Editorial: Wishes & Dreams Wendy Nikel

I don’t know that there’s ever been another year when I’ve been more excited about the coming of spring. As the northern hemisphere emerges from our cold, dark winter, many of us are also emerging from our cocoons of the past year’s isolation. We’re looking around at the world at all that’s changed and wondering what elements are here to stay and what will someday revert back to “normal.” We’re examining our own personal transformations and the people we’ve become. And most of all, we’re looking to our future and making plans. We’re filling this season of life with our wishes and dreams, like the fluffy white seeds of dandelions.

This month’s issue is also all about wishes and dreams and hopes for the future:

In this month’s first story, “The Samundar Can Be Any Color” by Fatima Taqvi (April 2), we’re reminded to be careful what we wish for, because everything has a cost.

“Zhuangzi Dreams” by A. M. Hardy (April 9) is a story of the power of wishes and learning when to let go of them.

“The Shoe Shopper” by Sara Chansarkar (April 16) tells a tale of wishes that don’t come true when a man’s dreams for the future are shattered.

This month’s reprint story is “Infinite Tiny Lives, Infinitely Small” by Shane Halbach (April 23), which originally appeared in Daily Science Fiction.

And our Flash Fiction Flashback for this month is “Seed” by N. V. Binder (April 30), in which a dying civilization pins its hopes and dreams on seeding rainclouds.

As for our wishes and dreams for the future of Flash Fiction Online, here’s some seeds of change we’ve been sending out into the world:

• We’re welcoming new First Readers and First Reader Trainees to our staff! Check out our updated staff list here and, if you think you might be interested in joining our team, check out our application here for the next quarter.
• We have brand-new Patreon tiers with new benefits, including an exclusive Facebook group, monthly “ask me anything” chat sessions with our editorial staff, and exclusive “editorial notes” for each of our original stories.
• We’re also, as of April 1, re-opening for reprint submissions. We pay 2c/word for accepted reprints. See full submission details here.
• We’re cheering on our alumni authors who have made the finalist lists for the 2021 Nebula Awards! Check out the list here.
• We’re also celebrating the publication of Best Small Fictions 2020, which includes three Flash Fiction Online stories:
  • Auntie Cheeks by Renee Jessica Tan
  • Six Dreams About the Train by Maria Haskins
  • Alfonso by Sam Dunnington