Tansy Rayner Roberts's Blog, page 170
June 13, 2010
Bring Peter Watts to Aussiecon
Many of you will be familiar with this story already but for anyone who isn't:
Last year Canadian marine biologist and science fiction writer Dr Peter Watts underwent a terrifying ordeal at the hands of over zealous border crossing guards in Port Huron, USA. While leaving the United States on December 8, 2009, he was subject to an exit search, then beaten, maced and arrested when he tried to find out what was going on.
A full account of the incident and what was to f...
Perchance to Dream, Lisa Mantchev
This second volume is the follow up to Lisa Mantchev's delightful and surreal Eyes Like Stars, a YA fantasy set in the literal backstage of the Theatre Illuminata, a place so magical that all the characters of every play ever written can be found on the stage.
Bertie, the theatre foundling who has only just discovered the truth of half her parentage, is on a quest to save Nate, the man she loves. She has ventured outside the theatre for the first time in her life, accompanied by the...
June 12, 2010
Paradise Island and the Steve Trevor Problem
The Wonder Woman Chronicles: Vol. One
This was a ridiculously exciting find – the first ten months or so of Wonder Woman comic stories from her debut in All Star Comics (Dec 1941) and several espionage-themed serials in Sensation Comics, through to the launch of her very own title in the summer of 1942 – all collected in graphic novel form. I was intrigued to see how Wonder Woman was established right from the beginning, as part of my ongoing quest to look at how she has been portrayed over t...
June 11, 2010
Some weekend reading
Mary Anne Mohanraj's excellent WisCon GOH speech about heroism. Her descriptions about the hardships of looking after a small baby, and balancing traditional women's work with your own professional work, which can be struggle even with an enlightened feminist partner, hit home for me in particular. She also talks about educating people on the internet through 101 and RaceFail type discussions, and how hard and painful that can be to do.
An article about the parental leave payments in Sweden ...
June 9, 2010
Anti-Branding and the Gentle Art of Author Promotion
Maureen Johnson has written a great manifesto about how she is not and never intended to become a brand – she elaborates on what's wrong with that way of thinking (which is ultimately self-defeating, authors who get too obsessive about Branding Themselves tend to put potential readers off) and how the best way to promote yourself on the internet is to be genuinely having fun with the platforms you use. Not a new concept – this is something that Jeff VanderMeer among others has written about ...
Galactic Suburbia Episode 9 Show Notes
Another episode of Galactic Suburbia! We talk about magazines, books, authors and conventions, as well as delving into the Hugo Packet. It's on iTunes too! The mp3 download will be available from the site tomorrow.
News
The Realms of Fantasy Letter
And discussion on this as well as some less savoury comments on multicultural fantasy: http://nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com...
http://mishellbaker.wordpress.com/201...
http...
June 7, 2010
Yowie!
Over at the Twelfth Planet Cast you can hear me reading Thoraiya Dyer's great story "Yowie" from the upcoming anthology sprawl. I read this one when GJ first accepted it, and was delighted to be asked to read it. It's a beautiful piece that combines a very Australian mythology with the tough side of suburbia and motherhood, and other kinds of family love. One worth reading/listening to more than once!
Diana Prince: Wonder Woman Vol. 1
I heard about these comics from somewhere and snapped up the first collected volume when I found it in my local library. In 1968, Wonder Woman underwent a major reinvention. All of the elements essential to her character – her powers, costume, and chisel-chinned love interest Steve Trevor, were removed so that Diana could go through a Carnaby Street makeover. Equipped with new martial arts skills, a rugged private eye sidekick, an elderly Chinese mentor and the very latest in hip and...
June 6, 2010
On My iPod: Tracy Hickman on Adventures in SciFi Publishing
I got a rare afternoon to myself today, which I spent driving around and listening to industry podcasts while I got a few shopping type chores done. BLISS!
An exciting development is that Adventures in SciFi Publishing is back – a podcast I have been sorely missing, which seemed to go into retirement the second I discovered it. The new episode features Tracy Hickman, who always provides a compelling interview.
Tracy and his wife Laura are writing a new book, which they are publishing on a...
June 5, 2010
Captain Britain & the Hugo Packet
As you all may have guessed by now, I've been reading my way through the Graphic Novels section of the Hugo packet. It's been a really interesting way for me to get a taste for what is out there, and has been easing me back into graphic novels as a format – already I've been looking beyond this shortlist and picking up other titles from my local library!
But I'm not going to be reading Captain Britain, by Paul Cornell. Which is a shame, because I was looking forward to it. I'm interested...
