Jen Albert, Editor
What I’m looking for . . .
I’m ECW’s science fiction, fantasy, and horror specialist, and I love speculative fiction of all kinds, from epic and political fantasy, like C.L. Clark’s The Unbroken and Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga; to engaging science fiction, like Project Hail Mary and the work of Becky Chambers; to striking speculative horror, like Iain Reid’s recent work and Andrew F. Sullivan’s The Marigold; to literary speculative books, like the work of Emily St. John Mandel and Premee Mohamed. I’m drawn to fiction that overturns genre boundaries, books that stun with strong voice and striking imagery, that explore the human experience with nuance and aplomb. I’m especially taken by fiction that is both complex and fundamentally good-hearted, like Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor and Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, two of my favourite-ever novels.
I am also looking for engaging non-fiction, especially popular science. I have graduate degrees in molecular biology and evolution (I studied bees!), so I especially love work that is strongly grounded in biology that is interested in making broader points on behaviour and culture; a perfect example of this is Robert Sapolsky’s brilliant Behave. I am also interested in philosophy, queer studies, alternative lifestyles, social evolution, and writing on ideological, economic, and political alternatives to capitalism. I’m a fan of any well-researched book that explores the bigger picture and adds to the important conversations of our times. I will happily work with authors to develop a non-fiction project from the proposal stage.
I strongly support diverse voices and encourage submissions from BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, disabled, and other marginalized writers.
What I read (and loved) recently . . .
I’m on a non-fiction kick, so some of my recent favourites have been Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger and John Valliant’s Fire Weather. Both authors are popular for good reason; they’re masterful storytellers, weaving cultural commentary, artistic references, and serious research seamlessly through a narrative while making important points about capitalism, culture, and the future of humanity.
What I do outside of work . . .
I spend much of my spare time volunteering in the SFF community; I work with Brockton Writers Series and formerly ephemera reading series, and for five years I was co-editor of the fantasy fiction podcast/magazine PodCastle. I also enjoy reading (obviously!), running, yoga, piano, playing video games, and watching television of questionable quality.
jenalbert@ecwpress.com
