Thank you for supporting science fiction for young adults! Projects like Futuredaze would not exist without help from people like you.

One of the most surprising things about doing a Kickstarter project is the number of generous and philanthropically minded people who choose to back projects like Futuredaze: An Athology of YA Science Fiction. Over the last few weeks, I’ve also seen many other important projects come to Kickstarter such as the Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology, Crossed Genres Publications, and the Amanda Palmer Record/Book/Tour as well as other interesting projects. At a time when we are seeing funding for the arts get cut regularly, it is incredibly inspiring to see so many people come forward in support of projects like these. Again, thank you for being aFuturedaze supporter.

With 32 days to go, we are nearly at our halfway point, and things are looking good for reaching our Kickstarter goal of $1,700. We’ve lined up our printer, we’ve got our artist, and we’re in the process of securing our copyeditor and other key staff. While all of this is great, the most exciting thing is that we have received over 120 submissions after being open only 3 weeks. (On a side note, last Friday, I was literally brought to tears by one of the stories I read. Yes, I’m sure we’ll be accepting that one!)

The absolute best thing about publishing Futuredaze is the incredible outpouring of support from people who are excited to see a new young adult science fiction anthology hit the market. We’ve seen our submission guidelines/announcement appear on SF Signal, included in the YALITCHAT newsletter, posted on writers’ blogs (Bibliophile Stalker) and YA reviewer blogs (Eve’s Fan Garden), listed on electronic bulletin boards for various writers groups (Hatrack River), and emailed around to friends. Futuredaze is really starting to feel like a grassroots movement–and it’s exciting!

A large percentage of our submissions also include personal notes, thanking us for supporting science fiction for young adults. One submission included the following message, which I loved:

“The kids who buy and read this anthology will likely go to space on private space lines, and work for a corporation rather than NASA. Since I have two daughters, ages ten and seven, I have some exposure to YA literature. What I found is that a lot of YA literature is fantasy-oriented, which is fine.  But I grew up reading Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Ben Bova, Hal Clement, Theodore Sturgeon and other masters of science fiction.  I got hooked on it because I was actually learning about science, and knew more than my classmates.  I hope that the kids who pick up your anthology get the same feeling.”

I would love to have Futuredaze inspire young adults to keep reading science fiction, to work toward actually going into space/discovering new scientific advances, or to find a way to apply what they’re reading here to their personal learning experiences in the classroom. However, in order for that to happen we need to reach our Kickstarter goal and to continue receiving top notch young adult science fiction and poetry.

Thanks again for everything you have already done. If you know anyone who might like to support YA science fiction or who writes YA science fiction, please free to spread the word!