Welcome to Possibilia

A note from our editors

Feb 27, 2024

A letter from our editors

To all of our innovators, inventors, creators, explorers, scientists, artists, and all in between…

…to our friends and readers who will shape the future:

Welcome to Possibilia, where together we will explore possible futures through literature, article, and art - most importantly, through the lens of optimistic, realistic, scientific fiction.

But first, some words from our editors on the motivation behind such a publication:

Dear reader,

It is critical that our society has a concept of the future that we want to build such that we may progress toward it. Successful societies must provide their people with an understanding of their position and potential, how to navigate and understand their environments, and what the most productive goals to work toward are. Historically, this problem has been addressed using storytelling tools, particularly mythology. In modernity, we are severely lacking such direction.

One could think of science fiction as mythology for the Industrial Age. In the past, sci-fi has functioned as an effective tool for thinkers and wonderers to allegorically explore complex questions driven by the frontier of technology. In recent years, popular sci-fi has taken a dark path - fueled by fear and doom, the messages are largely words of caution. The inspiration and constructive momentum found in works by the likes of Verne, Asimov, and Bradbury have been lost, and man has been taught to distrust society and fear the machine with no glimmer of hope to be found.

This is not the inspiration and instruction we need in order to navigate the future! This is no path to human progress!

“But what if we’re right to be skeptical of our institutions?” you may ask. “What if technology really does have the potential to be our undoing?”

This may be, and if it is, then we must not misplace our agency. It was us who put these systems into place, and it’s us who can and must change them when needed. Human agency has become too lost in the current instructions for society - go to school, go to work, retire - and many of us have become resigned to the state of the world and to our own circumstances. Challenging as it may be, only through our own intentional action can we identify and execute the steps toward a more positive and fulfilling future for ourselves.

It’s true that the world is hugely complex, and there are many perspectives on how the future should look, feel, and operate. But the fact of many perspectives indicates an abundance of possible solutions! Pluralism and collaboration are essential to both collecting and assessing the pieces that go into a bright tomorrow. No single viewpoint has the full picture, but each have their own virtues which should be brought into the fold of the future.

These ideas are just some of what we hope to contribute to the creation of better memetic infrastructure, for today and tomorrow. Possibilia exists not only as a space in which to predict or dream, but to actively shape the world with every idea we explore. Our magazine aspires to be a testament to the power of human agency and the transformative potential of technology, guided by the principles of optimistic realism and scientific possibility. Together, we're not just observers of the future; we're participants, and every innovation and collective action moves us closer to a world we aspire to live in. We hope that you will join us this Friday, March 1st, in beginning to build a landscape of optimistic, realistic futures.

Sincerely,

Your Editors

Publication Schedule

Welcome to our Substack!

We are a new publication and are working toward a consistent publication schedule. Our goal is to publish two stories (along with complimentary nonfiction articles and illustration) per month.

Story posts include:

For all subscribers:

An optimistic, realistic, scientific short story
A nonfiction companion piece
Illustrations or other accompanying visual works

For paid subscribers:

Behind-the-scenes content, such as concept art
An interview by our team with one or more of the creators involved

All of these pieces are submitted by our growing network - if you’d like to submit to Possibilia, please see our guide on how to submit work here.

We may also may periodically publish what we like to call artifacts. These bits of future worlds will primarily be published as bonus content for payed subscribers, but some may occasionally be released to all subscribers or even included in our upcoming print issues!

Artifacts include:

Short-form work
Visual works
Sometimes some surprises!

These are pieces inspired and created primarily by our core team - they’re how we weave in our positive visions for the future and create the overarching narrative of Possibilia.

Right now, our online publishing schedule is at what we consider a fine starting pace. However, we’d like to see frequency increase with growth! If you know anyone who you think would make an excellent Possibilia contributor, encourage them to reach out!

We also have a Founding Supporter tier, which includes all paid content as well as guaranteed invites to any Possibilia networking events for the year! This year may be a little lighter on events being the first year, but we appreciate your support regardless, and there will be other opportunities to gain event access.

What’s Next for Possibilia

Thank you for being an early supporter! The team at Possibilia is proud to be launching our online publication, and we all look forward to continuing to build out our anthology of possibilities.

Among our goals for this year is the launch of Issue 0, our first print publication. This issue will feature some stories that we’ve published online, as well as some new stories that will be exclusive to print. Along with the launch of Issue 0, we will be throwing an in-person print launch event - location TBA - and will be inviting everyone who contributed to the Issue, as well as our founding supporters. The current plan is to launch Issue 0 on Kickstarter, and we plan to have a tier of support that includes an invitation to the launch there as well.

We have high aspirations for what the publication could become - beyond just our print edition, Possibilia should be a vehicle for community and collaboration, both within and outside of the publication process. Keep an eye out for announcements, including future events, contests, retreats, and other fun plans we have in the works.

How to support Possibilia

Possibilia Magazine is an initiative run by the Foundation for Future Aesthetics, a nonprofit devoted to curating, promoting, and supporting visions of an optimistic and realistic future expressed through science and the arts. We are a core team of 3 full-time individuals - Olli Payne, Charles Rosenbauer, and Andres Osorio - and a small team of volunteers, advisors, and friends.

Possibilia is made possible through our rapidly growing network of collaborators and contributors! We work with authors, artists, field experts, and more to make the publication possible and excellent.

We are currently accepting submissions in the form of summaries or drafts of short stories, drafts of companion pieces for which you’d like to see a story written, and artistic portfolios. Please email your submission to be considered.

We rely on donations, sponsors, and substack subscriptions to fund our efforts. We’d like to thank all of our current paid subscribers, donors, and sponsors - and welcome new supporters to help us grow!

You can donate here through the Foundation for Future Aesthetics website. If you are donating >$1k, please also reach out to us so we can express our gratitude by listing you on our donor page (coming soon!).

As mentioned, we are looking for both corporate and nonprofit sponsors for the magazine. We work with sponsors to understand their needs and determine a solution that gives them the most value from Possibilia. If your organization is interested in sponsoring Possibilia Magazine, please reach out!

If you like the stories you read on our Substack, and want to get the full experience, please subscribe! The companion pieces and artwork that go along with each story are our way of bringing them to life and connecting them to reality. To our current Substack subscribers, thank you and we hope you continue to look forward to new stories.

We’re also seeking support in the following ways:

Volunteer Editors:

We mentioned before that we’d like to see publishing frequency go up - but right now we are bottlenecked on editorial support. This volunteer position would entail reading submissions and working with writers on drafts if they pass the submissions process! If you have relevant experience and an extra 10-15 hours a week, please email us.

Fundraising leads:

Possibilia is largely possible due to our core team and network of contributors who volunteer their time, creativity, knowledge, and other vital resources to the project. We have goals of (a) expanding the full-time team and (b) compensating the contributors who produce the excellent works that you will see in the publication. These goals are lofty but reachable, and we are searching for potential donors and/or sponsors who believe in and endorse our mission to step up and help make this possible. If you can help us find those individuals, please reach out!

Feedback:

Any and all feedback is welcome. We aim to make Possibilia into something Great, and are open to thoughts on how to do so!