planets and possibly even the life-giving star at the system’s center.”
The Purrmaid: A Mermaid Cat Plush
These are adorable, and there’s already a second design unlocked from stretch goals.
Magazines on Patreon
Did you know that several pretty important publishers of short fiction–much of it free to read online–can be supported through Patreon? If you appreciate their content (even if, and maybe especially if, you don’t want or can’t afford a subscription), this is a great way to help them stay in business.
Clarkesworld (clarkesworldmagazine.com) is a science fiction & fantasy magazine that has been publishing free monthly issues online for over nine years. Each issue includes six-to-eight short stories (which are also podcast over the course of the month) and four non-fiction pieces. We have won three Hugo Awards, a British Fantasy Award, and a World Fantasy Award. Our fiction has been nominated for or won the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Locus, Shirley Jackson, Ditmar, WSFA Small Press and Stoker Awards.
Three-time Hugo Award-winner Lynne M. Thomas (Apex Magazine, Chicks Dig Time Lords, Glitter & Mayhem) and three-time Hugo Award nominee Michael Damian Thomas (Apex Magazine, Queers Dig Time Lords) are seeking support for Uncanny: A Magazine of Science Fiction & Fantasy. Each bimonthly issue of Uncanny contains new and classic speculative fiction, poetry, essays, art, and interviews. Uncanny’s monthly podcast includes a story and a poem from each issue and an exclusive interview with one of our creators.
Sci Phi is a science fiction and philosophy magazine that is published every two months and was founded in 2014. In each issue you will find stories that explore questions of life, the universe and everything and articles that delve into the deep philosophical waters of science fiction universes.
I’m only familiar with Sci Phi Journal because several stories they published showed up in Up and Coming, and their work isn’t always to my taste, but it’s definitely worth a look if you like more serious, philosophical science fiction.
SF Bluestocking 