ArtisticWhispers Productions presents
Open Vistas
An anthology series exploring the vast horizons of human possibility, from the great plains to the great galaxies, from the grubby hands to the clenched fists to the grasping claws, from slashing swords to sparkling starships, from the grime and muck of the stable to the splendor and desolation of alien worlds. The human story is one of pressure and tragedy and triumph in our pursuit of Open Vistas.
We are now taking submissions for the first of four anthologies we’ll be doing in 2022 (announcements for the other three will follow shortly). No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you think, we want to hear from you. We’re looking for daring, well-told stories to delight, discomfit, provoke, and thrill the reader.
And what, you may ask, is this first anthology?
After the Peak
Economic growth. Population explosions. World trade. Scientific progress. Geopolitical stability. All of it depends on one thing that has always been true as long as anyone can remember:
Population grows.
Every generation will be larger than the one that came before.
That fact translates to greater prosperity (on average) from one generation to the next. It means greater complexity and more possibilities (political, social, economic, and religious) from one generation to the next.
Every political and economic philosophy—fascism, capitalism, communism, democratic socialism—is built around this one, basic fact.
When the Allies planned the post-War peace at Breton Woods in 1944, they built this fact into their calculations. Every geopolitical, economic, social welfare, educational, and infrastructure institution has been built around the assumption that growth will continue, more or less without limit, indefinitely.
Now things are different. Due to rising wealth, rising equality between the sexes, and easy access to birth control, global birth rates are on the decline. Global population is about to follow. Japan was the first nation to enter the post-growth world, but it’s done so in the context of a world economy that was still growing.
The world of the 2030s will be unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Every world economy will be on the decline in terms of raw GDP. Retirees will make up nearly half of the population. Succeeding generations will continue to get smaller.
What possible futures will humans chart through such waters? What technological solutions might we invent for this post-growth world, and how will they effect society? What new kinds of political economy might we invent? What will debt look like when today’s income and tax revenue won’t necessarily be smaller than tomorrow’s? Will we see the return of fertility cults? Polygamy? Religious communitatrianism? Will the Amish get into politics?
One of the social functions of Science Fiction is to explore possible futures. In this anthology, I want your ideas and visions: comedic, tragic, triumphant, and terrifying. I want stories that take the premise seriously and explore how it effects the characters and their world—and what it might mean for ours.
Show me what happens After the Peak.
To submit your story, email editor @ everydaynovelist.com (be sure to use the phrase “After the Peak” in the subject line), or use the form on this page.
For payment and other business details, see this page.