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Second Call: Non-Eurocentric Stories?
Sep. 3rd, 2020 09:25 amI'm still gathering recommendations for favorite non-Eurocentric stories (short, long, written, video...) for my next author newsletter. Comment with your recs!
This issue:
* Tell me your favorite non-Eurocentric stories.
* Report from the Willamette Writers Conference
* Short story acceptance for anthology of spiritual literature
Full newsletter with links and stuff is here.
What Are Your Favorite Non-Eurocentric Stories?
Question of the month: What are your favorite non-Eurocentric stories? This mean stories that are not primarily from a Western Civilization frame of reference. They might be traditional narratives or recent science fiction, acclaimed best sellers or fan fiction. They might even by authors of Eurocentric descent if the story itself is located in a very different worldview (thinking Le Guin here, for example). Comment and I will put together a summary for the next newsletter.
Willamette Writers Conference, 2020
I was privileged to be part of a panel on worldbuilding at this year's Willamette Writers Conference along with Sarina Dorie, Emily Suvada, and Hannah Mann, all of whom had great insights to offer on worldbuilding and creating setting. As an attendee, I was humbled (this word is overused, but here I mean it) to attend the panel on Privilege, Politics, and Cultural Experience with Claudia F. Saleeby Savage, Kimberly Johnson, Shayla Lawson, and Jenny Forrester. I will not tell a lie: this panel brought me to tears, particularly in the midst of my own struggles with how to be an adequate parent as a white person raising two Black kids. The speakers did some useful, if painful, calling out of our own Portland, Oregon as a very racist space, even by white American standards. Well, we white folx have our work to do.
The conference was all online and went off impressively smoothly. My regards to Greg Gerding, Kate Ristau, and everyone who worked so hard to bring this event to life. It was also great to see Curtis Chen again, who I hear tell was attending two conferences at once!
Story Forthcoming in Anthology of Spiritual Literature
I am pleased as punch to announce that my short story "The Descent of the Wind" has been accepted for publication by This Present Former Glory: An Anthology of Honest Spiritual Literature, published by A Game for Good Christians. This quirky organization of Christians has a serious (humorous, and snarky) interest in delving deep into spiritual, Biblical questions; I might describe their tone as irreverently reverent. It feels like a good home for this particular oddball story, and I'm really looking forward to reading the full anthology. I especially want to thank my pastor, Jeanne Randall-Bodman, for her help with navigating the story's Biblical material, and also my dear friend, Z., who gave it a very encouraging read from a Muslim perspective.
* Tell me your favorite non-Eurocentric stories.
* Report from the Willamette Writers Conference
* Short story acceptance for anthology of spiritual literature
Full newsletter with links and stuff is here.
What Are Your Favorite Non-Eurocentric Stories?
Question of the month: What are your favorite non-Eurocentric stories? This mean stories that are not primarily from a Western Civilization frame of reference. They might be traditional narratives or recent science fiction, acclaimed best sellers or fan fiction. They might even by authors of Eurocentric descent if the story itself is located in a very different worldview (thinking Le Guin here, for example). Comment and I will put together a summary for the next newsletter.
Willamette Writers Conference, 2020
I was privileged to be part of a panel on worldbuilding at this year's Willamette Writers Conference along with Sarina Dorie, Emily Suvada, and Hannah Mann, all of whom had great insights to offer on worldbuilding and creating setting. As an attendee, I was humbled (this word is overused, but here I mean it) to attend the panel on Privilege, Politics, and Cultural Experience with Claudia F. Saleeby Savage, Kimberly Johnson, Shayla Lawson, and Jenny Forrester. I will not tell a lie: this panel brought me to tears, particularly in the midst of my own struggles with how to be an adequate parent as a white person raising two Black kids. The speakers did some useful, if painful, calling out of our own Portland, Oregon as a very racist space, even by white American standards. Well, we white folx have our work to do.
The conference was all online and went off impressively smoothly. My regards to Greg Gerding, Kate Ristau, and everyone who worked so hard to bring this event to life. It was also great to see Curtis Chen again, who I hear tell was attending two conferences at once!
Story Forthcoming in Anthology of Spiritual Literature
I am pleased as punch to announce that my short story "The Descent of the Wind" has been accepted for publication by This Present Former Glory: An Anthology of Honest Spiritual Literature, published by A Game for Good Christians. This quirky organization of Christians has a serious (humorous, and snarky) interest in delving deep into spiritual, Biblical questions; I might describe their tone as irreverently reverent. It feels like a good home for this particular oddball story, and I'm really looking forward to reading the full anthology. I especially want to thank my pastor, Jeanne Randall-Bodman, for her help with navigating the story's Biblical material, and also my dear friend, Z., who gave it a very encouraging read from a Muslim perspective.
Let's Have a Blake's 7 Reboot. Why Not?
