Flurb
Entry updated 25 July 2022. Tagged: Publication.
US Online Magazine published and edited by Rudy Rucker, appearing twice yearly from Fall 2006 to Spring 2012. Although it was a non-paying market, Rucker managed to acquire stories, or "Astonishing Tales" as he called them, of remarkable quality from leading authors; and the stories remain online, freely accessible. To some extent Rucker liked to receive idiosyncratic fiction that might not immediately sell elsewhere, but with the diversity of markets today on the internet, that is far less likely. Evidently, the writers simply enjoyed appearing in Flurb, which had a certain cachet. Contributors included Gregory Benford, Terry Bisson, Paul Di Filippo, Cory Doctorow – whose "I, Row-Boat" (Fall 2006) is perhaps the best known story to debut in Flurb, Eileen Gunn – who guest-edited the 11th issue (Spring/Summer 2011), Richard Kadrey, John Kessel, Charles Platt, Kim Stanley Robinson, John Shirley, Bruce Sterling, Charles Stross and Ian Watson, and only a handful of all their stories have been reprinted, making Flurb a treasure trove of unrestrained talent. The final Flurb #13 (Spring 2012) was also made available in ebook format.
After a period of silence Rucker announced on the website [see links below] in September 2014: "I no longer feel like I have the time and energy to put together a Flurb. I did the thirteen issues in six years, and that's going to have to be enough." [MA/DRL]
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