UW Speculative Fiction Journal

Greetings artists, writers and explorers of the 'Verse!

Your heads are filled with creative ideas just begging to come out. We understand your frustration with our mundane world and your longing for a warp-speed future, a magical past or an steam-powered present.

Rest easy, my imaginative friends, for the next issue of AU might be the perfect place to free those wild ideas and build the world YOU want to see. We are pleased to announce that the theme for AU: Issue V is...

INVENTION!

After fending off invading hordes in Issue IV, we decided to give our heroes a chance to relax and tinker around for a bit in their metaphorical garages. We want to see you create something completely new.

Invention is at the very heart of speculative fiction. It stretches back to the vivid imaginations of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and other trail blazers. It includes ornate dirigibles in Steampunk, suave robot-butlers in Utopian fiction and even entire worlds filled with mind-blowing inventions in sci-fi. Where would the Federation be without Zefram Cochrane's invention of the warp drive? What would the Jedi do without their light sabers? How could the Fremen survive without their water-saving stillsuits? Invention includes technologies that help bring humanity into a Brave New World, for better or worse.

Our humble journal has been a little starved for fantasy stories lately, so we want all you wizards, dreamers and unicorn riders out there to know that invention is just as important in magical worlds as it is for sci-fi. After all, where would a good fantasy be without that magical artifact the hero is questing for? Someone had to invent that at some point, you know. Even Middle Earth was once a quiet, peaceful place before Morgoth created the Silmarillion and Sauron forged the Rings of Power. Without invention there would BE no Lord of the Rings. Though fantastic invention often falls under the "forge a magical artifact" or "invent a new spell" categories, there's no reason the invention can't be something more mundane. If your fantasy world needs a new type of castle or the latest dragon-riding saddle, then by golly you’d better find someone to make it!

In other words, we want AU: Issue V to show off what you can build in a world without constraints. We're building and growing our little publication, and we want to see how you can build and grow the worlds you want to see. Build an airship, cure zombie-ism, shatter the light barrier or forge that magical sword you've always wanted. The sky is NOT the limit; nothing can hold you back because this world works by YOUR rules. Now go out there and start tinkering!

The deadline for submissions is January 27th, 11:59p.m. The word limit is 3,000 words.

For more info, check out our website: strayingfromreality.webs.com, find us on https://www.facebook.com/pages/AU-UW-speculative-fiction/162851280395785" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook or email us at strayingfromreality@gmail.com.

Happy New Year and have fun inventing!

Senior Magid Courtney

Time Emperor Shane

Space Sage Libby

Already tired of finals draining your magical powers of awesome? Then come to the AU: Issue III Release Party on Wednesday this week!

Come join us for a night of conversing with fellow speculative fiction lovers and simply scrumptious baked goods of the cakey and brownie variety (made especially for this event by two of your editors, Lord President Audra and Hero Supreme Katie!) The stars of the show will be our Issue III contributors, who will share their work aloud with us as a tantalizing taste of the new issue! You can get your own copy of the last issue of AU’s inaugural year at the release party for only $3!

The AU: Issue III Release Party is:

Date: Wednesday, June 1

Time: 7 pm

Room: Savery 137

We would love to see everybody there to share in the good fun that is talking to fellow enthusiasts and straying from reality (aka finals)!

And let us take an opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us this inaugural year! We have been extremely excited and amazed at the amount of enthusiasm that has been shown for AU and only hope it continues to be a sci-fi/fantasy voice on campus! So thank you all, and let’s keep AU a journal that we as lovers of all things magical and full of wonderment can enjoy for years to come at the UW!

See you all on Wednesday!

Your exuberant editors,

Lord President Audra

Hero Supreme Katie

God King Nicole

To celebrate the final submissions deadline of this year for AU, we have one final Legacy profile for you!

It's got cavemen and small talk and gruesome uses for body parts -- but it's all in the spirit of humor, so what's the harm? We hope you enjoy this light-hearted end to our Legacy profile series, written by Lord President Audra, that embodies the way that, sometimes, speculative fiction defies genre boundaries.

As a fun giveaway connected to this final profile, titled "Caveman Dialogue," if you send us a creative name for the type of "genre" this story might belong to, and it is chosen as the best, you'll receive a free copy of our upcoming Legacy issue!

Don't forget to submit your own short fiction or poetry Legacy reflection by this Friday, May 13, at 11:59p! This will be the final deadline for Issue III and the last chance to submit to AU before the next academic year begins. Just send us your submission that is fewer than 3,000 words as a .doc file. If you have any questions, feel free to send us an email.

