R.B. Lemberg's Blog, page 31
August 8, 2012
Clockwork Phoenix Kickstarter: final rewards recap
One last time, with feeling: the CP kickstarter has 24hrs left. I am very happy there will be another Clockwork Phoenix. If Mike can also get a new online market going, that would be awesome too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by
time_shark
at Clockwork Phoenix Kickstarter: final rewards recap
Hello, folks! Please feel free to repost this.
As of this posting there's less than 48 hours to go in the Clockwork Phoenix Kickstarter. It's not at all clear to me whether we're going to make our final stretch goal that lets us found a companion webzine for Clockwork Phoenix and Mythic Delirium; I guess that will come down to the wire. Regardless, I want to emphasize that whether we make this last goal or not, the book will still happen, we will pay pro rates, and every little bit we get still helps with assembling, printing and marketing this anthology.
I want to do one more quick rundown of the rewards we're offering, too, because if any of them look tempting, you only have until Thursday morning to make them yours.
Of utmost importance, most all of the rewards involve a pre-order of the new book once it's made, in e-book or trade paperback form.
A very popular new reward combines the pre-order of Clockwork Phoenix 4 with a special limited edition signed chapbook edition of Cherie Priest's short story "The Immigrant," which I originally published in an anthology series called MYTHIC, the precursor to the Clockwork Phoenix books. This chapbook will only ever be offered through this Kickstarter.
Another popular reward: Anita's Clockwork Phoenix pins. The photo to the left depicts two of them in progress.
And there's a whole palette of other things to choose from: some have been nibbled at, some are untapped.
Short story critiques:
Tote bags full of books;
Custom hats;
Poems to order and story Tuckerizations;
Your stories or novels formatted as e-books;
Books hollowed out and decorated to create e-reader cases;
The last remaining 10th anniversary issues of Mythic Delirium,featuring Neil Gaiman;
And lots more. I hope you'll give them all at least one more look before we're done.
And lastly, in case you missed it; during the course of the Kickstarter I promised to do something special if the campaign paused at $6,666. It did, and I did indeed do something off the wall. Here I am reciting my devilish poem from the pages of my collection The Journey to Kailash, titled "lis pendens":
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by
time_shark
at Clockwork Phoenix Kickstarter: final rewards recap
Hello, folks! Please feel free to repost this.As of this posting there's less than 48 hours to go in the Clockwork Phoenix Kickstarter. It's not at all clear to me whether we're going to make our final stretch goal that lets us found a companion webzine for Clockwork Phoenix and Mythic Delirium; I guess that will come down to the wire. Regardless, I want to emphasize that whether we make this last goal or not, the book will still happen, we will pay pro rates, and every little bit we get still helps with assembling, printing and marketing this anthology.
I want to do one more quick rundown of the rewards we're offering, too, because if any of them look tempting, you only have until Thursday morning to make them yours.
Of utmost importance, most all of the rewards involve a pre-order of the new book once it's made, in e-book or trade paperback form.
A very popular new reward combines the pre-order of Clockwork Phoenix 4 with a special limited edition signed chapbook edition of Cherie Priest's short story "The Immigrant," which I originally published in an anthology series called MYTHIC, the precursor to the Clockwork Phoenix books. This chapbook will only ever be offered through this Kickstarter.
Another popular reward: Anita's Clockwork Phoenix pins. The photo to the left depicts two of them in progress.
And there's a whole palette of other things to choose from: some have been nibbled at, some are untapped.
Short story critiques:
Tote bags full of books;
Custom hats;
Poems to order and story Tuckerizations;
Your stories or novels formatted as e-books;
Books hollowed out and decorated to create e-reader cases;
The last remaining 10th anniversary issues of Mythic Delirium,featuring Neil Gaiman;
And lots more. I hope you'll give them all at least one more look before we're done.
And lastly, in case you missed it; during the course of the Kickstarter I promised to do something special if the campaign paused at $6,666. It did, and I did indeed do something off the wall. Here I am reciting my devilish poem from the pages of my collection The Journey to Kailash, titled "lis pendens":
August 7, 2012
inkscrawl 4 is live!
It's alive! Finally. Sorry about that, folks.
Mitchell Hart is guest-editing the fifth issue, and he is open to your incredibly short submissions as of now. Send him stuff!
