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Vector 297 (2023)

The ‘Futures’ issue of Vector is a collaboration between the British Science Fiction Association and the Institute for Development Studies, guest-edited by Stephen Oram. Our biggest issue to date, it explores how the opportunities, risks and limitations of harnessing science fiction all depend on who is applying it and how. Vector: Futures is a treasure trove of projects that aim to use science fiction to change the real world, showcasing interventions from fields as diverse as statistics, military intelligence, social activism, climate policy, decision science, technology and art.

Several pieces consider milestones for artificial intelligence and creativity, including SF writer Fiona Moore interviewing AI scientist Hod Lipson, and AI scientist Mackenzie Jorgensen interviewing SF writer Eli Lee, while Paul March-Russell and Dilman Dila both reflect on positive examples of AI/artist collaborations. Other interviewees include Andrew Merrie and Pat Keys, two of the leaders of the Radical Ocean Futures project, and Shanice Da Costa, art director for UNHCR’s Innovation Service’s Project Unsung. Interventions by SF writers in environment, science and policy domains are the subject of several articles, including those by Allen Stroud, Emma Johanna Puranen, Benjamin Greenaway, Dillon & Craig, Finch & Mahon, Fredström et al. and Pereira et al. Sara Stoudt reflects on statistics as a kind of science fictional thinking. Articles by Seeger and Davison-Vecchione and by Will Slocombe gives the issue’s theme a further twist, exploring science fictional representations of forecasting and prediction, and how science fiction itself might shape our applied science fiction imaginaries. Vector: Futures also features regular BSFA favourites, including Kincaid in Short, and Vector Recommends (selections from The BSFA Review).

The editorial, ‘Torque Control: Apply Science Fiction Here’ scopes the ground for this issue, and for applied science fiction as a whole. Whether you’re a longtime science fiction fan or writer, or a policymaker, practitioner, researcher or organiser interested in the power of arts and culture, there should be something in this issue for you.

Vector 296 (2022)

Vector 296, SFF & Justice, is guest edited by Stewart Hotston. Arriving November 2022. Featuring Stewart Hotston’s guest editorial on SF and justice, reviews by Arike Oke, Geoff Ryman, Phil Nicholls, Andy Sawyer, and Maureen Kincaid Speller from The BSFA Review, an interview plus article from Gautum Bhatia, interview plus book excerpt from Roman Krznaric, Yudhanjaya Wijeratne interviewed, BSFA Diversity Officer Ali Baker interviewed, Jo Lindsay Walton on art and artificial intelligence, Áron Domokos on the representation of the Roma in Hungarian SFF, Charne Lavery, Laura Pereira, Bwalya Chibwe, Nedine Moonsamy, Chinelo Onwaulu, and Naomi Terry on the use of Africanfuturist SF in rethinking how we value and care for nature, Guangzhao Lyu reporting on this year’s Science Fiction Research Association’s Futures from the Margins conference in Oslo, and a tribute to Maureen Kincaid Speller.

Vector 295 (2022)

Vector 295, Greek SFF, is guest edited by Phoenix Alexander. Arriving April 2022. Featuring interviews with Nick Mamatas, Yanis Varoufakis, Polis Loizou, Mikhail Karikis and Alexis Panayiotou and contributions by Christos Callow Jr,  Dimitra Nikolaidou, Paul Kincaid, Vasso Christou and others.

Cover by Mikhail Karikis.

Vector 294 (2021)

Vector 294, SFF and Class, is guest-edited by Nick Hubble. Featuring ksenia fir on labour in outer space, Paul Kincaid on Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, Guangzhao LYU on Wei Ma’s “Formerly Slow” and Hao Jingfang’s “Folding Beijing,” So Mayer on Star Trek: Discovery, Marie Vibbert‘s survey of class representation in SFF, Farah Al Yaquot on Petrosyan’s The Gray House, Ali Baker on de Larrabeiti’s Borribles, Andi C. Buchanan on Cipri’s Finna, and an extensive guest editorial from Nick Hubble.

Cover by Sinjin Li.

Vector 293 (2021)

Vector 293 is a collaboration with guest editors Yen Ooi and Regina Kanyu Wang. Yen Ooi introduces the issue as well as many of its recurring concepts, such as techno-orientalism. Regina Kanyu Wang takes us through the history of women writing SF in China. Artist and curator Angela Chan interviews Beatrice Glow about her work with colonial histories and the ability of science fiction to ‘tell truthful histories and envision just futures together’ through art. The conversation about history, futures, science fiction and art continues in Dan Byrne-Smith’s interview with Gordon Cheung. Chinese SF scholars Mia Chen Ma, Frederike Schneider-Vielsäcker and Mengtian Sun offer glimpses of their recent and ongoing research. Authors Maggie Shen King (An Excess Male) and Chen Qiufan (Waste Tide) interview each other about their recent novels. Feng Zhang introduces us to the SF fandom in China, while Regina Kanuy Wang brings us up to speed with accelerating Chinese SF industry. Dev Agarwal questions the maturity of the Chinese SF blockbuster as can be judged from Shanghai Fortress and The Wandering Earth (both available on Netflix). Virginia L. Conn explores Sinofuturism, while Emily Xueni Jin delves into the implications of translating a growing body of SF work from Chinese into English. We learn about the global perspectives on Chinese SF from an illustrious panel assembled at WorldCon 2019, and about transnational speculative folklore of the Uyghur people from Sandra Unerman. Niall Harrison completes the issue with an illuminating survey of Chinese short SF in the 21st Century.

Front and back cover images by Cao Fei (front photo credit: Gautier Deblonde), courtesy of the Serpentine Gallery.

Future issues:

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