A Multiplicity of Futures

A MULTIPLLICITY OF FUTURES 

by Alex De Pompa

With this volume, I am proud to present Issue 3.2 of Augur Magazine: A Multiplicity of Futures. This is our first issue with a focus on (soft) science fiction, our second pro-paying issue, and the last issue of our first three years of publication. 

I am especially excited to share this volume on the heels of our inaugural conference, AugurCon, which took place on November 28, 2020. Over the last few months, I had the chance to watch the AugurCon team—Terese Mason Pierre, Kerry C. Byrne, Victoria Liao, Amy Wang, Sienna Tristen, Vivian Li, Sonia Urlando, Avi Silver, and Ayesha Mumal—spend countless hours preparing for it. Seeing the conference come together, and then witnessing so many insightful and compassionate discussions there, was truly heartwarming. I am so proud of the AugurCon team for their incredible work in putting the festival together and for working tirelessly to uplift the Canadian and speculative literature communities. 

I write with a heavy heart, knowing that this will be my final issue as the Editor in Chief of Augur Magazine. After starting a new career in the fall, I realized that I would no longer be able to devote the time to this magazine that it so rightfully deserves. Although I will continue to manage the magazine’s business affairs, I am delighted to pass the torch to Augur Magazine’s incoming Co-Editors-in-Chief: Lawrence Stewen and Terese Mason Pierre. Since joining Augur, Lawrence has been a pillar of diligence and pragmatism on the team, as well as a fierce champion of authorial vision. As for Terese, along with being a renowned poet, she is also an astute editor and an attentive community organizer. They’ll be joined by Victoria Liao, our new Managing Editor, whose incisive and empathetic editorial eye will be an indispensable asset. Kerry C. Byrne will continue as Publisher and round out the Augur Magazine leadership team. Together, Kerry, Terese, Lawrence, and Victoria are certain to take Augur to even further heights. 

Our team is also seeing a number of exciting changes across the board: Amy Wang, our Comics Editor, is receiving a title shift to Senior Editor, Comics and Illustration, in recognition of her peerless work in running an entire section of the magazine on her own. Assistant Editor Leslie Joy Ahenda will take up the mantle of Poetry Editor, and Assistant Editors Vivian Li and Avi Silver have both been promoted to Editors. Sonia Urlando, our eagle-eyed copy editor, will be recognized with the title of Content and Copy Manager. And finally, Editor Anna Bendiy will branch off to become one of the founding editors of our sister publication, Tales and Feathers, in 2021. 

With such a brilliant and dedicated team, the future of Augur Magazine is bright, indeed.

The theme for this volume is A Multiplicity of Futures. In putting this issue together, we wanted to explore some of the infinite shapes that the future could take. The stories, poems, and comic in this issue show us futures that are harrowing, futures that are comforting, and futures that are hopeful. They grapple with the bittersweet reality of future-making, and remind us that the journey to the futures we need is filled with sacrifice, exile, forgiveness, tenderness, connection, and courage. Although the journey is fraught with danger, and although we may never be able to honour the past as fully as we would like, we must—and will—continue nevertheless. 

I hope you enjoy Augur Magazine: A Multiplicity of Futures. Thank you, as always, for reading us, for engaging with us on social media, and for backing our projects. Your support is what makes Augur possible, and it has transformed my life and the lives of everyone on our team. No one knows what the future holds, but I’m certain of one thing: that stories can change us, save us, and lead us to wondrous new paths. 

Yours truly, 

Alex De Pompa
Editor-in-Chief 

Continued in Augur Magazine Issue 5.1...