The Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy has a number of ongoing projects.
Electric Athenaeum
Electric Athenaeum was inspired, in part, by the idea that science fiction, as a genre, is inherently collaborative. Evidence of this can be seen from the early days of genre magazines, where readers were actively encouraged to respond to the stories they read. Readers and writers came together in clubs and at conventions to celebrate and discuss works of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other, stranger works. The SFF subculture grew and flourished, fans became writers became critics became academics and so on, an ongoing feedback loop of creation and conversation. Each issue of Electric Athenaeum aims to build on this idea and foster conversation around a specific theme or idea in SFF. Our debut issue, for example, focuses on the theme of For Future Generations and plays with ideas of conservation and sustainability, examines tropes including generation ships and terraforming, and questions what current generations owe to the future of humanity.
>For more information, visit Electric Athenaeum and join in the discussion!
The Arthur C. Clarke Shadow Jury
The Arthur C. Clarke Award was established in 1987 with the twin aims of highlighting the best science fiction novel published in Britain in the given year, and introducing science fiction literature to a wider public. What set the Clarke Award apart from the start was its status as a juried award. Unlike the Hugo or the BSFA, the award would not be decided by fan votes, but judged according to literary criteria by a panel of jurors selected for their passion for the field and their expertise within it. Our panel of shadow jurors will convene when the submissions list for the Arthur C. Clarke Award is made public. The Shadow Clarke will be able to showcase a wider variety of books, writers and styles of science fiction, thus generating a sense of involvement and inclusion across the entire length and breadth of science fiction fandom.
>For more information, visit the current 2018 Shadow Clarke or archives for the 2017 Shadow Clarke.
Samovar
Samovar is a quarterly magazine of and about translated speculative fiction. We publish fiction and poetry in their original language and in English translation. We showcase the work both of writers and also translators, who we have to thank for opening doors to new worlds. Our definition of speculative fiction is broad, and includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, and other genres that may not fit neatly into labels. We also publish reviews, essays and interviews. The Samovar editorial team is Laura Friis, Greg West and Sarah Dodd. Our advisory board includes Helen Marshall, Rachel Cordasco and Marian Via Rivera-Womack. We collaborate with the Reading the Fantastic project at the University of Leeds, and the Anglia Ruskin Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
>For more information, visit the Samovar webpage.