Ellen Datlow's Blog, page 74

Poe Poe Poe

I'll be offline from tomorrow morning through Monday morning while I attend the funeral of Edgar Allan Poe in Baltimore and give a eulogy to him for the two services Sunday. So don't be shocked if I don't respond to email or show up anywhere online :-).

I'll be catching up Monday morning.

Birth of a baby elephant

It's bloody and icky so be warned, but it's marvelous to see Riski the elephant being born

via jezebel

Why Science Fiction Authors Just Can't Win

John Howell hits the various nails on their heads with Why Science Fiction Authors Just Can't Win

A little late via Stalking Cyberspace

FTC makes an ass of itself

This interview with someone from the FTC demonstrates the ignorance of the FTC when it comes to book publishing and book reviewing:

The new rule, which you might have heard about, is regarding those who blog about items for which they receive review copies (books are only one of the types of material received and of course are a drop in the bucket compared to tech products:

Interview with FTC's Richard Cleland

via Charles Tan

Twists of the Tale new review at Book Slut

I'm very pleased that the reissue from Wildside is still getting reviews. Here's a terrific one from Colleen Mondor of Book Slut along with reviews of some other fine new titles in her column, Bradbury Season.

Imitation of Life

I watched Douglas Sirk's last movie, Imitation of Life (based on a novel by Fannie Hurst) over the weekend. I remember my mother giving me a quickie outline of the plot when I was a kid (as she did with all the original Twilight Zone episodes on too late for me to watch).

It's a very interesting melodrama (made in 1959) that begins in 1947. It's about two single mothers, one white and widowed who has come to New York to become an actress and one black (I don't recall being told what happened ...

Honorable Mentions for Best Horror of the Year volume one

Here's the list of those that made it into the book itself and then at the bottom there is a link to the Nightshade message board which shows all 531 other HMs:


Allan, Nina "Ryman's Suitcase," A Thread of Truth.
Allen, Mike "deathmask," Helix: A Speculative Fiction Quarterly, winter.
Avery, Simon "101 Ways to Leave Paris," Crimewave, Now you See Me 10.
Barron, Laird "The Occultation," Clockwork Phoenix.
Bear, Elizabeth and Monette, Sarah "Boojum," Fast Ships, Black Sails.
Bestwick, Simon "The Sc...

Tails of Wonder and Imagination is finished and handed in

Here's the final Table of Contents (in final order) The book should be out early in 2010.


Table of Contents


Through the Looking Glass (excerpt) Lewis Carroll

No Heaven Will Not Ever Heaven Be… A. R. Morlan

The Price Neil Gaiman

Dark Eyes, Faith, and Devotion Charles de Lint

Not Waving Michael Marshall Smith

Catch Ray Vukcevich

The Manticore Spell Jeffrey Ford

Catskin Kelly Link

Mieze Corrects an Incomplete Representat...

Cybils, the children's and young adult bloggers' literary awards

Nominations are open to the public and unless I'm mistaken, anthologies are eligible--which mean's Troll's Eye View would be eligible in the middle grade fiction and science fiction and fantasy divisions:

Cybils, the children's and young adult bloggers' literary awards

Sending a message to GOP Minority Leader John Boehner

I quote this entire from pds_lit

Ya know, morons seem to be everywhere. Take for instance the GOP Minority Leader John Boehner who told a reporter:

"I'm still trying to find the first American to talk to who's in favor of the public option, other than a member of Congress or a member of the administration. I've not talked one and I get to a lot of places. I've not had anyone come up to me -- I know I'm inviting them -- and lobby for the public option. This is about as unpopular as a garlic mi...