All posts by Cathy Palmer-Lister

Reading

100 years of Amazing Stories!

On March 10, 2026, Amazing Stories will mark a singular milestone: one hundred years since the moment science fiction became a genre with a name, a home, and a future.

On a cold Wednesday in Manhattan—March 10, 1926—The Experimenter Publishing Company released the first issue of Amazing Stories. Its cover was impossible to miss: bright yellow, boldly optimistic, and illustrated by Frank R. Paul, who would soon be recognized as the founding visual architect of science fiction. Behind that cover stood editor and publisher Hugo Gernsback, holding a radical idea: that stories grounded in real science, boldly extrapolated into tomorrow, deserved a magazine of their own.

With his opening editorial, “A New Kind of Magazine,” Gernsback didn’t just launch a publication—he defined a genre. He called it scientifiction: stories that were entertaining, intellectually serious, rooted in known science, and unafraid to speculate. Sometimes they advocated. Sometimes they warned. Always, they invited readers to imagine what might be.

That first issue of Amazing Stories did more than publish fiction. It established science fiction’s rules of engagement, made the future visible, and—perhaps most importantly—created a conversation. The magazine’s letters column became the birthplace of science fiction fandom, a community that would grow into clubs, fanzines, conventions, cosplay, superheroes, and an enduring global culture. The modern world’s relationship with the future can be traced, in no small part, back to those pages.

It is no exaggeration to say that the last century would look very different without Amazing Stories.

Why This Matters Now

At a time when scientific progress is accelerating faster than ever—reshaping how we live, work, communicate, and even define what it means to be human—science fiction’s original mission feels newly urgent. For a century, Amazing Stories has explored both the promise and the peril of innovation, reminding us that the future is not something that simply happens to us, but something we actively imagine, question, and choose. As we confront challenges that once seemed purely speculative, science fiction remains what it has always been at its best: a rehearsal space for tomorrow, powered by curiosity, skepticism, and hope.

We invite readers, writers, historians, fans, and future-builders to join us in celebrating this extraordinary anniversary. Celebrate with us in person at Ravencon in Richmond, Virginia, April 26–28, 2026. Or celebrate in your own way: read a story, discover a new author, write a review, or visit our website to explore a sampling of what began on a newsstand in 1926 and helped shape the imagination of a century.

It has been our privilege, honour, and joy to help keep Amazing Stories alive. We look forward—with appropriate scientific optimism—to carrying its legacy into the next hundred years.

(A formal centennial celebration will be held at Ravencon, Richmond, Virginia, April 26–28, 2026.)

CSFFA / Aurora Award / Hall of Fame

CSFFA Newsletter

CSFFA Newsletter: Happy New Year!

In this newsletter:

  1. 2026 CSFFA Registration is Open
  2. 2026 CSFFA Calendar (Important Dates)
  3. Aurora Book Club Meeting Jan. 22, 2026
  4. Eligibility Lists Are Open for 2025 Works
  5. Reminder: You’re Invited to our Discord community

2026 CSFFA Registration is Open

Registration is open to purchase your 2026 CSFFA membership.  This will allow you to add items to the eligibility lists, nominate (February/March) and later vote for this year’s awards.  Memberships are open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Registration is available both for returning members from 2023-25 and for new members directly on our home page at www.csffa.ca. Just click the box (Not a Member yet? / You are a Member?) that applies to you.

2026 CSFFA Calendar

We have updated this year’s CSFFA Calendar.  It has start and end dates for all of the 2026 activities such the Aurora Awards, our development grants, the CSFFA Hall of Fame, our AGM, and when the Awards Ceremony will take place.  Some of the dates, such as the voters’ package start date are flexible.  If we get works from our finalists quickly then we will open it up earlier.

For a the full calendar go to our website: https://www.csffa.ca/about/calendar-of-activities/

Aurora Book Club Meeting Reminder: January 22, 2026

BOOK CLUB MEETING: January 22 8:00pm EST / 5:00pm PST

Join us on Discord in our voice/video channel Book Club Meetings channel on the 22nd to learn more about Phyllis Gotlieb’s winning novel, her life and career. Featuring special guest, Aurora-winning author Candas Jane Dorsey!

More info on the book club:
Starting in January 2026, we’re inviting everyone to join us for the Aurora Awards Retrospective Book Club. The aim of the Book Club is to read every “Best Novel” Aurora Award winner in the association’s history, in time for CSFFA’s 50th anniversary. We envision the book club wrapping up by the proposed Edmonton Worldcon in 2030, where we hope to host some form of anniversary celebration.

