R.B. Lemberg's Blog, page 37

Anti-LGBTQI Legislation in Russia

To illustrate some of the things I've been talking about under lock, about growing up queer in Russia:

 (New York Times)

MOSCOW — St. Petersburg’s legislature passed a law on Wednesday aimed at eliminating what its backers called “propaganda” of homosexuality among minors, prompting fears among gay rights groups of an impending crackdown on their activities as other cities vowed to look into adopting similar measures.

The law, which follows similar legislation passed elsewhere recently, appears to be a reaction to increasingly vocal efforts by gay rights groups, particularly in St. Petersburg and Moscow, to attract attention to the issue.

Vitaly V. Milonov, the law’s principal drafter and an outspoken proponent of Russia’s Orthodox Church, who has referred to gay people as “perverts,” has accused gay rights activists of waging an aggressive campaign of conversion among Russia’s children with the backing of Western governments.

“This is a declaration of Russia’s moral sovereignty,” Mr. Milonov said in televised remarks shortly after Wednesday’s legislative session.

Under the new law, which passed 29 to 5, “public actions directed at the propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism among minors” will be punishable with fines of up to $17,000. The law defines propaganda of homosexuality as “the targeted and uncontrolled dissemination of generally accessible information capable of harming the health and moral and spiritual development of minors,” particularly that which could create “a distorted impression” of “marital relations.

This actually affects me on multiple levels, as this includes research.

To illustrate some of the things I've been talking about

under lock, about growing up queer in Russia:

 (New York Times)

MOSCOW — St. Petersburg’s legislature passed a law on Wednesday aimed at eliminating what its backers called “propaganda” of homosexuality among minors, prompting fears among gay rights groups of an impending crackdown on their activities as other cities vowed to look into adopting similar measures.

The law, which follows similar legislation passed elsewhere recently, appears to be a reaction to increasingly vocal efforts by gay rights groups, particularly in St. Petersburg and Moscow, to attract attention to the issue.

Vitaly V. Milonov, the law’s principal drafter and an outspoken proponent of Russia’s Orthodox Church, who has referred to gay people as “perverts,” has accused gay rights activists of waging an aggressive campaign of conversion among Russia’s children with the backing of Western governments.

“This is a declaration of Russia’s moral sovereignty,” Mr. Milonov said in televised remarks shortly after Wednesday’s legislative session.

Under the new law, which passed 29 to 5, “public actions directed at the propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism among minors” will be punishable with fines of up to $17,000. The law defines propaganda of homosexuality as “the targeted and uncontrolled dissemination of generally accessible information capable of harming the health and moral and spiritual development of minors,” particularly that which could create “a distorted impression” of “marital relations.

This actually affects me on multiple levels, as this includes research.

Help Rose get to Wiscon

Hi everyone. As some of you know, I have been hoping to get to Wiscon this year. to be there and do a series of poetry-related things for the release of the Moment of Change, and the release of the first Stone Bird title (as yet untitled, but it will be a collection of queer poetry from Stone Telling). However, my financial situation does not allow me to go. I have fixed medical expenses connected to my child's disability; as I am the breadwinner in the household, this creates an unstable financial situation for us, where I simply cannot spend this kind of money. I was able to go to WFC last year thanks to my Rannu Fund win, but this is not a recurring situation.

Some kind folks have put my name forward for a Wiscon scholarship, but I have not heard back, and time is running out for me to buy a reasonably priced ticket, register, and register for readings.

With that in mind, I would like to fundraise to cover at least for airfare and registration. If the Wiscon scholarship will come through, that will cover my hotel expenses, and if not, I think I will be able to manage the hotel if everything else is covered. So the minimum I would like to raise is 350$.

If you would like to help, there are two ways for you to  help me raise this money. First is to donate. The donation button is below. Second is to bid on a copy of "The Book of Shapechangers." The auction is also below. Note that I will not, realistically, be able to get to this before mid-May. If you are coming to Wiscon, I will bring your copy with me to Wiscon.

Both the donation drive and the auction will only be here for a few days, until Sunday night. Thank you very much for your help and support!

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The Book of Shapechangers

The Book of Shapechangers is an artist's book, made as an accordion folder consisting of at least four and at most eight pages with block printed images of people who are shapechangers. The images will be printed by hand upon archival quality artist's paper and bound as a hard cover with decorations chosen by me. 

You will be able to choose one of the animals, and I will create a block print accordingly. The other images will be chosen by me. The higher your bid goes, the more images you will get. You can see the style of art you will receive here , as well as my process for creating this art (and please, please make sure you like it, before you bid - I don't want people to be disappointed).

Note: this will be a more modest creation than  hani's book, so please bid accordingly.

An even more important note: The Book of Shapechangers does not exist yet. I have ongoing health issues, so please only bid if you are ok with waiting at least a month (and, realistically speaking, more) until this will materialize.

I will make a maximum of six of those books, so the six highest bidders will be able to get one. Minimum bid is 25$.

If your winning bid will be 50$ or higher, there will be words to accompany your image, though I cannot promise you how many or which kind :)

Bidding is open now, and closes on Sunday., 4th of March, at midnight EST.


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Some good news

The results of the Strange Horizons readers' poll are in, and look! My queer epic poem "In the Third Cycle", about which I have been talking here almost non-stop since I wrote it, is a WINNER!

Among the poets in the poetry top five are alexa_seidel , shweta_narayan and - once again with feeling - shweta_narayan ! 