We hope you've enjoyed of profile series and the new theme! We'd like to hear what you've thought about our subgenre profiles and the difference in themes: subject-based themes, like Apocalypse or parallel universes, versus tone-based themes, like Legacy. Please send us any comments, thoughts, opinions or words of advice -- we'd love to hear what you have to say! AU is here to serve the speculative fiction community on campus, and we want to know how to do that in the best way possible!

Besides the end of our submission process, AU has a few other updates to share with you:

AU will be producing a second run of our second issue, Apocalypse: the Last Word! If you're still hoping to get a copy, we'd like to warn you that Padelford A-2-B has currently run out of issues. However, fear not! More issues are on the way! However, this press run will be the final one for Issue II, so once the new issues are in place, you'll want to grab your quick before you lose your chance! Issue II will be available for $3.

AU was recently featured in the UW Honors College Honors Colloquium. AU was presented as one of the valuable and promising projects led by members of honor programs on campus. We want to thank you all for your help with the creation of AU and its inclusion within the UW community -- together, we can make sure the UW campus keeps straying from reality and straying toward speculative fiction.

We also want to give a shout out about a recent article in The Daily. Champ Ensminger, a student at the UW, recently won a film competition for his sci-fi short film "Tonal." Check it out here: http://dailyuw.com/2011/5/5/sci-fi-nffty/. Congrats, Mr. Ensminger! While we don't know who he is, we thought this was pretty cool and wanted to give him kudos for spreading the speculative fiction love! If you know about others who have done awesome sci-fi/fantasy things in the community, let us know! We'd love to hear about it!

I think that's all we have for now! Remember to find us on Facebook at AU: UW speculative fiction and check out our website for submission procedures -- this Friday, May 13, is the final deadline!

Your exuberant editors,

Hero Supreme Katie

Lord President Audra

God King Nicole

Did you run out of time for your Legacy? You're in luck! AU is extending the submission deadline for Issue III, Legacy, for another week!

The new -- and absolutely final -- deadline to submit is Friday, May 13, at 11:59p. That's right - after the unlucky Friday the 13th ends, you'll be out of luck!

So don't delay! Prepare your own speculative fiction short story or poem and email it to strayingfromreality@gmail.com! Remember, your submission must be fewer than 3,000 words. For more information on submitting and on this quarter's theme, check out our Submit page at strayingfromreality.webs.com. If you have any questions, please feel free to send the editorial team an email.

Just don't forget - the final deadline is Friday, May 13, at 11:59p. In the spirit of understanding, here are some helpful tips we've learned recently from Doctor Who about how to remember important stuff (like AU submission deadlines -- or deadly aliens):

1. Make mark ticks on your skin to help keep count(downs)

2. Take pictures of things on your cell phone before they disappear from your (mind's) eye

3. Write invitations with the pertinent details to your(future)self

Because after Friday the 13th, no matter how many mirrors you break or ladders you step under, you'll be out of luck - and you won't be able to submit to AU again until next September!

This is your opportunity to become part of the Legacy of AU's inaugural year! Don't be (a) Silent! Share your stories -- and your Legacy!

Your Legacy loquacious editors,

Hero Supreme Katie

Lord President Audra

God King Nicole

P.S. Hear more about the Silence here (warning, Doctor Who spoilers abound!): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_(Doctor_Who)

P.P.S. We hope that all your AUers enjoy the new episode of Doctor Who tonight!

Hello AUers!

Only one week until the submission deadline on May 6 at 11:59p! Send us your short stories or poems under 3,000 words for our third issue, Legacy! While we are certainly open to submissions of all kinds, we do wish to say that incorporation of the quarterly theme is considered in the selection process. To help you integrate our new theme into your short story or poem, the AU editorial team has prepared a series of subgenre profiles to hopefully inspire different ways your work can involve Legacy!

This week, we are happy to give you two profiles: AI and time travel! You can read them in on the Submit page! Our time travel profile was written by Lord President Audra and the AI profile by Hero Supreme Katie.

Want to read past issues of AU? You can find Issue II, Apocalypse: the Last Word, in Padelford A-2-B for only $3!

Want to get the most up-to-date information about AU and sf/f news? Like us on Facebook, at AU: UW speculative fiction!

Don't forget: the deadline to submit to Issue III is this Friday, May 6, at 11:59p! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Your exuberant editors,

Hero Supreme Katie

Lord President Audra

God King Nicole

Straighten your petticoats and top hats, because AU presents our second Legacy profile: steampunk!

The theme for Issue III is Legacy, and we are now accepting submissions! To illuminate the myriad of manifestations that Legacy offers, AU is issuing a series of profiles, highlighting different subgenres of speculative fiction and possible ways in which they could relate to Legacy. This profile is dedicated to the inventive and increasingly popular subgenre of steampunk! You can find it attached to this email or on our website, strayingfromreality.webs.com, along with our first profile, fantasy. Submissions are not restricted to these subgenres; they are only to offer assistance, if assistance is desired.

