Farewell to the World Speculative Fiction Blog

So there it is. The World SF Blog is closing its doors.

For the past year and a half I’ve had the great good fortune to be fiction editor of the World SF Blog, the online magazine of stories and articles on the subject of speculative fiction from all across the world. I’ve had the privilege of working with Lavie Tidhar, the blog’s creator and editor-in-chief, and Charles Tan, its assistant editor, as well as with so many talented writers, reviewers, bloggers and creators. Together we’ve been part of a dialogue about the changing nature of speculative fiction, almost a microcosm of our nascent creative global culture, which has been a fascinating, stimulating, and occasionally giddying and even humbling journey. My perspectives have been shattered and overturned repeatedly, and like all SF junkies I’ve returned for more, wide-eyed and heady with changing airs. I’ve been afforded glimpses into the processes of writers, working with them to edit and proof their works, and in many cases help those works achieve their first flight into the wider world. What a ride!

This spring in Bradford, at Eastercon 2013 / 8 Squared, I had the most unexpected of experiences, receiving the BSFA Award for the blog on behalf of Lavie and Charles. A truly special moment – a culmination. It’s always sad to see something end, but – what a wonderful position to end from!

Thanks to everyone who’s supported us, visited the site, submitted stories, articles, and content, and made the World SF Blog such an unforgettable experience. There’s so much more to say, of course, but it’s time to pass the torch on to other fora. Speculative fiction, like our world in these revolutionary times, is in constant flux, reinventing itself at every turn. Nothing stays still, and I look forwards to seeing what will take its place. Something unexpected! Something exciting!

And for us, now that the World SF Blog is flickering in shrinking shells into yesterday? Onward – to other horizons!

Sarah
Normandy, June 2013