And looking down the list... I notice that in the Best Article category, fourth place goes to the Mythpunk roundtable with upstart_crow , myself, and the ever-incredible shweta_narayan , tithenai , and alankria .

I am also very happy to see nisi_la 's Pataki place in the fiction category. Nisi also takes second place as columnist! And Karen Joy Fowler takes third place as columnist!

Moving down the list, I spy with my little eye the illustrious Sofia Samatar, who takes third place in the reviewer category.

Dear Team Stone Telling - you ROCK.

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Special thanks to all of you who voted, encouraged, cheered, and read. THANK YOU.

Con or Bust

This is just to remind people about con_or_bust , an auction to help fans of color go to Wiscon and other conferences. This is a wonderful auction that helped many people go to cons which they would not otherwise be able to attend.

I really wanted to offer something, but I physically cannot due to exhaustion and depression. I am hoping to bid on something though, if funds materialize.

Back-ish

1. I'm back, though not yet full-time. If anything happened that you'd like me to know about, please comment - I'd love to get updated.

2. If you haven't yet, please consider voting for your favorite stories, poems, articles, columnists, and reviewers in the Strange Horizons poll. The Cycle is eligible in the poetry category, together with many other fine selections by the poetry editor Sonya Taaffe ( sovay ). I've read most of the Strange Horizons poetry archive when I was reading for MoC, and as a reader, I could not be happier with the editorial change. The poll closes TODAY, so get your votes in!

3. Speaking of closings, submissions for the queer issue of Stone Telling close TOMORROW. Please get your work in, if you haven't yet.

Announcements, and Hiatus

An interview with me went up at Fantastique Unfettered. I talk about Czesław Miłosz, birds, and the secret project for ST7.

The Con or Bust auction is here again, with some pretty amazing offerings. I would offer something, but I can't come up w. anything at the moment, and I am all drained of inspiration. Hopefully, this will pass. But I hope some of you will bid and offer!

Finally: beginning today, I will be off Livejournal for all of next week, and perhaps more. I might still get your comments to this entry, or I might get them after I return. I will still respond to email and deal with Stone Telling slush.

Be well!

So, guys, we need your help.

Originally posted by rose_lemberg at So, guys, we need your help.As you know, we are reading for the Queer issue; and we've been reading it while faced with various life challenges. shweta_narayan has been sick, and moving from the US to Scotland; I've been facing various work-related and health-related setbacks.

Some of you asked how you can help, and thank you for that. So.

The inbox... it is not full.

We received much less than our usual amount of submissions, including for other themed issues. What we received is strong, and a joy to read and consider. But purely from the numerical perspective, there is not enough material, and that is a problem.

From the very inception of ST, we worked hard to bring queer content to readers of speculative poetry (and not just through ST). We want this issue, and we want this issue to shine (and there are further secret plans for this issue!)

But we need your help.

How you can help:

1. Send in your work. If you are not sure if it is queer, or queer enough, please just send it.
2. Spread the word. The more people submit, the better the final product shall be.
3. That's all.

Thank you.

Sekrit art project revealed!

So, umm, there is this shiny new Goblin Fruit. With illustrations by me.

I am no Ollie, of course - but there are owls. And foxes. And an old lady. And ravens (and if Dan can name these ravens, I will tell the Story of the Ravens!!) I even snuck in a firebird. Mostly owls though. Because owls are like that.



Why this makes me happy:

1. It's Goblin Fruit.
2. With owls.
3. I illustrated it!
4. And there is a science fiction poem in it. No, for reals. By csecooney . You need to read it.
4a. I got to read it ages ago due to sneakiness.
4b. It will be reprinted in the Moment of Change.
5.  There is a poem by shweta_narayan in it. And it is heartbreaking. 
6. There is a poem by Sofia Samatar in it, called Qasida of the Ferryman.
6a. And it rhymes.
6b. And I love it.
6c. Mari Ness a veritable crowd of people (including mariness ) is going to have a giglefit over 6b.
7. and there is a poem by mariness in it, and many other fine people, which I am looking forward to reading.
8. I have a bucketful of coffee! (possibly unconnected to previous).

ST Poems

So, I've heard about some Rhysling nominations for ST folks. I am very happy for the ST folks that received a nomination - I think it is wonderful for the poets to get some recognition for their amazing work.

Yet, if you've been reading this journal for any amount of time, you know how mixed my feelings are on the topic of the organization with which the Rhyslings are associated. Yet others, I know, are nominating.

Some amazing, amazing ST poems from 2011 that I think were NOT nominated yet (though I can't be sure; word of mouth here).

So if you are nominating and feel like nominating, here are some great poems for your nominating pleasure:

Sonya Taaffe's Persephone in Hel , short category (nominated for the Pushcart. It is wonderful. And queer.).

Catherynne M. Valente, The Secret of Being a Cowboy, long (also a Pushcart nominee, this one is completely genre-bending!

Nisi Shawl, Transbluency- An Antiprojection Chant. One of the strongest pieces we've ever published I think. This is a prose poem, so not sure about length.

Amal El-Mohtar, Pieces. Short.  Why hasn't this one been nominated yet? (another Pushcart nominee)

Yoon Ha Lee. Immigrants. Short.

Alex Dally MacFarlane. Sung Around Alsar-Scented Fires. Long (and queer)

Tori Truslow, Terrunform. Short (and queer)

Gah, and so many others. We really did have a very strong year.