''On Spec'' is a
digest-sized,
perfect-bound,
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
quarterly
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
publishing stories and poetry in
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
, and allied genres broadly grouped under the "
speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...
" umbrella.
History and profile
Based in
Edmonton, Alberta, ''On Spec'' was founded in 1989 by a small group of Edmonton writers who joined together to form The Copper Pig Writers Society. At the time, there was no paying market for English speculative fiction in Canada (though paying markets in French did exist). ''On Spec'' is Canada's longest-running, and according to author
Robert J. Sawyer, most successful, English-language magazine in the field.
Much more like a traditional small literary magazine than the mass-market-styled American science fiction digests such as ''
Analog'' and ''
Asimov's
''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy named after science fiction author Isaac Asimov. It is currently published by Penny Publications. From January 2017, the publication ...
'', ''On Spec'' was founded to address the frustration that English-speaking Canadian SF writers faced having to "Americanize" their stories for the existing US markets.
[http://onspec.ca/about]
Awards
* 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018
Aurora AwardBest Work in English: Other.
* 202
Aurora AwardBest Related Work.
See also
*
Science fiction magazine
*
Fantasy fiction magazine
A fantasy fiction magazine, or fantasy magazine, is a magazine which publishes primarily fantasy fiction. Not generally included in the category are magazines for children with stories about such characters as Santa Claus. Also not included are ...
*
Horror fiction magazine
A horror fiction magazine is a magazine that publishes primarily horror fiction with the main purpose of frightening the reader. Horror magazines can be in print, on the internet, or both.
Major horror magazines
Defunct magazines
*''The Arkham ...
*
List of Canadian magazines
This is a list of magazines published in Canada.
References
Canada
*
Magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are ge ...
*
Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine
''Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine'' is a digest sized, perfect bound, Canadian magazine publishing science fiction and fantasy stories, science and opinion articles, SF news and reviews. ''Neo-opsis'' is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Ca ...
References
External links
On Spec Magazine Official Website
1989 establishments in Alberta
Magazines established in 1989
Magazines published in Alberta
Mass media in Edmonton
Quarterly magazines published in Canada
Science fiction digests
Science fiction magazines established in the 1980s
Science fiction magazines published in Canada
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