The deadline to submit is only three weeks away: May 6! For more information about the submission process and this quarter's theme, please visit our Submit page or send us an email!

Also, remember that you can own your own Apocalypse by purchasing our jam-packed second issue, Apocalypse: the last word! Copies are available in Padelford A-2-B for only $3, and offer much advice about the preperation for and appropriate responses to a variety of Doomsdays. Potentially practical and always thought-provoking, AU is there for you!

Finally, remember you can get the most up-to-date information about AU by joining our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/AU-UW-speculative-fiction/162851280395785! We also post information about local sf/f events and cool sites!

Bowties are cool,

Your AU editors

strayingfromreality@gmail.com

Welcome back to spring quarter, AUers!

With a new quarter, a new issue! As many of you hopefully know, we released our second issue, Apocalypse: the Last Word, at the end of winter quarter! Packed full of five poems and five stories, this issue is available in Padelford A-2-B for only $3! Be sure to get your copy before they’re gone!

You can also read our past issue to gear up for our third and final issue of our inaugural year! For Issue III, the AU editors are introducing a new type of theme. Instead of subject-based themes, like parallel worlds and the apocalypse, this quarter we are presenting a broader, tonal theme – since we like to shake things up!

Issue III will be marked by themes of Legacy. The complex motivations and manifestations of Legacy will hopefully serve those writers and poets who find inspiration through broader themes and ideas.

Since this idea is so multifaceted and can generate such a variety of stories, we will offer a series of subgenre profiles to help you wonderful writers and poets find points of inspiration and moments of clarity in such a potentially murky theme. Each of these profiles will provide a different lens through which Legacy can be viewed. What does Legacy mean within a fantastical realm? How about an AI-dominated saga? Steampunk story? Space opera? A fae tale?

Our first profile, written by our own Lord President Audra, takes the perspective of a general fantasy story, complete with unique terms and titles, pressing political situations, and a vibrant form of magic. It can be viewed on our Submit page! 

Like in the past, all short fiction and poetry submissions must be fewer than 3,000 words. To submit, just send along your piece attached as a .doc file to strayingfromreality@gmail.com! While we are certainly open to submissions of all kinds, we do wish to say that incorporation of the quarterly theme is considered in the selection process.

The deadline to submit is Friday, May 6th.

With that, we leave you to your writing! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email us at strayingfromreality@gmail.com!

Your exuberant editors,

Hero Supreme Katie

Lord President Audra

God King Nicole

At 6:26 pm on Feb. 28, AU celebrated the release of our second issue! Many contributors shared their pieces, including Courntey Holmes, Lance Garland, Robin Jeffrey and Alexander Lindsay. It was great to hear the authors themselves read their work aloud!

This issue has five short stories and five poems - which was a feliticous and naturally occuring balance through the selection process, and is three more pieces than last quarter! We also enjoyed free candy and a ridiculously large amount of bagels graciously donated by Noah's Bagels!

After AU's authors shared their work, we settled down to play a science fiction and fantasy version of Jeopardy! We split into two teams: the Reavers and Bad Wolf! It was an epic and excitingly close battle! The scores fluctuated back and forth, back and forth. Finally, after we moved through regular Jeopardy and double Jeopardy, we arrived at the Final Jeopardy question. The points were exactly even between the two groups. This was the question that decided it all.

This is the number of OWLs Harry received. For double your wager, list the subject of the OWLs and their corresponding grades.

And, though it was very close, Bad Wolf won! Congrats - your sf/f knowledge abounds! We also want to give a hearty pat on the back to the Reavers for some excellently played Jeopardy!

To see pictures from our release party, check out our Facebook photo album at AU: UW speculative fiction!

To get your own copy of Issue II for only $3, please visit Padelford A-2-B, the English undergraduate advising office! Like mentioned above, there are three more contributions that our past issue, which brings the total to 5 stories and 5 poems from UW students and alumni! There's a full 58 pages of content, including another editor's note and a special surprise to honor the theme of Apocalypse: the Last Word. The editorial team took each of the last words in all of the contributions and arranged them into a found poem - we hope you enjoy!

In other news, Seattle just hosted Comicon! The AU editorial team went and fully enjoyed ourselves! There were some hilarious and awesome guests! There may be a blog post/photo album coming soon...We hope all of you had fun at Comicon too! If you have a fun story about your time there, or some great pictures, let us know at strayingfromreality@gmail.com! We can swap stories and share photos with the rest of the AU community!

"What is Raxacoricofallapatorius?*"

Celebrate the release of AU's Issue II by testing your sf/f knowledge in our version of Jeopardy! On Feb. 28, at 6:26pm and in Savery 138, AU will be hosting a release party, complete with science-fiction-and fantasy-themed gameshow, to send our second issue off with a bang!

