My story “Excision,” from Ann VanderMeer‘s first issue of Weird Tales, is now out as an audio podcast from the good folks at Podcastle. Read by well-known podcaster Jen Rhodes. Thank you!
Their content rating for it says “Rated R: Contains Surgery”. How can a story with that label fail to entertain!
Weird Tales magazine has been sold, according to Editor Ann VanderMeer, to a new Publisher/Editor, Marvin Kaye, who intends to edit the magazine himself. Ms. VanderMeer’s editorship will end with the next issue, #359, which Mr. Kaye plans to publish next February.
I for one will be sorry to see Ms. VanderMeer go. Her editorial vision took WT in a less pulp, more literary and character-centered direction. She published several pieces by veteran writers that I enjoyed, including a new Elric novella by Michael Moorcock. And she also published many new and neo-pro writers, as she proudly mentions in her farewell editorial, including Rachel Swirsky, Jonathan Wood, Amanda Downum, and N.K. Jemisin.
The former and the latter have gone on to earn Finalists for major awards. Jonathan Wood has authored two of my favorite stories so far in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Amanda Downum has published a dark, secondary-world fantasy trilogy.
Ms. VanderMeer also bought my first genre sale, “Excision” in WT #347. (That same issue included the Jonathan Wood and Amanda Downum pieces. Downum’s story is one of the top ten stories I’ve read in the last decade–a creepy yet heart-rending tale of emotional loss and attempted redemption.) And Ann was delightful to me in person at Capclave last year.
Best of luck to Mr. Kaye with his new plans for the magazine, and I’m certain that Ms. VanderMeer’s editorial vision will continue in her future projects. But I’m sad to see the new slant that she brought to WT five years ago end.
I had a blast at ReaderCon last weekend. Among the many, many highlights:
-the Naked City anthology reading Thursday night in Cambridge, with readings by John Crowley, Jeffrey Ford, my buddy Matt Kressel, and post-reading beers with Jed Berry and Mike DeLuca
-panels Friday, including on anthologies
-drinking Friday with many, including Claire H., Maggie R., Jenn B., Renee B., and Mike DeLuca
-my reading Saturday morning–I read “The Very Strange Weird of Endart Sscowth” in the current Space and Time and a bit of my Homeless Moon chapbook 4 story. A nice crowd, who were treated to back-issue copies of Space and Time #108 and #114 and Weird Tales 347, all containing stories by me.
-the BCS reading Saturday afternoon, with Matt Kressel, Margaret Ronald, Marko Kloos, and Mike DeLuca
-dinner and more drinking with many, including Marko, Chang T., Abby, Dave B., Claire H., Maggie, Jenn, Renee, and Mike DeLuca (anyone detecting a theme? :) )
-chats with and meeting of cool people, like Leah Bobet, Ellen Datlow, and Ellen Kusher
-drinking Sunday and Monday with Mike DeLuca (that theme again…)
It was awesome, all of it–fascinating discussion and delightful fellowship. Woo!
Weird Tales, the very long-running SF/F/H magazine where my first published fantasy story appeared, has made some major upgrades.
As detailed in this announcement, WT will now be paying 5 cents a word, up from 3 cents. They’ve also adopted the very slick electronic submissions system that Clarkesworld Magazine pioneered and that Fantasy Magazine and Asimov’s use. Ann VanderMeer, who as Fiction Editor bought my story “Excision” several years ago, is taking over as Editor-in-Chief.
I’m sure these changes will only improve this run of the magazine under Ann, which has already won the 2009 Hugo for Best SemiProZine. I’ve been a fan and subscriber ever since “Excision” appeared in WT #347, her first issue, the one with the cool cover art of a severed head in a jar. :) I had the pleasure of dining with Ann and Jeff at Capclave, and they are tireless champions for short fiction. I look forward to this new era for Weird Tales!
