Good news! Our subscription options have now expanded! Because of the restrictions some ebook vendors have placed on publishers mentioning specific stores, we can’t specifically name our new partner. But if you were to go to an online store named after the world’s largest rainforest and search for “Fantasy Magazine Adamant Press,” you should find a subscription option there now as well. You can also get there by visiting this redirect URL: fantasy-magazine.com/newsstand.

That of course is in addition to our other subscription options, all of which you can find on our website, at fantasy-magazine.com/support-subscribe.

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CY: As we write this, we had our first spring-like day in the lower American mid-west. I can see buds on the trees outside my window. We’re finally coming out of a very long, dark winter, literally and figuratively. As we start to see more and more people getting their Covid-19 vaccines, that despair that kept so many of us down for the past year is starting to lift a little for some.

AS: Hope can be a dangerous thing! It’s so often the foundation for heartbreak. But I think hope is also essential: It keeps us going, keeps us striving. In fiction, even in darker stories, hope can give the reader a moment to breathe, and keep the read engaging. As spring unfolds, our country is beginning to move through a number of transitions, and so many people are feeling a bit more positive and hopeful again.

CY: I wonder how that will spill out into the stories we read in coming months, as we finally gain a little mental space to process what we’ve all been through. Some people can write about heavy stuff while they’re in it; others need some distance before they can touch it.

AS: It’s true! I also wonder how it will affect our own responses to stories. Part of this depends on what we get, and I do believe that finding a great story can have a huge impact on your mood. But I also wonder how much our environment and the things we are going through plays a part in what we are hungry to read.

CY: I’m looking forward to more stories of hope, change, and community.

AS: That… sounds really good! I’ve always liked dark stories, but I also like well-told stories of hope. I can’t wait to see what people send us!

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In this issue, you’ll find the following fabulous fantasies: Original fiction by M. Shaw (“Man vs. Bomb”) and Hal Y. Zhang (“Arenous”); flash fiction by McKinley Valentine (“The Code for Everything”) and Donyae Coles (“Close Enough to Divine”); poetry by B. Sharise Moore (“Black Beak”) and Priya Chand (“Dragonslayer”); and an interview with Charles Yu. Enjoy!