FEATURED IN THIS FOLIO
In November 2011, with little editorial experience, I became Fiction Editor of Drunken Boat. I’d admired the journal for years, and was well aware of its reputation as one of the first online international journals. As someone who had lived abroad for 12 years and had family in Turkey and South Africa, I was particularly appreciative of Drunken Boat’s international reach. Due to a supportive editorial staff and readers, I believe the fiction section has only grown stronger and more diverse over the years.
As our readers know, in spring of 2017 the staff of Drunken Boat left and re-formed Anomaly, continuing and expanding on our mission to publish diverse stories, providing “a platform for works of art that challenge conventions of form and format, of voice and genre.”
From where I stand, I can say Anomaly has only grown stronger. Fiction submissions for this issue increased dramatically from a year ago, as did the quality of work submitted. We turned down more than a few strong pieces because we’d already accepted a piece aesthetically similar for the issue.
While there were many strong pieces submitted, I was drawn this time to stories that were strange in some way; stories that relied less on cause and effect than on glimpses into worlds that were disorienting or even disturbing. I think these stories, in indirect and sometimes more direct ways, reflect the general feeling of estrangement for so many of our readers in 2017.
I would like to thank our Anomaly fiction staff for this issue who, because of the unexpected high number of submissions, had to spend more time than we’d expected reading and responding to submissions: Kathryn Henion, Tracey Rose, and Charlie Vazquez. In September, Tracey Rose stepped down as Assistant Editor to pursue a PhD, and Kathryn Henion became Assistant Editor. I want to particularly thank Kathryn, who as the most senior member of the Fiction staff has been an invaluable help to me for this issue, by coordinating submissions and layout. I also want to welcome two new readers, Shayla Lawz and Katherine Agard, who are reading for Anomaly 27.
It is with bittersweet feelings that Anomaly 26 will be my last as Fiction Editor. Other opportunities will take more of my time, time I no longer have to commit to the journal. I also believe that six years as Fiction Editor is a solid tenure, and Anomaly now has an opportunity to bring in a new person with fresh eyes and new ideas.
I will miss being a regular part of Anomaly as an editor, but will continue to be an avid supporter, reader, and contributor.
Sybil Baker
December 2017