January 2026 is our inaugural book club month. We’ll be reading Phyllis Gotlieb’s A Judgment of Dragons, the first novel to win the Aurora Award – in 1982.

Join us on Discord at any time in January to discuss the book with us.
Learn more about the book club, how it works, and see the full schedule at the book club page of the CSFFA website.

2025 Eligibility Lists

As of November 2025, our annual eligibility list submission period is underway. You can see our current list of confirmed eligible works on our public list page here. This page can be shared widely, everyone has access to it. This public page contains links to external URLs for each work, which you will find to the right of the entry marked as [info]. For works that are available to read in full online (eg. short stories in online magazines), the [info] link should direct you to that work so you can read it. For other works, the info link provides publication details, synopses, and purchase options.

CSFFA members are encouraged to add works they are familiar with or published in 2025. In order to add works before the end of December, you must have a 2025 membership (ie. paid the membership fee in the first half of this year). Starting in January, you will need to purchase your 2026 membership in order to access the member-only eligible work submission forms.

If you are a publisher or a creator without a membership and would like assistance adding works to the lists, please contact us. If you only published a few works, we are more than happy to put them in for you. You must send us full details of the work and a URL where members can get more information about the work or access it in full (if such is available online).

For questions or comments about eligibility lists, please contact us at volunteer.csffa@gmail.com

We’re happy to announce that CSFFA is joining the great Discord bandwagon, and has created a community server where fans, readers, creators, and all Canadian SFF enthusiasts can gather online to discuss Canadian speculative fiction and the Aurora Awards. The Discord server is open to the public, and you can join us using this link.

(Sometimes Discord invite links don’t work as intended, so if you find that to be the case, please reach out and we’ll try to get you sorted.)

Fanzines

Fanzine to Share!

We have received the following fanzine to share. Enjoy!

From Ahrvid Engholm in Sweden: Let’s invade & Kidnap a little!

Mission completed!

Intermission too. It’s a complex, chaotic world, and here’s something
to make it chaotier! We found Hugo Gernsback’s excuses for not paying his authors, take you on a tour through Bobby Heinlein’s fantastic home and present the A-Bomb’s mother. We go through the Ukraine peace plan, a conflict almost as intricate as some fanfeuds. Then we turn to poetry, a concon and prepare to join the paperclip-makers… An idea: Instead of Greenland, why don’t go for Blueland or perhaps Yellowland instead?
You need Intermission for national security!

Only necessary cookies,

–Ahrvid Engholm, editor-in-chief
Comments welcome! Due to some mail snags make CCs of comments to
ahrvid@atomicmail.io

Awards, Fanzines

Voting for the 2026 FAAn awards (for work done in 2025) is now open. 

Voting for the 2026 FAAn awards (for work done in 2025) is now open.
The seven award categories are unchanged as follows:
FANZINE AWARDS
Best Genzine
Best Perzine
Best Special Publication/One-shot/Limited series
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Best Fanwriter
Best Fanartist (Steve Stiles Memorial Award)
Best Letterhack (Harry Warner, Jr. Memorial Award)
Best Fanzine Cover
Voting is open to anyone with an interest in fanzines, no memberships or voting fees are required.
Ballots must be received by 23:59 Pacific time, Saturday February 14th 2026, and the awards will be presented at Corflu Pickled (fanzine convention) in Santa Rosa, CA after the banquet on Sunday March 1 2026.
Anyone wishing to watch the ceremonies in real time will need at least a virtual membership, details at https://corflu.org/ along with The Incompleat Register 2025, the awards voters’ guide and pro forma ballot, which is also available for the asking from the awards administrator, Nic Farey, fareynic@gmail.com , and attached to this email.
Astronomy News

DO PLANETARY ALIGNMENTS AFFECT SOLAR ACTIVITY? 

DO PLANETARY ALIGNMENTS AFFECT SOLAR ACTIVITY? 

There’s a planetary alignment this week. Could it affect solar activity? One researcher says “yes,” and explains how on today’s edition of Spaceweather.com.

Above: Jupiter, Earth, Venus and Mars are arrayed in an approximate line this week, exerting their “spring tides” on the sun. Can these feeble tides affect solar activity?

 

Fanzines

Fanzine Roundup

Fanzine Roundup

From Matt Mitchell: De Profundis #616 – January 2026
I present to you the new issue, the first of 2026.  Feel free to distribute this among your membership. Thank you.

Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society

From Nic Farey, who says: “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do.” TH 94r contains important info regarding Corflu and the FAAn awards.
From Garth Spencer:  Obdurate Eye 58
The first person you encounter on Mars says:
“Hello. We’ve been trying to contact you about your overdue account …”
From Bill Burns:

Just when I thought I had safely closed out 2025, four new fanzines arrived dated December 31st. Then on New Year’s Day, the first issue of 2026 arrived.

All these are now at https://efanzines.com

  • Opuntia #617, edited by Dale Speirs
  • J.L. Farey’s JenZine #13
  • Nic Farey’s This Here…#94
  • Journey Planet #92 & 93, edited by James Bacon, Chris Garcia, et al
Books

Locus list of upcoming book releases

JANUARY 2025

  • MONIQUILL BLACKGOOSE • To Ride a Rising Storm • Penguin Random House/Del Rey, Jan 2026 (tp, eb)
  • JIM BUTCHER • Twelve Months • Orbit UK, Jan 2026 (hc, eb)
  • JIM BUTCHER • Twelve Months • Ace, Jan 2026 (hc, eb)
  • ROSHANI CHOKSHI • The Swan’s Daughter • St. Martin’s/Wednesday Books, Jan 2026 (v, hc, eb)
  • NICOLE GLOVER • The Starseekers • Harper Voyager US, Jan 2026 (tp, eb)
  • ISABEL IBAÑEZ • Graceless Heart • St. Martin’s/Sat­urday Books, Jan 2026 (hc, eb)
  • DEAN KOONTZ • The Friend of the Family • Amazon/Thomas & Mercer, Jan 2026 (a, hc, eb)
  • SEANAN MCGUIRE • Through Gates of Garnet and Gold • Tordotcom, Jan 2026 (na, hc, eb)
  • K.J. PARKER • Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead • Orbit US, Jan 2026 (tp, eb)
  • K.J. PARKER • Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead • Orbit UK, Jan 2026 (tp, eb)
  • CHARLES STROSS • The Regicide Report • Tor, Jan 2026 (na, hc, eb)
Events and Conventions

The Annual Convention listing

The Annual Convention listing

With thanks to Lloyd Penny.

 Montreal area events are in bold and marked with *

Watch for virtual CanCon, probably in April. https://www.can-con.org/virtual-cancon

Check for updates during the year by clicking “conventions” in the left menu. To add an event to the list, contact <webmaster@monsffa.ca>

2026

January 3 – Peterborough Comicon, The Venue, Peterborough. www.popculturecanada.ca

January 4 – Aurora Comicon, Legion Branch 385, Aurora. www.popculturecanada.ca

January 10 – PokeKon Fest – Rochester 2026, RIT Inn & Conference Centre, Henrietta, NY.  pokekon.com.

January 10 – Hobbyverse Expo New Year’s Edition, Weplay Centre, Markham. https://www.eventbrite.com

January 11 – Ontario Collectors Con, Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale, Mississauga. https://www.ontariocollectorscon.com/

January 17&18 – Ottawa Comiccon Winter Edition, EY Centre, Ottawa. Free admission! https://ottawacomiccon.com/

January 18 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton. Hours: 9:30am-2pm. Admission: $5, $1 under 10. For more information, CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages.

January 24 – Compasscon: Oakville, Galaxy 707 Club, Oakville. Hours: 10am-4pm. For more information, https://www.compassconevents.ca/compasscon-oakville

January 30 – February 1 – Magical ConFusion. Hotel, Novi Sheraton Michigan, Novi, MI. Guests: Maurice Broaddus, Megen Leigh, Sarah Goslee, Andrea Phillips, more https://2026.confusionsf.org/

January 31 – Action Figure Comic Con, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Toronto, https://actionfigurecomiccon.com/

January 31 – Belleville Comicon, Masonic (Temple) Hall, Belleville. Hours: 10am-3pm. Admission: $5 https://www.eventbrite.ca

February 1 – Bowmanville Comicon, Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex, Bowmanville.  https://www.eventbrite.ca/

February 7 – Cobourg Comicon, Cobourg Community Centre, Cobourg. www.popculturecanada .

February 8 – Nerd Market 6, Hart House, University of Toronto. Hours: 12noon-4pm. For more information, check their Eventbrite page.

February 8 – Burlington Collectors Con, Holiday Inn Conference Centre, Burlington. www.ontariocollectorscon.com.

February 8 – Whitby Comicon, Heydenshore Pavilion, Whitby https://www.eventbrite.ca

February 13-15 – Motor City Furry Con, Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Centre, Detroit. Guests: Pandez, Quack Quack Honk https://motorcityfurrycon.org/

February 14 – East Gwillimbury Comicon, Gwillimbury Sports Complex, Sharon. www.popculturecanada.ca.

