The Spring edition of the BSFA critical journal is the first to be edited by Shana Worthen and has features from Terry Martin, Anthony Nanson, Andy Sawyer and Stephen Baxter; and summations of 2010 from Martin Lewis, Graham Andrews, Mark Connorton, Gary Dalkin, Alan Fraser, Niall Harrison, David Hebblethwaite, Tony Keen, Paul Kincaid, Jonathan McCalmont, Martin McGrath, Anthony Nanson, Martin Pots, Paul Graham Raven, Martyn Taylor, Sandra Underman, Anne Wilson, Ian Sales, Lynne Bispham, Alison Page and me. Jonathan McCalmont, in his review of 2010, says, “As with Interzone, the quality of non-fiction in Black Static is really superlative”. In fairness it should probably be pointed out that he does write some of the non-fiction in Interzone.
There are also lots of reviews, including Dave M. Roberts’s review of Music For Another World. He says that “This is a nicely varied theme anthology [...] also manages to maintain a fairly high standard throughout. On the strength of this collection, it is to be hoped that Mark Harding’s project with Mutation Press is a successful one.” and picks out the stories by Cyril Symsa, Gavin Inglis, Aliette de Bodard, Chris Amies, Jackie Hawkins, David K. Hendrickson and Vincent Lauzon for special mention. He also says that ”My own personal favourite is probably Shostakovich Ensemble, The by Jim Steel. [...] The picture painted of the time is remarkably vivid”.
This BSFA mailing also comes with Focus 56 which includes articles on writing by Martin McGrath, Nina Allan, Terry Jackman, Aliette de Bodard, Elliot Summerhayes, Christopher Priest, Dev Argarwal, Gareth L. Powell, Gareth D. Jones and Gary Budgen. There is also poetry from Fay Symes, John F. Keane, K. Potter and Scott E. Green.
Posted by Jim Steel 
