One of the most difficult parts of an otherwise awesome job as Editor in Chief of Penumbra is selecting themes. Obviously, I'd love to have a year with nothing but my favorite speculative fiction elements, but then I'd want to write all the stories too.
And then I'd have to reject myself.
Therefore, after some brainstorming and the opinions of my (very..very, very) opinionated staff, I finally arrived at the following themes for our 2013 issues.
January 2013: Ray Bradbury
With the speculative fiction community still mourning the loss of this great writer, we'd like to see stories in homage to the great Ray Bradbury. That does NOT mean fan fiction—but stories written in the style of or dealing with the same themes that Bradbury made great or maybe, even, with Bradbury as a character. Our fearless editor-in-chief first read All Summer In A Day when she was in the second grade and still considers it the best short story ever written. Try your hardest to win the # 2 spot.
CALL BEGINS ON SEPTEMBER 1
CALL ENDS ON NOVEMBER 30
February 2013: Zombie Apocalypse
What could be more appropriate for the dreariest month in the year than a zombie apocalypse? Screw all that Valentine's Day stuff—we want to see zombies…in a blizzard..arms falling off as they swat Cupid out of the sky and eat his wings like hor d'ouerves. Whatever you do, though, find a way to make your zombies different…as different as zombies can be.
Let's make this the zombie apocalypse that no one has thought of yet.
Like the poodle zombie apocalypse that begins at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, maybe, or a really nasty season of Zombie Hell's Kitchen with Gordon Ramsey. What? He'd be a thoroughly vicious zombie...
CALL BEGINS ON OCTOBER 1
CALL ENDS ON DECEMBER 31
March 2013: Space Opera
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away—people thought that space opera was kind of like Velveeta: looks like cheese, smells like cheese, tastes like cheese…but not really cheese. Space opera, on the other hand, is now a well-beloved sub-genre of science fiction and is no longer regarded as the cheese it was once dismissed as. So serve us up a cracker with a nice dollop of space opera on top—and remember: the universe is infinite as far as we know. There's no story too outlandish for Penumbra's space opera.
And we'll know if you send us Star Wars fan fiction. Maybe Obi Wan is right and only the Sith deal in absolutes, but we absolutely do not want thinly veiled fan fic. Just sayin'.
CALL BEGINS ON NOVEMBER 1
CALL ENDS ON JANUARY 31
April 2013: Lost
No, not the TV show Lost, but the act of being lost—which, now that we think about it, could be the TV show Lost too. All sorts of things can happen when you're lost, and the quest to be found or to find out where you are is always a journey of discovery. So don't ask for directions or turn on your creative GPS.
Let's just see what happens when we all get lost in the April issue.
May 2013: Ocean
Did you know that 71% of the Earth is covered by oceans? We didn't either until we caught a show on the National Geographic channel, and promptly became fascinated by the beauty and delicacy of life that thrives on our ocean floors. The ocean is the last great unexplored region of our planet, constantly changing, constantly evolving, and hiding from our knowledge species that have never felt the warmth of the sun.
You don't have to write about our oceans, but let your imagination free to roam the seven seas wherever you please.
June 2013: HG Wells
There's something so wonderful and amazing about the stories of HG Wells. Without his contributions to literature, speculative fiction would be far, far different today. Don't get so caught up in War Between the Worlds or The Time Machine that you don't consider his lesser known works. We're more inclined to see stories like A New Accelerator than The Invisible Man. And just as with our other author themes, we're not looking for fan fiction. We're looking for something new in a Wellsian style—just like the Father of Science Fiction did with every story he wrote.
July 2013: Japanese Mythology
Although our editor-in-chief loves Greco-Roman mythology, learning the folklore and legends of Japan opened up a huge window for her several years back. The lore was so intricate and lovely that it naturally stirred her curiosity. With Daughter of the Empire, first book of the Empire Trilogy by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts that curiosity became an obsession. We want to see stories that are saturated with the rich and gorgeous culture of Japan, and take that mythology into new and unexpected speculative territory.
August 2013: Revolution
"The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos."
—Stephen Jay Gould
Revolution is one of those themes that can mean anything. An alternate history version of the Civil War. A galactic battle between humanoid and reptilian worlds. A coup in a coven of witches. The range of stories within this topic is pretty darn close to infinite. And while you don't necessarily have to follow Stephen Jay Gould's opinion, you might want to consider Abbie Hoffman's.
"The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it."
September 2013: The Fae
What's not to love about the Fae? Whether you're writing about the fairies like Tinker Bell, or pixies, or the Tuatha dé Danaan of older Irish legends, this is the issue to let the Fair Folk loose in your imagination. Be sure you follow the will o'the wisp into new worlds—and take the readers of Penumbra along with you on your journey down the faery paths.
October 2013 Alfred Hitchcock
Behind every great movie is a great story. Alfred Hitchcock ranks as one of the top storytellers of the twentieth century. We're looking for suspenseful stories of psychological horror—Hitchcock with a spec fic twist. Cause let's be honest—who doesn't feel a bit creepy crawly when they see a huge flock of blackbirds overhead and an unoccupied phone booth on the corner is the only visible refuge?
So whether Hitchcock has his signature cameo in your story or not, the best tribute to a man considered to be the most influential filmmaker of the 20th century is a story he would have loved to put on the big screen.
November 2013: Gaslight Fantasy
Who needs machines to lend that steampunky feel to Victorian stories?
We sure don't. That's why we're really excited about this Gaslight Fantasy issue of Penumbra. We love the foggy streets of London, the creature inching ever closer to the oblivious heroine, and, hopefully, her blood spraying all over the passed out prostitutes on the corner. But then, everyone knows we're a little bit sick.
So send us your best gaslight fantasy—blood on the prostitutes is optional—so we can read this issue by the fire on a crisp, late autumn night.
December 2013: Family Traditions
"Ah Christmas…warm and rosy time. The hot wine steams, the Yule log roars, and we're the fat that's in the fire." Geoffrey, The Lion in Winter—Act I
Obviously, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine probably aren't the best example for family traditions—particularly when the biggest tradition they shared was warring with each other, but we couldn't resist giving our Christmas issue a bit of spice. While we realize that we'll be getting a plethora of stories about murdering in-laws over the holiday turkey—we are still holding out hope that we won't get Norman Rockwell in space. Family traditions can happen anywhere—or anywhen—so take the turkey and run with it.
Be sure to check out our usual caveats on our Submissions page--particularly the one regarding when to submit your stories. We will ONLY accept a story when the theme for that particular issue is open to subs.
So you writers have fun crafting your stories, and you readers get ready for another fun-filled year of Penumbra. We're looking forward to seeing you all in 2013.
Celina Summers
Penumbra eMag EIC
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