February 15 – Angus Comicon, Angus Recreation Centre, Angus. Hours: 10am-3pm. Admission: $5 in advance, $10 at the door. www.popculturecanada.ca.

February 15 – Durham Games and Comic Expo, Ajax Community Centre, Ajax. Hours: 11am-4pm. For more information info@vendorsmarket.ca.

February 16 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton. Hours: 9:30am-2pm. Admission: $5, $1 under 10. For more information, CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages.

February 17 – Carleton Place Comic Con 2025, Carleton Place Arena, Carleton Place. Admissions: Non-perishable food donation or $2, children 12 and under free. For more information, look for their Facebook page.

February 28 – Niagara Falls Pop Culture & Collectibles Expo, Fireman’s Park, Niagara Falls, ON. Hours: 10am-3pm. For more information, info@vendorsmarket.ca.

March 1 – Ajax Comicon, Audley Recreation Centre/Sportsplex, Ajax. Hours: 10am-3pm. Admission: $5 in advance, $10 at the door. For more information, www.popculturecanada.ca.

March 8 – Niagara Anime-Fest, Sheraton Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls, NY. Guests: Greg Dulcie, Randy Pearlman, more. For more information, theniagaracon.com.

March 15 – Markham Geekcon, 7261 Victoria Park Ave., Markham. House: 11am-5pm. For more information, info@vendorsmarket.ca

March 20-22 – Toronto Comicon 2026, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. https://fanexpohq.com/comicontoronto/

Furnal Equinox 2026 – Starbound Sabbatical, Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Toronto. furnalequinox.com.

March 21 – Bolton Comicon, Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness, Bolton.www.popculturecanada.ca.

March 21-22 – Tora-Con 2026, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester. Anime convention. Guests: Chalk Twins, AJ Beckles, Anairis Quinones, Matt Shipman, Allegra Clark, Zeno Robinson, Matthew David Rudd, EarlCray Tea, ChibiTifa, Lutavia, Starfall Blade, Empathy Studios. For more information, toracon.org.

March 26-29 – Penguicon 2026, Westin Southfield Detroit, Southfield, MI. SF/open source coding convention. penguicon.org

March 28 – Hobbyverse Expo Spring Forward, Weplay Centre, Markham. hobbyverseexpo@gmail.com, or pages on Instagram and Eventbrite.

March 28 – Stratford Comicon, Best Western Plus Arden Park Hotel, Stratford. www.popculturecanada.ca

March 29 – Cambridge Comicon, Oriental Sports Club, Cambridge. www.popculturecanada.ca

April 3 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton. CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages

April 3-5 – Anime Ottawa 2026, EY Centre, Ottawa. animeottawa.com.

April 4 – Kingston Comicon, Legion Branch 560, Kingston.www.popculturecanada.ca.

April 11 – Barrie Comicon, Eastview Arena, Barrie. www.popculturecanada.ca

April 17-19 FilKONtario 2026, Monte Carlo Inn & Suites, Markham. Guests: Mikey Mason, Tanya Huff, Debbie Gates & Wild Mercy. Filk convention. filkontario.ca.

April 18 – Compasscon: Cobourg, Cobourg Lions Community Centre, Cobourg. www.compassconevents.ca

April 25 – Sudbury Comicon, Garson Arena, Sudbury. www.sudburycomicon.ca

May 3 – Huntsville Comicon, Jack Bionda Area Floor @ Canada Summit Place, Huntsville. www.popculturecanada.ca.

May 9 – SDG Geek-Con 2026, Chesterville and District Arena, Chesterville, ON. For more information, check their Facebook page.

May 9 – Trenton Comicon, Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens, Trenton. www.sudburycomicon.ca

May 9 – Brantford Comic Con, Lions Park Arena, Brantford. Guests: Brian O’Halloran, Ming Chen, more. brantfordcomiccon.com.

May 9-10 – The Oddities & Curiosities Expo, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com.

May 16 – Orangeville Comicon, Orangeville Curling Club, Orangeville. www.popculturecanada.ca.

May 18 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton. CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages.

May 22-24 – Anime North, Toronto Congress Centre and hotels, Toronto. animenorth.com.

May 23 – Napanee Comicon, Best & Bash Arena, Napanee. www.popculturecanada.ca.

May 24 – Tweed Comicon, Tweed Community Centre, Tweed. www.popculturecanada.ca.

