Locus Is a Longstanding Bright Spot in Our Community - Reactor

When I first began writing for publication, I was advised by wiser and more experienced authors to create an “author bingo card.” The bingo card, I was told, ought to consist of accomplishments that I dreamed of achieving but that weren’t directly within my control, milestone events to celebrate if and when they came about, tangible markers of progress in a hopefully long career.

Among other things, my bingo card included: having a book reviewed in Locus; being interviewed by Locus; having a book included on the Locus Recommended Reading List; being nominated for a Locus Award; winning a Locus Award.

There are many writers who have these exact same items on their author bingo card right now. It’s no wonder: Locus is a destination, a gathering place, and a longstanding monument in our community, the Times Square or Piazza San Marco of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It’s where I go to see what books and stories have been recently released, check out the latest news and award ballots, read announcements about what my peers in the genre are up to. Crucially, Locus doesn’t merely cover the splashiest, most commercially successful SF/F/H works that garner enough mainstream attention to merit a mention in the traditional press outlets; the magazine pays attention to short fiction, small presses, translated works, quiet debuts—as many corners of our genre as it can shine a light on. Whether in physical or digital space, in a one-on-one interview or in the reach across a readership of thousands across the world, every encounter with Locus is a doorway into shared space, an experience that informs, celebrates, and connects.

My memories of Locus and the Locus team range from Hawaiian shirts to red carpet photoshoots, piercingly insightful book reviews to convention dinners warm with camaraderie. Over the years, the treasured Locus-related milestones in my career have brought me in touch with my colleagues and found me new readers, and the annual Locus fundraiser has been a means for me to give back to the community, whether that be with time, money, signed books, or fun extras such as handwritten apology notes to my readers.

Locus is authentic in a sea of commercial opportunism; it remains personal and high-touch when so much else that surrounds us feels algorithm-driven and cookie cutter, it’s run by a small and dedicated team of real people at a time when we wonder at every turn what corporation or billionaire our money is being siphoned toward.

With art, bookselling, and journalism facing threats and headwinds from technocracy, big business, and authoritarian political agendas, it’s up to us collectively, as creators, book lovers, and community members to actively preserve what we don’t want to lose. Locus is one of the longstanding fixtures in the industry that still belongs wholly to us: the writers, the readers, the fans. It stands as a stark contrast to the AI-fueled enshittification of our book ecosystem characterized by the deluge of sycophantic emails offering marketing services that “boost visibility” and “introduce your book to our passionate community of thousands of eager readers!”

Sorry, AdvancedBookPromotions, whoever the heck you are, but we already have a passionate community of thousands of eager readers—connected by a magazine that’s already been around for fifty-eight years.

Let’s make sure it sticks around for many more.

Locus Magazine is running their annual fundraiser through April 14th — Go here to donate, subscribe, or get one of their amazing donation gifts.