NextRead’s Short Story Month
Gav over at NextRead is dedicating May to short stories in his Short Story Month project. He’ll be reviewing short story collections, new and old, and he’ll be opening the discussion to your favorite short stories, among other issues related to the narrative form.If you’re interested in this sort of thing (as I am), you should check out the intro post here. Additionally, you should let Gav know here who your favorite short story writers are, along with your favorite short stories. Hopefully this project will grab some attention. Short stories need the love!
Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series to Become Movie Trilogy
The news is spreading fast, but it seems like Ron Howard is working on creating a trilogy of movies based on Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. The series is to be produced through Imagine Entertainment by Brian Grazer, with Akiva Goldsman as the script writer. This trio might make a little more sense if you throw out the titles A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code. For Stephen King fans, this is good news indeed. Ron Howard is an accomplished director with a lot of amazing credits to his name. The fact that he is slated to direct this project might mean that King’s work will get fine treatment. Only time will tell. I, however, have never read the books, but have been told numerous times that they are quite good. This might give me the push I need to set some time aside and read them. If you’ve read the books before, let me know what your thoughts in the comments!You find out more about this news here and here.
Haul of Books 2010: Stuff For Me v.4
Not too long ago the University of Florida had a little book sale in their used book store thing in Library East. It’s hard to pass up book sales if you’re like me. I should take a picture of my apartment one day so you all can see what it looks like. For the last few weeks there have been books all over my floor, piling up on top of shelves, and residing just about everywhere I can find a place to put them without tripping over them in the dark. So, here is part one of my grab bag journey, with a few other things tossed in because they fit into the picture (image should appear after the fold, but for some reason Blogger is being a pill about that):And, as usual, here are the descriptions, from left to right, top to bottom: 1. Genre Fusion: A New Discourse Practice by Marleen S. Barr (ARC; called Genre Fission in print) What do Amsterdam prostitutes, NASA astronauts, cross-dressing texts, and Star Trek characters have in common? Only Marleen Barr knows for sure. In Genre Fission, the award-winning author revitalizes literary and cultural theory by proposing an entirely new discourse practice of examining the points where genres and attendant meanings first converge, then reemerge as something new. Part literary analysis, part cultural studies, part feminist critique flavored with a smattering of science fiction and utopian studies, it is witty and eccentric, entertaining and enlightening. Barr expands postmodern assumptions about cultural studies by suggesting that “genre fission” is occurring among discrete literary and cultural “types” of events–mainstream novels, science fiction, historical narratives, film, paintings, and museum displays. For her literary insights, Barr turns her attention to such mainstream authors as Saul Bellow, John Updike, Marge Piercy, and John Barth as well as science fiction writers Ursula Le Guin and Octavia Butler and Hispanic American writers Julia Alvarez, Ana Castillo, and Cristina Garca, among others. Barr moves from literary to culture studies by addressing such phenomena from contemporary mass culture as the urban landscapes of New York and Los Angeles, Jackie Kennedy, the Star Trek industry, Lynn Redgrave, Amsterdam’s red light district, Lorena Bobbitt, and the Apollo astronauts–to provide only a few of the relevant examples. Thus Genre Fission attains what Barr herself designates (in describing the art of Judy Chicago and Lee Bontecou) as “utopian interweavings of difference,” crossing numerous boundaries in order to frame a larger territory for exploration. 2. PMLA, Volume 125, Number 1, January 2010 (subscribed; publication by the Modern Language Association) There’s actually a lot of stuff in this issue, with sections dedicated to Textual Materialism, Museum Studies, Visual/Literary Cultures, and other things. There are some great resources in this for English majors (mostly relevant to those at my level, though). 3. The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness by Reinhold Niebuhr All I know is that it is about Democracy, but since it has no description on the back and nothing online, that is only a guess. It looked interesting, though. 4. The Apartheid Regime: Political Power and Racial Domination edited by Robert M. Price and Carl G. Rosberg Should be self-explanatory. I can’t find a description for this one either, unfortunately. I’ve been very interested in Apartheid in the past, primarily because one of my focuses is “the Other” and it’s representation in science fiction. This is an old book, but it should be useful anyway. 5. The Myth Makers: European and Latin American Writers by V. S. Prichett Essays on the personalities and works–and how they reflect each other–of Boris Pasternak, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Goncharov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alexander Pushkin, August Strindberg, Franz Kafka, Jean Genet, Emile Zola, George Sand, Gustave Flaubert, Stendhal, Eca de Queiroz, Benito Perez Galdos, Machado de Assis, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Jorge Luis Borges. 6. The Literary Use of the Psychoanalytic Process by Meredith Anne Skura (I’m on a Freud/Lacan kick lately) No description again, unfortunately. But, I don’t think the title is unclear on what this book is about. It might be of use to me while I continue working on my thesis, in which Freud and Lacan are making an appearance. The funny part about that is that only a few years ago I was not at all interested in these two and had planned on avoiding them like the plague. Look at me now… 7. Historicism (the New Critical Idiom series) by Paul Hamilton Historicism is the essential introduction to the field, providing its readers with the necessary knowledge, background and vocabulary to apply it in their own studies. Paul Hamilton’s compact and comprehensive guide:–Explains the theory and basics of historicism–Presents a history of the term and its uses–Introduces the reader to the key thinkers in the field, from ancient Greece to modern times–Considers historicism in contemporary debates and its relevance to other modes of criticism, such as feminism and post-colonialism–Contains an extensive bibliography of further reading Well, there you go. Anything sound of interest to you? Have you bought anything recently? Let me know in the comments!
Asimov’s Science Fiction: Now Taking Electronic Submissions!
For those of you who write science fiction and have grown as tired as I have of spending money on postage to send stories to the big three, this will come as great news. Asimov’s Science Fiction has officially adopted the electronic submission system used by Clarkesworld and several other magazines! That means you can now send them electronic subs! Greatest thing ever? Yes. Is this the sign of pending doom in 2012? Absolutely. Reactions elsewhere: Clarkesworld and Scalzi at Whatever.
Video Found: The Anachronism (Steampunk Short Movie)
I love independent film, especially on the Internet. While Hollywood spends its time doing remakes and crappy special-effects monstrosities like Avatar, other folks with very little in terms of cash go out and make amazing short films like The Anachronism. The basic story of the video below is: two kids discover a strange squid-shaped contraption while exploring the wilderness in the 19th century (it’s filmed in Canada, but I don’t know if it’s set there). You might recognize the young boy as the same fellow who played the 5-year-old version of the main character in Jumper. My only complaint about this movie is that it is a little too short. It should be a feature-length film. See it for yourself and you’ll understand why. Great direction, pretty good acting, beautiful cinematography, and decent effects. Whoever made the movie should be handed a larger budget and given the opportunity to do something bigger and even more amazing. I’ll shut up now. The video appears below the fold: The Anachronism (Full Film) from Anachronism Pictures on Vimeo.
Haul of Books 2010: Stuff For Me v.3
Another edition of the Haul of Books has arrived, featuring stuff I bought or received for myself! This particular edition is magazine-heavy, since I bought a whole bunch of magazines and what not some time back and have since received a few special copies of magazines in the last month or so. A lot of the stuff below might be unfamiliar to a lot of you, and that’s really unfortunate. GUD and Tales of the Unanticipated really are top notch venues that haven’t received nearly as much attention as they should. That’s enough from me. Here’s the image, followed by the descriptions:The descriptions are, from left to right, top to bottom (taken from Amazon or publisher websites): 1. Tales of the Unanticipated, Number 30 signed by Jason Sanford (won) Includes fiction by Eleanor Arnason, Stephen Dedman, Martha A. Hood, Patricia S. Bowne, Patricia Russo, William Mingin, Jason Sanford, Catherine Lundoff, Patricia Russo, Cornelius Fortune, Douglas J. Lane, T. J. Berg, Barbara Rosen, Terry Faust, Kurt Kirchmeier, Matthew S. Rotundo, and Sarah Totton; poetry by F. J. Bergmann, Ann K. Schwader, Ruth Berman, P M F Johnson, Ann Peters and Ellen Kuhfeld, Alexis Vergalla, G. O. Clark, KC Wilder, Zoë Gabriel, and Sandra Kasturi. Featuring the Art of Jules Hart. 2. Tales of the Unanticipated, Number 21: Ghosts and Machines Issue Our “Ghosts and Machines” issue, including fiction by Eleanor Arnason, Stephen Dedman, Martha A. Hood, Judy Klass, R. Neube, Fred Schepartz, Sandra Rector & P.M.F. Johnson, Manfred Gabriel, Naomi Kritzer, Kelly David McCullough, Robert H. Beer, Douglas M. Stokes, Steven E. Burt, and William Laughlin; and poetry by John Calvin Rezmerski and Ruth Berman. 3. Crossed Genres, Issue 12: The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Issue – 10 diverse stories of queer characters– “Heinlein’s Friday: A Trans Novel?” by Cheryl Morgan– “Why Gay Sci Fi and Fantasy Is Important” by Lee Wind– Interview with author & outlaw Kate Bornstein– Astounding cover art by Julie Dillon– 7 pieces of creative art & comics by Megan Rose Gedris, David Willis, Michelle Gruben and Katoo Deziel 4. Tales of the Unanticipated, Number 18: Myths, Folk Tales, and Legends Issue Spring 1998. “Myths, Folk Tales, and Legends” issue, including Ursula K. Leguin interviewd; fiction by Neil Gaiman, Stephen Dedman, Martha A. Hood, Patricia Russo, Mark W. Tiedemann, Judy Klass, Gerard Daniel Houarner, and Amy Benesch; and poetry by John Calvin Rezmerski. 