We are always happy to promote our writers, and a positive review of a story is great for the ego. Congrats to Jed Looker for the recent review by Alex Brown, of his delightful tale from issue #133, “The Superposition of Ramen”.
The review is included in the following link from Reactor Magazine. You may find some other stories that pique your interest.
The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy community is deeply saddened by the news that author Jean-Louis Trudel has passed away. At the time, we’re told he was at a writing residency in Lithuania.
Jean-Louis was an award-winning writer in short and long fiction, French and English, as well as being a respected academic. On Spec published his work in English over the years. His story “Stella Nova” was in our Spring 1994 issue. “The Call of Freezing Souls” was in On Spec #105. More recently his story “The Many Smiles Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics” appeared in On Spec #121.
The Copper Pig Writers’ Society and On Spec send our deepest condolences to Jean-Louis’ family and many friends. His loss is profound.
Since the CBC news story about us gained some traction, we have received several kind emails, and also some sad emails, concerning the loss of a venerable Canadian genre publication. Even had a few of the “gee, I’ve never heard of you until now” emails.
We appreciate all the support from our readers and writers. If this was your very first inkling of the existence of On Spec, you are most welcome to check our Ko-fi page or visit Weightless Books to find and download back issues with some pretty awesome fiction, art and poetry. The revenues will help the Copper Pig Writers’ Society with future projects. Several of you have already found us, and we hope that you will enjoy the stories and poems.
Meanwhile, production on issue #134 is underway, and we look forward to a December release of the last issue. There’s a beautiful cover by Calgary artists Janice Blaine, along with twenty new works of short fiction, and five poems. Heck of a deal.
Just thought we would share the following.
Flame Arrow Publishing is looking for new Canadian Speculative Fiction short novels and novellas, with a deadline of November 30. So if you have something ready to submit, this is your opportunity.
A while back, I was interviewed by a freelance journalist named Tim Ford, and his story has appeared on the CBC Arts website. You may have seen it on your local CBC page.
I provided Tim with some early photographs, including a photo from the official On Spec “launchpad” party, featuring our first Art Director, Tim Hammell, and my then five year old daughter Danica LeBlanc. There’s also a photo of our long-time Poetry editor, Barry Hammond, sitting at a science fiction convention display table with Business Manager Cath Jackel. We had so much fun at those conventions over the years, meeting our writers and readers, and showing off the fabulous artists on the covers of our little magazine.
I’ve already seen comments from people saying they’ve never heard of On Spec, and all we can say is that it’s been a “word of mouth” process for years. Granting agencies are generous in providing money for physical production, but there is seldom anything to pay for the kind of advertising and promotion that might bring us to the attention of the masses. Similarly, bookstore sales were iffy at best, and placing copies in a store was no guarantee they’d be picked up by a curious reader. Conventions were our way of being visible to and engaging with potential readers of our genre. And most of the time, the volunteer editors and staff were paying their own travel and meal costs to be there. It adds up.
So if you are new to On Spec, there is still a chance to purchase and download a number of our back issues that have been available in digital format. The stories don’t get stale with age, and many can be read over and over again, with something new revealed in each reading. Funds will go towards future projects by our publisher, the Copper Pig Writers’ Society. You can subscribe to this blog to be kept apprised of new developments.
Meanwhile, enjoy your reading! The final issue will be a big one.
You may have already heard, but Ed Willett of Shadowpaw Press made the following announcement (with our blessing) at a book launch event at Ottawa’s Can*Con yesterday. The Copper Pig Writers’ Society is thrilled to see that the name and brand of On Spec will morph into a new form, and hopefully stick around for several more years.
You know how you think you have finished a job and made sure that all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed? Well, the newest issue is missing one very important piece of information.
We offer our profound thanks to Calgary poet, Bob Stallworthy, for the work he did as a Poetry Editor with this year’s batch of submissions. Bob is no stranger to the literary community in Alberta, and has been writing for more than forty years. Along with his published works of poetry, Bob also visits schools, and encourages young poets to try their wings. In 2024 Bob established the Bob and Marilyn Stallworthy Visitor in Creative Writing fund at his alma mater, Mount Allison University. The fund will bring creative writers to campus to speak to, work with, mentor or guide the young writers on their creative journey. Bob’s late wife, Marilyn was his inspiration for following his passion and he is leaving a legacy that honours her contribution to his career.
Editorial In On Spec VOL 35 No 3, Issue #133
Earlier this year, I announced that I’d be retiring and leaving On Spec at the end of December, and my final issue as Managing Editor would be VOL 35 No 4. After much soul-searching, and discussion with the rest of our editorial staff, the Board of the Copper Pig Writers’ Society has made the difficult decision to end publication of On Spec with that issue.
Putting an issue together takes a huge amount of work, with many hands participating. None of us are doing this as an eight-hour day job, so we contribute what we can, when we can. An optimistic person might suggest that the team could carry on, independently doing their various jobs without a wrangler, and make it magically come together like when the Fairy Godmother waves her wand and turns a pumpkin and some rats and mice into a fancy carriage with horses and servants. However, it simply isn’t fair to anyone to assume that everyone involved can get their particular piece of the puzzle together at the same time, without some form of coordination. Experience has shown that somebody still needs to decide what tasks need to be done, by whom, and by what deadline. And that someone herding cats for twenty years or so, has been me.
