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Science Fiction Websites
and Other Resources

We add links as we find more interesting and fun SF sites and useful resources - please contact us if you'd like to suggest a site of interest to SF scholars, writers, and serious fans. Provide the URL and a short description of the site, like those listed here. I do not use graphics or banners for sites.

This is an imcomplete list, and links are ever-changing, so we're constantly updating. Check back for new and updated resources for writers, educators, fans, scholars of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative-fiction genres!

Quick List

SF Writer Resources
Educational SF Programs
SF Teacher and Scholar Resources
Science Fiction Awards
Science Fiction Magazines
Science Fiction Review Magazines and Websites
Important Anthologies and Scholarly Works
Fandom and More
Great Author Blogs
SF Artists
SF Conferences and Conventions
Other SF Links
Kansas SF Authors' Websites
Suggest-A-Link

SF Writer Resources

Writers seeking to improve their craft in the genres used to have only a few choices, as many university programs did not appreciate speculative fiction - or, in some cases, even consider it a valid form of literature. In response, authors created professional workshops to help writers develop (see the SF educational program list, farther below). Thankfully, spec-fic's days of living in the ghetto are past, but the intensive, non-degree workshops are still a healthy concern. Here are a few great resources, plus some links to markets for your work; some of the best professional workshops are listed below, along with other educational programs.

Critiquing other people's work and getting yours critiqued in a workshop is valuable and allows you to see how well the various elements of your story work, and it shows you what kinds of things work well in others' stories, as well. But critiquing requires a special touch; check out James Gunn's essay on "How to Be a Good Critiquer and Still Remain Friends." I recommend it highly.

Whether or not you can make it to a formal writing workshop, we recommend that you read some books on the craft of writing. Here is a list of some great SF-writing books.

Looking for ideas or science & tech references? Here are some great sources:

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Educational SF Programs

Although a number of universities offer courses and minors in SF (sometimes called "utopian studies" or other non-SFnal terms to appease mainstream academic sensibilities), there are only a couple of full degree programs in SF:

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SF Teacher and Scholar Resources

Science fiction scholarship and teaching go hand-in-hand. In that spirit, this section (and this page in general) includes a wide assortment of links to websites that will help you find the information you need in order to confidently teach the subject.

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Science Fiction Awards

Fan, professional, and scholarly organizations the world around give many awards for speculative fiction each year. Here are a few of the top awards in the field.

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Science Fiction Magazines

In addition to print, much speculative fiction is published on the Web - perhaps the majority. The number of original anthologies is also growing quickly; these are published by most large and small presses, with some small presses dedicated only to unique anthologies. Here's an abbreviated list of professional SF magazines with an online presence, plus links to sources with even more.

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Science Fiction Review Magazines and Websites

Speculative fiction has been a field for serious study since the 1950s - earlier for some, still not recognized by others. Here are a few that live online; others, such as Extrapolation, still only exist in print.

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Important Anthologies and Scholarly Works

By no means is this an exhaustive list of science fiction anthologies or scholarly books. However, it provides a good slice of what's available. The books listed below should be on any serious SF scholar's shelves.

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Fandom and More

Speculative-fiction fans have, since the early days (see First Fandom), gotten together to share thoughts and opinions about what's going on in the genre - often quite passionately. Naturally, the internet has facilitated this conversation in powerful ways. Here is just a sampling of popular fan-related sites.

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Great SF Blogs

Most speculative-fiction authors blog at least occasionally, so there's no way to list them all here. However, the blogs listed below are destinations for thousands - or, in some cases, tens of thousands - of regular readers, full of interesting content by fine authors who serve their readers every single day.

And here are some of the most-well-known SF blogs, very much worth following:

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SF Artists

Here is a small sampling of some of the most popular spec-fic artists; click the links to see some gorgeous galleries.

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SF Conferences and Conventions

Right now, somewhere in the world, SF professionals, scholars, and fans are gathering for a "con," an event celebrating the genre. Many are small or informal (regional conventions, local cons, media cons, "filk" cons, "relaxicons," and more), but major events take place somewhere every month. Many invite well-known writer, editor, artist, and fan guests of honor, plus entertaining toastmasters or emcees. Programming usually includes panels, presentations, and readings, plus art exhibits, booksellers, and much more. Larger, fan-oriented conventions usually include "filking" (fan music), gaming, author and actor signings, film screenings, a wide diversity of room parties, costuming and masquerades, dances, and much more. To truly understand the appeal of a con, you have to attend one. Here is a small selection of literary-focused cons; more to come! Click the links to visit the events' websites.

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Other SF Links

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Area SF Authors' Websites

If you're looking for an author local to the area but they don't show up on the list, please let us know and we'll add them!

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If you would like to suggest a link to add to this page, please contact Chris McKitterick ( cmckit.SF@gmail.com ).

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We believe strongly in the free sharing of information, so you'll find a lot of content - including course syllabi and many materials from our classes - on this and related sites and social networks as educational outreach. Feel free to use this content for independent study, or to adapt it for your own educational and nonprofit purposes; just please credit us and link back to this website. We'd also love to hear from you if you used our materials!

This site is associated with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), the Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA), and other organizations, and its contents are copyright 1992-present Christopher McKitterick except where noted, and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License: Feel free to use and adapt for non-profit purposes, with attribution. For publication or profit purposes, please contact McKitterick or other creators as noted.

Creative Commons License
Works on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Updated 8/4/2023