Genre News Network March 31 2026

Historical Happenings

• Banned in the USA — PEN America releases staggering data showing over 6,800 book bans in the 2024-25 cycle, disproportionately targeting women and LGBTQ+ authors. (Source: PEN America)
• Tongo Eisen-Martin — The San Francisco Poet Laureate led a “Let Unity Do the Work” reading to close out March at Sierra College. (Source: Sierra College)
• Darcie Little Badger — The Lipan Apache author speaks out against word-censorship at Utah universities as legislative sessions conclude. (Source: PEN America)
• Lord Ruthven Awards — Winners for best vampire fiction and academic work announced at the International Conference on the Fantastic. (Source: IAFA)
• Premio Vegetti 2026 — Shortlist announced by World SF Italia, highlighting the best in Italian speculative fiction. (Source: World SF Italia)
• Pulp Factory Awards — Celebrating the modern pulp movement with its 2026 winners announced this weekend. (Source: Pulp Factory)

Call for Submissions

• Cursed Morsels Zine — Seeking surveillance horror and weird fiction regarding fascist occupation; pays $0.05/word. (Source: Curiosity Never Killed the Writer)
• JMS Books — Actively seeking LGBTQ romance and speculative fiction for their queer-centric catalog. (Source: JMS Books)
• Split Lip Magazine — Closing window for flash fiction and poetry with a pop-culture twist. (Source: Split Lip Magazine)
• Incarcerated Writers Bureau — New initiative to connect writers behind bars with agents and publishers. (Source: PEN America)
• Best New England Crime — Horror and thriller entries from New England residents due today. (Source: Erica Verrillo)
• Flash Fiction Online — Open for Science Fiction stories under 1,000 words; diversity encouraged. (Source: FFO)

SF Literature

• The Dark Forest — A new retrospective review of Cixin Liu’s masterwork explores its impact on global Science Fiction. (Source: File 770)
• J.M. Sidorova — The author discusses the biological “Big Idea” behind her latest SF venture. (Source: Whatever)
• An Oath of Dogs — Wendy N. Wagner’s Science Fiction thriller receives renewed praise for its eco-horror elements. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Heather Rose Jones — Continuing her serialized history of the “Best Related Work” Hugo category. (Source: Theory of Related-ivity)
• L.A. Con V — Outreach programs for the upcoming Worldcon are distributing Science Fiction books at regional conventions. (Source: Worldcon 84)
• Pixel Scroll — Today’s roundup features the latest digital developments in Science Fiction publishing. (Source: File 770)

Fantasy Literature

• Ruiner — Lara Messersmith-Glavin’s political fantasy with a nonbinary protagonist debuts today. (Source: Every Book a Doorway)
• The Bone Brides — Marley Rose-Teter’s queer-inclusive fantasy is topping anticipation lists for late March. (Source: Every Book a Doorway)
• The Deer Kings — Wendy N. Wagner discusses the intersection of myth and folklore in her dark fantasy work. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Six-Star Hopefuls — A curated look at March’s diverse fantasy releases focusing on underrepresented voices. (Source: Every Book a Doorway)
• Fantasy Book Bans — Advocates highlight that fantasy novels with LGBTQ+ themes are the primary targets of current library challenges. (Source: PEN America)
• International Conference on the Fantastic — Scholars gather to discuss the evolution of fantasy literature in the 21st century. (Source: ICFA)

Horror Literature

• The Doll Problem — Angela Liu explores the uncanny valley in her new flash horror piece. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Her Dark Places — Adam-Troy Castro returns with a bone-chilling short story about a terrifying transformation. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Will the Last One to Leave Please Turn Out the Lights — Gordon B. White provides a “weird” take on the apocalypse. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Queers Destroy Horror! — A retrospective on the impact of inclusive horror editing and its legacy. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Ryan Habermeyer — A new essay on the delicate balance between humor and horror in modern writing. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Girl in the Creek — Re-examining the Stoker-nominated horror that defined rural dread. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)

