Matthew Lang's Blog, page 18
May 1, 2011
MCV Review: The Secret of Talmor Manor
If you grab a copy of MCV this week, you'll find a review of The Secret of Talmor Manor inside of it.
'Pick up a work of gay fiction these days and you're usually reading a novel about jaded, cashed-up yuppies, who talk about little more than which nightclub has the cutest busboys. But in The Secret of Talmor Manor, Melbourne writer Matthew Lang has tried something more ambitious than this 'his 'n' his towels and matching labradoodles' approach to gay men's lives.
"The Secret of Talmor Manor is bursting with imagination and intelligence. It's a fantasy novel, a gothic mystery and a work of modern gay fiction rolled into one.' (Read the full review online here).
You can read an excerpt from the novel here, and don't forget you can still enter the Goodreads Competition for an autographed copy of the book–details in the last post.
Buy links:
eBook: PDF, EPUB, PRC (Kindle Compatible) — MLR Press
Paperback Edition — Amazon.com
April 28, 2011
And the People's Choice Award goes to…
I made my first foray into the world of open mic speaking today, at the People's Choice and Poetry Night of the Williamstown Literary Festival, which kicks off it's event program on Saturday. They event turned out to be a combination of the People's Choice Prose event and the Poetry in the Pub event that was started last year, and they held it at the Pirate's Tavern, which turned out to be very hard to find. It was hidden away behind Seaworks, which is a community based corporation which aims to retain and restore our maritime history. Even showing up for a 7 PM start (and arriving around 6:40), this is Australia in winter, and the sun had been down for a good forty five minutes at least. I remember being on Nelson Place, but I knew to actually get there we had to go down a side street because the Tavern was around the back. So I turned down Ann Street, which was dark, and virtually unlit, and found a sign pointing in behind Seaworks, and drove in. And couldn't see anything but an almost empty parking lot. I was wondering if I was in the wrong place when another car pulled in an a little old lady stepped out. So I would down the window and asked her if it was the right place–and it was.
We just had to go through another gate into a different unlit carpark and turn left.
Despite the difficulties getting there (which I assume a lot of other people faced as well), there was probably fifty or sixty people there, including eighteen writers performing their work (ten poets and eight prose writers). It was fantastic to be able to listen to some great writing, and see some old friends (and as it turns out, some new ones), perform their work.
We were given a time limit of 3 minutes, so I performed a little piece called Raisins and Cheese, which is basically a retelling of a conversation I overheard years ago going on at the back of a double decker bus in Hong Kong, at a time before everyone had a mobile phone. It's fairy accurate retelling of the original conversation (complete with a valley girl accent), and naturally fell into the style of Dr. Seuss.
Once all the writers had read their work, the audience cast one vote for their favourite author or work. Then the votes were tallied and the winner (and runner up) announced, along with their cash prizes. For prose, it was announced that only one vote separated the two frontrunners.
Turns out raisins and cheese is more popular than you'd first think. And no, I didn't vote for myself.
I want to say thank you to everyone who came along to present their work and everyone who voted. I'd also like to extend my thanks to the board of the Williamstown Literary Festival for creating the event. If you haven't checked out their program, I strongly suggest you do so. They have a range of events, chats and workshops, and some great guests like Carmel Bird, Shaun Micallef and Corinne Grant. I understand there's still a number of tickets left, so be sure to have a look.
April 27, 2011
You can't stop the beat!
Better late than never, and as a kind of anniversary thing, I went to see Hairspray the Musical today (well, technically last night, but whatevs, I'm still really happy and pumped), with my partner and my NaNo friend Mousie. And it was fantastic. Worth the wait, given I was working through the entire summer, and I now want that set. I am seriously in love with the Hairspray set. I want those amazing, amazing screens that they used for animated backgrounds. If you haven't seen it, go see it. It's about to head to Sydney, but is around for another three days in Melbourne, and I'm sure it'll tour Australia eventually, so make sure you catch it. Interestingly, I think Heath Keating from So You Think You Can Dance Australia has joined the cast. Last time I checked he was doing dance shows at ARQ in Sydney for the gay boys. Possibly they did some recasting for the Sydney season.
