For two years, The Cosmic Background has been the world's premier venue for flash fiction. We've published dozens of works, enough creative fiction to fill an anthology, poetry, non-fiction, and Always Human Created artwork, by our stellar artist, Niv Sekar.
This year alone, we've published stories by writers discovered through our special call for Palestinian authors. We've published almost exclusively work written by members of the LGBTQIA community. We've published a first-time writer, who conjured up one of the best pieces of flash fiction we've ever read, in this magazine, or any other. And we're soon to publish our special issue, edited by the one-and-only, multi-award winning writer, and friend-of-the-magazine, Ai Jiang .
In short, we've created one of the fastest growing, most-diverse communities for fiction, poetry, and art, in the world. And we've done it without corporate funding, or advertising, or relying on any means of support which would ever compromise our mission of publishing progressive, anti-fascist, beautifully-written work. And we have never used even an ounce of AI. Nor will we.
Over the previous two years, we've Kickstarted our way to funding, but this year we're going a different route. GoFundMe gives us far greater flexibility to use our raised funds throughout the year, in the ways in which they'll do the most good. We're better able to pivot to suit the needs of our writers, artists, and readers. To reflect that, we're looking to raise substantially less than in previous years.
Help us continue to make the world a better, fairer, more progressive place for readers, writers, and artists. You all are a fierce light, in an increasingly dim world.
The Funds Themselves
As editor of the magazine, I'm delighted to explain how funds will be used. The funds will come first to me, and I'll be using them between three categories through the year:
1. Website maintenance, hosting, and paying for our submissions manager software. This money is used on an ongoing basis throughout the year.
2. Money ($0.10 up to $100) paid straight to writers when we purchase their stories.
3. Money ($100 per piece) paid straight to artists when we commission them to create work.
Those funds are transferred electronically over the course of the year, as stories and art are bought, and commissioned.
Co-organizers (2)
