Jeff VanderMeer's Blog, page 133
August 4, 2009
World Fantasy Award Finalists (and Steampunk II and Steampunk Prime)
Congrats to all of the nominees for the World Fantasy Award–the ballot is reproduced after the cut. Special congrats to my wife Ann, who has never before been a finalist and now has two nominations! (This also means she's been up for the Hugo, Shirley Jackson, and World Fantasy Awards this year.)
I'm up as co-editor of the Steampunk anthology (sixth or seventh nomination?, with two wins). Seems as appropriate a time as any to mention we'll be co-editing a Steampunk II (reprints from the last ten
August 3, 2009
Burning Angels: Ballard and Vance
Strange juxtapositions to come back to after two weeks: the Jack Vance anthology (mine is either among the strongest or weakest in there, depending on various reports) and the best of Ballard, along with some stones from Shirley Jackson.
Odd coming back after two weeks of such intensity and non-stop work, living in a little ivy-strewn cottage with two old dogs outside to greet me whenever I left or came back. Good company in the form of Ann and Holly Black, and then Tobias Buckell, Will Hindmarch
What College Creative Writing Programs Are Sympathetic to Non-Realist Fiction?
One question that came up a couple of times at Shared Worlds from the older students was: What creative writing programs would you recommend?
The answer isn't as easy as you might think, because for those writers whose work veers toward non-realist fiction–whether you call it fantasy/SF, surreal, magic realism, or whatever–the best programs may or may not be those traditionally thought of as "elite".
Why? Because not every creative writing program is sympathetic to non-realist writers or to the id
Shared Worlds Chapbook, Design by John Coulthart, Text from the Students
Although I will be blogging generally about the teen writing camp Shared Worlds (for which I serve as assistant director) over the next few days, I thought I would start out with something specific: the Shared Worlds chapbook that collected their artifact and bestiary writing exercises in saddle-stapled form. With great support from the teaching assistants and Cathy Connor in IT, we were able to create and print this nice memento of the students' experience within about four-days–largely due, o
Weird Tales Fiction Editor Ann VanderMeer at World SF Con, Hugos
I haven't seen Ann for a week, and given our busy schedules, with her prepping for WorldCon, I thought an interview for the blog was probably the only way I'd have time to ask her about what she's doing for it. (I'm staying home and working.) So, drumroll, here's my interview with Ann about the upcoming WorldCon…
What are you most looking forward to at WorldCon?
You want me to pick only one thing? I am excited about the panels I am on–been working hard to prepare for them. But especially looking f
August 1, 2009
Library of America's American Fantastic Tales, edited by Peter Straub
American Fantastic Tales: Book two, Terror and the Uncanny, table of contents…
Introduction by Peter Straub
"Evening Primrose" by John Collier (1940)
"Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Leiber (1941)
"Mysteries of the Joy Rio" by Tennessee Williams (1941)
"The Refugee" by Jane Rice (1943)
"Mr. Lupescu" by Anthony Boucher (1945)
"Miriam" by Truman Capote (1945)
"Midnight" by Jack Snow (1947)
"Torch Song" by John Cheever (1947)
"I'm Scared" by Jack Finney (1948)
"The Daemon Lover" by Shirley Jackson (1949)
"The Circular V
July 29, 2009
Barkin', Geiger-Counter Hundred-Pound Rodent Fer Yer Wednesday
Right, so, Caplin Rous posted some new videos on Facebook, and they're really cute. So I must obey my capybara masters and post them here for your enjoyment…
The Age of Misrule is Upon Us: Mark Chadbourn Shows Us the Way
Mark Chadbourne's fascinating Age of Misrule series has just been published in the U.S. by Pyr, and he's contributed three guest posts to the Amazon book blog, the last one going up today. Really interesting stuff. Anyone who mentions Colin Wilson is aces in my book.
And: OMG, those John Picacio covers are to die for.
The Real-Life Roots of Fantasy
The Invisible Hand of the God of Writing
July 27, 2009
Shared Worlds–Photos on Facebook and Elsewhere
(Ann with the students, this past Saturday)
Frankly, the last week is a blur. I forgot how much time and energy you spend on a workshop like Shared Worlds, and how patient you have to be about doing things like blog posting and other stuff on your plate.
The photos below show Holly Black from the first week, the students with Holly, them in class, with Ann, and presenting their worlds. I'll have more text soonish, on Amazon and elsewhere, and you can also check out my mobile uploads to Facebook