Poetry

• Zooming Past Shotgun Houses — Eva Roslin’s new poem examines the secrets held in architectural spaces. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Tongo Eisen-Martin — The award-winning poet performs Science Fiction-adjacent social commentary in Rocklin. (Source: Sierra College)
• SFPA Updates — The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association highlights new works by Black poets for March. (Source: SFPA)
• Flash Poetry — Split Lip Magazine highlights their latest round of diverse, punchy verse. (Source: Split Lip)
• Inclusive Verses — A new call for poems that explore the intersections of gender and technology. (Source: Erica Verrillo)

Amazing Stories Free Fiction

• Dreaming of Home — Josh Clark presents a poignant tale of memory and longing in this week’s featured fiction. (Source: Amazing Stories)

Science & Spaceflight

• Artemis 2 — Astronauts arrive in Florida for the April 1 launch attempt to orbit the Moon. (Source: Spaceflight Now)
• Transporter-16 — SpaceX successfully launches 119 payloads on a smallsat rideshare mission. (Source: Spaceflight Now)
• Moon Base Plan — NASA outlines a $20 billion proposal for a permanent lunar habitat to sustain long-term research. (Source: Spaceflight Now)
• Nuclear Power for Mars — NASA details nuclear power systems to keep future astronauts warm on the Red Planet. (Source: NASA)
• Starlink Milestone — SpaceX reaches 10,000 simultaneous satellites in orbit as of March 31. (Source: Spaceflight Now)
• SLS Rocket Rollout — The 322-foot-tall rocket returns to the pad for final flight checks. (Source: Spaceflight Now)

Film/TV/Streaming

• Meta & Google Lawsuit — Tech giants lose a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in L.A. (Source: Deadline)
• Timecop (1994) — A retro review examines the 90s Science Fiction action flick’s lasting tropes. (Source: File 770)
• Generational War — A poignant Marine parody of Dr. Manhattan goes viral for its historical commentary. (Source: Terminal Lance)
• Media Review — Adam-Troy Castro explores the relationship between appearance and reality in recent genre cinema. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Diversity in Streaming — New reports show an increase in LGBTQ+ leads in upcoming Science Fiction series. (Source: Deadline)
• Animation News — High-fidelity Science Fiction shorts are dominating the festival circuit this spring. (Source: File 770)

Art

• World War I Digital Preservation — Highlighting stories of women and noncombatants through interactive data visualization. (Source: ALA Core)
• Pixel Scrolls — A focus on the digital artistry used in modern speculative fiction covers. (Source: File 770)
• ArcGIS Storytelling — New tools are allowing artists to create granular, scalable metadata for digital collections. (Source: Information Technology and Libraries)
• Inclusive Icons — A gallery show in Anaheim features Science Fiction art by indigenous creators during Wondercon. (Source: Wondercon)
• Graphic Design Awards — Nominations open for the best in genre-related promotional art. (Source: File 770)

Publishing

• Refusal as Instruction — Hannah Cyrus explores why libraries must refuse technologies that conflict with privacy and freedom. (Source: ALA Core)
• Designated Community Revisions — A study on how digital preservation impacts diverse communities and user access. (Source: ALA Core)
• Card Catalogs to Semantic Search — Harvard Library’s project to reimagining discovery using AI technologies. (Source: Harvard Library)
• Public Computer Access — Research shows a shift in how students use library technology post-pandemic. (Source: ALA Core)
• Equitable Access in California — Digital initiatives prioritized to promote cost-effectiveness and growth. (Source: Core News)
• Inclusive Metadata — Implementation of CAD principles to add value to digital archival collections. (Source: ALA Core)

