Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine is open to submissions!
The window for submissions of original speculative poetry and short fiction will be open from September 15, 2021 – October 1, 2021.
For explicit instructions on how to submit, see their submission guidelines.
Preorders are now available for Science Critters, a book of adorable Fiber Arts patterns by SF Canada member Paula Johanson! Johanson is an accomplished writer of both science fiction and science non-fiction, but her textile art creations are also a constant source of joy in her social media channels. Now aspiring creators will be able to make their own octopus, nudribanch and other science critters at home!
To pre-order your copy, please visit the book’s publisher, DoubleJoy Books.
September 28, 2021-
Novel Surgery with Susan Forest
SF Canada member and Aurora-Award-winning novelist Susan Forest will be teaching an 8-week, in-person course on the art and craft of revision at the Alexandra Writers’ Centre in Calgary. Students should have a “finished” manuscript in hand and be prepared to analyze its strengths and weaknesses, rebuild theme and character arcs, ask tough questions about logic and motivation, and cut, add, and move scenes around for greatest punch. Visit THIS LINK to register.
September 16, 2021 – 6:00 – 7:30 pm (PDT)
Tyche Books will host a Virtual Book Launch for three Canadian authors who are releasing new works of speculative fiction this month. Register HERE to congratulate SF Canada members Jane Glatt, Rhonda Parrish on their latest works in print!
September 23, 2021 – 10:00 am – noon
Fall 2021 Richmond Hill Speaker Series
Limnologist and aquatic ecologist Nina Munteanu will be the first speaker of the prestigious Richmond Speaker series. On September 23, she will deliver a one-hour lecture followed by a one-hour Q&A. Her work explores the many dimensions of water; her book Water Is…The Meaning of Water was Margaret Atwood’s first choice in the New York Times ‘Year in Reading.’ To buy tickets at Early Bird prices, purchase tickets on-line before September 7th. Follow THIS LINK for more details.
On Spec, the Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic, will have an open submissions period from September 1 – September 30, 2021. The magazine is open to speculative poetry and short stories under 6000 words, with a preference for work by Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Follow THIS LINK for more details on what they’re looking for and how to submit.
Nothing Without Us Too, an anthology of speculative fiction edited by SF Canada members Cait Gordon and Kohenet Talia C. Johnson, will open for submissions on September 30, 2021. Teaser submission guidelines have been released for those who might like to submit when the reading period begins in October. Although the majority of accepted stories will be by authors who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, the authors welcome writers from across the disability, mental illness, developmental disabilities, neurodiversity, Blind, and d/Deaf spectrums, and welcome those who manage what are known as “invisible” and “visible” disabilities and/or chronic conditions. Follow THIS LINK for more information and updates on this project as it unfolds.
Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine will have an open submissions period for speculative poetry and fiction from September 15, 2021 to October 1, 2021. For specific instructions on how to submit, see THIS LINK.
This week SF Canada mourns the passing of Lorna Toolis, the head of the famous Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation, and Fantasy at the Toronto Public Library. Born in Winnipeg in 1952, Toolis developed a love of science fiction early in life which would blossom into a thirty-year career as one of the most important academics, curators, and community leaders in Canada. Through her efforts the Merril Collection has become a world-class library of speculative fiction; its holdings have grown from 5,000 items when Judith Merril first donated it to the Toronto Public Library 1970 to over 75,000 items today.
Toolis was a founding member of SF Canada, and a guiding light to the larger community of SFF creators and fans. Through her work, her warmth and her wisdom, she touched the lives of many.
In celebration of her life and work, the members of SF Canada have made a $500 donation to the Merril Collection, so that the important work she began can continue.
We encourage all members of the Canadian SF community to Join the Friends of the Merril Collection and support their ongoing mission in the future. Membership will support the maintenance and growth of the collection, events sponsored through its organizers, and the publication of Sol Rising, its annual newszine.
Those who have fond memories of Lorna to share with fellow mourners can visit her digital memorial here. She is survived by her partner Michael Skeet, who also authored an obituary for Locus Magazine at this link.
