Fortean Bureau

Fortean Bureau was an online magazine published from Laramie, Wyoming, in the United States. It operated from 2002 to 2006 and was edited by Jeremy Tolbert and Sarah Tolbert. The publication occupied a niche at the intersection of Forteana, speculative fiction, and literary weird fiction, presenting stories and related writing by authors working across science fiction, fantasy, horror, and experimental literature. The magazine began a monthly publishing schedule in July 2002. That schedule continued through December 2004, after which Fortean Bureau shifted to quarterly publication during 2005. Its final issue appeared in April 2006, bringing the total run to 33 issues. The change in frequency and the eventual conclusion of the publication mark the main documented stages of its short publishing history. Rather than functioning as a general-interest news outlet, Fortean Bureau focused on fiction shaped by unusual phenomena, speculative ideas, strange histories, and the broader cultural territory associated with Charles Fort and Fortean inquiry. Its literary orientation distinguished it from publications centered primarily on paranormal reporting or factual investigation. The magazine provided a venue for established and emerging writers whose work explored the uncanny, improbable, and intellectually speculative. Contributors identified in reference material include Jay Lake, Bruce Boston, Cory Doctorow, Lavie Tidhar, Tobias S. Buckell, and Nick Mamatas. Mamatas also wrote a personal column for several of the final issues. These contributors indicate the publication's connection to the wider speculative-fiction community and its interest in presenting varied forms of weird and genre-adjacent writing. Fortean Bureau is no longer publishing. Its significance rests on its documented 33-issue run, its role as an online venue for speculative and literary weird fiction during the early 2000s, and the range of writers associated with it. No current corporate owner, successor publication, public company status, or active official website is documented in the supplied reference material.

Fortean Bureau was an online magazine based in Laramie, Wyoming, and active between 2002 and 2006. It was edited by Jeremy Tolbert and Sarah Tolbert and developed as a specialist publication for speculative Fortean fiction and literary weird fiction. Its subject matter and literary approach placed it within the broader speculative-fiction field, while its Fortean emphasis connected it with writing about unusual, uncanny, and improbable ideas. The publication started in July 2002 and initially appeared monthly. This schedule continued through December 2004. In 2005, Fortean Bureau moved to quarterly publication, representing a reduction in frequency during the latter part of its run. The magazine's final issue was released in April 2006. In total, it published 33 issues. Fortean Bureau's contributor list included Jay Lake, Bruce Boston, Cory Doctorow, Lavie Tidhar, Tobias S. Buckell, and Nick Mamatas. The range of contributors reflects the magazine's links to contemporary science fiction and related literary communities. Nick Mamatas additionally supplied a personal column in several of the final issues, broadening the publication beyond fiction alone. The available record does not identify a separate corporate parent, commercial owner, successor, or continuing publication under the Fortean Bureau name. The magazine is therefore treated as a defunct online publishing brand. Its principal documented legacy is its early-2000s archive and its contribution to online venues for Fortean-inspired and weird fiction.

1. 2006Final issue

   The 33rd and final issue is published in April 2006.

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2. 2005Publication becomes quarterly

   Fortean Bureau adopts a quarterly release schedule during 2005.

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3. 2004Monthly schedule ends

   The magazine's monthly publishing period concludes with the December 2004 issue.

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4. 2002Publication begins

   Fortean Bureau begins publishing online from Laramie, Wyoming, with a monthly schedule.

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A specialist online literary magazine focused on speculative Fortean fiction and weird fiction.

• Fortean Bureau online magazineOnline magazine2002

  The publication's core offering was a serialized online magazine devoted to speculative Fortean fiction and literary weird fiction. It published 33 issues between July 2002 and April 2006, appearing monthly at first, then quarterly during 2005. The magazine featured work by writers including Jay Lake, Bruce Boston, Cory Doctorow, Lavie Tidhar, Tobias S. Buckell, and Nick Mamatas.

• 2005Shift from monthly to quarterly publicationStrategy

  Fortean Bureau had published monthly from July 2002 through December 2004.

  What changed. The magazine changed to a quarterly publishing schedule during 2005.

  Aftermath. The publication continued through its final issue in April 2006, reaching a total of 33 issues.

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• 2006Final Fortean Bureau issue is published

  The publication ended with its 33rd and final issue in April 2006.

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• 2005Fortean Bureau changes to a quarterly schedule

  After publishing monthly through December 2004, the magazine adopted a quarterly schedule during 2005.

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• 2002Fortean Bureau begins online publication

  The magazine began publishing in July 2002 from Laramie, Wyoming, with a monthly schedule and a focus on speculative Fortean and literary weird fiction.

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1. Fortean Bureau