Sci Phi Journal is a cosy waystation for travellers who, through no fault of their own, find themselves at the cosmic intersection between speculative philosophy, cultural anthropology and hard SF.
The current incarnation of SPJ, as our gathering place is known for short, was launched in 2014 by Jason Rennie, of erstwhile Sci Phi Show podcasting fame, and helmed by Ray Blank through the stormy year of 2017. It spent 2018 in hibernation and reopened its portals in 2019 under co-editors Ádám Gerencsér and Mariano Martín Rodríguez.
As its primary mission, SPJ wishes to provide a platform for idea-driven fiction, as opposed to the ‘character-driven’ mode that has come to predominate speculative fiction. We hope that, in the fullness of time, SPJ may also act as a catalyst for discussion among mind-mates scattered around the globe, united in our attraction towards the philosophical edge of the SF spectrum.
We also aim to encourage serious literary analysis and lively discussion in an area that is often treated as ‘B fiction’ unworthy of those rarefied heights populated by ‘true’ literature. To serve as a bastion of the hidden gems and well-worn classics in a genre that, far from having to prove its credentials, provides so many readers with intellectual succour and emotional access to brave new worlds.
Our guiding stars and fountainheads of inspiration are the masters of idea-dense literature: Borges and Stapledon, as well as Orwell, Wells and Zamyatin; new-wavers such as Le Guin and Lem, Delaney, Săsărman and Saramago; and visionaries of the more recent generation, among them Chiang, Robinson, Werber, Turner and Liu.
Run by volunteers, SPJ is open to readers and writers of all persuasions, and tolerates no restriction of free expression on grounds of ‘political correctness’.
PS: We also invite you to browse our sister publication, the bilingual Revista Hélice, an academic journal that covers the two largest SF languages by volume of publication: English and Spanish.
