An online publication featuring stories of science fiction, futurism, and speculative fiction with a healthy dose of optimism. No dystopias here; Soft Star stands for curiosity, openness, and the inherent magic of the unknown.

Soft Star Magazine features stories of science fiction, futurism, and speculative fiction with a healthy dose of optimism. No dystopias here; Soft Star stands for curiosity, openness, and the inherent magic of the unknown.

Sci-Fi Mags Are Fucking Killing It: The Middle Eastern Vegan Sandwich List

Miranda Adkins

Korinne West

Mellisa Pascale

Elly Campbell

Soft Star Magazine

Soft Star Magazine is free to read on Substack! Our first print issue was released November of 2022; all magazine contributors are invited to be featured in the print issue.

To read past issues or purchase a physical copy, visit https://ko-fi.com/softstarmagazine/shop

If your circumstances prevent you from being able to pay the $2 submission fee for written work and you feel strongly that your work would be a good addition to the upcoming issue, email me at softstarmag@gmail.com to let us know, and we can provide a fee waiver.

Issue Five: Frontier

The solstice — in spite or perhaps because of its regularity — is a cardinal date in countless cultures spanning geography and human history, from the Nordic celebration of Midsummer or the summer solstice sunrise at Stonehenge, to the Persian festival of Yalda or the Chinese winter solstice observance of Dong Zhi. The solstice has been a cornerstone of countless cultural and calendar systems — a signal of changing seasons, a liminal space between light and darkness, a reminder of celestial movements and patterns beyond our control.

Issue Six will explore themes of these celestial movements and patterns, cycles of change, liminal spaces, and the passage of time. Submissions may explore dualities between light/darkness and balance/extremes. Stories and art about rituals and tradition are welcome, especially those inspired by folklore!

Issue Six: Solstice

Letter from the editor and explanation of the ethos of Soft Star Magazine

The Case for Optimistic Futurism

We built a small fire, me and my dad, my last Christmas Eve on Earth. We both knew it would be my last, but neither of us really wanted to say anything about it. 

Happy Holidays from Another World

The First Cosmos

A somber, bittersweet short story 

Soft Star Magazine Issue II: Aurora

Little Star

Guiding Lights

Eighty-Two

Neomermaids create a new home among the stars — this time, on their own terms

To Be Reborn on Europa

aurora

"We are of matter / and of nothing / 

of time beginning / of time ending / and the endless stretch 

in-between /"

Sweet Milky Way

A story about a lonely astronaut, his long journey, and what we're all really looking for when we look to the stars.

The Lifetime of a Star

I am on Fire

Enter the void and explore what lies beyond what we know and understand.

Stares Back

Some Troubles with Wormholes

Winter cascade (Citrine)

Daily Routine

She lowered the knife and it grew even brighter — a giant throbbing Yayoi Kusama pumpkin, snake in a slithering neon skin. 

The Mysteries Of Dia Van Burdick

To the Rabbit Hole

passer-by with green fingers

The cyberpunk subgenre specifically highlights dystopian worlds featuring late-stage capitalism combined with advanced technology.

The Necessity of Anarchistic Transhumanism

The Doors

Editor's note for Soft Star Issue Two: Aurora.

Tenuous Veils: Taking Inspiration from the Aurora

Editor's note for Soft Star Issue Four: Arcana

The Limits of Control: On Magic, Mystery, and Human Ambition

Editor's note for Soft Star Issue Five: Frontier. On inspiration and creativity among the otherworldly landscapes of Utah.

Soft Star Magazine

Highlights

Publication

How to submit

About

Masthead