R.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by
samhenderson
at inkscrawl 4 is live! I am pleased to introduce inkscrawl 4, with poems by David Skylar, Larry Hammer, Adrienne Odasso, Brittany Warman, Bethany Powell, Kevin Heaton, Sonya Taaffe, Richard Lung, Francesca Forrest, Seretta Martin, Sofia Samatar, Karen Romanko, Michele Bannister, Kendall Evans, Rich Magahiz, David Kopaska-Merkel, Billie Dee, Charles Nelson, Deborah P Kolodji, Brock Marie Moore,Ross Balcom, Susan Diridoni, Denise Dumars and Dominik Parisien.
Many thanks to
rose_lemberg
and
dormouse_in_tea
for making the issue beautiful.
Mitchell Hart is guest-editing the fifth issue, and he is open to your incredibly short submissions as of now. Send him stuff!
R.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by
samhenderson
at inkscrawl 4 is live! I am pleased to introduce inkscrawl 4, with poems by David Skylar, Larry Hammer, Adrienne Odasso, Brittany Warman, Bethany Powell, Kevin Heaton, Sonya Taaffe, Richard Lung, Francesca Forrest, Seretta Martin, Sofia Samatar, Karen Romanko, Michele Bannister, Kendall Evans, Rich Magahiz, David Kopaska-Merkel, Billie Dee, Charles Nelson, Deborah P Kolodji, Brock Marie Moore,Ross Balcom, Susan Diridoni, Denise Dumars and Dominik Parisien.Many thanks to
rose_lemberg
and
dormouse_in_tea
for making the issue beautiful.
August 5, 2012
Public Statement from the Readercon Convention Committee
The Readercon concom has issued a public statement, which includes the following important points: 1) all five the Board members have resigned. 2) extensive and well-worded apologies are offered to Genevieve Valentine and Kate Kligman, to the Readercon community, and the wider SFF community; 3) pledges are made to do better in the future.
All these are good things. I am glad this has come to pass, because we need the field to shift, and such processes contribute to the shift in the field. Special kudos to
rosefox
, who fought tooth and nail for this to be resolved.
Originally posted by
chaiya
at Public Statement from the Readercon Convention Committee Please read the Readercon convention committee's statement on recent events: http://readercon.org/publicstatement.htm
All these are good things. I am glad this has come to pass, because we need the field to shift, and such processes contribute to the shift in the field. Special kudos to
rosefox
, who fought tooth and nail for this to be resolved. Originally posted by
chaiya
at Public Statement from the Readercon Convention Committee Please read the Readercon convention committee's statement on recent events: http://readercon.org/publicstatement.htm
August 1, 2012
Poetry sale, +
My longish poem about real and fantastical immigrations, appropriately titled “The Three Immigrations,” will appear in Strange Horizons.
In other news, Weird Fiction Review reviewed The Moment of Change:
This is a stunning collection of poetry, of deeply felt, painstakingly crafted expressions of doubt, hope, fear, courage, transformation, transgression, and other emotions and experiences that beg to be given form. More than that, though, it’s also a strong, undeniable collection of voices, all of which make their own individual cases to be heard. As such, this isn’t the kind of collection a reader should try to rush through in the span of a day or two. They need to take their time to listen to those voices and understand why they need to listen to what they say.
In yet other news, the Clockwork Phoenix Kickstarter is now close to paying pro rates. I am promoting this project because I believe there should be more weird, daring, unclassifiable fiction in the world, and I know Mike Allen will deliver. I loved Mythic 1 and 2, and the Clockwork Phoenix series.
Originally published at RoseLemberg.net. You can comment here or there.
July 30, 2012
More on Readercon - the Board
There are now two reports indicating that a member or members of the current Readercon board behaved in troubling ways.
1. Rachel Elizabeth Dillon (
rax
), who then identified as "a younger trans queer white woman", reports on transphobia (and other issues) during committee meetings in "Readercon: This Isn't The Only Reason Not To Go."
Here's an excerpt: "The meeting ended with another board member all up in my face about how I was being mean to them and they weren't a bigot because they had trans friends. Literally! They told me they had trans friends! I was in shock, and basically just left at that point. The board member who got all up in my face ragequit the con, and then after people sent supportive emails ignoring what they had done wrong, they unragequit and resumed control."
and ETA: Fantasist N.K. Jemisin speaks up about her own experiences in the comments.
