When 2021 began, we had only the highest hopes for what the future held. Our authors met our expectations, and showed us that so much grace, wonder, and possibility remains, even in the darkest of global times. We have waited all year to honor these pieces, and now that award season is upon us, it is our time to shine a light on all these wonderful works.
The stories listed below are eligible in either the short story categories of the SF/F awards. We are not yet members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America so are unable to nominate ourselves. We’re always happy to send out our ebooks to any potential reviewers or nominators. Please read on and consider nominating these amazing pieces; we hope to see these authors in the winners circle soon!
Short Stories (Under 5100 Words):
Issue 13: Justice, Guest Editor Laura Barker
- Entire issue mentioned in: Apparition Literary Magazine, Issue #13: Justice (Review) by Trollbreath
With the Nectar Comes the Sting by Jennifer Hudak
- Mentioned in: Short fiction recs! March-April 2021 by It’s A Jumble
- Spec Rec #212 by Vanessa Jae
Shark Girls by Caroline Diorio
- Mentioned in Words for Thought: May 2021 by A.C. Wise
Redlands by Jay Harper
Honey and Mneme by Marika Bailey
It’s Never Just a Necklace by Ashland East
Commodities by Zebib K.A.
- Mentioned in: 2021 Short Fiction Round Up 4 by Jeff Xilon
- Must-Read Speculative Short Fiction: February 2021 by Alex Brown
Issue 14: Chance, Guest Editor Premee Mohamed
- Entire issue mentioned in: Apparition Literary Magazine, Issue #14: Chance (Review) by Trollbreath
The Swamp Exchange by Laura Barker
Bride, Knife, Flaming Horse by M.L. Krishnan
- Mentioned in: My Favorite Stories From the First Ten Months of 2021 by P.H. Lee
- Short Story Sunday by Anita Goveas
- Paul Jessup’s April Short Story Roundup
- My Words Have Been Published! by Russ Linton
- Story shapes and extrapolation by Kathleen Jennings
Watcher, Worker by Rona Fernandez
Queen Minnie’s Last Ride by Aimee Ogden
Issue 15: Contamination, Guest Editor Aigner Loren Wilson
- Entire issue mentioned in: Apparition Literary Magazine, Issue #15: Contamination (Review) by Trollbreath
She Dreams in Bronze by Sylvia Ho
- Mentioned in: Story shapes and extrapolation by Kathleen Jennings
I Wear My Spiders in Remembrance of Myself by Kel Coleman
- Mentioned in: Story shapes and extrapolation by Kathleen Jennings
- My Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Short Fiction Roundup for August 2021 by Maria Haskins
- Some Queer Short SFF – July 2021 by Charles Payseur
Mushroom Head by Marla Bingcang
- Mentioned in: Story shapes and extrapolation by Kathleen Jennings
The Godmaker’s Cure by December Cuccaro
- Mentioned in: Story shapes and extrapolation by Kathleen Jennings
Issue 16: Wonder, Guest Editor Maria Dong
Flocks of Words and Wonder by Marie Croke
- Mentioned in: On My Lunch by Rebecca E. Treasure
A Home for the Hungry Tide by Alexandra Singer
Lavender, Juniper, Gunpowder, Smoke by Alyson Grauer
Cocoon by Atreyee Gupta
Feudal Superstition by Yiwen Bu
Poetry
All our poetry can be nominated for the Rhysling Award. All our poems this year qualify as Short Poems (1-49 lines) under the Rhysling Award categories.
Mothers of the Disappeared by Tehnuka, 37 lines
A Body and It’s Hunger by Sarah Ramdawar, 26 lines
Alecto Chats on Her Smoke Break by Elizabeth McClellan, 41 lines
On Brutal Wing by Brian Hugenbruch, 48 lines
Bought and Sold by Ellen Huang, 24 lines
Fifteen Steps by Marisca Pichette, 25ish lines
Inextricable by Venne Hrzaan, 33 lines
Traumerei by Ewen Ma, 26 lines
Stranger Organs by Shaoni White, 43 lines
Beefriend by May Chong, 48 lines
Additional pieces for your consideration:
As a semi-pro magazine, we are eligible for the Best Semiprozine Hugo Award. You can also nominate our Guest Editors the Best Editor (Short Form) Hugo Award.
Our Guest Essayists artfully tackled a range of urgent topics, never shying away from such timely issues as the changing face of justice; ableism and racism; communication in the time of covid; and cultural identity. These fantastic pieces are eligible for the Best Related Work Hugo Award:
- Justice is a Gravity Lens by Sameem Siddiqui
- Ripples of Love by Marguerite Croft
- When We Lost Touch by H.E. Casson
- A Deeply Rooted Wonder by Jessico Cho
Last, but certainly not least, all our cover artwork is original, lovingly crafted just for these issues. If you love what you’ve seen, please nominate our 2021 Artist-in-Residence Erion Makuo for Best Fan Artist Hugo Award.
Blog Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels
