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Much as we would like to freeze our crew in cryo to preserve things as they are indefinitely, we have been advised that this would negatively impact ship operations. As a consequence, sometimes we have to bid one of our officers a fond farewell as they depart for new adventures.

Assistant editor Kevin Wabaunsee is disembarking after many years of hard work, and we are so grateful to have had him here. We’ll miss his calm presence and keen story insights, as well as his deft management of our vitally important lower decks crew.

Stepping into his position is Christine Amsden, one of the aforementioned crew who has helped ensure that our steady influx of stories doesn’t back up and cause a reactor meltdown. We are excited to have her join us at the helm.

Kevin had these parting words to share:

“I’ve been a part of the Escape Pod family for the better part of a decade, and I can’t imagine where I would be without it. I honed my editorial sensibilities reading Escape Pod slush, and being an editor here taught me so much about the craft of writing—and being a writer. My first science fiction sale was to Escape Pod, way back in 2017, and then I spent years reading submissions as an associate editor, and a few more as assistant editor. While I was on the masthead, we even nabbed a few Hugo nominations!

“As with so many partings, saying farewell to Escape Pod is bittersweet. I believe that Escape Pod is a publication the world truly needs: science fiction focused on positive, uplifting, optimistic visions of the future. I’m proud to have been a part of it. Nonetheless, time is an unforgiving adversary, and there’s simply too little of it to allow me to devote the effort and attention demanded by such a magical publication.

“So, it’s with both a heavy heart and a sense of profound optimism that I pass my assistant editor mantle on to Christine Amsden. I helped bring Christine on as an associate editor, and since then, I have consistently been impressed with her astute feedback and keen insights into submissions. I can’t wait to see what Phoebe and Christine have in store for Escape Pod: I’m sure it will be amazing.”

And Christine would like to add:

“I am thrilled and honored to be taking on the role of Assistant Editor at Escape Pod. First, a special thank you has to go out to Kevin Wabaunsee, who trained me as a slush reader three years ago and who has now placed a great deal of faith in me to carry on in his stead. I’ll miss you, and I’ll try to make you proud!

“For most of my career, I’ve been a novelist (you can find my work on Amazon). Short stories played only a small role in my world, but  only because I struggled to read them with extremely low vision. For those of you who remember the early 2000s, most magazines were in print, and online publications didn’t have a lot of clout. I did, a very long time ago, place a few short stories in now-defunct publications. With the help of magnification and a lot of effort, I managed to read my own story—but honestly, reading everyone else’s was too big a chore.

“It’s easier to be a legally blind author in 2026. In fact, Escape Pod was the very first audio market I stumbled upon (thanks to Benjamin C. Kinney, another former assistant editor). How delightful to discover short stories in my podcast feed every Friday! Better yet, these stories tended to be hopeful, even optimistic about the future.

“I started taking the craft of short story writing as seriously as the craft of novel writing, it was only natural that I jumped at the chance to slush read for Escape Pod. It’s only natural, now, that I jumped at the chance to become an assistant editor. I can’t wait to be part of honoring the vision of Escape Pod—and to help you find your next favorite science fiction story!”

And with that, back to work! These stars won’t explore themselves.