That's right, Issue II is nearly here! We recieved a flood of top-notch submissions this quarter, plaguing the editorial team with tough decisions, but also packing Issue II full of excellent contributions. And in approximately 10 days, 22 hours, 28 minutes and 14 seconds, all ten literary contributions will be ready for your reading enjoyment! And enjoy them you will (we think) despite (or perhaps because of) some wonderfully angsty apocalyptic endings!

At the release party, contributors will share their work aloud to give you a sneak peek into the issue. You can then purchase your own copy and read all the good stuff for only $3! Afterward, we will host a round of science fiction and fantasy Jeopardy, giving you a chance to show off your knowledge of popular science fiction and fantasy shows and books (and win some candy)! Do you know how many goal posts are on a quidditch field? What are the name of the little, furry creatures in Star Wars? What does TARDIS stand for?

If you know the answers to questions such as these, come join us Feb. 28 at 6:26pm in Savery 138 and celebrate the release of Issue II!

As you know, nothing's official 'til it's on Facebook -- so feel free to RSVP to the release party by Attending our Facebook event! You can find it by searching for "What is...Issue II?" You can also find a link to the event on AU's facebook page, "AU: UW speculative fiction"!

And remember, if you have any questions, feel free to email us or check out our website, strayingfromreality.webs.com!

Your ever-obedient editors,

Hero Supreme Katie

Lord President Audra

God King Nicole

*Raxacoricofallapatorius is the home planet of the Slitheen, in the British show Doctor Who!

Do you see visions of flames? Watch mountains crumble in your mind's eye? Imagine fleeing from hordes of zombies?

It's time to capitalize on such morbid daydreams! Submit your illustrations or designs as cover art for AU's newest issue! But you gotta submit quick: the deadline is this Friday, Feb. 18, at 11:59pm!

AU is the campus' only literary journal dedicated to fantasy, science fiction, magical realism and other strange and mystical genres. This quarter's journal revolves around the theme of Apocolypse: the Last Word. To learn more about our theme, from dramatic Doomsdays to laughable Last Days, read our blurb below.

The size of the journal is 8.5x5.5, so the cover design must comfortably fit onto a 8.5x11 landscape page. Your submission also needs to have "AU" somewhere on the cover, and could include Issue II if you like. We are not putting any other restrictions on text or image content. However, keep in mind that the design needs to be appropriate for the journal, we will only accept original works, and please know that you must be willing to work with the editorial team if you design is chosen. 

Also feel free to check out our website strayingfromreality.webs.com, and if you have any questions email us at strayingfromreality@gmail.com.

So remember to submit before the bells toll midnight and the end of the Apocalypse arrives!

Your ever-obedient editors,

Hero Supreme Katie

God King Nicole

Lord President Audra

The theme of Winter Quarter's journal: Apocalypse: The Last Word.

As we pose our new quarterly theme to you, we’d like to take a moment to ruminate on the apocalyptic story. Before you write off the term as flat or unprepossessing, remember you can have a pre-, post- or even mid-apocalyptic tale. And take into consideration that an event may be an apocalypse for some and a renewal for others. Is it a moment of cleansing or of destruction? And perspective can change a lot, including tone. Don’t feel confined to the more common doom-and-gloom approach. Satire and humor can be used smartly and cuttingly, as one of last quarter’s contributors displayed very well in his piece, “Get What’s Coming to Us.” We challenge you: can an apocalypse be hilarious?

The idea of apocalypse also involves scale. What if an apocalypse is served to a nation-state not by the almighty hand of a god, but by your neighboring country? Or, what if the server is not another race or ethnicity but a single invidividual? What does is mean that a single man or woman can wield power to destroy so much?

This raises the question of an individual’s relationship to an apocalypse. Most commonly, an apocalypse is “any universal or widespread destruction or disaster,” but can a person have an individual apocalypse, so to speak? A dramatic term, to be sure, but the core of the idea is there: what is involved in the total destruction of a person? The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester comes to mind as an excellent example of a personal apocalypse. But, keep in mind a more humorous or satirical approach: what happens when the last tub of ice cream is bought before you can get to it? Do you fall to your knees, raise your hands to the sky and howl your misery?

Speaking of authors, many come to mind who have dealt with some version of apocalypse – if the wider definition of apocalypse that we have posed here does not, in fact, involve every story. At this moment, Brian Sanderson, Megan Whalen Turner, Robin Hobb, Harry Harrison, and James Blish occur to me, and that’s just within the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I suppose Harry was facing his own apocalypse during his walk through the woods as well.

With that, we'll leave you to designing!