I have to say, after the movie, well, I wish they'd been able to work in 'Ladies' Choice', because it's an awesome song, but seeing the theatrical version… I now want the Broadway soundtrack, and I can see how the songs fit together on stage. If nothing else, see this show before Trevor Ashley leaves the cast, because he is amazing as Edna Turnblad.
We also had NotNaNo drinks which was attended by quite a few people who I haven't seen since the end of November, and I am so missing them right now. Need to do some more catch ups. Maybe not every week, but every month or so would be nice. Bring on November already, I want more NaNo!
In other interesting news, I've opened talks with the Melbourne Rainbow Band about having some music available at my book launch. I'm hoping to turn it into a bit of a community fundraiser, possibly for the ALSO Foundation, and I've already got one visual artist on board for a charity auction, and hopefully I can get at least one more. I'll post more once I get some more details nailed down, but that's going to have to wait until after the weekend…I've got the Williamstown Literary Festival to get through first! Fingers crossed it all goes well!
April 20, 2011
The Secret of Talmor Manor: Reviews!
I'm rather excited at the moment! Some of the first reviews for The Secret of Talmor Manor have come in and it's not doing too badly! But don't take my word for it–take theirs:
Golden Nib Award at Miz Love Loves Books
"This book is bloody brilliant. It has great writing, humour, a superb plot that weaves its way into your heart and mind, and a fabulous ending.
I loved the historical aspect and lapped up the visuals when Jake visits Talmor Manor in his dreams. The quality of visuals in his dream-like state are nothing short of marvellous—it's creepy in a way, yet at the same time it's like Jake is meant to be there so it's okay. I smelled the musty air, saw the dark feel of the place, and absolutely adored the scene with the cook who made Jake some food. God, I really did like this book very much. There's so much to talk about that I could go on all day…" (read the full review at Miz Love Loves Books)
4 out of 5 stars at The Romance Reviews
"Spare a thought for Nathaniel Norwich. One moment, he's an Edwardian lord whose manor has become imprisoned by a witch's spell, and the next moment he's landed on Jake's living-room carpet in modern-day Melbourne. Oh, and he never thought he was gay. A tangled web?" (read the full review at The Romance Reviews)
In case you missed it, The Secret of Talmor Manor is available from:
eBook: PDF, EPUB, PRC (Kindle Compatible) — MLR Press
Paperback Edition — Amazon.com
Don't forget you can still enter the Goodreads Competition for an autographed copy of the book–details in the last post.
April 13, 2011
Win an Autographed copy of The Secret of Talmor Manor
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Secret of Talmor Manor
by Matthew Lang
Giveaway ends May 19, 2011.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Yes this is open to international entries 
Good luck!
Matt
April 12, 2011
I'm in Southern Star
I was very excited to find out I was in Southern Star Magazine this past week. I'm on page nine and talking a bit about writing and The Secret of Talmor Manor, funnily enough.
You can read the entire issue online here, or you can just click the image below to read the whole thing!
April 7, 2011
Get into Genre: Romance
It's officially been organised and given a title and everything! Want to get into the writing game? Come check out the genre panels at the Emerging Writers' Festival. I don't know the details of all of them, but I can tell you about this one, because I'm on it!
Writing genre fiction? Get into Genre is an opportunity to talk to writers and professionals from romance, young adult, speculative fiction and crime fiction backgrounds about how they got started in their field and the challenges and opportunities of their writing forms. All sessions are interactive, so you can ask the questions you want answers to.
6pm-7pm, Wednesday 1 June
Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing & Ideas, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Appearing on the panel are:
Haylee Kerans (of Harlequin Australia)
Matthew Lang
Stephanie Laurens
Meredith Tucker-Evans (Host)
So…yeah. That's the rest of the panel and hope to see some of you there!
