When I think of a Strange Horizons story, I think of ambition. Of stories that are not only about unusual subjects, but that are unusual in themselves. Of story-shapes not poured from a mould but sculpted by masterful hands. Of sentences that ring.

A Strange Horizons story is always a perfect marriage of mood and plot.

When I think of a Strange Horizons story, I think of "Nkásht íí", a ghost story published in 2014, that left me feeling like I’d swallowed whole histories in a few delicious bites. It was the first time I had encountered Darcie Little Badger’s writing; now I seek out her work every time she has a new story published anywhere. There are a few writers on my list of personal favourites whose work I first read on Strange Horizons.

When Strange Horizons published my story “Limestone, Lye and the Buzzing of Flies” in 2015, it was the fulfillment of a dream I’d had for years. It showed me that I could sell deeply personal stories in settings that might not be familiar to many readers. As a writer, just knowing that the magazine exists pushes me to write the stories I’m not quite sure I can pull off, and then to rewrite them until I do.