Writing

• The H Word — Ryan Habermeyer’s essay on wrestling with the relationship between humor and horror. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Spotlight Interview — Gordon B. White discusses his writing process for weird Science Fiction. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Writer Advocacy — PEN America updates their advocacy actions to protect writers from censorship. (Source: PEN America)
• Flash Fiction Technique — A new guide on how dolls and the “uncanny” serve as symbols in horror writing. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Narrating the Crisis — Authors discuss the importance of keeping their books on library shelves for their careers. (Source: PEN America)

Fandom

• Wondercon Anaheim — The Science Fiction Outreach Project is active this weekend, promoting reading. (Source: Wondercon)
• LAcon V — Early preparations are underway for the August Worldcon, focusing on harvester initiatives. (Source: Worldcon)
• World SF Italia — Over forty members voted to recommend 53 works for current awards. (Source: World SF Italia)
• Vampire Culture — The International Conference on the Fantastic closes with a celebration of vampire tropes. (Source: ICFA)
• Pixel Scroll Roundup — Daily community highlights from the heart of Science Fiction fandom. (Source: File 770)

Gaming

• Riftbound Bans — Effective March 31, new rules address overrepresentation in the metagame. (Source: Riftbound)
• Diversity in Tabletop — New RPG supplements featuring indigenous mythologies are gaining traction. (Source: Tabletop News)
• Metagame Balance — Tournament rules updated to prevent healthy play patterns from being dominated by a single legend. (Source: League of Legends)
• LGBTQ+ Gamers — New communities form to support queer representation in Science Fiction gaming. (Source: Gaming Fandom)

Comics & Anime

• Wonder War — Tom King and Daniel Sampere launch a future-set epic featuring Wonder Woman. (Source: AIPT)
• Batgirl #17 — Cassandra Cain inherits cursed powers in a new status-quo shift for Gotham. (Source: DC Comics)
• Poison Ivy #42 — Pamela Isley’s rise to power continues in this Science Fiction environmental thriller. (Source: AIPT)
• Supergirl #11 — Kara leads a revolution in Kandor after being stripped of her powers. (Source: DC All In)
• Black Canary & Batman — Detective Comics #1107 unearths a conspiracy rooted in the heroes’ shared past. (Source: AIPT)
• Wonder Woman Enters the Future — A dark timeline explores what happens when villains rule. (Source: DC Comics)

Awards

• 2026 Literary Gala — Upcoming NYC ceremony to celebrate the best in inclusive literature. (Source: PEN America)
• Premio Vegetti Winners — Celebrating the best in European speculative fiction. (Source: World SF Italia)
• Locus Award Finalists — Wendy N. Wagner’s editorial work recognized in the latest nominations. (Source: Locus Magazine)
• Lord Ruthven Award — Honors given for best academic work on vampire figures. (Source: ICFA)
• Pulp Factory Awards — New winners crowned in the revitalization of pulp-style Science Fiction. (Source: Pulp Factory)

Editing

• Wendy N. Wagner — The senior editor reflects on a decade of genre editing at Nightmare. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)
• Information Technology and Libraries — New editorial board members focus on digital preservation and diversity. (Source: ALA Core)
• Inclusive Editing — A look at how “Queers Destroy Horror!” changed the specialty editing landscape. (Source: Nightmare Magazine)

SFNal

• Nuclear Power for Lunar Ops — NASA’s move to nuclear power for moon bases brings Science Fiction tech to life. (Source: NASA)
• Cybernetic Upgrades — The newest Supergirl arc explores transhumanist themes in a comic setting. (Source: DC Comics)
• Digital Storytelling — Use of ArcGIS to construct interactive Science Fiction-like visualizations. (Source: ALA Core)

Mundanity

• Campus Free Speech — Reports on the current state of censorship across US campuses. (Source: PEN America)
• Social Media Addiction — Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in a landmark California trial. (Source: Deadline)
• Library Computer Workstations — A study on the shift in public computer usage since the 1980s. (Source: ALA Core)

Steve Davidson

Steve Davidson is the publisher of Amazing Stories.

Steve has been a passionate fan of science fiction since the mid-60s, before he even knew what it was called.