March 28, 2011
Apple Update–learnings, findings and news
So on the 22nd of March, Apple quietly pulled the Exodus International 'gay cure' app from its App Store. This means that Apple pulled the app 5 weeks after it was initially made available (on the 15th of February) and about one week after the app sparked major controversy, leading to a 150,000 strong petition against it at change.org.
Over the course of many online and offline conversations I've had with people around the issue a number of things have come to my attention which I feel should probably be shared. Firstly, and most importantly, Apple was not making any money off the Exodus App, which was a free app and contained no in app purchase/donation options. This suggests that either approving the app was an unintentional mistake or an attempt to pander to the conservative (well, fundamentalist) Christian market.
If the latter is the case, I can understand (but do not like) the idea that it makes 'business' sense to attempt to court two diametrically opposed markets if that is possible. I also see nothing intrinsically wrong with doing so, assuming that such service (in terms of selling to and customer service) can be done ethically. My issues really come to the fore when one group attacks another and a corporation bills that as being acceptable (or inoffensive) on the basis of trying to maintain a relationship with the group doing the attacks. I should also note that one of the main reasons I object to Exodus is that their arguments are based on misinformation and the twisting of scientific knowledge to the point where the authors of that knowledge object to them doing so. If a gay person made an informed decision, based on factually accurate information, that he or she wanted to go through a 'gay conversion' program, religious based or not, I wouldn't like it, but if there was no duress and the information considered was all appropriately represented by all sides, I would have to respect their decision to try.
This leads on to the first option of this possibly being a mistake. To date there has been no statement or apology from Apple addressing the app or the removal of the app (if you have seen one or see one later, please let me know), and if was a mistake, I would have to ask what Apple plans to do about the fact that its 'mistake' led to the dissemination of misinformation deliberately created to lead people into a dangerous, unregulated program run by amateurs and unlicensed individuals. Given the known danger such misinformation can have on vulnerable individuals, I still don't see that just saying 'sorry' is enough. If a weak apology is all Apple can muster (assuming one comes) then I don't see how its actions as a corporation are anything more than an exploitative attempt to court the gay market for its business where convenient but refusing to take action where its actions could be endangering the people it happily takes money off. This is what, for me, would make inaction now speak more than it's support of gay marriage in California in 2009, although not every person (gay or not) will make that distinction. Supporting gay marriage is a rallying cry, it's good positive publicity (assuming it doesn't stop the Christians buying Apple's products). Helping those suffering through depression and identity issues, is probably even more worthy, but it's not a positive, uplifting, anthem and it would also risk drawing attention to Apple's mistakes (something it has been consistently avoiding), as well as raising the ire of the fundamentalist Christian groups.
From a cynical marketing perspective, the fundamentalist Christians tend to be more organised than the gay community, largely because they have a hierarchical leadership structure and they tend to follow orders. The gay community is a disparate group of people who tend to not have leaders or follow orders. If I was making a bet on reactions, I would bet it's easier to offend the gay community and get away with it (in terms of them still buying your product) then offending the fundamentalist Christian leaders. It is primarily for this reason that I don't believe it likely that Apple will do anything more than a low key apology for their 'mistake'. A large proportion of the press are hailing the removal of the app with 'Thank you Apple' and 'you've done the right thing' which to me is missing the point. That's just saying 'well, we'll stop doing something bad, but we won't do anything about the impact our actions will have had'. And it's true that it would be difficult or even impossible to define the scope of Apple's direct impact, or even for Apple to find and help those it will have exposed to harm, but using that as an excuse to not to anything is wrong. Even addressing the issue for those currently at risk is something I would consider to indicate genuine consideration and remorse for Apple's actions. A plain apology at this point, would read as the path of best marketing policy to keep the status quo alive.
In other news, Apple is suing Amazon.com over trademark infringement. To whit, it's new Amazon App Store.
March 21, 2011
banQuet 2012 call for submissions
banQuet 2012: A feast of new writing and art by Australian Queer Women & banQuet 2012: A feast of new writing and art by Australian Queer Men
The anthologies showcase a broad range of innovative, engaging quality writings and art by emerging and established queer writers/artists about LGBTIQ sex and sexualities.