5. Greatest Common Denominator, Issue 4 (Spring 2009) (subscription) Issue 4 begins with the end of the world and moves on from there. From the unromantically magical take on Ragnarøk in the lead story “Unbound” to the curious history of squid in “A Man of Kiri Maru”, this issue is steeped in mythos, making use of the old familiar tales and some new ones, mixing cosmologies from around the world–and from other worlds as well. But the focus, be it of prose, poetry, or art, is always on the human–on the clashes between imagination and reality, on choices and redemption, on what the Other can tell us about ourselves. And like any GUD magazine, this one’s eclectic; browse around between the covers and you’re sure to come upon some things you’ll like, whether you’re a genre junkie or a generalist. We hope you’ll find some beauty, something uncommon, and that, for just a moment, the angle of the light will seem a little bit different. 6. Greatest Common Denominator, Issue 5 (Winter 2009) (subscription) Issue 5 wraps a scientific core with our most eclectic selection to date—including two mini graphic novels and a script that will have you bubbling over with mirth. We open with Rose Lemberg’s “Imperfect Verse”, a tale of poetry, deception, and warring gods; then span the years to Andrew N. Tisbert’s “Getting Yourself On”, which sees mankind taken to the stars but suffering new forms of wage-slavery. There’s science fiction that stretches to the fantastic, science that once stretched the fantastic and has now become brilliantly pervasive, and dollops of science in otherwise mundane lives (see “The Prettiest Crayon in the Box”). Of course, we’ve got fantasy, psychological horror, humor, and drama; poetry serious, sublime, and satirical; and art that stretches from the real, to the surreal, to the violently semi-abstract. 7. Electric Velocipede, Issue 15 & 16 (Winter 2008) Issue #15/16, our first double issue, 164 pages and almost 100,000 words of content! Featuring an amazing color wraparound cover from T. Davidsohn. There’s also fiction from people like Patrick O’Leary, Patricia Russo, William Shunn, Rachel Swirsky, and more. Lucius Shepard takes our Blindfold Taste Test this issue. The issue debuted at the 2008 World Fantasy Convention in Calgary, Oct 30 – Nov 2, 2008. 8. The Sense of Falling by Ezra Pines This is our first chapbook. Readers of the zine should already be familiar with Ezra Pines, particularly his Mr. Brain stories. Ezra is a curmudgeonly sort, and it shows in his writing. He also has an amazing imagination that can literally stun a reader. The chapbook features 10 previously published stories and two brand-new stories: “Antevellum,” a response to Hal Duncan’s excellent novel, Vellum, and “Of Light and Snow.” 9. Life’s Simple Pleasures by John Klima I don’t have a description for it, but the story inside can be found at Diet Soap. 10. Psychological Methods To Sell Should Be Destroyed Stoires by Robert Freeman Wexler “Psychological Methods To Sell Should Be Destroyed: Stories” by Robert Freeman Wexler. This is our third chapbook. Six stories in all, with a new novellette: “Sidewalk Factory: A Municipal Love Story.” Cover art by Tim Robinson. Introduction from Zoran Živković. 11. Gents by Warwick Collins (won) Ezekiel Murphy takes up a job as an attendant in a London lavatory. The other two attendants explain that they are under pressure from the council to reduce the amount of casual sex that goes on in the cubicles, but in doing so, they risk putting themselves out of a job as turnstile takings fall. 12. Subtropics, Number 2, Spring/Summer 2006 Fiction