James Dorr's Blog, page 140

Writers Guild Spoken Word Schedule on Facebook; Space Shuttle Statistics

A couple of snippets today in an otherwise quiet week.  The first, the official schedule for the Bloomington Writers Guild’s Spoken Word Stage (cf. just below, August 14) has been announced on Facebook.  So far I’m still at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, September 4, for a half hour of horror — for which, and more, one can find the full schedule here.  For my slot I’ll most likely be reading my story “Raising the Dead,” originally published in AIRSHIPS AND AUTOMATONS (White Cat Publications, 2015) and set for release in spring-summer next year from Elder Signs Press as an independent chapter in TOMBS:  A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH (see also, below).

And then, as an extra, I ran across an interesting item for space shuttle buffs, “NASA’s Space Shuttle By the Numbers:  30 Years of a Spaceflight Icon” by Tariq Malik on SPACE.COM, for which one can press here.  Finder’s credit this time goes to Steph P. Bianchini and THE EARTHIAN HIVEMIND in an entry interesting in its own right which can be found here.

Sweet Lesbian Vampire Love; Aeronautical Horror Scheduled for Bloomington Spoken Word Stage

So it’s a guilty pleasure too (Aimée, e.g., of the “casket girls” is herself bi), but for those interested, this weekend’s DIRGEMAG.COM offers “Red Lips, Black Heart:  The Allure of the Predatory Lesbian Vampire in Film,” by Annie Rose.  While not exhaustive, it provides a fair, more or less chronological view of the hungry for you-know-what vampiress in European and Hollywood movies, some a bit on the subtle side to get past the censors, of course.  And with pictures too (but these, as well, tasteful).  How many have you seen?  For DIRGEMAG’s scorecard, one may press here.

Then in more local news, Sunday brings the schedule for this year’s Labor Day weekend Fourth Street Art Festival’s Spoken Word Stage.  This is a series of half-hour readings of poetry and prose, with a little drama perhaps here and there as well, sponsored by the Writers Guild at Bloomington with partial support from the Bloomington (Indiana) Arts Commission.  And in which, Sunday, September 4 at 3:30 p.m., is featured “horror fiction” by me.  My most likely reading for this will be “Raising the Dead,” originally published in White Cat Publications’s AIRSHIPS AND AUTOMATIONS (see May 27 2015, et al.), which will also be part of my novel-in-stories due out in the first half of next year from Elder Signs Press, TOMBS:  A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH (cf. July 24, 15 et al.).

Not Part of Olympics, Prize Fight of the Century Arrives Today; It’s About Time Pre-Order Offered

Read all about it!  Local Tokyo favorite KO’d by Skull Island challenger . . . or was it the other way around?  Story printed by Editor David Kopaska-Merkel on Page 10!  Yes, DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES including my sports poem “Godzilla vs. King Kong” (see August 6, et al.) arrived in my mailbox this morning.  For details, press here!

Well yes, that last gives subscription information, but publishing somewhat irregularly from 1986 on, DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES is still one of the best magazines for fantastic poetry on the market and, if you’re a fan, is worth the price.  And as for the fight, well . . . you’ll have to ask to begin your subscription with issue #103.

Then in other news, Main Street Rag Publishing Company Editor M. Scott Douglass reminds us that IT’S ABOUT TIME (cf. June 29, November 12 2015, et al.) can still be pre-ordered at a substantial discount, for details on which one can press here.  “It’s about time.”  When you hear that phrase, what comes to your mind?  A parent or a spouse, arms crossed, foot tapping, watching as someone sneaks in at night?  Or do you see a calendar, its days or weeks flapping.  Maybe you see time extending into an imagined future, something yet to be understood or experienced.  My story in this one is “Curious Eyes,” originally published in THE FICTION PRIMER in December 1988.

Guilty Pleasure: Those Bad, Bad Women of the World of Movie Cartoons

Her lipstick is flawless and her eyebrows are the boss of you.

Why is it that female cartoon villains get to be all of these things, to have all of these things?  Why do they get to have hairstyles — no, Hairstyles, with a capital Hair — while their protagonist counterparts are drawn small and soft and childlike?  Why does Ursula get to have a beauty mark and the most impeccably waterproof makeup a sea witch could hope for, while Ariel gets the same wide-eyed small-jawed face as every other white Disney princess?  Why does Maleficent get a headpiece that defines menacing elegance and dark grandeur, while Aurora gets generic late-fifties bangs?  Why does Shego get to mouth off to Drakken and read magazines by the pool and decide what is and isn’t her job, while Kim Possible has to leap into action regardless of whether she’s tired or sad or sick or, heaven forbid, too busy?

So asks Sarah Gailey on today’s TOR.COM with “In Defense of Villainesses.”  Outside of cartoons, I could add my own Aimée and her fellow filles à les caissettes.  And I especially like one observation Gailey makes, or at least sidles up to.  That it may be the most perfect, innocent princesses who eventually grow up to be the Evil Queens.

In any event I couldn’t resist (and if you can’t either, press here).

It Still Helps to Have Money, or, Vampirism for the 21st Century

If you’re a vampire, it helps to be rich.  At least nowadays in the 21st century.  That is, a long, long time ago I had college level courses in theories of criticism and, while a Marxist approach may seem odd for a romantic reunion between two vampires, if you think about it vampirism itself represents a form of class struggle.  But ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE is more than just that, it is first and foremost a love story — and, as we shall see, not just between two people, but love and appreciation of life itself.

This the beginning of my appreciation of the film, cf. June 26 2014.  I then add, [a]s for being rich, one has to get blood from underground sources — not only do “traditional methods” attract dangerous attention, so much blood on the hoof, as it were, is polluted these days — and that takes money.  As for class struggle, well, the vampires in this film refer to ordinary folk as “zombies” because, with the rare exception of artists and scientists and very few others, most humans are “dead” to the wonders and beauty that’s all around them.  Worse, in their blind struggle to get by on their own human terms, they’re taking the Earth down the toilet with them.

But now back up a little.  Never mind the environment right now, what about just being able to get the “right kind” of blood?  And what about if one just starts out as a regular person (albeit with money)?

Well, it comes down to stem cells, according to the piece I ran across today, “Can Aging Be Reversed by Getting Blood Transfusions from Young People?” by Laurie Vazquez, on BIGTHINK.COM.  Experiments have been done on rats, for instance, sharing a younger rat’s blood with an older one ending with an alleged rejuvenating effect on the oldster.  Done repeatedly, could that bring one to eternal life — in other words an ageless rat powered by younger rats’ blood?  A ratty vampire (then put wings on the squeaker and. . . .)?

Well, back up again and forget the wings, but as for rejuvenating humans Vazquez explains:  Stem cells are important and powerful — but . . . they shut off at age 25.  That’s why researchers are now focusing on blood transfusions from people under that age.  One US company pursuing this research is Ambrosia, who hopes to inject 35-year-olds with the blood plasma of 25-year-olds.  They’re hoping to examine the effects of those stem cells in the older participants, and are currently hoping to recruit 600 volunteers.  Given that they’re charging participants $8,000 for each injection, their participant list may be skewed toward the Silicon Valley crowd.  Similar studies in China and Korea are pursuing this line of research, too, albeit without the steep cost.

The science may sound more like fiction than fact, but it’s not.  The FDA has approved blood for off-label prescription uses, provided its results are not guaranteed.  That clearance, combined with the fact that the majority of the funds for this research are being provided by Silicon Valley, means blood might become a premium anti-aging treatment solely for the uber-rich. . . .

For more, press here.

First Sunday Prose Fall-Spring Season Begins

Yes, it seems like it’s still summer, but fall school terms start in August too, at least around here.  But next month there won’t be a First Sunday reading, it being pre-empted by Labor Day weekend which brings the Bloomington Arts Festival with its Bloomington Writers Guild’s Spoken Word Stage.  And, yes, I’ll read there too, tentatively one of the story-chapters from my upcoming novel-in-stories, TOMBS:  A CHRONICLE OF LATTER-DAY TIMES OF EARTH.  And then in October First Sunday Prose will be back again, this time with me as a featured reader, tentatively anyway, with most likely another story from TOMBS.  Thus begins the “new season.”