Challenge and surprise us. Introduce us to your complex and flawed queer protagonists and antagonists. Take us for a ride on the seamy side of LGBTIQ lives! We'd love to look at writings and art about queers falling in and out of bed or love!
banQuetpress supports community diversity.
Submission Guidelines
banQuetpress will only accept original, previously unpublished material. Please do not submit material that is being concurrently considered elsewhere.
Maximum of three pieces per author/artist.
Submission Deadline: Friday, 3 June 2011
Word Length: up to 5000 words
Art / Graphics / Images: one or a few cells/photos/images
Short Fiction Guidelines
Well-crafted, well-written engaging short fiction – short stories, flash-fiction, etc.
A range of genres, erotica preferred for 2012 edition
Scenarios and themes primarily focussed on LGBTIQ lives
Non-Fiction Guidelines
Well-crafted, well-written and accurately researched short non-fiction
Ideas, issues and information primarily focussed on LGBTIQ erotica, sexualities
Reviews and academic essays not accepted
Comic Art / Graphics / Photography Guidelines
Comic art – One or a few cells/photos
Scenarios, issues and themes primarily focussed on LGBTIQ erotica, sexualities
Material that can be effectively reproduced/published in B/W
Resolution quality at least 300dpi
Style / Formatting Guideline
Submit a "clean" manuscript – that is, a manuscript that has been edited for accuracy and clarity in communication, as well as proof-read for typos. (Works accepted for publication will undergo a full editing and proof-reading process; however, your submission must demonstrate your professionalism as a writer/artist).
Cover sheet with your legal name (essential), pen name (if applicable), title and word count on it only
Name must not appear anywhere on manuscript and artwork (only on cover)
MS Word document
JPEG document for graphics
Document Filename should include title of the work
Standard 12 point Arial font
Double spacing
Numbered pages
Cover Sheet – Author / Artist Details
Please include a cover sheet with the following information:
Legal name (essential) and pen name (if applicable)
Contact details: address, phone, email
An author/artist biography paragraph (up to 150 words)
A declaration of originality/authenticity (one per submission). For example: 'My short story [title] is original work produced by me [name] and has not been previously published and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. Signed, [type in your name].'
Submission Contact Details / Receipt / Notification
Electronic submissions only by email as an attachment to: admin@banquetpress.com
Acknowledgement of receipt of your submission will be by email
You will be notified by late July concerning the status of your submission
Copyright
Copyright will remain with you, the author/artist
Once the work has been published in banQuet, you are free to reprint it elsewhere
Please acknowledge that the work was first published in banQuet in any subsequent reprint of the particular work.
Acknowledgement / Payment
At this stage, banQuet is unable to pay you, but offers:
One complementary copy of the publication
Inclusion of author/artist paragraph biog (including contact details if you wish) in 'About the Contributors' section
An invitation to the publication launch – writer's and reader's event
Promotion of the anthology
Invitations to participate in spoken word performances held by banQuetpress
March 20, 2011
Reasons I don't like Apple #642
All right, I haven't really gone through and numbered my reasons for disliking Apple or Apple's products, but I've never made any bones about not liking Apple's products or companies, for reasons ranging from a lack of hardware customisation options in their desktop PCs to their incredibly high price points, to their attempts to retain customers by implementing technological barriers. Now there's a new reason: they're perfectly willing to support homophobia and homosexual 'reprogramming'.
Article reproduced below:
Apple 'gay-cure' app severely slappedJobs forced to choose between Christian chums and gay BFF
By Jane Fae Ozimek 18th March
Apple is today accused of anti-gay discrimination, following the release of an iPhone app that aims to help people find "freedom from homosexuality".
A petition has been launched by Truth Wins Out, which describes itself as a non-profit organisation that fights anti-gay religious extremism on the change.org website, asking Steve Jobs to intervene to remove the app. The app is the work of the Exodus International ministry.
