Uncanny Magazine

''Uncanny Magazine'' is an American science fiction and fantasy online magazine founded by publishing editors Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.

History

First issued in 2014, the publication is based in Urbana, Illinois. The editors-in-chief, who had previously edited ''Apex Magazine'' from 2012–2013, chose the name of the magazine because they say it "has a wonderful pulp feel" and like how the name evokes the unexpected. They created the magazine "in the spirit of pulp sci-fi mags popular in the 1960s and '70s." The editors have said that the purpose of the magazine is to push the boundaries of science fiction and fantasy by challenging readers while promoting an inclusive platform for writers of varied backgrounds. Invoking the whimsicality of its speculative subject matter, its mascot is a space unicorn.

''Uncanny'' has published bimonthly, beginning in November 2014, after receiving initial funding through Kickstarter. It supports itself through crowdfunding as well as subscriptions, which numbered 4,000 in 2017.

The magazine became increasingly prominent after the editors won the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine multiple times. Content such as an English translation of " Folding Beijing" by Hao Jingfang and "You'll Surely Drown Here If You Stay" by Alyssa Wong cement its reputation during the earlier issues by winning awards as well.

By March 2025, Thomas and Thomas had published 63 issues; at which point Lynne Thomas announced she would be stepping down as co-editor to direct her time for librarian activities as Head of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Publications

The magazine publishes original works by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Catherynne M. Valente, Charlie Jane Anders, Seanan McGuire, Mary Robinette Kowal, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Alex Bledsoe, Nalo Hopkinson, Jane Yolen, Naomi Novik, N. K. Jemisin, G. Willow Wilson, Carmen Maria Machado, Amal El-Mohtar, Ursula Vernon, Kameron Hurley and Ken Liu, and published early stories by Alyssa Wong and Brooke Bolander. Each issue includes new short stories, one reprint, new poems, non-fiction essays, and a pair of interviews. The magazine pays its authors and artists. It also produces a podcast where some of the magazine's content is read aloud. They have a staff of 10 editors and receive between 1,000 and 2,000 submissions every month.

In 2018, they published a disability-themed issue called
Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction
' with content exclusively from disabled creators. This was a continuation of the ''Destroy'' series originally from '' Lightspeed'' magazine; in it, the authors and illustrators envisioned "a truly accessible future is one that features rather than erases the disabled mind and body." The issue won an Aurora Award for Best Related Work in 2019.

Staff

Current staff

* Michael Damian Thomas – Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
* Monte Lin – Managing Editor
* Betsy Aoki – Poetry Editor
* Erika Ensign – Podcast Producer
* Steven Schapansky – Podcast Producer
* Matt Peters – Podcast Reader
* Caroline M. Yoachim – Interviewer

Former staff

* Lynne M. Thomas – Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
* Meg Elison - Nonfiction Editor
* Chimedum Ohaegbu – Managing Editor/Poetry Editor
* Naomi Day – Assistant Editor
* Elsa Sjunneson – Nonfiction Editor
* Joy Piedmont – Podcast Reader
* Angel Cruz – Assistant Editor
* Michi Trota – Managing/Nonfiction Editor
* Stephanie Malia Morris – Podcast Reader
* Mimi Mondal – Poetry/Reprint Editor
* Julia Rios – Poetry/Reprint Editor
* Amal El-Mohtar – Podcast Reader
* C. S. E. Cooney – Podcast Reader
* Deborah Stanish – Interviewer
* Shana DuBois – Interviewer

Awards and recognition

In 2017, ''Uncanny'' won the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine, and one of its published stories, " Folding Beijing" by Hao Jingfang translated by Ken Liu, won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It since went on to win the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine every year from 2017 through 2020, 2022, and 2023.

Magazine awards

Art awards

* 2016 Gold Spectrum Award – Editorial Category – "Traveling to a Distant" Day by Tran Nguyen (''Uncanny Magazine'' #4 Cover)
* 2016 Chesley Awards – Best Cover Illustration: Magazine – "Traveling to a Distant Day" by Tran Nguyen (''Uncanny Magazine'' #4 Cover)
* 2017 Chesley Awards – Best Cover Illustration: Magazine – "Bubbles and Blast Off" by Galen Dara (''Uncanny Magazine'' #10)

Content awards

* 2015 William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review – "Does Sex Make Science Fiction 'Soft'?" by Tansy Rayner Roberts (''Uncanny Magazine'' #1)
* 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novelette – " Folding Beijing" by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu (''Uncanny Magazine'' #2)
* 2017 Locus Award for Best Novelette – "You'll Surely Drown Here If You Stay" by Alyssa Wong (''Uncanny Magazine'' #10)
* 2017 Rhysling Award–Best Long Poem – "Rose Child" by Theodora Goss (''Uncanny Magazine'' #13)
* 2018 Eugie Award – "Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand" by Fran Wilde (''Uncanny Magazine'' #18)
* 2019 World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction – "Like a River Loves the Sky" by Emma Törzs (''Uncanny Magazine'' #21)
* 2020 Ignyte Awards–Best in Creative Nonfiction – "Black Horror Rising" by Tananarive Due (''Uncanny Magazine'' #28)
* 2021 Hugo Awards for Best Short Story – "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by Ursula Vernon, as T. Kingfisher (''Uncanny Magazine'' #36)
* 2022 Locus Award for Best Novelette – "That Story Isn't the Story" by John Wiswell (''Uncanny Magazine'' #43)
* 2022 Nebula Award for Best Short Story – " Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" by Sarah Pinsker (''Uncanny Magazine'' #39)
* 2022 Locus Award for Best Short Story – "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" by Sarah Pinsker (''Uncanny Magazine'' #39)
* 2022 Eugie Award – "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" by Sarah Pinsker (''Uncanny Magazine'' #39)
* 2022 Hugo Award for Best Short Story – "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" by Sarah Pinsker (''Uncanny Magazine'' #39)

References

External links

Official website

{{CurrentAmericanSFMagazines

Science fiction magazines published in the United States
Fantasy fiction magazines
Bimonthly magazines published in the United States
Hugo Award–winning works
Online magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 2014
Science fiction webzines
Speculative fiction podcasts