CALL FOR STORIES – Volume 3 of the BMSIS short story collection

We invite you to contribute a fictional (or “artful” non-fiction) short story to the third volume of the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS) short story collection, “Tales from Spaceship Earth”, to be published by Habitable Press.

As the world reels under the weight of the COVID outbreak, it is becoming apparent many things about society will likely change. These changes will be uneven. Some will be good, some will be bad, depending on one’s perspective. 

The goals of this project are to (1) have fun writing science-inspired fiction, (2) create stories that engage the public in thinking about science, philosophy, and the future, and (3) use the vehicle of science fiction to explore questions or scenarios beyond the realm of empirical investigation. Stories can be of anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 words and no prior experience writing fiction is required. 

We hope these stories will assist humanity in constructing a better world, even if they are cautionary tales, as we collectively understand what COVID means for the evolution of science and society. The impacts of the virus are already being felt in every country and aspect of society. Science fiction offers a chance to envision the world not only as it probably will be, but as it could be. Such visions can offer a hope for the realization of unpredicted versions of the future enabled by unforeseen sequences of events.

This collection is a project of our Habitable Press initiative. Jim Cleaves, Palmer Fliss, and Graham Lau will serve as editors for this volume and will provide assistance to authors in finalizing their manuscripts. 

The final volume will be published by Habitable Press, and proceeds for the sale of this book will benefit the BMSIS internal research fund and other BMS initiatives. Author contributions are on a voluntary basis, and authors will receive no royalties from sales. However, copyright of the stories will remain with the authors, so you will be able to use your edited story freely and may seek additional publication outlets if desired. 

Let us know if you’re interested in contributing! If so, please send a tentative title and 1-paragraph summary of your idea by June 8th to Jim Cleaves <hcleaves@bmsis.org>, Palmer Fliss <palmer.fliss@gmail.com>, and Graham Lau <grahamlau@bmsis.org> .