2. Award-winning author Catherynne M. Valente (
yuki_onna
) writes in Concerning Readercon:"I have also had, somewhat infamously, my share of problems with the Readercon Board, most particularly one member who felt a proper response to disagreeing with me on the Internet was sending private, threatening emails and behaving in an insulting and aggressive fashion toward commenters to this journal. [...] I have been nervous about attending the convention ever since my own Internet dust-up with that Board member, because his social and physical behavior I find intimidating and I am well aware that to say he dislikes me is an understatement. I was told by the Chairs of the convention that his involvement would be phased out due to his unacceptable behavior–but that has clearly not happened at all as he is still instrumental on the Board and Committee, and thus, in this decision. "
Both of those instances are highly troubling and I feel should be highlighted.
1. Rachel Elizabeth Dillon (
rax
), who then identified as "a younger trans queer white woman", reports on transphobia (and other issues) during committee meetings in "Readercon: This Isn't The Only Reason Not To Go."Here's an excerpt: "The meeting ended with another board member all up in my face about how I was being mean to them and they weren't a bigot because they had trans friends. Literally! They told me they had trans friends! I was in shock, and basically just left at that point. The board member who got all up in my face ragequit the con, and then after people sent supportive emails ignoring what they had done wrong, they unragequit and resumed control."
and ETA: Fantasist N.K. Jemisin speaks up about her own experiences in the comments.
2. Award-winning author Catherynne M. Valente (
yuki_onna
) writes in Concerning Readercon:"I have also had, somewhat infamously, my share of problems with the Readercon Board, most particularly one member who felt a proper response to disagreeing with me on the Internet was sending private, threatening emails and behaving in an insulting and aggressive fashion toward commenters to this journal. [...] I have been nervous about attending the convention ever since my own Internet dust-up with that Board member, because his social and physical behavior I find intimidating and I am well aware that to say he dislikes me is an understatement. I was told by the Chairs of the convention that his involvement would be phased out due to his unacceptable behavior–but that has clearly not happened at all as he is still instrumental on the Board and Committee, and thus, in this decision. "Both of those instances are highly troubling and I feel should be highlighted.
July 29, 2012
Enough with the Aspie bit already
.... and the Readercon thread now has an obligatory "but I am a mom of an aspie, this man can be an aspie!!!!" comment.
As a mother of a child on the moderate to severe end of the spectrum, I find this offensive.
When my little boy integrated into mainstream kindergarten last year, this was his first time among neurotypical children. In his excitement he was running around and pulling other kids' hair. We worked patiently for months to teach him not to do this. He got it. We are still teaching him to respect other people's spaces (he's better, but not perfect) and listen to other people's no (he's pretty good at that). My little boy is doing much better with the concept of boundaries, but until he is able to consciously control himself 100%, he cannot be integrated in the classroom without full-time aide supervision.
If you would expect no less from a minimally-verbal, moderately-to-severely impacted 5 year old who has had an official diagnosis for most of his life, why are you willing to be lenient towards a charming, friendly adult man who has chaired a Worldcon, is well-known in fandom, is a father, has good friends, writes for Tor, owns a business, - in short, has shown himself competent in complex social situations - just because he might be an Aspie, even though there is absolutely no indication that he might be? Perhaps it would be more convenient for you if he was, because you want to make excuses for him?
And even if he is an Aspie?
If he learned how to run a convention and a business, he can make an effort to learn not to pressure a woman who repeatedly told him no.
I know plenty of people on the spectrum. They make an effort. They might be awkward in public, but they make an effort, because they know there might be an issue with reading cues. But this is not a case of social cues. Valentine told him NO on multiple occasions and he kept pushing and pushing and pushing. By excusing such behaviors with an imaginary and completely unsubstantiated diagnosis, you are doing a huge disservice not only to victims of harassment - you are also strongly othering people on the spectrum who are working so hard to function in a neurotypical society.
You are also doing a disservice to these men, who CAN and SHOULD learn better, but are taught that they can make clever excuses and just keep going.
As a mother of a child on the moderate to severe end of the spectrum, I find this offensive.
