I'm sad to say that after our next issue Inner Worlds will be on indefinite hiatus 😔

When I started the zine I made myself a promise that if it harmed my health in any way, I would stop. That hasn't happened yet, but a change in my work situation is pointing that way and I'm not going to take the chance. But I want to be really clear; the reasons are structural as well as personal.

I work in the UK non profit sector, which is shrinking dramatically through layoffs, closures, mergers, and cutbacks induced largely by the cost of living crisis, perpetual austerity measures, and funders refusing to cover organisation's core costs. When I started Inner Worlds I was a freelancer, struggling financially but I had a lot of free time and flexibility. Eventually all my work dried up, something in which AI played an active role. Getting a job brought some security, but even so: salaries are low, contracts are short, roles are precarious, the work is demanding.

After a couple of years I've now managed to find two part time jobs that together allow me to pay my bills. I am extremely lucky that they are both interesting roles at great organisations with lovely colleagues! But what I will lose is time, and freedom. I've had to give up a lot of voluntary activities already because I couldn't manage them alongside just one job without pushing my stress levels into the 'danger' zone, and now I have to give up Inner Worlds too for the same reason.

I know this is disappointing news, especially as so many other speculative fiction publications are closing. But remember that countless new ideas are forming, and new projects are starting every day. Perhaps you already have an idea for something you would like to make happen.

I don't regret a single second of the work I have put into Inner Worlds, and I am incredibly proud of the ten issues we will have created together and put into the world. I don't think it is less meaningful, less beautiful, or less important because it won't go on forever. I knew it would end, and I promised myself I would give it a good ending, one where we all have a chance to feel our sadness and our anger and celebrate what we did and say thank you for what we had and then let it go, and embrace the possibilities that grow in the space it leaves behind.

Technically the magazine is 'on hiatus', because there is always a chance that something will change and I'll find myself with more time on my hands again. I think it's unlikely. But I can't bring myself to close the door and throw away the key.

So, what now?

When submissions open for our tenth issue in January I would like to read stories about endings, please. Loss, change, grief, hope, growth. (You always send me a lot of these anyway so I know you've got them!)

When the last issue has launched I will cancel all subscriptions, and remove the subscription options from the website. I'll leave the one-off donation option open though, in case anyone would like to make a contribution to website hosting. The website will stay live with all the stories available to read for free until 2030.

You might have seen already that I'm collecting reflections on Inner Worlds, speculative fiction, and mental health to inform a paper I'd like to write, hopefully for the Figments conference in Glasgow next year. After making the decision not to continue the zine after February I feel even more motivated to write the paper! I want people to know about what we did here. What we built. Why it mattered.

If you would like to take part or just share a message about what Inner Worlds has meant to you please fill out this short survey: https://www.cognitoforms.com/InnerWorlds1/InnerWorldsMadnessHealthAndCreativitySurvey (I'll keep it open until after the last issue is out, but some earlier responses would be super helpful.)

Thank you so much for your support over the last two and a half years, and nine amazing issues! It has been a pleasure and a privilege to do this thing with you. Keep writing, keep reading, keep supporting spaces for many voices, keep reaching for each other. You've got this. I love you.

Sarah Jackson

December 2025

(I hadn't planned to announce this so close to the solstice, but it feels right actually 🥲)