On Spec
 OnSpec Magazine Winter 2006 | |
| Categories | science fiction, fantasy |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Publisher | Diane Walton, Managing Editor |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Country | Canada |
| Based in | Edmonton, Alberta |
| Website | onspecmag |
On Spec[1] is a digest-sized, perfect-bound, Canadian quarterly magazine publishing stories and poetry in science fiction, fantasy, and allied genres broadly grouped under the "speculative fiction" umbrella.
History and profile
[edit]Based in Edmonton, Alberta,[2] On Spec was founded in 1989 by a small group of Edmonton writers who joined together to form The Copper Pig Writers Society.[3] 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.[4]
Much more like a traditional small literary magazine than the mass-market-styled American science fiction digests such as Analog and Asimov's, 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.[5]
Awards
[edit]- 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, Aurora Award Best Work in English: Other.
- 2020, 2021 Aurora Award Best Related Work.
- It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine in 2026.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "On Spec Magazine". On Spec Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ↑ "On Spec magazine loses funding, reaches out to readers". Masthead. August 18, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ↑ "Andy Cox's Magazine Spotlight". dowse. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ↑ "Science Fiction", The Canadian Encyclopedia
- ↑ "About on Spec / Contact Us". July 8, 2013.
- ↑ "2026 Hugo, Lodestar & Astounding Awards Finalists". Locus. April 21, 2026. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- On Spec Magazine Official Website
- Alberta Magazine Publishers Association
- On Spec Magazine's Patreon
- Friends of On Spec Facebook group
- On Spec Twitter feed
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