So this Sunday, yesterday, brought the first “First Sunday Prose Reading & Open Mic” (see May 1, et al.) for 2016-17, co-sponsored by the Bloomington Writers Guild and Boxcar Books.  Featured readers were Cole Hardman with, as he put it, a church story and a graveyard poem, the latter also a 2015 second prize winner of Indiana State University’s Max Ehrmann Poetry Contest; Shayne Laughter (who we’ve met before, cf. January 3, et al.) with a short story inspired by a family legend, “Into Kansas”; and Patsy Rahn (who we’ve met before also, see April 24, et al.), though primarily a poet, with a series of seven short essays, six of them written this summer.  Then for the open readings, I came in as fourth out of six with flash story “The Cyclops” (see June 28, 10 2013, et al.).  Originally published in DARK MOON DIGEST YOUNG ADULT HORROR, June 2013, it’s the tale of a younger than young-adult person with feelings of alienation, as well as a very good reason for having them.

Godzilla, King Kong, Dreams and Nightmares Published; Another Mammoth Royalty Deferred

Hearken us back to April 27 this year, then to August 30 2015 and news of the Fight of the Century, “Godzilla vs. King Kong,” set to be published in DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES 103 (this hot on the heels of #102, with my poem “Plus-Size,” for which see April 25, et al.).  Now it can be said:  the issue is published!  Moreover, according to Editor David Kopaska-Merkel, subscriber copies have been sent with authors’ copies to go out next week.  And the table of contents has been announced, for which see right here:

M. Wayne Miller, Yithian Communication …………………. cover

From the Brainstem …………………………………………………… 3

Robert Frazier, Luminous Decay ……………………………………. 4

Gloundan S., Exposition ………………………………………………. 7

Mary Soon Lee, Wolf Moon …………………………………………… 8

Heart ………………………………………………………………………. 9

James S. Dorr, Godzilla vs. King Kong ……………………………… 10

Lauren McBride, Engagement: Set in Stone ………………………. 11

Justin Holliday, Midnight Sun ……………………………………….. 12

Ken Poyner, At Issue, The Miramo ………………………………….. 13

Bruce Boston, Going Green in the Mutant Rainforest …………… 15

M. B. Simon, illo for “Going Green in the Mutant

Rainforest” ……………………………………………………………….. 16

Lorraine Schein, The Field of Poppies ……………………………….. 17

C. R. Harper …………………………………………… …………………. 17

assu, Alien Lovers ………………………………………………………… 17

Romie Stott, Alien Ginsberg ……………………………………………. 18

Chris Friend, illo ………………………………………………………….. 18

Ann K. Schwader, Chauvet Redux ……………………………………… 19

assu …………………………………………………………………………… 19

F. J. Bergmann, The End …………………………………………………. 20

Denny Marshall, Presentations ………………………………………… 20

assu …………………………………………………………………………… 20

And one item for yesterday, another royalty has been tendered, this for the princely sum of 86 cents.  Ah, the writer’s life.  But lest I be spoiled, a one-time payment from another book came in too for a somewhat larger amount, even after the PayPal skim!  And as for the first, I emailed instructions that it be rolled over with others received thus far, to be sent later when more has accrued (or when the last buyer has bought a copy, which may be less distant than one might hope)

Thursday 2-in-1: Mocha’s Dark Brew, Museum of All Things Awesome Received

Street mail this time, not email, two items found in the mailbox this evening from Mocha Memoirs Press and Upper Rubber Boot Books.  The first is a slim volume containing ten stories — and these flash fiction to boot — MOCHA’S DARK BREW (see July 2, et al.), the top ten finalists in a contest last February by Mocha Memoirs to honor Women in Horror Month.   Men could enter too (and several others also made the top ten, although the majority are still women), but all entries had to have female protagonists as well as come under a maximum word limit.  So, reprints being okay as well, mine in the mix is one that stars Aimée of “Casket Girls” fame (who else?), “Flightless Rats,” originally published in T. GENE DAVIS’S SPECULATIVE BLOG in January 2015 and concerning a date that went bad in Nineteenth Century New Orleans.  It’s also an inexpensive book, given its size, ideal for, say, gifts for Halloween and other occasions – and for more on which one may press here.

Then the second is the much-anticipated THE MUSEUM OF ALL THINGS AWESOME AND THAT GO BOOM (cf. July 26, 14, et al.) with another reprint, “Bubba Claus Conquers the Martians,” originally published in HOUSTON, WE’VE GOT BUBBAS (Yard Dog Press, 2007), and starring Santa Claus, bubbas, and . . . zombies.  And, one might add, quite a few other stories and poems that I’m looking forward to getting into tonight myself.  For more information on this one press here.

