I think this idea deserves its own post, because it’s downright awesome. John Klima, the editor of the excellent Electric Velocipede, is trying to win a $25,000 Pepsi grant in order to produce Other Worlds Magazine, a science fiction magazine dedicated to representing underrepresented cultures!
Here are the details:
The “Other Worlds” project will work to bring in both an audience and a creative element from cultures that are not currently represented in traditional science fiction venues.
There have been a number of instances in the past few years where publications and award nominees have been comprised of white males, which has angered a lot of people. This publication will work as a showcase of all the talent that is out there and not getting in front of readers’ eyes for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons include publishers looking to work with existing prominent writers (who are traditionally white males and require less promotional investment) and the fact that new writers aren’t sending stories to publishers whose table of contents do not represent their culture.
The money from this grant would be used to get the magazine started so that it could continue for many years to come.
So what are you waiting for? Vote!