When my little boy integrated into mainstream kindergarten last year, this was his first time among neurotypical children. In his excitement he was running around and pulling other kids' hair. We worked patiently for months to teach him not to do this. He got it. We are still teaching him to respect other people's spaces (he's better, but not perfect) and listen to other people's no (he's pretty good at that). My little boy is doing much better with the concept of boundaries, but until he is able to consciously control himself 100%, he cannot be integrated in the classroom without full-time aide supervision.
If you would expect no less from a minimally-verbal, moderately-to-severely impacted 5 year old who has had an official diagnosis for most of his life, why are you willing to be lenient towards a charming, friendly adult man who has chaired a Worldcon, is well-known in fandom, is a father, has good friends, writes for Tor, owns a business, - in short, has shown himself competent in complex social situations - just because he might be an Aspie, even though there is absolutely no indication that he might be? Perhaps it would be more convenient for you if he was, because you want to make excuses for him?
And even if he is an Aspie?
If he learned how to run a convention and a business, he can make an effort to learn not to pressure a woman who repeatedly told him no.
I know plenty of people on the spectrum. They make an effort. They might be awkward in public, but they make an effort, because they know there might be an issue with reading cues. But this is not a case of social cues. Valentine told him NO on multiple occasions and he kept pushing and pushing and pushing. By excusing such behaviors with an imaginary and completely unsubstantiated diagnosis, you are doing a huge disservice not only to victims of harassment - you are also strongly othering people on the spectrum who are working so hard to function in a neurotypical society.
You are also doing a disservice to these men, who CAN and SHOULD learn better, but are taught that they can make clever excuses and just keep going.
July 27, 2012
This is what I just sent to the Readercon board
Dear Readercon Board,
I have not yet had a chance to attend Readercon, but my friends have been warmly recommending the convention to me, and I was planning to attend it next year. However, I just learned of your recent decision to ban Genevieve Valentine's harasser only for two years and not for life per your own stated guidelines. I want you to know that this is unacceptable. Your decision makes the space unsafe for women, as well as for differently-gendered people who may fall victim to harrassment; it also shows us that you are willing to retroactively change your own guidelines to pander to a higher-powered person even if that person has just committed a criminal act. Your decision opens the attendees up to further abuses from people who would feel they can get away with only minimal punishment. It reinforces rape culture within our field, and makes all conventions less safe for attendees.
I urge you to reconsider your decision and to render a sincere apology. If you feel unable to do so, I would not be able to attend the convention in the future; I will also warn others away.
Sincerely,
Rose Lemberg,
editor, The Moment of Change (Aqueduct Press)
co-editor, Stone Telling magazine
I have not yet had a chance to attend Readercon, but my friends have been warmly recommending the convention to me, and I was planning to attend it next year. However, I just learned of your recent decision to ban Genevieve Valentine's harasser only for two years and not for life per your own stated guidelines. I want you to know that this is unacceptable. Your decision makes the space unsafe for women, as well as for differently-gendered people who may fall victim to harrassment; it also shows us that you are willing to retroactively change your own guidelines to pander to a higher-powered person even if that person has just committed a criminal act. Your decision opens the attendees up to further abuses from people who would feel they can get away with only minimal punishment. It reinforces rape culture within our field, and makes all conventions less safe for attendees.
I urge you to reconsider your decision and to render a sincere apology. If you feel unable to do so, I would not be able to attend the convention in the future; I will also warn others away.
Sincerely,
Rose Lemberg,
editor, The Moment of Change (Aqueduct Press)
co-editor, Stone Telling magazine
July 26, 2012
Summer 2012 Issue of Goblin Fruit is Live!
So, um, summer Goblin Fruit. When it went live I was on a short hiatus of sorts due to various and sundry health issues. But I read it! Cover to cover! and was seized by Unbearable Editorial and Artistic Jealousy!
First of all, there is a gorgeous art which reminded me of mine, but is vastly BETTER. Also has ships innit. Also you can buy some of this art as hair ornaments, which is, you would hopefully agree, a glorious achievement if only because there is hardly ever any hair jewelry ever, let alone as gorgeous as....
*ahem*
Moving right along.
