Author John Scalzi (who just won the Hugo for Best Related Book) noticed that Strange Horizons seems to be falling behind in its goals for this pledge-month of August, so he’s stepped in to help. Explaining his connection to the online ‘zine, Scalzi writes:
“I got my start in the science fiction field through Strange Horizons; it was the first outlet to publish my fiction, and one of the very first to seriously interview me after I published my novel. Between this and the fact that many people I know and respect keep the place going on a daily basis, it’s fair to say that I am a big supporter of the site for personal reasons. But even if they hadn’t published my fiction and even if I didn’t know those who are running it, I would still be a fan of the site, because of what it publishes and because for almost a decade now the site has been a door into fantasy and science fiction that’s unlike any other. It’s a site worth reading, and a cause worth donating to.
“I donate a bit every year to Strange Horizons to help keep it going, but this year I want to do something more, both to show my appreciation for the site and the people who run it, and to encourage those of you who read the site to shell out a bit to keep it going—and to encourage those of you who have not been to the site to check it out and consider pitching in for the fund drive. So here’s the deal:
“For the day of August 14, 2009, John and Kristine Scalzi will do a one-to-one match for every donation made to Strange Horizons, up to $500.”
For the purposes of their matching donation, Scalzi has determined that today started at midnight EDT, and ends at midnight PDT (making the donation-day 27 hours long). To kick in your own donation, here’s the Strange Horizons donation page.
Strange Horizons is a “weekly web-based magazine of and about speculative fiction.” Some of their recently published works (still available on the site) are:
“Wordcraft and War Fiction: An Interview with David Weber” by Kenneth Mark Hoover (article)
“Finisterre” by Maria Deira (fiction)
“Summer and Austin Have Left Their Apartment for a House” by Romie Stott (poetry)
“Salt’s Father” by Eric Gregory (fiction)
“The Chymical Marriage” by Sonya Taaffe (poetry)
“Saint Patrick, the Irish Druids, and the Conversion of Pagan Ireland to Christianity” by Bridgette Da Silva (article)
“Bespoke” by Genevieve Valentine (fiction)
“Rattlebox III” by Mike Allen, Kendall Evans, and David C. Kopaska-Merkel (poetry)
“Marvelous Toys: Cell Phones, Twitter, and Relationship-by-Text” by E. Cabell Hankinson Gathman (column)
“The Ghosts of Onions” by Marcie Lynn Tentchoff (fiction)
“Book of the Dead Woman” by Mary Alexandra Agner (poetry)