Welcome, Sunday Morning Transport Fans!

This month, as EIC Julian Yap goes on paternity leave (Congratulations Julian and Family!), he’s left the Transport in my hands.

This means a few things are changing (muahahahaha). The Sunday Morning Transport just completed its sixth month of bringing readers a new piece of extraordinary short fiction every Sunday morning — which is something to celebrate. When I look back at the range of stories, the themes and ideas being explored here, I always feel amazed and renewed. It’s impossible to pick just one favorite (or just ten, or twenty). I hope you feel the same. And we have so many more great stories on their way.

Second, it’s my birthday this month, and since the Transport is celebrating a milestone, and so am I, and also since I’m (temporarily) driving this conveyance, I’ve decided to hand out some presents. So! Here we go:

1.  All four stories for July will be free to read for all levels of readers, supporters and free — tell your friends, spread the word!  

2. We’re discounting membership fees — if you’d like to help us bring new fiction into the world, we’d love to have you join us. (Paying subscribers will get to take part in the “best of Sunday Morning Transport” poll at years’ end.) To get us started, here’s a link to July’s 20% off subscription sale (and there’s a fancy button down below too).

3. A new irregulars chat is right around the corner, and subscribers get to join in.

4. We’re taking next week, the July 1 week, off — so your first story this month will be on July 10!

Lastly, while Julian’s away, I’m going to take this opportunity to tell you how great it is to watch him nerd out about each and every story that comes in, and relish the conversations happening in the comments and online — thank you to everyone sparking those conversations, from the authors, to superfans like Kathleen Jennings and Tricia Miller, (who, if you haven’t seen their threads on our stories, they’re worth a look) to Locus Magazine and many others who have been reviewing our stories and spreading the word far and wide about the transport.

With that said, we’ve got four great (FREE, did I mention?) stories for you for the month of July.

First up, on July 10, Sarah Gailey’s “The Daily Commute” merges magic and public transport with a wonderful, wrenching effect. Then, on July 17, Ian Tregellis’ “The Owl and The Reptiloid” takes a takes a bleak look at first contact and what comes after. It's a dark tale of suicide and madness, but I found that I couldn't look away. On July 24, E. Lily Yu’s “Serenissima” is soaring and gorgeous and concerns the politics of seagulls. And last but not least, on July 31, John Wiswell’s “Demonic Invasion or Placebo Effect?” shares a unique perspective on an experiment of sorts, gone very, very wrong.

We hope you’ll join us in the conversation about short fiction, storytelling, and more this month — hey, come on over and make me look good for my boss!

We look forward to having you along for the ride on this month’s journey. As always, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at morningtransportnewsletter@gmail.com.

Fran Wilde, Managing Editor

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