Then there are the poems, many of which I would love to have grasped in my grubby not-so-little editoral hands.. For example, the ever elusive fat acceptance poem is represented here in glory (by Cassie Premo Steele). And yet another example, if one is needed, is Burnt Lyric by Sofia Samatar. That poem about slew me (Sing La!). There are more poems in there, many that are LONG. Glorious poems.
So go read it, because in my burning firebirdlike jealousy I am just not going to be coherent here. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by
tithenai
at Summer 2012 Issue of Goblin Fruit is Live!The Summer 2012 issue of Goblin Fruit is live! With poems by Edgar Mason, Catt Kingsgrave, Sonya Taaffe, Ingrid Steblea, Cassie Premo Steele, Melissa Frederick, Adrienne J. Odasso, Foz Meadows, Francesca Forrest, CSE Cooney, Ruby Sara, Amanda Reck, Dominik Parisien, Sofia Samatar, and Mari Ness, as well as art by the magnificent Betsie Withey.
Behold!
It is no hyperbole to say that I am in love with this issue.
asakiyume
has aptly demonstrated why that is a perfectly reasonable reaction to have.
A few words about Betsie Withey: I have mentioned her here before, and those of you who attended Wiscon 34 in 2010 may have purchased some of her flower barrettes and headbands. You may also have seen the incredible fibre art dress* that won her a Best in Show award. She's basically completely amazing, and I can't recommend her work enough. I want a garden of things made by her hands.
Also, if you, like me, love knowing about the genesis of poems, you might be interested in checking out CSE Cooney talking about the conception of her first villanelle, or Sonya Taaffe mentioning the inspiration behind her Lyric Fragment.
Enjoy!
*That's Goblin Fruit Assistant Editor Caitlyn A. Paxson modelling that dress. As she does.
First of all, there is a gorgeous art which reminded me of mine, but is vastly BETTER. Also has ships innit. Also you can buy some of this art as hair ornaments, which is, you would hopefully agree, a glorious achievement if only because there is hardly ever any hair jewelry ever, let alone as gorgeous as....
*ahem*
Moving right along.
Then there are the poems, many of which I would love to have grasped in my grubby not-so-little editoral hands.. For example, the ever elusive fat acceptance poem is represented here in glory (by Cassie Premo Steele). And yet another example, if one is needed, is Burnt Lyric by Sofia Samatar. That poem about slew me (Sing La!). There are more poems in there, many that are LONG. Glorious poems.
So go read it, because in my burning firebirdlike jealousy I am just not going to be coherent here. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by
tithenai
at Summer 2012 Issue of Goblin Fruit is Live!The Summer 2012 issue of Goblin Fruit is live! With poems by Edgar Mason, Catt Kingsgrave, Sonya Taaffe, Ingrid Steblea, Cassie Premo Steele, Melissa Frederick, Adrienne J. Odasso, Foz Meadows, Francesca Forrest, CSE Cooney, Ruby Sara, Amanda Reck, Dominik Parisien, Sofia Samatar, and Mari Ness, as well as art by the magnificent Betsie Withey.Behold!
It is no hyperbole to say that I am in love with this issue.
asakiyume
has aptly demonstrated why that is a perfectly reasonable reaction to have.A few words about Betsie Withey: I have mentioned her here before, and those of you who attended Wiscon 34 in 2010 may have purchased some of her flower barrettes and headbands. You may also have seen the incredible fibre art dress* that won her a Best in Show award. She's basically completely amazing, and I can't recommend her work enough. I want a garden of things made by her hands.
Also, if you, like me, love knowing about the genesis of poems, you might be interested in checking out CSE Cooney talking about the conception of her first villanelle, or Sonya Taaffe mentioning the inspiration behind her Lyric Fragment.
Enjoy!
*That's Goblin Fruit Assistant Editor Caitlyn A. Paxson modelling that dress. As she does.
July 19, 2012
Our little talks
I thought this video was amazing. And also a powerful representation of mental illness.
July 11, 2012
Musical service announcement
Apparently Niyaz has a new album, Sumud. I found out today. It is incredible.
And for those who do not know yet but need to know, Värttinä has a new album, Utu.
I hope those who enjoy those things will enjoy them!
And for those who do not know yet but need to know, Värttinä has a new album, Utu.
I hope those who enjoy those things will enjoy them!
