R.B. Lemberg's Blog

New poetry book EVERYTHING THAWS is out! + Locus poll

My poetry memoir, EVERYTHING THAWS, is now available from Ben Yehuda Press! This book has been a long time coming, and it contains some of the most personal work I have ever written. It has migrations, and permafrost, and many Gulag stories, and an ice dragon. It’s a very Jewish book.

You can order the book directly from the publisher with free shipping within the US! They also have a trans visibility sale ongoing until the end of tonight.

It is also available at major retailers like Amazon – or if you are interested in supporting independent bookstores (which I recommend!), I suggest buying through Bookshop.org. Both of these are associate links, meaning I receive a small commission if you buy through them.

Here are some blurbs the book has received, and the publisher’s page has even more.

“R.B. Lemberg’s memoir-in-poetry is full of glacier-sharp truths, and moments revealed between words like bodies beneath melting permafrost. As it becomes increasingly plain how deeply our world is shaped by war and climate change and grief and anger, articulating that shape feels urgent and necessary and painful and healing. Lemberg refuses to look away from people and systems that demand that we suppress ourselves—our words, our religions, our bodies, our queerness—and through their keen observation shows how we can insist on being ourselves anyway.”
—Ruthanna Emrys, author, A Half-Built Garden

“In Everything Thaws, bodies and memories break through the (supposed) permafrost. R. B. Lemberg’s haunting poetic cycle is unsparing and keenly observed. Tracing their path from Ukraine to the Vorkuta GULAG, Hungary, Israel, and the USA, Lemberg crafts an unforgettable cartography of trauma, Jewishness, gender, war, and family history. This book expertly traverses dangerous ground. Children play in forests littered with bombs, and life-saving bridges disappear in snowstorms. In such terrain, a wrong step could mean death, yet there is no choice but to keep moving. Against cruelties, enforced silences, and the weight of generational horror, what can Lemberg do except “put it all into poems, / or, when the guilt gets too much, into turnips”? The thaw may be disastrous, but it must be faced, and Lemberg masterfully holds our gaze.”
—Izzy Wasserstein, author of All The Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From

Here are copies of the book on my desk, and and an excerpt follows the photo.

A small stack of three copies of Everything Thaws: a poetic cycle by R.B. Lemberg on my desk.

In other news, I hope you consider voting for my work in the Locus awards until April 15! Anyone can vote. The Unbalancing is included in First Novel and Geometries of Belonging in Collections.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more news!

 – R.B. Lemberg

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

My first Birdverse novel THE UNBALANCING is out!!

You can buy it from Tachyon https://tachyonpublications.com/product/the-unbalancing/ or other retailers.

“In this first full-length novel from the acclaimed Birdverse, new love blossoms between an impatient starkeeper and a reclusive poet as they try together to save their island home. The Unbalancing is a gorgeous tale of the inevitable transformations of communities and their worlds rooted in the mystical cosmology, neurodiversity, and queerness that infuses Lemberg’s lyrical prose, which has invited glowing comparisons to N. K. Jemisin, Patricia A. McKillip, and Ursula K. Le Guin.”

I am doing an in-person launch at The Raven bookstore in Lawrence and hope some of you can come see me there.

Some praise for THE UNBALANCING:

[STARRED REVIEW] “Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.”
—Booklist

“In a narrative by turns gentle and implacable, Lemberg writes movingly and magnificently about disaster, survival, and hope.” Kate Elliott
“The finely wrought first full-length outing into Lemberg’s inclusive and lushly folkloric Birdverse universe…Brisk action balances the meditations on gender and glimpses of the complex magic system…. It’s bittersweet and lovely.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The lush lyricism of the mythology, culture and history in The Unbalancing is illustrious and transportive. It’s an enchanting world of star lore, magic and gender identity with a roster of heartfelt characters told with such rich prose…” Tlotlo Tsamaase

“Lemberg’s stories embrace truths that we are afraid to confront: that sometimes failure is inevitable, but that hopeful futures can still be found amid the destruction. … This is one of the most beautiful and important books I’ve read this year.” Nibedita Sen

“Beautiful and queer and challenging and tender. And it’s a story that could not have been told without Erígra’s autistic point of view, without a deep respect for needs like Erígra’s, which comes from lived, thoughtful experience.” Ada Hoffmann

“Lemberg’s prose is soaked in magic, magic that’s full of space and light and sound. The Unbalancing manages to be both ethereal and earthy….The Unbalancing isn’t a book that can be adequately summarized. It can only be experienced.” Craig L. Gidney

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

The Four Profound Weaves is a Nebula Finalist!

Great news –  my Birdverse novella The Four Profound Weaves is a finalist for the Nebula. The book is in astounding company – this is the strongest novella ballot I’ve ever seen – and it is a great honor tobe a finalist. I am so happy. You can watch yesterday’s The 56th Annual Nebula Awards Launch on Youtube: this wonderful event included professional audio narrators reading from the nominated works. The Four Profound Weaves excerpt is read by Tori Barron. 🙂

SFWA members can vote, and the winners will be announced at the annual SFWA Nebula Conference, held virtually on June 4-6th this year. I am likely to have some programming at this conference, and will share them as they become available.

Thank you everybody for your support!!!

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

The Unbalancing is coming in Winter 2022!

Dear Birdverse readers: I am very happy to announce that a new Birdverse book, The Unbalancing, is headed your way in Winter 2022, again from the fine people at Tachyon! This is a short novel about a group of friends attempting to save their islands from ruin. This book is stand-alone and unconnected to The Four Profound Weaves – it takes place in a different corner of Birdverse.

