March 2012

SF/F Commentary

“I Write Genre Fiction” — Damn You, Dirty Phrase!

/

Sam Sykes has a great post about how fantasy fans internalize the belief that the genre defaults to crap.  I implore you to read it.  It’s good.  Really. And it’s because of Sam that I’m writing about the phrase in the title above.  Only, I’m coming at it from a different angle.  I’m not talking about the belief that good fantasy novels are exceptions, not the general rule (in part because I have no idea what “good” means in this context).  What I’m talking about is the feeling I get when people ask me what I write. By “people” I typically mean “MFAs at my university.”  Somehow the fact that I am a writer on the path towards publication has spread through rumor in my university.  I’ve probably mentioned my writer status somewhere before, and so people I’m friends with on Facebook simply know.  Regardless of why these folks know I am a genre writer, in conversation with them, the question that often springs up is “what do you write?”.  From there, I tend to get sheepish about the whole genre thing.  If I bring it up — “I write genre fiction” — it is either said with a hint that I’m not terribly proud of it, or some vain attempt to qualify my statement with nonsense like “I write literary and adventure SF.”  None of these presentations makes me particularly proud. And now that I’ve read Sam Sykes’ take on how readers adopt this attitude about their favorite genre, I think there needs to be a break in my own little world.  I’m done with being ashamed and afraid to say what I do.  No more. Saying “I write genre fiction” isn’t a bad thing.  And to anyone who thinks it is, well, fuck you.  I write genre fiction.  I’m proud of that fact.  I love genre fiction.  Most people love genre fiction, even if they won’t admit it to themselves.  Those people should be ashamed of saying things like “I like Star Wars, but that’s because I grew up on it; I’m not into that stuff anymore” or “well, that book isn’t really genre; it’s literary.”  Fuck that.  It is genre fiction.  It’s also literary.  So what?  It can be both.  It’s also perfectly fine to like Star Wars AND the recently-released John Carter, or Star Trek (new and old) and Game of Thrones (the books and the show). Celebrate it.  Love it. And if you write the stuff, don’t do what I’ve done for far too long:  cower at the prospect of having to justify yourself to someone who “doesn’t write that genre trash.”  You should throw off the shackles of shame and flip your figurative middle finger off at anyone who scoffs at what you love to do.  Fuck’em. This is genre.  Hear us roar. Or something like that…

SF/F Commentary

ICFA (International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts): Meet Up?

/

I will be presenting a paper on Kage Baker’s The House of the Stag at this year’s ICFA conference, which will be my first year of attendance to the SF/F-oriented conference.  A lot of big names will be at this conference, and I’m hoping to meet some of them. So, here’s the question:  Who will be there and who wants to meet up for dinner or something, where we can discuss all things genre as colleagues in the greatest field in the literary world?

SF/F Commentary

Weekly Roundup #4: The Skiffy and Fanty Show / Duke and Zink Do America

/

Here’s everything going on with me on my other sites of note: We’ve just released our double-slam Torture Cinema feature, in which Jen and I reviewed New Moon and Eclipse one after another…while drinking.  The second piece of that, Torture Cinema Meets Eclipse, can be found here.  Lots to listen to, no? I’ve had one more column over at Duke and Zink Do America entitled “LGBT Shuffle:  Kirk Cameron’s Sad Little Feelings.”  Feel free to head over and leave a comment of your own. Anywho!

SF/F Commentary

The 2011 WISB Awards!

/

They’re finally here.  Later than usual?  Yeah, but you’ll all forgive me for that.  I started reading some awesome stuff from 2011 in January and I didn’t want to post this before making a proper decision. Without further delay, here are my selections for the 2011 WISB Awards (note:  all links in this post will go to my reviews or interviews): Best Novel Lavie Tidhar messed with my head.  Really.  Osama is one of the few novels I have had the pleasure to read that left me reeling at the end.  The book still haunts me, like a twisted ghost creature in literary form, banging on my walls, slamming my doors, and breaking my expensive Chinese teacups.  Osama is one of the most beautiful works of SF/F literature I’ve had the pleasure to read since I became an SF/F fan.  It’s on my list of Masterworks, that’s for sure. Plus, I had the pleasure of interviewing him for The Skiffy and Fanty Show.  Love it. Runner-ups:  Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht (Night Shade Books)(a stunning debut that hits all the right emotional buttons), and Low Town by Daniel Polansky (Doubleday)(a noir romp with a fantasy twist that is well worth reading). Best Collection or Anthology I called this collection “one of the best works of SF this decade” in my review.  Simply put:  the collection is gorgeous (read my review to find out why; there’s also an interview here). Runner-ups:  Kafkaesque edited by John Kessel and James Patrick Kelley (Tachyon Books)(a quirky collection of stories in celebration of one of the greats) and Gateways edited by Elizabeth Anne Hull (another celebratory collection, but with a markedly nostalgic feel — Brin and Haldeman have some brilliant work in here). Best Publisher This year’s award goes to a publisher who treated me rather kindly in 2011.  Ever since Jen and I put out the call to improve our coverage of women authors last year (on The Skiffy and Fanty Show, mind), Pyr has been pushing authors our way, which might explain why so many of our interviews were with Pyr writers!  It also helps that the books we read were, overall, quite good.  You can’t go wrong with Pyr! Runner-ups:  Small Beer Press (I need to read more of their books, but the one text I got to read, After the Apocalypse, was absolutely brilliant), Tor (2012 is their year, I think), Tachyon, and Angry Robot Books (a previous winner, and still one of the most innovative publishers out there). Best Magazine I have decided to temporarily leave this category blank.  Adam Callaway and I are planning to do some kind of Awards Season Mega-Reading Fest.  I will update this section then. Best Cover I love natural detail in artwork.  I think they take extraordinary skill to master, and Kekai Kotaki definitely has the skill.  A stunning work indeed! (For interested parties, I have an interview w/ Peter Orullian here.) Runner-ups:  Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht (Claudia Nobles does a brilliant job with her oil-style rendition of a detention camp in Ireland) and Low Town by Daniel Polansky (Ben Wiseman’s design for the U.S. cover is gritty and perfectly placed). Best Writer You might not recognize that red-haired monstrosity of a human being (with a clock on his head, mind you), but you’ll recognize his name:  Adam Callaway.  He and I have been friends for a while, so it goes without saying that I’m a little biased.  But I’ve never given this award to a friend before (at the time of the award); it’s simply unavoidable this year. I’ve known Adam for a while now, have read a lot of what he’s written (though not all, because I’m a terrible writing buddy who deserves to be stabbed with metaphorical pens filled with snake venom), and have watched him rise to the throne of greatness (getting ahead of myself, I know).  The truth is this:  Adam’s writing is fantastic.  If you haven’t read anything by him, check out his bibliography page.  Trust me, you will not be disappointed (and if you are, then you are reading the wrong blog). Best Film Originally, I had chosen the last of the Harry Potter movies for this award, but then I saw Hugo and knew that no other film could top the utter mastery of Martin Scorsese.  Hugo is beautiful and charming all at once.  The sets.  The characters.  The actors.  The plot.  It’s all so perfect.  True, it’s an adaptation, but adaptations usually suck.  This one doesn’t.  It’s pure cinematic genius. Runner-ups:  Cowboys & Aliens (good old satire), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two (see above), and Super 8 (until the last 10 minutes, when Abrams becomes Abrams). Non-2011 Runner-up:  Never Let Me Go (by far the best film I happened to see last year) Best Television Show Nothing quite matches Game of Thrones in 2011.  I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for each new episode.  True, some episodes weren’t as good as others, but I also couldn’t help being hypercritical because I desperately wanted Game of Thrones to be good.  And you know what?  It was.  Damned good. You can find my reviews episode-by-episode reviews starting here. Runner-ups:  Doctor Who (not as good as the year before, but clever) Best Non-Genre Film As I mentioned too many times to count, I’m relatively poor (it’s either the cinema every week, or a far-too-short vacation; you can figure out which one gets sacrificed).  Add to this the fact that my girlfriend lives in another country, and my distinct lack of a local movie buddy, and it’s no small wonder why the selection for this category has gone to a movie that wasn’t released last year. Munich gets this award for two reasons:  first, it’s a chilling look at what violent revenge can do to a human being, and second, I remember it.  When I thought back to all the movies I borrowed from the library or saw in theaters or rented with my

SF/F Commentary

Promo Bits: The Art of Carpe Chaos (Kickstarter)

/

The folks behind this interesting SF/F comics project contacted me in hopes that I would post something about their Kickstarter campaign.  And so I shall! Here’s the blurb: The independent graphic novel series Carpe Chaos has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a concept art book. The team of writers and artists behind the project have amassed thousands of concepts when fleshing out their huge universe, and they are hoping for the chance to share that artwork with fans. The book will include at least 150 pages of imaginative alien creatures along with their environments, technology, and spaceships, many of which haven’t yet been shown to the public. Whether you’re an artist looking for inspiration or simply a concept art aficionado, this book won’t disappoint! Be sure to check out the Kickstarter video to see many of the concepts that will be included in the book. If you’re interested in supporting the project, you can do so here (there are lots of rewards for donating).  So far, they’ve collected $1,500 of their $7,500 goal, but there are still two weeks or so to go.  You can find out more about Carpe Chaos on the website. Below are some images related to the project:

SF/F Commentary

Question for Feminists: Is it wrong to directly target women for inclusion?

/

One of the things I’ve struggled with as someone who sees himself as a feminist is whether it is right to intentionally create diversity by targeting women (or another minority group).  One specific instance can be found here.  Jen and I do not get as many women authors on our show as we would like (let alone LGBT authors), which we are not comfortable with.  We’re not sure why that is, except perhaps because there are simply many times more men publishing in SF/F.  Occasionally, we put out a call for female authors (and other minority groups) to fill the gap. But every time I write up one of those posts, I wonder whether I’m crossing a line.  Is creating diversity artificially a good method?  Or does it make me complicit in the system?  And if I am committing a wrong of sorts, how do I get around it while also creating the diversity of content that I want?  Do I avoid the request system altogether and simply go directly to the authors Jen and I want to interview (a difficult process, actually, and one I’m not sure we would both enjoy, since we like the unexpectedness of our request system)? What do you think? The comments are wide open for opinions.  Have at it. ——————————————————- P.S.:  I am a feminist.  The title of the post is directed towards other feminists in part because I don’t think of myself as a particular good feminist in terms of being well read or fully understanding the experience of women in a patriarchal society.  I am a white male, after all.  I’m hoping the title will draw some folks with more experience or knowledge into the mix.

Scroll to Top