In a letter which those supporting their petition sign up to receive, they write: "Apple has long been a friend of the LGBT community, opposing California's Proposition 8, removing the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration iPhone app, and earning a 100% score from the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.
"I am shocked that this same company has given the green light to an app from a notoriously anti-gay organization like Exodus International that uses scare tactics, misinformation, stereotypes and distortions of LGBT life to recruit clients, endorses the use of so-called 'reparative therapy' to 'change' the sexual orientation of their clients."
According to TWO, "reparative therapy" has been roundly condemned by every major professional medical organisation. The petition launched last week and has already attracted some 17,000 signatures: however, as word of the app spreads, the rate at which individuals are signing up appears to be snowballing.
Exodus International claims to be "the world's largest ministry to individuals and families impacted by homosexuality". On its site, Exodus states that it "upholds heterosexuality as God's creative intent for humanity, and subsequently views homosexual expression as outside of God's will".
Their new smartphone app was released last week and is "now available through iTunes". According to Exodus, this app has received a 4+ rating from Apple and "applications in this category contain no objectionable material". They conclude: "This application is designed to be a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders."
TWO are unimpressed. Describing the app as "unacceptable", and requesting its immediate removal, they warn Apple: "Your company would never allow a racist or anti-Semitic app to be sold in the iTunes store, and for good reason. Apple's approval of the anti-gay Exodus International app represents a double standard for the LGBT community with potentially devastating consequences for our youth."
We have asked Apple whether it intends to take any action in respect of this app, but so far have received no response.
Unfortunately for Apple, it may shortly have to chose between offending its Christian base and its gay base. Both have significant spending power, and we suspect this is an issue it would rather just went away.
However, when faced with a similar issue last November, after an app was created around the Manhattan Declaration which is hostile to gay marriage, Apple came down on the side of gay rights and removed the app.
~*~
So what does this history tell us? It suggests to me that Apple as a corporation either believes that homosexuality is a curable disease, or they're perfectly okay with allowing people to treat it as such if it turns them a quick buck selling apps. Jane Ozimek notes that Apple has two very powerful customer bases in the form of the GLBT community and the conservative Christian community (although the latter is something I find very surprising). Her article suggests that Apple has allowed anti-gay apps through in the past (whether by mistake or otherwise) before removing them. However, I find it very telling that the Exodus app received a rating of 4 from Apple itself, which indicates that in Apple's view, the app contained no objectionable content.
This means that either someone who was authorised to speak on Apple's behalf finds nothing objectionable about spreading homophobia and endorsing misinformation about homosexuality, or that Apple as a corporation is banking on the hope that they can take the app down soon, apologise, and in the meantime make money off sales of the app to it's Christian customer base not caring about the negative social impact or consequences it's money grabbing tactics can have on at risk individuals.
Either way, I am unimpressed. If it is the former, then I question how it is that Apple either has a corporate culture and set of values that endorses homophobia, or how Apple's spokesperson guidelines were so insufficient as to allow an individual authorised spokesperson to make such a statement. If it is the latter, then I question the ethics of both Apple as a business, and the individual consumer in supporting such a business that clearly puts making a small profit above the sexual equality, anti-discrimination and corporate social responsibility.
It is entirely possible that Apple is banking on the fact that it can beg forgiveness continually while continuing to pursue either a homophobic agenda or supporting the homophobic agenda of others to make a quick buck in the window of opportunity between publishing an app, and apologising and pulling it down. Regardless of which option is reflective of the truth, I do not see Apple as a company worth supporting, or forgiving.
From this point forward I am officially boycotting Apple's products. Not because I don't approve of their pricing or don't like their products. I am boycotting Apple because they are either homophobic or exploiting homophobia for profit–actually, I think exploiting homophobia for profit is the same thing as being homophobic. In the past I have said "I don't like Apple's products, but if they made something I was convinced was amazing, I'd buy it". This is no longer the case. Until I am convinced that Apple will not support or attempt to profit off homophobia in any way, I will never buy any Apple product, no matter how amazing it may be.
I invite you to join me.