There’s a sunken star and eight magic keepers and a love story that takes center stage despite my best attempts to write a tragedy (the romance is f/nb, for those wondering 🙂 ). Most of the characters are nonbinary. One of the MCs is autistic and demisexual.

I heard that some of you were curious to learn more about deepnames and magical geometry, and this book has it all. I am very excited to share it with you.

Publisher’s Marketplace Announcement for The Unbalancing.

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

The Audiobook of the Four Profound Weaves is now available!

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The audiobook of The Four Profound Weaves is out on the world! Enjoy the amazing cover and narration by Paul Boehmer.

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

The Four Profound Weaves – Launch events and Blog Tour

The Four Profound Weaves is out in the world! My wonderful publisher, Tachyon, collected all the blog tour stops for the novella in one place: R.B. Lemberg’s The Four Profound Weaves took flight with a blog tour. 

Blog tour highlights

Black Forest Basilisks reread the novella and wrote, “To me, personally, [the reread] has an added layer of meaning to see a story that managed to show not only love and acceptance for those who do not fit neatly into their assigned bodies, but also strife and conflict when they choose to change into something that suits them better. “

Phoebe’s Rainbow: “In this breathtaking debut set in R. B. Lemberg‘s beloved Birdverse, THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES hearkens to Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, and offers a timeless chronicle of claiming one’s identity in a hostile world.”

Utopia State of Mind: “I adored THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES so much that I read the novella in one sitting! That’s right! If you’re a fan of queer fantasy, inventive magic, and novellas, then definitely check this out!”

Events, interviews, and essays

I have also done a number of interesting events and interviews, which will be relevant to Birdverse readers 🙂

Charles Payseur asked me some quick questions (actually  these were wonderful, in-depth questions) about Birdverse and the Four  Profound Weaves.

I talk about the Jewish elements in Birdverse worldbuilding over at Mary Robinette Kowal’s My Favorite Bit.

Finally, I talk about food in Birdverse and share a stuffed eggplant recipe on Fran Wilde’s Book Bites.

Thank  you so much to everybody who hosted and reviewed!

 

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

FAQ questions!

This post is a placeholder for all your questions about the Birdverse. Please comment with your question, and I’ll respond as soon as I can!

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

Everything Thaws is coming in 2022

I signed the contract and can finally announce that my poetry memoir EVERYTHING THAWS, about Soviet Jews and permafrost and climate change and stories of the Vorkuta GULAG will be forthcoming from Ben Yehuda Press in 2022. This book has been in development for a few years, after my father passed away – a painful thing to write. It’s about multigenerational trauma and the expectation of not speaking about trauma, and not speaking about many other things, like queerness.

You might be already familiar with this: a poem from this book was published in Uncanny Magazine – “‘Eating Disorder ‘doesn’t begin to describe it.”

I am grateful to Lisa M. Bradley for her insightful commentary on a draft of this book, to Sonya Taaffe for reading and encouragement, to my Patreon backers who followed along, and to Bogi Takács, as ever, for their support.

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

Reprint in We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020

I am very happy to share that “To Balance the Weight of Khalem,” my novelette about a magical onion and migration, will be reprinted in We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction 2020 edited by C.L. Clark and Charles Payseur, forthcoming from Neon Hemlock. The table of contents is FANTASTIC, and is reproduced in full below. I am so thrilled to share a table of contents with these excellent people. The magnificent cover is by Sajan Rai. You can find out more, including how to preorder, at the Neon Hemlock website.

“If You Take My Meaning” by Charlie Jane Anders (Tordotcom, February 26, 2020)“A Voyage to Queensthroat” by Anya Johanna DeNiro (Strange Horizons, August 2020)“Rat and Finch are Friends” by Innocent Chizaram Ilo (Strange Horizons, March 2020)“Salt and Iron” by Gem Isherwood (Podcastle, May 2020)“The Currant Dumas” by L.D. Lewis (Glitter + Ashes, edited by dave ring)“Everquest” by Naomi Kanakia (Lightspeed, October 2020)“Portrait of Three Women with an Owl” by Gwen C. Katz (The Future Fire, February 2020)“The Ashes of Vivian Firestrike” by Kristen Koopman (Glittership, May 2020)“To Balance the Weight of Khalem” by RB Lemberg (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, March 2020)“Thin Red Jellies” by Lina Rather (Gigonotosaurus, February 2020)“Body, Remember” by Nicasio Andres Reed (Fireside, November 2020)“Escaping Dr. Markoff” by Gabriela Santiago (The Dark, March 2020)“The Last Good Time to Be Alive” by Waverly SM (Reckoning 4, edited byDanika Dinsmore and Arkady Martine)“Monsters Never Leave You” by Carlie St. George (Strange Horizons, June 2020)“The Wedding After The Bomb” by Brendan Williams-Childs (Catapult, April 2020)“8-Bit Free Will” by John Wiswell (Podcastle, November 2020)

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.

The Four Profound Weaves is a finalist for the Nebula Award!

Great news – my Birdverse novella The Four Profound Weaves is a finalist for the Nebula. The book is in astounding company – this is the strongest novella ballot I’ve ever seen – and it is a great honor to be a finalist. I am so happy. You can watch yesterday’s The 56th Annual Nebula Awards Launch on Youtube: this wonderful event included professional audio narrators reading from the nominated works. The Four Profound Weaves excerpt is read by Tori Barron. 🙂

SFWA members can vote, and the winners will be announced at the annual SFWA Nebula Conference, held virtually on June 4-6th this year. I am likely to have some programming at this conference, and will share them as they become available.

Thank you everybody for your support!!!

Originally published at R.B. Lemberg. You can comment here or there.