Star*Line
Entry updated 24 June 2024. Tagged: Publication.
US Print Magazine of sf, Fantasy, and horror Poetry, founded by Suzette Haden Elgin and edited by Jean-Paul L Garnier since 2021. Initially monthly, then bimonthly, later quarterly, January 1978 to current.
Star*Line has been the official publication of The Science Fiction Poetry Association (from 2017 the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association) since its inception. At first a newsletter, relaying news about markets and sf poets, it changed to feature a mixture of articles and poems. Featured poets with entries in this encyclopedia include Brian W Aldiss, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K Le Guin, Thomas M Disch, Gene Wolfe, and Roger Zelazny. Steve Sneyd was one of its most prolific contributors and in 2015, he was honoured by the SFPA as a grand master (see Rhysling Award).
Robert Frazier took over as editor from Suzette Haden Elgin from the beginning of 1981, also handling layout design. His role has been described by the SFPA as a labour of love. This love continues to show in Star*Line's fast response times to submitters and the strength of poetry selected from voluminous submissions. In 2023, the submissions number reached thousands per issue and was viewed by Jean-Paul L Garnier as indicative of there being a growing interest in the writing of speculative poetry. Other editors include Tim Pratt.
Star*Line remains one of two prominent cornerstones of the SFPA, the other being the Rhysling Awards for best long, short, and prose poem. It features some of the most diverse cover art of any sf publication, reflective of the range of poetry it publishes in terms of form and subject matter. Recent issues showcase dreamy landscapes or rampaging monsters, as well as hard-edge painting. [JM]
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