Craig Laurance Gidney's Blog, page 4

Baffling Magazine—Year One Anthology

If you like weird fiction, you might check out Baffling Magazine, the zine dave ring and I co-edit with Gabriella Etoniru. Baffling features queer flash that encompassed Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and yes, Weird Fiction from authors from a variety of backgrounds and identities. The first year of the magazine’s stories has been published. You can order a copy here!

Joseph S Pulver Sr Weird Fiction Award

I’m currently at NecronomiCon in Providence, still processing the news.

To my complete and utter surprise, I, along with Zin Rocklyn, won one of the two inaugaral Joseph S Pulver Weird Fiction Awards last night. I briefly interacted with the late Pulver when he edited my story “Eidolon Realty, LLC” for his anthology Walk on the Weird Side. Pulver, who passed in 2020, was a tireless champion for newer and under-appreciated authors of Weird Fiction, and it is an honor to accept this award. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in bestowing me this honor!

The statuette

The inscription

The astonished author

NecronomiCon 2022 Schedule

Friday @3:30pm Saturday @ 2 pm Saturday @ 3:30pm

Necronomicon and forthcoming story

I’ve made the decision to go to Necronomicon next month. Right now, I’m only on the Outer Dark panel.

I’ll have a new story out in Looming Low Volume II, along side other great weird fiction writers. My piece is called “Impz” and is a semi-humorous homage to a story by the late Toni Cade Bambara and the demonic children trope of the 70s.

Upcoming EVENT: 1455 SummerFest on July 14!

I will be taking part in the 1455 Literary Arts Summer Festival, on The Imagination of Resistance: Community and Solidarity in Speculative Fiction panel, along with dave ring, Izzy Wasserstein, RB Lemberg and Victor Manibo.

When: July 14, 2022, 8pm EST

Where: Register online here

MUSIC: Autumn’s Grey Solace, “Therium.” An Ethereal dreampop song suite.

Ever since 2011’s album Eifelian AGS has been composing abstract odes to long lost worlds. Eocene followed in 2018, and Therium is the latest addition to this thematic cluster. It doesn’t stray far from the formula of beautiful soprano wordless vocalizations (Erin Welton) over a shimmering tapestry of guitars, bass and drums (performed by Scott Ferrell). AGS is quite capable of making melodic structured pop songs—last year’s excellent XIII proved that. Therium sees the duo exploring post-rock soundscapes , like Sigur Rós—ambient music using traditional rock instruments. It’s best listened to as a song suite, but there are highlights. The halycon “Animalia” sounds like a lost track from Cocteau Twins’ Victorialand while the euphoric “Mammoth” and “Dire” have genuinely catchy hooks. Therium is the soundtrack for an imaginary film full of hypnotic imagery.

Interview with Matthew Cheney!

Matthew Cheney interviewed me for his blog The Mumpsimus, where we discussed queer horror, Jean Genet and Joe Orton….. Check it out here!

Online Reading this Saturday hosted by the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Shop

On Saturday June 11 at 6pm EST, I will be reading at an online event hosted by the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences store with authors Rory Raven and Joe Koch. It is part of the Arcade Asylum Author Series. Information and links are at the bookstore website

Happy Book Birthday to ‘The Nectar of Nightmares’

The book came together quickly, at the request of the editor Darin Bradley (who’s an author in his own right). It collects my most recent publishing credits. The book is dedicated to the memory of a friend of mine, Eric Mueller, who suddenly died in 2020. I am proud of this little book of stories.

Below, I’ll share some brief non-spoiler notes.

Beneath the Briar Patch

This is a retelling of an African-American folktale, and is injected with some Cosmic Horror

Myth and Moor

This gothic tale stars the Queen of gothic fiction, Miss Emily Brontë

Fur and Gold

This is a horror-touched queer retelling of a fairytale. (The title comes from a Bat for Lashes song).

Black-Winged Roses

Set in the Harlem Renaissance, this story exists in the same ‘universe’ as my previous stories ‘Zoe Coalrose’ and ‘Conjuring Shadows’. (The title comes from a Tori Amos song).

Underglaze

This Weird Fiction is inspired by my Aunt Evelyn’s collection of Flo-Blue (or Flown Blue) plates

Mirror-Bias

Flowers and mirrors feature in this queer horror tale. (Title courtesy of the late Tanith Lee).

Eidolon Realty, LLC

A flash piece inspired by the time I worked in the investment industry

(K)naiveity

Flash piece — Jack Vance meets Jean Genet

Sigilance

Secondary world queer horror fantasy

The Magus Club

Inspired by the queer playwright Joe Orton’s lone weird novel, Head to Toe

Spyder Threads

Cosmic horror meets drag couture

Desiccant

My vampire story with a trans heroine

Sacred She-Devil

Inspired by Umdanba mythology

The Nectar of Nightmares

An oneiric horror novelette

StokerCon article

Sumiko Saulson interviewed me about my recent appearance at StokerCon for the Black newspaper The San Francisco Bay View. I talk a little about The Nectar of Nightmares in the article!

By the way, Happy Pride Month!