In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Dan Hartland is joined by the literary reviewer Sneha Pathak and the host of the Going Rogue podcast, Tansy Gardam. They discuss the kinds of text which many don’t find worthy of criticism at all: books or movies or TikTok reels that might be termed popular, populist, or popcorn. What are we doing when we spend time with a text which—perhaps only at first—exhibits few pretensions?
In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Dan Hartland speaks with writers and critics Octavia Cade and M. L. Clark about writing in hard times. How and why is speculative friction written in contexts of defeat, despair, or decay? They discuss climate change and artificial intelligence, systems political, biological, and economic—and how SF might be, and yet sometimes isn't, a key tool in opening up new modes of understanding during a time that Octavia suggests might best be termed the Necrocene.
M. L. Clark's review of Ray Nayler's Where The Axe is Buried.
In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti chats to author Debbie Urbanski about her 2018 Strange Horizons publication and the 13 years of submissions it took to get accepted, writing in the gray areas between genres, and what it means to be artistically honest in your work.
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In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Angela Liu's 'Time is an Ocean' read by Emmie Christie.
You can read the full text of the story, and more about Angela Liu here.
Subscribe to the Strange Horizons podcast: Spotify
In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Mary Robinette Kowal about the fractal nature of story structure, , and writing to please the teenaged version of you.
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In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Dan Hartland speaks with reviewers and critics Rachel Cordasco and Will McMahon about science fiction in translation (SFT), and specifically about those books appearing from small presses based in the US. They discuss recent news on NEA grants to these publishers, the SFT ecosystem in general, and how the literature might reach wider a wider readership.
A transcript of this episode is available at the Strange Horizons website.
Episode Links
Publisher's Weekly article about the NEA funding withdrawal
Rachel Cordasco's list of SFT from Small American Presses
In the third episode of Writing While Disabled, Kristy Anne Cox and Kate Johnston sit down with author Donyae Coles for a frank and candid discussion around adjusting one's life and writing processes around one's disability, finding support to help with the tasks that become difficult, and how genre can lend itself to telling disabled stories authentically.
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Our fund drive for 2026 is now live!
Vote for Strange Horizons in the Hugo Awards!
In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Ariel Marken Jack's 'Sister, Silkie, Siren, Shark' read by Emmie Christie.
You can read the full text of the story, and more about Ariel Marken Jack here.
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Content Warnings:
In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents R.B. Lemberg's A City on It's Tentacles' read by Jenna Hanchey.
You can read the full text of the story, and more about R.B. Lemberg here.
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In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Nghi Vo about how Strange Horizons kickstarted her publishing journey, her weird and interesting life before writing took off, and the fearlessness it takes to make a writing career happen.
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In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Elle Engel's 'Half Sick of Shadows' read by Emmie Christie
You can read the full text of the story, and more about Elle Engel here.
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In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Naomi Kritzer about her non-linear writing journey, imagining positive futures, and how to deal with the world catching up to your near-future specfic.
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In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Kat Kourbeti reads Premee Mohamed's Hugo Finalist Novelette 'By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars'.
You can read the full text of the story, and more about Premee Mohamed here.
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In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, editor Kat Kourbeti talks to Charlie Jane Anders about her Strange Horizons publications dating all the way back to 2002, charting her journey as a writer and her experience with the magazine over 20 years, as well as her love for community events and bringing people together.
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In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Lowry Poletti's 'BRIDE / BUTCHER / DOE' read by Emmie Christie
You can read the full text of the story, and more about Lowry Poletti here.
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In the second audio episode of Writing While Disabled, hosts Kristy Anne Cox and Kate Johnston welcome Farah Mendlesohn, acclaimed SFF scholar and con-runner, to talk all things hearing, dyslexia, and more ADHD adjustments, as well as what fandom could and should be doing better for accessibility at conventions, for both volunteers and attendees.
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Don't forget: this year, Strange Horizons is celebrating our 25th birthday!
In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Samantha Lane Murphy's 'Reprise' read by Emmie Christie
You can read the full text of the story, and more about Samantha Lane Murphy here.
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In this episode of Strange Horizons at 25, we present a soundscaped reading of Jordan Kurella's poem, 'this tree is a eulogy', and afterward Kat Kourbeti chats to Jordan about his writing process, the wonders of New Weird fiction, and the magic of writer friendships.
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For the poem reading:
For the interview:
In this episode of the Strange Horizons Fiction podcast, Michael Ireland presents Holli Mintzers 'Tomorrow is Waiting' read by Emmie Christie
You can read the full text of the story, and more about Holli Mintzer, here.
Subscribe to the Strange Horizons podcast: Spotify
In this special episode of Strange Horizons at 25, Kat Kourbeti sits down with fiction editors Hebe Stanton and Kat Weaver, as well as poetry and administrative editor Romie Stott, to talk about some of the work we published last year, just as the Hugo nominations deadline draws close.
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And of course, find a fuller list of what we talked about today as you read the transcript on our website .