June 6 – Parry Sound Comicon, Bobby Orr Community Centre, Stanley Cup Hall, Parry Sound.www.popculturecanada.ca.

June 7 – Bracebridge Comicon, Muskoka Lumber Community Centre, Bracebridge. www.popculturecanada.ca.

*June 12-14-Scintillation, Montreal, https://www.scintillation.ca/index.php

June 13 – Manitoulin Island Comicon, Little Current Recreation Centre, Little Current, ON. www.popculturecanada.ca.

June 19 – Midland Comicon, North Simcoe Sports Centre, Midland.www.popculturecanada.ca

June 20-21 – KW Comic-Con, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener. Guests TBA  kwcomiccon.ca

June 26-28 – Nickel City Comic Con, Buffalo Convention Center, Buffalo. www.nickelcitycon.com.

June 27 – Brighton Comicon, Brighton & District Curling Club, Brighton. www.popculturecanada.ca

July 1 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton. Hours: 9:30am-2pm. Admission: $5, $1 under 10. For more information, CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages.

*July 3-5 – Montreal Comiccon 2026, Palais de Congres de Montreal, Montreal. www.montrealcomiccon.com.

July 11 – Callander Comicon, Callander Community Centre, Callander. www.popculturecanada.ca.

July 11 – Rochester Anime-Fest, RIT Inn & Conference Center, Henrietta, NY. Guests: Greg Dulcie, Madeleine Morris, more. rochesteranimefest.com.

July 11-12 – Michigan Fantasy Festival, 28404 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI.  https://michiganfantasyfestival.com/

July 18 – FanaticCon Ottawa, Ottawa Conference and Event Centre, Ottawa.  https://www.fanaticcon.ca/

July 18 – Streetsville Comicon, Vic Johnston Community Centre, Mississauga. www.sudburycomicon.ca.

July 18-19 – Really Cool Comic Con, Dort Financial Centre, Flint, MI. www.reallycooolcomiccon.com.

August 1-2 – MiAnime Convention, Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, MI. www.michgananime.com

August 3 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton. CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages

August 8 – Orillia Anime-Fest, Orillia Square Mall, Orillia. canadaanimefests.ca.

August 16 – Fenelon Falls Comicon, Fenelon Falls Community Centre, Fenelon Falls. www.popculturecanada.ca

August 22 – Stratford Comicon, Best Western Plus Arden Park Hotel, Stratford. www.sudburycomicon.ca.

August 23 – Cambridge Comicon, Oriental Sports Club, Cambridge. www.popculturecanada.ca 

August 27-30 – Fan Expo Canada 2026, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. fanexpohq.com/fanexpocanada

August 27-31, 2026: LAcon V, the 84th WorldCon, https://www.lacon.org

August 28-30 – Ozokucon 2026, Bluewater Convention Center, Port Huron, MI. eventeny.com/events/ozokucon-23407/ .

August 29-30 – Port Credit Renaissance Faire, Port Credit Memorial Park, Mississauga. niagararenfaire@gmail.com, or pages on Facebook, Tiktok and Instagram.

September 5 – Barrie Comicon, Eastview Arena, Barrie.www.popculturecanada.ca.

September 7 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton. CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages.

September 11-13 – Ottawa Comicon, Location TBA, Ottawa. ottawacomicon.com

September 12 – Kingston Comicon, Legion Branch 560, Kingston.www.popculturecanada.ca

September 13 – Peterborough Comicon, Peterborough Curling Club, Peterborough. www.popculturecanada.ca

September 26-27 – London Comic Con 2026, Western Fair Agriplex, London. For more information, see their Facebook page.

October 12 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hamilton CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages.

October 16-18, 2026 – CanCon, at the Brookstreet Hotel, Kanata https://www.can-con.org/live-cancon

October 18 – Whitby Comicon, Heydenshore Pavilion, www.popculturecanada.ca

October 22-25 – World Fantasy Convention, Oakland, California, https://wfc2026.org/

November 7 – Batawa Comicon, Batawa Community Centre, Batawa. www.popculturecanada.ca

November 7 – Detroit Retro Gaming Show, Southfield Pavilion, Southfield, MI. www.detroitretrogamingshow.com

November 8 – Lindsay Comicon, Victoria Park Armoury, Lindsay. www.popculturecanada.ca.

November 15 – Ajax Comicon, Audley Recreation Centre/Sportsplex, Ajax. www.popculturecanada.ca.

December 26 – Collecticon, Carmen’s Event Centre, Hailton.CollectiConCanada@gmail.com, or check Facebook or Instagram pages.