Jul. 20th, 2020 09:26 pmFor my July author newsletter, I've given up trying to be cool and am embracing the voices in my head, which means—what else?—I'm going to write about Blake's 7 and why it's finally time for a reboot! [Newsletter essay posted here.] For the uninitiated, Blake's 7 is a 1970s BBC space opera about a band of freedom fighters striving to overthrow the totalitarian Terran Federation. Long beloved for its mature themes and fantastic characters, Blake's 7 has been teased for a sequel or reboot since the 1990s, an idea most fans detested. "They'll ruin it," they chorused (probably rightly). For years now, the reboot has been moribund. But I contend the time has come. Our current moment opens up fascinating possibilities for modernizing the show's wrenching social commentary.
(Extremely light series spoilers follow.)
To me as an American viewer, one of the show's most interesting worldbuilding aspects is class privilege, the depiction of which, I suspect, is partly intentional and partly just the BBC in the 1970s. The Federation is caste-constructed society, with grades ranging from Alpha to (at least) Delta. It is notable that Blake's revolution against the Federation is led Federation Alphas. Of series regulars, five characters (Blake, Avon, Jenna, Tarrant, and Dayna) are strongly suggested to be Alphas, leaving only four to represent all other people (Cally, Vila, Gan, and Soolin). (I am not counting the series' three computers.) Of these four, Cally is a foreigner (alien); Vila is explicitly a Delta; Gan's grade is not stated but he seems accustomed to taking orders, which leads me to conjecture he's not an Alpha. Soolin originates as a farmer from the provinces and may or may not have a Federation grade.
By and large, the Alphas are the leaders. Blake, Avon, and Jenna dominate the pecking order in the first two seasons. With Blake and Jenna gone missing, Avon, Tarrant, and Dayna dominate it in the third season, with Soolin becoming a strong presence in the fourth. Cally is a strong, self-motivated character but shows little penchant for ordering others. With a couple of notable exceptions, Gan is a follower, and Vila is, to some degree, dismissed or scorned by everyone, though Blake is pretty decent to him.
So the elites lead a revolt to overthrow the elites. It's reminiscent of the centrality of the bourgeois to the French Revolution or the landed (often slaveholding) gentry to the American Revolution. This centrality of privilege is fascinating—and probably due to the dynamics of British class—feels natural and realistic in all its muddled complexity. But perhaps for the same reason, the series does not really unpack it. It's there, but it's rarely explicitly noted. ( Read more... )
But let me know what you think, B7 fans. Do you agree?
(Extremely light series spoilers follow.)
To me as an American viewer, one of the show's most interesting worldbuilding aspects is class privilege, the depiction of which, I suspect, is partly intentional and partly just the BBC in the 1970s. The Federation is caste-constructed society, with grades ranging from Alpha to (at least) Delta. It is notable that Blake's revolution against the Federation is led Federation Alphas. Of series regulars, five characters (Blake, Avon, Jenna, Tarrant, and Dayna) are strongly suggested to be Alphas, leaving only four to represent all other people (Cally, Vila, Gan, and Soolin). (I am not counting the series' three computers.) Of these four, Cally is a foreigner (alien); Vila is explicitly a Delta; Gan's grade is not stated but he seems accustomed to taking orders, which leads me to conjecture he's not an Alpha. Soolin originates as a farmer from the provinces and may or may not have a Federation grade.
By and large, the Alphas are the leaders. Blake, Avon, and Jenna dominate the pecking order in the first two seasons. With Blake and Jenna gone missing, Avon, Tarrant, and Dayna dominate it in the third season, with Soolin becoming a strong presence in the fourth. Cally is a strong, self-motivated character but shows little penchant for ordering others. With a couple of notable exceptions, Gan is a follower, and Vila is, to some degree, dismissed or scorned by everyone, though Blake is pretty decent to him.
So the elites lead a revolt to overthrow the elites. It's reminiscent of the centrality of the bourgeois to the French Revolution or the landed (often slaveholding) gentry to the American Revolution. This centrality of privilege is fascinating—and probably due to the dynamics of British class—feels natural and realistic in all its muddled complexity. But perhaps for the same reason, the series does not really unpack it. It's there, but it's rarely explicitly noted. ( Read more... )
But let me know what you think, B7 fans. Do you agree?
Belated Author News for June, 2020
Jun. 23rd, 2020 03:21 pmVery belated June newsletter is out here.
It is my attempt to add something (anything) useful to the renewed call that Black Lives Matter, and in this little corner of the conversation, I'm emphasizing the richness of African diasporic creativity with recommendations for...
* Keita: The Heritage of the Griot (film)
* The Epic of Sunjata (which Keita draws heavily on)
* Octavia's Brood: Afro-Futurist anthology
* The amazing music of the Haitian band, Boukman Eksperyans.
(Links at the newsletter linked above.)
