Labour and Love: Adventures in Editing SFF

This week, our friends from Uncanny Magazine popped in for a guest post. Editors Chimedum Ohaegbu and Michi Trota discuss what’s it’s like to edit one of the most recognizable magazines in the SFF community. And, of course, our favourite question: what’s exciting in speculative fiction right now. 

What first drew you to speculative fiction?

CO: Concretely? Dragons and Pokemon. Existentially, a desire for some sparkle—I liked the area between relatable characters and outlandishly interesting scenarios in which spec fic lives, and the fact that a lot of the speculative media I read/watched/played as a kid ran at least in part on Rule of Cool made it doubly appealing. 

What have you learned, or unlearned, while editing here? What strengths have you discovered/developed further?

MT: I’ve learned the process of creating and refining nonfiction is not nearly as different from fiction as I initially thought. Essays and other forms of creative nonfiction, including critical essays, are still a form of storytelling where voice, perspective, focus, and structure are essential to making a piece work. It’s been fantastic developing my skills as a nonfiction editor and from that also learning how to recognize what makes a piece of fiction work and how to refine it.

How has your perspective on editing and publishing SFF changed since you joined Uncanny?

CO: I’m a lot more aware of how many moving parts are involved in the SFF publishing world now. While I never thought the publishing field was easy, joining Uncanny really made apparent just how much labour and love needs to be poured into editing and publishing to keep it sustainable.

How has your approach to writing your own fiction changed from when you first started?

CO: I’m a lot slower than I once was—“I let stories percolate” is what I like to tell myself, but it’s mostly that I overthink far more. A nice side effect of this (combined with an increase in my poetry intake) is that I also spend more time working on themes and language.

What would you tell your past self at the start of your time with Uncanny?

MT: I’d tell myself that not having the bandwidth to work on your own writing as much for the next few years is ok and you’re not failing by not writing as much as you hoped. The energy you’ll pour into Uncanny is still creating something amazing, and the things you’ll learn along the way will only make you a better writer when you’re ready to get back to it.

CO: Balance is super important. Between school, a lot of extracurriculars, writing, Uncanny, and life in general…it’s okay to funnel your focus into fewer channels so you can do the best you can for yourself and everyone else while still, ideally, getting some sleep.

What’s your advice for anyone starting or continuing a speculative editing journey?

MT: Editing a magazine is a lot of work. And it’s ok to admit that you *can’t* do everything. Keep the lines of communication open with your team and remember it’s ok to ask them for help because they’re your team. Burning yourself out helps no one, so do what you can to plan ahead and build a schedule that plays to your strengths (and don’t forget to build in time for breaks!). Above all, be open to learning from the amazing team around you, and don’t be afraid to be proud of the skills and knowledge you are bringing to the table.

What excites you most about the speculative field right now?

MT: I’m excited by the increasing visibility of marginalized creators and fans in spec fic, because we’ve *always* been here, and it’s refreshing to see that reality finally being reflected more in the works being published and honored, who is publishing/editing/directing work, and what the faces of fandom actually look like. 

What are you most excited about with your new role as Managing Editor?

CO: Oh gosh, so many things—I’m excited to flex my editing chops, grow more into my editorial voice, and learn from our authors; I’m hyped to bring more attention to underrepresented writers because we’re really damn good and innovating in the field literally constantly; and I’m excited to hopefully do more con panelling and to host next year’s Uncanny Wiscon Party! 

How does an Uncanny editor relax after an incredible five-and-a-bit-year tenure?

MT: Probably LOTS of cooking and baking (my Instagram and Twitter feeds will probably be overflowing with food pics once my last issue is wrapped); catching up on my To-Read pile; spending time with my husband and cats; maybe learn some new fire-spinning tricks; lots of binge-watching Netflix; sleep, LOTS of sleep. Oh and also co-edit the next volume of the WisCon Chronicles, Boundaries and Bridges, with Isabel Schechter (I definitely need to re-learn what it means to relax, lol).

Uncanny Managing Editor/Nonfiction Editor MICHI TROTA is a three-time Hugo Award winner, and the first Filipina to win a Hugo Award. Michi is an editor and essayist who has been published in The Book Smugglers, The Learned Fangirl, Invisible: An Anthology of Representation in SF/F, and Uncanny. She was the exhibit text writer for Worlds Beyond Here: Asian Pacific Americans in Science Fiction at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. She’s spoken at C2E2, the Chicago Humanities Festival, on NPR, and at universities and other organizations. Michi is a firespinner with the Raks Geek Fire+Bellydance troupe and lives in Chicago with her spouse and their two cats. Her secret mutant superpower is to make anyone hungry just by talking about food. Find her on Twitter @GeekMelange.

CHIMENDUM OHAEGBU attends the University of British Columbia in pursuit of hummingbirds and a dual degree in English literature and creative writing. She’s a recipient of both the full 2017 Tan Seagull Scholarship for Young Writers and a 2018 Katherine Brearley Arts Scholarship. She loves tisanes, insect facts but not insects, every single bird and magpies especially, and video game music. Her fondness of bad puns has miraculously not prevented her work from being published or forthcoming in Strange Horizons, The /temz/ Review, and The Capilano Review, among others.  Find her on Twitter @chimedumohaegbu.  

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