As I write this, I have just uploaded the edited and proofed stories to a Dropbox file for the current issue. I will soon share this file with our designer, along with a Resource Guide for the two of us to follow so that nothing gets missed. It’s his roadmap for placement of the works, getting author names spelled correctly, and putting the correct advertisements in. And not leaving anything out. At the same time, I’ve made sure the writers have signed contracts, received payment, and that we have a current author bio to publish with each work. I selected the featured author for our interview. I’ve also ensured that we have a really cool cover image lined up. And before that ever happened, I was assigning slush stories to be read by a team of first readers (after getting assurance that they had the time in their own schedules to do the reading). I’ve been doing this as a retiree for a few years now, and it’s hard to fathom that for some years before that, I was doing this along with having a day job. But I was younger then.
So here we sit. I wanted On Spec to end on a high note, with a reputation for excellence in the works we’ve published. Perhaps my induction into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Hall of Fame this year was a sign that our time has come. When we started On Spec, we were filling a niche. In the 1980s, Canadian writers in our genre had very few opportunities to get their work published in their own country. And small press publishing was in its infancy. So much has changed on the landscape since then, especially in the small press and small magazine publishing world in our country. I am familiar with some of the wonderful on-line SFF magazines that have sprung up and gained a reputation across Canada. Sadly, I haven’t had the time to read many of them and I look forward to getting better acquainted in the months and years to come. Some of them have branched out to book publishing, and even more ambitious convention planning, not unlike our own Con Spec that we used to run in Edmonton. I wish them all well, and hope to meet some of the editors and organizers in person one day.
So what happens next? Some of our loyal subscribers will be due a refund on their subscriptions if they paid for issues beyond 2025. Digital back issues of On Spec will continue to be available through places like Weightless Books, Canada Commons and our own Ko-fi fundraising page. Sales and donations will help the Copper Pig Writers’ Society to offer new programs that have been on the back burner for years. Serving the Canadian SFF reading and writing community is our mandate. We continue to appreciate the financial support that our readers and friends give us.
For writers, poets, and artists, we do regret that we won’t be open to new submissions. But we’re convinced that you will find opportunities elsewhere.
IN THIS ISSUE
We’re happy to bring back some writers you’ve seen on our pages before. And equally happy to introduce new voices at the start of their careers.
In “The Bag of Holding”, by Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, two unlikely characters are literally held together by a magical bag, and they must work as a team to find out what it wants and how they can be released. In Gillian Secord’s story, “the love song of house and lake”, Adrian is at the family cabin for the summer, but his dreams take him to a new reality. We’re happy to see a story by John Park on our pages again, and “When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears” doesn’t disappoint. There is suspicion aboard a mini-sub deep in the mid-Atlantic, and who, if anyone, is the real spy among them? Where are the aliens?
What does ramen have to do with the destruction of our planet? You will find out when you read “The Superposition of Ramen” by Jed Looker. Somewhat on the same theme is David Lee Zweifler’s flash fiction piece, “A Little Meteor”. In “Some Are Rather Quiet and Some Are Really Loud”, by Kristopher Galbraith, Charlie is the only passenger aboard the Tilphousia, which suits him just fine for his purpose. David Jon Fuller’s “Two Voices, One Song” takes us deep into Icelandic mythology, and shows the value of a degree in Medieval Studies.
Mythology of a different kind is found in “The Serene Hospice of the Sisterhood of Baba Yaga” by Lorina Stephens. Given the options of: run screaming; hysterical laughter; or consider a new perspective—what would you do if the Sisterhood of Baba Yaga asked for your marketing expertise for their hospice?
In another hard SF story, we welcome back Al Onia with his new work, “The Years Between the Stars”. Kevan has been in cryogenic stasis for years on board his ship, the last of the Pathfinder series. But how will Earth welcome him home?
If you are a mystery or crime fan, you may be familiar with body farms. What you don’t know is that some of them are not what they seem. Stefani Cooke tells a rather chilling tale in “An Unsparing Harvest”. An inherited family magical gift often calls for sacrifices, and Jonathan Simmons shows us this in “Les Guérisseurs”.
We’re pleased to bring you some new poetry, along with a special treat. With Angela Caravan’s poem, “When I Dated a Planet Architect”, we learn what can happen when you get what you wish for. Deborah Herman’s work, “Syrinx” uses Greek mythology and retells the story of Daphne and Apollo. And Elis Montgomery’s “Recent Notifications From SmarterFridge 8000”, charmingly illustrated by Nova Scotia comic artist Andy Skeleton, is all about our relationship with so-called “smart” appliances.
For the past few years, Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk has provided us with images of her Bot sculptures, photographed by her husband Steve Fahnestalk. For this issue, they have also given us a delightful cover, along with an interior Bot and a new cartoon.
A non-fiction regular feature in every issue is the author interview by Roberta Laurie, this time with Ottawa’s John Park.
This issue is packed with new and exciting works, and we hope that you, our readers, will enjoy them all.
Last year we published a story, “The Other Half” by emerging Winnipeg author, Cale Plett. We’ve just learned that Cale has a debut YA book from The House of Anansi.
Watch for Wavelength, coming soon!