Preliminary Contents for Great Tome Vol. 4 Announced; Corpse Flower Comment

Who can forget THE GREAT TOME OF FORGOTTEN RELICS AND ARTIFACTS, including my own tale of candles and magic, “The Candle Room,” or the subsequent THE GREAT TOME OF DARKEST HORRORS AND UNSPEAKABLE EVILS with “Pavlov’s Dogs”?  Or if that’s not enough, there’s the still forthcoming THE GREAT TOME OF FANTASTIC AND WONDROUS PLACES with my journal of Siberian exploration, “Ice Vermin,” all parts of Bards and Sages Publishing’s GREAT TOMES series (cf. June 9, May 11, 10, et al.).  And now the fourth, THE GREAT TOME OF CRYPTIDS AND LEGENDARY CREATURES is chugging along with another by me, “The Stalker” (see June 23), with a December publication date projected, hopefully well in time for Christmas.

Or to quote from the email :  “We are fairly close to finalizing the line-up for Volume 4 and I have prepared the product page.  I have also attached the cover art for you.  Please feel free to share the news regarding the upcoming anthology as you see fit.”  As noted my story in this is “The Stalker,” about a young geology student and a deadly encounter in a forest.  To see more about the book as a whole, press here.  Or to see even more quickly what other stories will be in the volume, including “[p]lots revolving around the folklore and legends of ‘real world’ cryptids.  Examples include the Jersey Devil, bunyips, chupacabras, kelpies, etc.,” the current contents listing is here:

Hoofquake by CB Droege

Field Study by Tyler Powell

Eleven Essential Items to Bring when Planning Selfies with Bigfoot by Sarina Dorie

The Burryman by Vonnie Winslow Crist

The Stalker by James Dorr

Sutan by Derek Muk

Shapes in the Water by Calvin Demmer

The Ghost of Arriscado Basin by Jon Michael Kelley

Cats in the Cradle by Matthew Smallwood

The Bad, Bad luck of Judson Worley by Rob Munns

The Voice of Thunder by Taylor Harbin

Dark Fin by Mark Charke

Then for other news, there’s an addition to the lore on Wally the Corpse Flower just below (July 31).  In the interest of full disclosure, a body double (courtesy of Wikipedia) was used for the picture shown, but since then I’ve received more information, including a timed series of photographs of the real Wally via the Indiana University Department of Biology.  To see for yourself — including getting a better idea of the size of the thing! — just click on the headline, “Weekend Wrap-Up. . . ,” and scroll down* to the “Comments” section, where the second comment will take you there.

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*You may have to scroll through an advertisement first, but that’s WordPress for you.

Weekend Wrap-Up: Royalties, Zoms, and Wally the Corpse Flower

Just a few quick items for the end of July, the first being a royalty payment from Martinus Publishing.  As mammoths go, it’s a bit on the petite size which isn’t exactly world-shattering news, but the thing is part of it’s for the anthology ALTERED AMERICA (see January 20 2015, March 28 2014, et al.) with my Y2K story “Avoid Seeing a Mouse” which, although it’s clearly ending its run, has paid quite handsomely over the past three years, in fact probably nearing professional rates had it been paid for by word count.  And the story is a reprint to boot, originally published in ZOMBIE JESUS AND OTHER TRUE STORIES (Dark Moon Books, 2012).

The other anthology in the mix, though, LIFE OF THE DEAD with my “Girls Gone Dead,” has (to pardon the expression) pretty much died.

But speaking of zombies, for those who might be in Indianapolis in August, be sure to check out the Indiana State Fair or, more precisely, the Purdue Extension Agriculture/Horticulture Building.  To quote the news release, one will find therein “a walk-through maze and interactive video game designed to simulate a zombie apocalypse.  The maze ends at an underground shelter stocked with all the supplies necessary for survival in an emergency.”  Why?  According to the Extension’s Steve Cain, “the goal is to help visitors learn about disaster preparedness.”

And then, lest local Bloomington folks feel left out, about 9 p.m. Friday the Indiana University biology department’s nine-year old Amorphophallus titanum, or “corpse flower,” bloomed for the first time.  Named Wally after a former department greenhouse administrator, the corpse flower is so named because of the rotting-meat stench it emits to attract insects for pollination and its bloom is short-lived, averaging only 24 to 36 hours.   It is also a native of western Sumatra and one of the world’s largest species of flowers.