This may not seem directly relevant to police reform--and Lord knows we need that conversation--but I wanted to signal boost these works because I firmly believe that one of the most powerful long-term ways to empower a group of people to replace belittling associations about them with positive, empowering ones. African diasporic cultures do not get this positive representation nearly enough. Black Panther, I think, did a lot of good, but it'll take a lot more.
In other news, I've actually had many ideas about things I want to post on DW but, thus far, no time. My teaching term just ended, and I'm trying to catch up, catch breath, and blaze through the year's worth of creative writing I'll have the next month and a half to accomplish before school ramps up again. Hopefully, there will be some DW posting and reading in there.
It is my attempt to add something (anything) useful to the renewed call that Black Lives Matter, and in this little corner of the conversation, I'm emphasizing the richness of African diasporic creativity with recommendations for...
* Keita: The Heritage of the Griot (film)
* The Epic of Sunjata (which Keita draws heavily on)
* Octavia's Brood: Afro-Futurist anthology
* The amazing music of the Haitian band, Boukman Eksperyans.
(Links at the newsletter linked above.)
This may not seem directly relevant to police reform--and Lord knows we need that conversation--but I wanted to signal boost these works because I firmly believe that one of the most powerful long-term ways to empower a group of people to replace belittling associations about them with positive, empowering ones. African diasporic cultures do not get this positive representation nearly enough. Black Panther, I think, did a lot of good, but it'll take a lot more.
In other news, I've actually had many ideas about things I want to post on DW but, thus far, no time. My teaching term just ended, and I'm trying to catch up, catch breath, and blaze through the year's worth of creative writing I'll have the next month and a half to accomplish before school ramps up again. Hopefully, there will be some DW posting and reading in there.
This newsletter is just a list of announcements (no feature):
* Sunlight Press is seeking submissions about light and hope.
* Contemporary Verse 2 is seeking submission about whether there is hope.
* I will present on writing realistic utopias at the Compose Writers conference next Saturday.
All details be here.
I do think there's hope, though at times it's hard to see. But one thing that will be necessary to achieving it is raising taxes on the rich, including on wealth (not just income) and corporations. Civilization can't survive by fighting for table scraps. My hopeful thought of the day!
* Sunlight Press is seeking submissions about light and hope.
* Contemporary Verse 2 is seeking submission about whether there is hope.
* I will present on writing realistic utopias at the Compose Writers conference next Saturday.
All details be here.
I do think there's hope, though at times it's hard to see. But one thing that will be necessary to achieving it is raising taxes on the rich, including on wealth (not just income) and corporations. Civilization can't survive by fighting for table scraps. My hopeful thought of the day!
The newsletter is here.
Here's an excerpt:
Welcome to the coronavirus edition. I hope you are safe and well, and I’ll spare you the advice to wash to hands and socially distance because you’ve heard it. But with the hope of better societies at the back of my mind, I want to talk about the social fissures this pandemic exposes. It’s been great for our global emissions, but we will lose all those gains when industry starts up again. The fact that plunging the world into a catastrophic economic downturn is the best thing in living memory for our short-term emissions ought to be a wake-up call. Pitting our economic system against ecological reality is a lose-lose proposition, leading to mass extinction, starvation, disease, war, xenophobia, etc. Our current rupture in the capitalist economy is an ideal time to start planning for sustainable systems to replace it—not to replace all private enterprise, mind, but to replace a system that values only growth of capital at any cost. Christopher Wright and Daniel Nyberg offer some alternatives (summed up here in book review form), as does this article from Deutsche Welle. Let's move forward now to a more stable, livable future.
Also my spring term Writing to Sustain Hope class in Portland should go forward, but it might be postponed or moved online. More info. to come.
Here's an excerpt:
Welcome to the coronavirus edition. I hope you are safe and well, and I’ll spare you the advice to wash to hands and socially distance because you’ve heard it. But with the hope of better societies at the back of my mind, I want to talk about the social fissures this pandemic exposes. It’s been great for our global emissions, but we will lose all those gains when industry starts up again. The fact that plunging the world into a catastrophic economic downturn is the best thing in living memory for our short-term emissions ought to be a wake-up call. Pitting our economic system against ecological reality is a lose-lose proposition, leading to mass extinction, starvation, disease, war, xenophobia, etc. Our current rupture in the capitalist economy is an ideal time to start planning for sustainable systems to replace it—not to replace all private enterprise, mind, but to replace a system that values only growth of capital at any cost. Christopher Wright and Daniel Nyberg offer some alternatives (summed up here in book review form), as does this article from Deutsche Welle. Let's move forward now to a more stable, livable future.
Also my spring term Writing to Sustain Hope class in Portland should go forward, but it might be postponed or moved online. More info. to come.
