February 3, 2023

Dear Daily Science Fiction Magazine,

In August of 2022, I received the notice that DSF will be going on hiatus in the new year. It was devastating to hear. DSF has been a part of my reading and writing life for so long. When I was a brand new reader of short genre fiction, you were one of the first magazines I saw. When I was trying to educate myself on flash fiction, you were the first subscription I signed up for. And when I was a brand new writer entering the wide world of professional genre fiction, you were one of the first places I trusted with my work.

Flash fiction has certainly come a long way since I first started writing. Before, it was kind of the oddball of the fiction universe. It was all about the novel or the short story. Something as small as a flash piece didn’t get much attention. Things changed with the advent of the internet, with RSS and email subscriptions, digital copies, and the busyness of life creating a pocket of fans for the quick read stories. And it changed with you. DSF provided a home for those who loved and respected the flash fiction format. You gave these stories a professional platform, an audience, a place to be nothing more than what they were and nothing less than stellar. 

You’ve given me so much over the years. Amazing stories direct to my inbox, a community of writers and readers, and of course my first pro-sale for a story. Like many others, that sale was a catalyst for my career as a writer. It gave me a much-needed confidence boost. It gave me access to new communities and resources. And it ultimately led me to membership in both SFWA and Codex, two big dreams of mine. Success in this industry depends on someone, a stranger, reading your story and being willing to give it a chance. I don’t know where I’d be now if you never gave me that chance. I am sorry that I might only be able to say I’ve had one story published with DSF, not because of my own career or reputation, but because sending DSF stories was the only way I was able to give back for all the good DSF has done in my life and the lives of other writers and readers.

This letter is not just from me. It is from every reader and writer in the genre community whose lives and careers and hearts you have touched through your work. There are so, so many of us. In August when DSF first announced the impending hiatus, the outpouring from the genre community was tremendous. And again in January 2023 when the final story was sent and the hiatus became real, the community rose up once more. People sharing their favorite stories, their own submission experiences, their publications. Their stories are very similar to mine: love for the genre, love for the format, love for the magazine.

Maybe by the time this letter is posted, DSF will have announced something new: a new magazine, a new format, or a return to the old. Maybe, there will still be the silence of hiatus. No matter what, the magazine has forever changed me as a reader, writer, and professional, and that will never go away, not for me or for the genre community at large. DSF’s impact will continue to ripple out in the universe via the stories we tell.

We will miss you Daily Science Fiction. You were, and still are, seven out of seven rocket dragons.

With love from the entire community,

Jenna

Please check out the amazing archive of stories on Daily Science Fiction’s website HERE and please feel free to share your favorites from the archive in a comment here or on social media.