New Publication: I Interview Neil Clarke for Studies in the Fantastic

Here at Science's Less Accurate Grandmother, it's no secret that Neil Clarke is my favorite editor of short science fiction. I always enjoy Clarkesworld (the only sf mag I subscribe to), and I am a devoted reader of his Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies.

Last spring, I interviewed Neil for Studies in the Fantastic, the peer-reviewed journal I am associated editor for, and this month, that interview finally appeared in print and online. We talked about the importance of short sf to the genre ecosystem and the challenges generative AI has caused his magazine and others.

Here's an excerpt:

SM: I don't know if I want to go too much into this, but did you feel that way about Isabel Fall? That you found a wonderful new talent when you read that story ["I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter"]? I know it went bad in the end, in some ways.

NC: The whole thing with Isabel was probably my most heartbreaking moment in the field. I'm still in touch with her. The way she was treated… unacceptable. It was an amazing story and she deserved far better.

SM: I read the story right when it was published, and I thought, "This is amazing." It really felt like you were reading something by a vital talent. And then it was a few days or a week later when everything happened.

NC: The story was out for nine days without a complaint. I remember it well because it all erupted while I was undergoing surgery to have a defibrillator removed and replaced. I was offline for a couple of days and came back to a social media hellscape. We talked about a high point seeing someone like Isabel Kim's career take off. This was the low point, seeing somebody who was just, just… no.

If you (or your institution) has access to Project Muse, you can read the complete interview here.