Craig Laurance Gidney's Blog, page 35
March 30, 2016
EVENT: Sci-Fi Alien(ation): Diversity and Bigotry in Sci-Fi/Fantasy–April 8, 2016
I will be in a panelist for this event in NYC, on April 8. Dr. Philip Kadish will be moderating, and fellow panelists include Jennifer Marie Brissett (author of Elysium), and Dr. Andre Carrington (author of Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction). It will be held at the CUNY Graduate Center at 6pm.
A panel discussion with science fiction scholar Dr. André Carrington (Drexel Univ.) and science fiction/ fantasy authors Jennifer Marie Brissett and Craig Laurance Gidney, moderated by Dr. Philip Kadish (Hunter College) to celebrate diversity and dissect racism, homophobia, and sexism in the world of sci-fi publishing and fandom. Special attention will be paid to the highly-publicized hate campaign at the 2015 Hugo Awards. A group calling itself the “Sad Puppies” gamed the voting system to assure that most award nominees were white, male, and straight, voicing public statements about gay, black, and women’s themes and authors ruining the genre. This episode mirrors “gamer-gate,” where rape and death threats were made against women in the video game industry who have complained about sexism.
More information and free tickets are here.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Andre Carringon, Events, homophobia, Hugos, Jennifer Marie Brissett, race, science fiction, World Fantasy Award
March 15, 2016
Pop Music & Magic in “Signal to Noise” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A charming slice-of-life magical realist book set in Mexico City in the late 80s and in 2009.
Late 80s Mercedes Vega (Meche) is a prickly, sarcastic 15-year old who has developed twin interests in pop music nerdery and spellcasting. She manages to combine the two, and becomes a sorceress who uses vinyl records as a focusing agent for her spells. She press gangs her two friends–bookish Sebastian and girly-girl Daniela–to form a makeshift coven. Mayhem, of the normal teenaged variety, ensues. Flash foward 20-odd years finds Meche, who’s moved to Oslo, is still prickly and sarcastic, still smarting from the fallout of her experiments in sorcery.
Signal to Noise is a gentle, character-driven novel, less about magic and more about the carefully crafted people Moreno-Garcia makes.
Fans of Jonathan Carroll and Mary Rickert would enjoy this book.
Filed under: Book Reviews, silvia moreno-garcia, urban fantasy
January 8, 2016
January 1, 2016
2015 Roundup — Of Nectar and Awards
2015 was very productive year
Ups include:
–SKIN DEEP MAGIC was on a couple of college syllabi, and I got to do two author visits with college students, and it was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.
–BEREFT, my YA novel about bullying, racism and homophobia, won a Bronze Moonbeam and a Silver IPPY Award
–I got to assist with editors choosing the fiction in QUEERS DESTROY HORROR.
–I got to go to WORLD HORROR in Atlanta, which led to several professional friendships.
–My novelette THE NECTAR OF NIGHTMARES was published and illustrated got good reviews
–My first collection, SEA, SWALLOW ME & OTHER STORIES was turned into an audiobook.
All are bucket list accomplishments.
Downs include:
The death of Tanith Lee. We used to exchange emails and she was very supportive of all of my work. I only met her once. We had planned a visit before her illness. I dedicated THE NECTAR OF NIGHTMARES to her.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Ippy Award, Lamba Literary Award, nectar of nightmares, queers destroy horror!, sea swallow me & other stories, skin deep magic, Tanith Lee, world horror convention
November 24, 2015
“The Nectar of Nightmares” in Weird Fiction Reviews End of Year booklist
Weird Fiction Review did its annual End of Year Booklist, and one of the reviewers, Christoper Burke, said some lovely things about NoN. Tis an honor to have my work listed alongside Kelly Link, Angela Carter, Thomas Ligotti and Sofia Samatar.
The management reminds you that The Nectar of Nightmares is a limited edition illustrated chapbook. Over half of them have been sold. Copies are still available.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: weird fiction review
November 11, 2015
Author Visit! I’ll be reading and speaking at the University of Mary Washington November 19th
Thanks to Warren Rochelle for inviting me!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Events, readings, university of mary washington
November 2, 2015
Book Birthday: Welcome THE NECTAR OF NIGHTMARES to the world
What’s it about: A short story about a different type of monster. A kaleidoscopic story, full of dream logic.
It’s also illustrated with Orion Zangara’s beautiful and eerie drawings, and beautiful designed by Dim Shores publisher Sam Cowan.
It’s a limited edition–only 150 copies will be produced.
Where you can get it: Dim Shores Press Webstore
The box of books and prints!
The Nectar of Nightmares is dedicated to the late Tanith Lee.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: book birthday, dim shores press, Fiction, orion zangara, sam cowan
October 24, 2015
Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast episode 173: Queers Destroy Horror Panel Discussion.
I’m on this week’s Wired’s Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast(link), along with Shirley Jackson, World Fantasy and Nebula Award finalist author Alyssa Wong and author/editor Wendy N. Wagner, discussing the special Queers Destroy Horror of Nightmare Magazine. Thanks to the host, David Barr Kirtley and producer John Joseph Adams for the opportunity!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: geek's guide to the galaxy, queers destroy horror!
October 11, 2015
Short Fiction Sunday: “The Litigation Master & the Monkey King” by Ken Liu
I started a new Sunday morning ritual of reading and/or listening to podcasted short fiction.
Last week, I listened to When Your Child Strays from God by Sam J Miller on Clarkesworld. A slipstream story about family drama and homophobia and motherhood. The fantastic elements of the story were closer in spirit to Kelly Link’s work and amplify the psychological journey of the first person narrative. Clever, funny, dark.
This week was The Litigation Master & the Monkey King by Ken Liu on Lightspeed. This historical tale, threaded through with Chinese folklore, starts out light and whimsical, then gets progressively dark. A nimble bit of mood whiplash.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: clarkesworld, ken liu, lightspeed magazine, sam j miller, short fiction sunday
October 7, 2015
Listen to me speak about writing on The Outer Dark podcast! And “The Nectar of Nightmares” is up for preorder!
Scott Nicolay interviewed me for The Outer Dark, a podcast about weird, dark and horror fiction. Thanks to Scott for having me on–the conversation was wide ranging and touched on the Negritude movement, surrealism and Rihanna!
Craig Laurance Gidney: Writing the Beautiful Mess
Also, The Nectar of Nightmares is up for preorder!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: dim shores press, horror fiction, Interviews, podcast, scott nicolay, the outer dark, weird fiction
