In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Aisha and Dan discuss tackle the knotty question of "the canon": what is it, how is it formed, who is it for? They do so in conversation with the critic Abigail Nussbaum, whose new reviews collection, Track Changes, has just been published by Briardene Books.…

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Aisha and Dan discuss genre boundaries in texts and criticism: how they're used, where they fall ... and what, if anything, they're good for. Is science fiction is more of a technique than a genre? Might it help to think about all texts as sitting across modes and cate…

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Aisha and Dan discuss ⁠⁠a recent essay⁠⁠ by Jake Casella Brookins that appeared in the Ancillary Review of Books. "The vaunted prophylactic prophecy of science fiction—the ability to prevent an undesirable future by loudly predicting it—has consistently proven false," …

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Aisha and Dan talk to critic and poet CatherineRockwood about her new chapbook, And We Are Far From Shore , a set of poems about the television show Our Flag Means Death. Catherine reviewed the show for Strange Horizons less than a year ago, and discusses how reviewing…

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, the critic and reviewer Paul Kincaid joins Aisha and Dan to discuss how and why critics persevere in their work, what changes about it as the platforms and delivery mechanisms that surround criticism shift, and the challenges that face those writers who seek to collect…

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Aisha and Dan discuss what happens when books make you work. How does a reader know whether to persevere with a book when at first they're not sure of it? How can we decide if a book really isn't working on its own terms—or whether we're missing something and need to p…

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, we air an interview with the reviewer, editor, and critic Niall Harrison which Dan conducted at Conversation, the 2023 UK Eastercon, at which Niall was a Guest of Honour. Through a series of books from various parts of his life, Niall talks about how he began reading S…

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Reviews Editors Aisha Subramanian and Dan Hartland are joined by Abigail Nussbaum to tackle one of the thorniest issues in criticism: the negative review. What makes for a good bad review? Why do reviewers feel driven to write them? And are we now in an age where the h…

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Reviews Editors Aisha Subramanian and Dan Hartland talk to novelist, reviewer, and Strange Horizons’ Co-ordinating Editor, Gautam Bhatia, about how reviewing and criticism of all kinds align—and do not—with fiction-writing and the genre more widely. You can read the ep…

In this special episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, reviews editors Aisha Subramanian and Dan Hartland introduce audio from a 2018 recording for Jonah Sutton-Morse’s podcast Cabbages and Kings which included Maureen Kincaid Speller discussing with Aisha and Jonah three books: Everfair by Nisi Shawl, Temporary Pe…

In the second episode of Critical Friends, reviews editors Aisha Subramanian, Dan Hartland, and Maureen Kincaid Speller discuss the role of trust in criticism: how is it built and lost, and how can the reader decide whether a particular piece of criticism is worth paying attention to?Read the full transcript on our website.…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 30 January issue.“In memoriam Maureen K. Speller” by Catherine Rockwood, Read by Catherine Rockwood. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Catherine here.“In Review” by Romie Stott, Read by Romie Stott and Maureen Kincaid Speller. You can…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 2 May issue.“i roll up to the club in a gundam” by Eric Wang. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Eric here.“your subcutaneous mermaid” by Sara S. Messenger, read by Sara S. Messenger. You can read the full text of the poem and more abo…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 18 April issue.“the West is dead” by Blaize Kelly Strothers, read by Blaize Kelly Strothers. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Blaize here.“Responding to Poetry and Prose Poems (pg 36 of Practice of Creative Writing)” by Ken Haponek, …

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 14 March issue with readings by the poets.“Limbs” by Samuel A. Adeyemi, read by Samuel A. Adeyemi. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Samuel here.“Tricona” by Lalini Shanela Ranaraja, read by Lalini Shanela Ranaraja. You can read the f…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 7 March issue.“Gorgons” by Kay Billie Oakes, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Kay here.“Final Resting Place” by Gerri Leen, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Gerri here.…

Join our Review Editors Dan Hartland, Maureen Kincaid Speller, and Aisha Subramanian for the first episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF Criticism Podcast.Read the full transcript on our website.Di Strange Horizons

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 14 February issue.“Cure” by Vijayalakshmi Harish. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Vijayalakshmi here.“A Jar of Condensed Milk” by Gretchen Tessmer, Read by Gretchen Tessmer. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Gret…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 7 February issue.“increase” by Dawn Macdonald, as read by the poet. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Dawn here.“The World Is a Curio” by Nicky Russell. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Nicky here.…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons fiction podcast, editor Courtney Floyd presents E.M. Fauld's "Broken Blue."You can read the full story and find more about E.M. here.Content warnings for this story include:Animal cruelty/deathDrug useShamingVomitDi Strange Horizons

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 24 January issue.“Sestina for a friend misplaced and recovered” by Katy Bond, read by the poet. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Katy here.“My Double, My Brother” by Averi Kurth, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of th…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents the poetry of the 3 January issue.“Coup” by Antonio Funches, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Antonio here.“Who Came From The Woods ” by Lev Mirov, read by Ciro Faienza. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Lev h…

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents Merie Kirby's “Mother.” You can read the full text of the poem and more about Merie here.Di Strange Horizons

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents Freydís Moon's “NAMED THINGS.” You can read the full text of the poem and more about Freydís here.

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents C. S. E. Cooney's “Werewoman” with a reading by the poet. You can read the full text of the poem and more about C. S. E. here.

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents Madeline Grigg's “The Giantess Angrboða Drowns All the Mirrors in the House When Her Husband Loki Leaves.” You can read the full text of the poem and more about Madeline here.

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents Allison Parrish's “Variational Sestinoid Spiral Seeds 281698895 and 510616808.” You can read the full text of the poem and more about Allison here.

In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Ciro Faienza presents Liam Corley's “Frame of Reference” with a reading by the poet. You can read the full text of the poem and more about Liam here.Di Strange Horizons