Scotland’s only dedicated SF magazine Shoreline of Infinity have just released issue #33, one I’m proud to share with T.L. Huchu, Benjamin C. Kinney, Brent Baldwin, Callum McSorley, David Lawrie, Juliette Lee, Liana Kapelke-Dale, Lucy Zhang, M Luke McDonell, M H Ayinde, Michael Teasdale,Thomas Piekarski, as well as the winner of this year’s flash fiction competition.
‘Four Queens and a Stone on a Hill’, my latest Noise and Sparks column, covers the varied stories around the death of Queen Elizabeth II of England and Wales — or Elizabeth I as she was up in Scotland. Somewhat fitting that this column covers legacies, as this is also the last issue helmed by founders (and editor-in-chief) Noel Chidwick and Mark Toner (also Art Editor).
I first met Noel and Mark in 2016 at Mancunicon, that year’s Eastercon. Noel in particular I remember as an unassuming bloke – much like many of the more senior members of the Eastercon crowd, but somewhat more up on up-and-coming writers. That he’d specifically sought me out to ask if I’d write a column was a bit of a surprise: less because I hadn’t yet heard of Shoreline (then only a few issues old), more because I had no idea why he thought I’d be suitable. While I’d won the BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction the year before, I hadn’t yet rejoined academia and certainly music journalism wasn’t the same thing. I accepted on the condition we’d give it a go for a few issues and see how it went after that. After some false stats, I had something, and I called it Noise and Sparks, after this blog.
Funnily enough, I’m still here. I attribute a lot of that to how Noel managed the first couple of years of Noise and Sparks. I was extremely nervous, and on occasion I declined payment if I felt that the column wasn’t up to snuff. Noel was patient with my anxieties and never pressured me for a submission. When I wanted to go beyond the initial remit – a column about starting out as a new writer – he encouraged me to branch out. Eventually, his work paid off in not just Best Magazine/Periodical Awards for Shoreline, but also in 2019’s British Fantasy Award for Best Non-fiction.
It’s worth mentioning that “Scotland’s only SF magazine” is no idle boast. When Noel and Mark started Shoreline of Infinity (originally an album name for their band, Painted Ocean), there was nothing that brought attention to work north of the border. While Shoreline now features work from across the world, as well as regular SF nights (Event Horizon, hosted and run by Poetry Editor Russell Jones), fiction contests, special issues – online, ebook and print content – author showcases during the pandemic and more, it has remained committed to that ethos of finding great writing beyond the gravity of the London publishing industry. And this looks set to continue: amongst their many awards, Shoreline has been recognized with funding from Creative Scotland, supporting cultural endeavours with lottery and government funds. Despite all this success, Shoreline has remained a welcoming and ironically down-to-earth harbour for work outside of the mainstream, mostly down to the ethos installed by its founders. One could hope it might continue that way, even into infinity.
In the meantime, on behalf of all us contributors, I’d like to offer my eternal thanks to Noel and Mark for the legacy they’ve left us.
If you’d like to catch the special ‘End of Days’ farewell edition of Event Horizon, you can still catch the recording, with Eris Young, Pippa Goldschmidt, Ken MacLeod and more, below.
For more on Shoreline of Infinity, including how to get your hands on ‘Four Queens and a Stone on a Hill’ in Issue 33, check out www.shorelineofinfinity.com.