Two Stories in Vital are Getting Recognition
Editors and award judges are giving Vital some notable recognition!
Back in November 2022, one of the stories in the anthology was reprinted in Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022, edited by Rebecca Roanhorse and John Joseph Adams. That story was “The Algorithm Will See You Now,” by Justin C. Key. What’s more, making this prestigious Year’s Best anthology isn’t the only recognition that “Algorithm” has received. And it’s not the only story getting attention.
“Algorithm” Almost Didn’t Happen
It was serendipity that the story even happened. Justin was the next writer on my list that I wanted to solicit a story from if the Kickstarter met it’s stretch goals and enabled more stories, but the campaign didn’t raise quite enough funds. Unexpectedly, one of the writers was unable to contribute an original story as planned. This meant a slot had opened up. As that was happening, Justin just happened to reached out to me directly to ask if there would be an open call. I’m extremely proud of Justin’s story, and honored that he wrote it specifically for this anthology.
This led to more great news. Just this past week, a WIRED article about the Year’s Best anthology quoted John Joseph Adams who specifically mentions both “Algorithm” and Vital. (Read “Last Year’s Sci-Fi Was More Genre Bending Than Ever” from WIRED, March 10, 2023).
Two Awards Finalists
But that’s not all! At the end of December 2022, exactly on the one year anniversary of publication, writer/editor/publisher Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki reached out to me. He informed me that two stories from the anthology are finalists for the Dinjos award for disability in Speculative Fiction, a juried award that he administers. In the category of representation of disability, the award recognizes “The Algorithm Will See You Now.” What’s more, in the category of writer’s with disabilities, “Treatment Plan,” by Seanan McGuire, is the other finalist from Vital. No other publication has a more than one finalist.
Donald requested, and writers agreed, so I’ve made both stories available for free on this website:
- “The Algorithm Will See You Now,” by Justin C. Key (short url: vitalanthology.com/key)
- “Treatment Plan,” by Seanan McGuire. (short url: vitalanthology.com/mcguire)
