Welcome to issue fifty-six of Lightspeed!

This month marks the start of our next big project. Last year, we asked women to destroy science fiction, and they did — spectacularly — in our crowdfunded, all-women special issue, Women Destroy Science Fiction!. Never ones to rest on our laurels, we thought it best to continue with that fine tradition and engage in a little more destructive behavior. Thus, this year’s anniversary issue will be Queers Destroy Science Fiction!, guest edited by Seanan McGuire.

As with Women Destroy Science Fiction!, we’ll be launching a Kickstarter campaign in support of Queers Destroy Science Fiction!. We’ll publish the issue whether the campaign is successful or not, but the campaign will determine how big and awesome we make the issue. If we raise just $5000, we’ll be able to make the special issue a special double-sized issue, and if we raise even more than that, we have a couple of really excellent stretch goals lined up as well. Our two biggest stretch goals are the same as last year: If we receive enough pledges, we’ll not only publish Queers Destroy Science Fiction!, we’ll also publish Queers Destroy Fantasy! and Queers Destroy Horror! special issues as well.

Joining guest editor Seanan McGuire will be a team of wonderful queer creatives, including Steve Berman (reprint editor), Wendy N. Wagner (managing editor), Mark Oshiro (nonfiction editor), Sigrid Ellis (flash fiction editor), Cecil Baldwin (podcast host), Paul Boehmer (podcast producer), Elizabeth Leggett (art director/cover artist), and more!

The Queers Destroy Science Fiction! Kickstarter campaign will run from January 15 – February 15. To learn more, visit destroysf.com/queers.

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With our announcements out of the way, here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

We have original science fiction by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (“He Came From a Place of Openness and Truth”) and Jeremiah Tolbert (“Men of Unborrowed Vision”), along with SF reprints by Theodora Goss (“Beautiful Boys”) and Michael Cassutt (“More Adventures on Other Planets”).

Plus, we have original fantasy by Sequoia Nagamatsu (“Headwater LLC”) and Matthew Hughes (“The Archon,” a Kaslo Chronicles tale), and fantasy reprints by Aliette de Bodard (“The Lonely Heart”) and Rachel Swirsky and Ann Leckie (“Mother, Maiden, Crone”).

We also have a feature interview with David X. Cohen, Executive Producer of the critically-acclaimed animated series Futurama, along with our usual assortment of author and artist spotlights, and the launch our new book review column.

For our ebook readers, we also have an ebook-exclusive novella reprint of “The Choice,” by Paul McAuley, and novel excerpts from The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord and A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab.

Our issue this month is sponsored by our friends at Tor Books. This month, be sure to look for the aforementioned A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Learn more at Tor-Forge.com.

Well, that’s all there is to report this month. Thanks for reading!