A Compendium of All Things Weird

Weird Reader,

Welcome to F(r)iction Log, the new home of F(r)iction on the web. When we decided to relaunch our site, we knew that along with a bold new design should come a bold editorial vision. We see F(r)iction Log as “a compendium of all things weird”—a place for underrepresented voices and viewpoints, featuring writing that challenges the norm and eschews the commonplace. 

This doesn’t just mean a hub for all the weird lit you’ve come to love in our extensive back log, but also a fresh take on what makes weird literature so amazing.

There’s Mark Galarrita’s essay on Ken Lui’s The Paper Menagerie, in which he discusses the way speculative literature can make room for the stories and experiences of non-white characters. There’s also the first installment of Laura Villareal’s interview series, “Writers Talking About Anything but Writing,” in which she speaks with Eloisa Amezcua about rock collections, skin care, and hotdogs from Costco. In the coming weeks, we’ll be releasing more book reviews, interviews, and essays—and even a literary horoscope.

F(r)iction Log is a porthole to a whole new world of insightful and entertaining stories.

But it isn’t just a place to read great editorial content; we’re also a home for web comics that explore issues both universal and extraordinary. Next week, look forward to the first installment of Craftowne, a visual novel from the artist Billy Simms. In anticipation of the release of the work, we’ve posted an interview with Billy about Craftowne and his unique career and style.

F(r)iction magazine was born out of the idea that the publishing industry is broken. We reject the notion that realism is the only “true literature.” Like Mark, we believe this view stifles minority voices. At the heart of all stories is an attempt to understand the world, but understanding is a simulacra, a pleasing lie we tell ourselves. A story about a nuclear family is no more real than a story about a nuclear war. All literature is genre literature, and no one genre is more legitimate than any other.

F(r)iction Log will stand outside the lens of the industry, shining light on the truer understanding of real literature as the interplay between all of our voices, our multitudinous viewpoints, our scribbling, hunched correspondents.

Weird lit is vital lit. And we’re here to champion it.

From now until May 15, we’ll be running a Kickstarter to help fund our next year of content. With the proceeds, we plan to not only continue bringing you the weirdest stories from this and other worlds via our print magazine, but also expand this gorgeous new website by offering a digital archive—a sample of which can be found here—as well as author interviews, behind-the-scenes sneak peaks, and special content that just isn’t fit to print.

Take a look around. There’s so much more to explore.

Keep it weird,

Andrew Jimenez
Managing Editor

This video information is available as a Text Transcript with Description of Visuals.