It's our Birthday! Celebrate a whole year of science fiction short stories and snacks.

This week's story: Birthdays, by Fred Saberhagen. Published in Galaxy Magazine

This week's snack: Birthday Cake Biscotti (it's amazing check out this whole blog!)

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If you could live your life over and over, with all your memories could you stop the end of the universe?

This week's story: Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh

Hugo Award 

Arthur C. Clarke Award Finalist!

Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Finalist!

This week's snack: Chocolate (Devil's Food) Cake! IYKYK

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Grounding your weird fiction with a throughline that cuts right through all the horror to the humanity at all has me crying while reading this week's award-nominated novelette.

This week's story: Uncertain Sons, by Thomas Ha. Published in Uncertain Sons and Other Stories.

• Nebula Award Nominee (novelette)
• Philip K. Dick Award Nominee
• British Science Fiction Association Awards Nominee
• Bram Stoker Awards Nominee in Long Fiction (for title novelette)
• Locus Recommended Reading List
• New York Public Library 'Best of 2025'

This week's snack: Bread Machine Coffee Cake

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Next Week's Story: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

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When a farmhand robot appears at Tantie Merle's house as a gift, she doesn't realize she is on the precipice of change, for not only her life, but the world.

This week's story: Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200, by R.S.A. Garcia Published in Uncanny Magazine 

• Nebula Awards 2024 — short story — winner

• Eugie Awards 2024 — finalist

• Ignyte Awards 2024 — short story — nomination

• Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award 2024 — winner

This week's snack: Carrot Cake

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In which gym bros save their community and fall in love.

This week's story: If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You, by John Chu. Published in Uncanny Magazine 

• Hugo Awards 2023 — novelette — nomination
• Nebula Awards 2023 — novelette — winner
• Ignyte Awards 2023 — novelette — winner
• Locus Awards 2023 — novelette — winner

This week's snack: Snacky Clusters from Trader Joes

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Next Week's Story: Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200

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When medical information is controlled by a conglomerate, and knowledge behind a paywall can be the difference between life and death, one 'doctor' goes to great lengths to learn and know her alien patient.

This week's story: Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being, by A. W. Prihandita. Published in Clarksworld 

• Winner: 2024 Nebula Award for Best Novelette
• Finalist: 2025 Ignyte Award for Outstanding Novelette
• Finalist: 2025 Eugie Award

This week's snack: Five Flavor Pound Cake

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Next Week's Story: If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You

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What if the knowledge to your survival would cost you your friend? And what if that friend was a robot?

This week's story: The Portmeirion Road, by Fiona Moore. Published in Clarksworld

2024 BSFA Award Finalist for Best Short Fiction

This week's snack: Airheads Xtremes Candy

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Next Week's Story: Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being

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In the gray space in between terraforming and colonization, an exorcism crew captain confronted by a human ghost has to grapple with his purpose.

This week's story: What Any Dead Thing Wants, by Aimee Ogden. Published in Psychopomp 

Nebula Novelette Finalist

This week's snack: Animal Crackers and Frosting

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Next Week's Story: The Portmeirion Road

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If humanity could send only a few select memories out into space, with the hopes of reaching intelligent life, what would you choose to send?

This week's story: Patsy Cline Sings Sweet Dreams to the Universe by Beston Barnett. Published in Strange Horizons

Second Place: Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award 2024

This week's snack: Grilled Cheese Two Ways

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Next Week's Story: What Any Dead Thing Wants (16,300 words)

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An interesting and complex form intimidated me initially with this story, but after trusting the process I walk away from this with a deeply resonant experience contemplating life, loss, transformation, love, death and iteration.

This week's story: We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read, by Caroline M. Yoachim Published in Lightspeed Magazine

Nominated, Short Story Hugos 2025 and Nebulas 2025

Finalist for Eugie Awards

Finalist for Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award

2nd place in Locus Awards

WON: Ignyte Awards

This week's snack: Good and Plenty's

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What if you went back to save your friends from a cult, but they didn't want to leave? This week's protagonist must face a mirror of her past life to learn how to move on.

This week's story: The Mausoleum’s Children, by  Aliette de Bodard. Published in Uncanny Magazine

Nominated: Locus Awards 2024 Short Story

This week's snack: Hot Tea and Crispy Dark Chocolate Crepe Cookies

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Next Week's Story: Patsy Cline Sings Sweet Dreams to the Universe

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Looking back to critique the present with uncomfortable satire. This week we dive into a layered retelling of a familiar Bible story to see what it says about people today.

This week's story: Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge, by  James Morrow.

Winner: Nebula Awards 1989

This week's snack: Rainbow Goldfish

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Next Week's Story: The Mausoleum’s Children

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Would you trust a random phone app to give you a better life if you just followed it's directions? Let's chat about shadowy-purposed tech this week!

This week's story: Better Living Through Algorithms, by Naomi Kritzer. Published in Clarksworld 

2023 Nebula Award Finalist for Best Short Story

2024 Hugo Award Winner for Best Short Story

2024 Finalist: WSFA Small Press Award

This week's snack: Oreo Truffle Balls

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Next Week's Story: Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge

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Join me for Season 3 where we talk about stories that have been nominated, and sometimes even won, some of the most prestigious prizes in SFF circles. You aren't going to want to miss this season! Follow the podcast to get the episodes as they drop, each Thursday starting on January 8th, 2026!

Every great sci-fi show has a Christmas Special, and Sci-Fi Snacks is no different! Join me as I eat my way through all the Little Debbie Christmas snacks and I gush about the amazing story, Carols on Callisto.

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This week's story: Carols on Callisto, by Deborah L. Davitt. Published in Escape Pod (Episode 711)

This week's snack: All the Little Debbie Christmas Snacks!

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Season 3's First Story: Better Living Through Algorithms by Naomi Kritzer.

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This week's story: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

This week's snack: Pizza Party Time!

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This week's story: Who Walks With You, by Premee Mohamed. Published in Grist

This week's snack: Walking Taco

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Next Week's Story: Snow Crash, a Novel by Neal Stephenson

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This week's story: The Gernsback Continuum, by William Gibson.

This week's snack: Candy Buttons

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Fandom Wiki Website
• Episode 12:Time Portals and Selfishness: A Slightly Different Sunrise from Mercury, Nevada

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Next Week's Story: Who Walks with You

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This week's story: The Spiral Ranch, by Sarena Ulibarri. Published in Dream Forge Magazine

This week's snack: Popcorn Witch Hands

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Next Week's Story: The Gernsback Continuum

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This week's story: The Life of a Cyber Bar, by Arthur Liu, Translated by Nathan Faries. Published in Future Science Fiction Digest

This week's snack: Buccee's Ranch Oyster Crackers

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Next Week's Story: The Spiral Ranch by Sarena Ulibarri

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