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Mothership Zeta Is The Newest Short Fiction Project From The Escape Artists

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This looks pretty cool: Escape Artists, the folks behind Escape Pod, Pseudopod and Podcastle are launching a new magazine called Mothership Zeta. Their first issue is now live, and it has an exciting table of contents!

The magazine is run by Mur Lafferty, Sunil Patel, and Karen Bovenmyer, with a focus on fun stories:

Mothership Zeta is looking for science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories that are fun. The robot who fights a dinosaur, not the robot who explores its lack of humanity and deactivates itself. The nagini who goes on an adventure, not the nagini who is tortured and drowns herself. The blonde woman who kills monsters, not the blonde woman who gets ripped apart by monsters. Fun doesn’t necessarily mean “funny,” and stories can have conflict and darker elements, but we want stories that leave the reader satisfied, usually in a positive way. Bittersweet is okay, tragic is not. (Unless you’re Cabin in the Woods. A killer unicorn buys you some credit.)

We hope to publish fiction reflecting the full range of settings and tropes found in speculative fiction. We’d particularly like to see more stories set outside America, and stories that feature characters who represent a range of backgrounds and ethnicities.

Here’s what the first issue has to offer:

Fiction: “The Customer is Always Right” by Anna Salonen

Fiction: “Q&A: An AI Love Story” by Fade Manley

Nonfiction: “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dwarf Planets” by Pamela L. Gay

Fiction: “Panic Twice, Spin” by Malon Edwards

Nonfiction: “Video Game Review: Why We Love Playing Flight Rising” by Karen Bovenmyer, Kri Dontje, and Mur Lafferty

Reprint: “Imma Gonna Finish You Off” by Marina J. Lostetter

Fiction: “Sleeping with Spirits” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

Nonfiction: “The Story Doctor Is (In)” by James Patrick Kelly

Nonfiction: “Series Review: Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody, Egyptologist” by Karen Bovenmyer

Fiction: “Bargain” by Sarah Gailey

Fiction: “Places” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Nonfiction: “Favorite 2014-2015 Graphic Novels: Nimona, Finder: Third World, Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal, Trees and the upcoming Star Wars, Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes and Lady Killer” by Adam Gallardo

Fiction: “Tales of a Fourth Grade Shoggoth” by Kevin Wetmore

Nonfiction: “Movie Review: Turbo Kid: Why this BMX Blood Sparkle Unicorn Apocalypse will Blow your Mind” by Rachael Acks

Nonfiction: “Book Review: Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl” by Karen Bovenmyer

Nonfiction: “Book Review: M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts” by Karen Bovenmyer

Fiction: “The Insect Forest” by Paul DesCombaz

The magazine is currently closed to submissions, but is expected to open up again in 2016. You can purchase Issue #1 direct from Escape Artists via Payhip (epub & mobi), at Amazon or at Smashwords.

[BoingBoing]

Fiction: “The Customer is Always Right” by Anna Salonen
Fiction: “Q&A: An AI Love Story” by Fade Manley
Nonfiction: “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dwarf Planets” by Pamela L. Gay
Fiction: “Panic Twice, Spin” by Malon Edwards
Nonfiction: “Video Game Review: Why We Love Playing Flight Rising” by Karen Bovenmyer, Kri Dontje, and Mur Lafferty
Reprint: “Imma Gonna Finish You Off” by Marina J. Lostetter
Fiction: “Sleeping with Spirits” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
Nonfiction: “The Story Doctor Is (In)” by James Patrick Kelly
Nonfiction: “Series Review: Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody, Egyptologist” by Karen Bovenmyer
Fiction: “Bargain” by Sarah Gailey
Fiction: “Places” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Nonfiction: “Favorite 2014-2015 Graphic Novels: Nimona, Finder: Third World, Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal, Trees and the upcoming Star Wars, Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes and Lady Killer” by Adam Gallardo
Fiction: “Tales of a Fourth Grade Shoggoth” by Kevin Wetmore
Nonfiction: “Movie Review: Turbo Kid: Why this BMX Blood Sparkle Unicorn Apocalypse will Blow your Mind” by Rachael Acks
Nonfiction: “Book Review: Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl” by Karen Bovenmyer
Nonfiction: “Book Review: M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts” by Karen Bovenmyer
Fiction

Fiction: “The Customer is Always Right” by Anna Salonen
Fiction: “Q&A: An AI Love Story” by Fade Manley
Nonfiction: “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dwarf Planets” by Pamela L. Gay
Fiction: “Panic Twice, Spin” by Malon Edwards
Nonfiction: “Video Game Review: Why We Love Playing Flight Rising” by Karen Bovenmyer, Kri Dontje, and Mur Lafferty
Reprint: “Imma Gonna Finish You Off” by Marina J. Lostetter
Fiction: “Sleeping with Spirits” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
Nonfiction: “The Story Doctor Is (In)” by James Patrick Kelly
Nonfiction: “Series Review: Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody, Egyptologist” by Karen Bovenmyer
Fiction: “Bargain” by Sarah Gailey
Fiction: “Places” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Nonfiction: “Favorite 2014-2015 Graphic Novels: Nimona, Finder: Third World, Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal, Trees and the upcoming Star Wars, Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes and Lady Killer” by Adam Gallardo
Fiction: “Tales of a Fourth Grade Shoggoth” by Kevin Wetmore
Nonfiction: “Movie Review: Turbo Kid: Why this BMX Blood Sparkle Unicorn Apocalypse will Blow your Mind” by Rachael Acks
Nonfiction: “Book Review: Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl” by Karen Bovenmyer
Nonfiction: “Book Review: M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts” by Karen Bovenmyer
Fiction

Fiction: “The Customer is Always Right” by Anna Salonen
Fiction: “Q&A: An AI Love Story” by Fade Manley
Nonfiction: “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dwarf Planets” by Pamela L. Gay
Fiction: “Panic Twice, Spin” by Malon Edwards
Nonfiction: “Video Game Review: Why We Love Playing Flight Rising” by Karen Bovenmyer, Kri Dontje, and Mur Lafferty
Reprint: “Imma Gonna Finish You Off” by Marina J. Lostetter
Fiction: “Sleeping with Spirits” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
Nonfiction: “The Story Doctor Is (In)” by James Patrick Kelly
Nonfiction: “Series Review: Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody, Egyptologist” by Karen Bovenmyer
Fiction: “Bargain” by Sarah Gailey
Fiction: “Places” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Nonfiction: “Favorite 2014-2015 Graphic Novels: Nimona, Finder: Third World, Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal, Trees and the upcoming Star Wars, Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes and Lady Killer” by Adam Gallardo
Fiction: “Tales of a Fourth Grade Shoggoth” by Kevin Wetmore
Nonfiction: “Movie Review: Turbo Kid: Why this BMX Blood Sparkle Unicorn Apocalypse will Blow your Mind” by Rachael Acks
Nonfiction: “Book Review: Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl” by Karen Bovenmyer
Nonfiction: “Book Review: M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts” by Karen Bovenmyer
Fiction

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