Author Newsletter - February 2020
Feb. 17th, 2020 05:19 pmHighlights from my Author Newsletter
On Seeking Cultural Consulting
One of the puzzlements for a white writer in this age is how to walk the line between writing works that are too Eurocentric and appropriating the culture of a group you don’t belong to. I’ve pondered this for years while my writing hovered semi-safely in the Continuation Universe, a far-future setting not strong connected to particular Earth cultures—though its bones are very Western. Lately, however, I’ve started writing short stories that engage directly with real societies. To that end, I’ve begun to reach out for cultural consulting services, an emerging best practice for writing outside one’s own demographic groups.
As I write this, I’m in the midst of negotiating to obtain consulting from Tribal groups near my home town. Oh my. Butting up against indigenous experience never ceases to be humbling. And I don’t mean “humbling” in the sense we use today of feeling honored by our inclusion in awesome group, no. I mean “humbling” like being rudely knocked off the pedestal of my privilege and brought up against the reality that no matter how aware, respectful, and progressive I attempt to be, I remain drenched in my own self-importance. They don’t trust me. They are not impressed that I want to learn. They are not impressed that I want to pay. My people have already taken too much. My family owns ten acres of their land. Yet they have expressed some willingness to meet with me and further assess my motives. That’s an open door, a start. I hope—I believe—it can be the start of something good, though with every step I stumble as if it were the first.
[Edit: The day after I sent this out to my mailing list, I got a very nice, encouraging call from a different Tribal organization, the moral being don't overgeneralize, I guess. That means of gotten responses from three out of three places I contacted, which I am really grateful for.]
BookPod Interview Is Live
Thanks to Ben and Sarah Nadler for the chance to appear on their Bookpod podcast, where I read from and discuss my first novel, Perdita, a far future eco-sci fi tale of pro-tech and anti-tech forces tangling over how to address a dangerous new technology.
Book Rec: Ninefox Gambit
I want to recommend Yoon Ha Lee’s Ninefox Gambit. The far-future sci-fi military adventure novel is not new. It’s from the ancient days of 2016 and is the first in a series. But if you missed the initial hype of its Hugo and Nebula nominations, consider checking it out now. It has perhaps the strong worldbuilding from an Asian sensibility that I have ever seen. In fact, the only other book that comes to mind with such nuanced and plausible far-future worldbuilding based largely on Asia is Dune, which focuses on Muslim and Hindu influences. Lee focuses on Korean and Confucian influences, both deeply and creatively.
On Seeking Cultural Consulting
One of the puzzlements for a white writer in this age is how to walk the line between writing works that are too Eurocentric and appropriating the culture of a group you don’t belong to. I’ve pondered this for years while my writing hovered semi-safely in the Continuation Universe, a far-future setting not strong connected to particular Earth cultures—though its bones are very Western. Lately, however, I’ve started writing short stories that engage directly with real societies. To that end, I’ve begun to reach out for cultural consulting services, an emerging best practice for writing outside one’s own demographic groups.
As I write this, I’m in the midst of negotiating to obtain consulting from Tribal groups near my home town. Oh my. Butting up against indigenous experience never ceases to be humbling. And I don’t mean “humbling” in the sense we use today of feeling honored by our inclusion in awesome group, no. I mean “humbling” like being rudely knocked off the pedestal of my privilege and brought up against the reality that no matter how aware, respectful, and progressive I attempt to be, I remain drenched in my own self-importance. They don’t trust me. They are not impressed that I want to learn. They are not impressed that I want to pay. My people have already taken too much. My family owns ten acres of their land. Yet they have expressed some willingness to meet with me and further assess my motives. That’s an open door, a start. I hope—I believe—it can be the start of something good, though with every step I stumble as if it were the first.
[Edit: The day after I sent this out to my mailing list, I got a very nice, encouraging call from a different Tribal organization, the moral being don't overgeneralize, I guess. That means of gotten responses from three out of three places I contacted, which I am really grateful for.]
BookPod Interview Is Live
Thanks to Ben and Sarah Nadler for the chance to appear on their Bookpod podcast, where I read from and discuss my first novel, Perdita, a far future eco-sci fi tale of pro-tech and anti-tech forces tangling over how to address a dangerous new technology.
Book Rec: Ninefox Gambit
I want to recommend Yoon Ha Lee’s Ninefox Gambit. The far-future sci-fi military adventure novel is not new. It’s from the ancient days of 2016 and is the first in a series. But if you missed the initial hype of its Hugo and Nebula nominations, consider checking it out now. It has perhaps the strong worldbuilding from an Asian sensibility that I have ever seen. In fact, the only other book that comes to mind with such nuanced and plausible far-future worldbuilding based largely on Asia is Dune, which focuses on Muslim and Hindu influences. Lee focuses on Korean and Confucian influences, both deeply and creatively.
Writing to Sustain Hope
Happy New Year! After a jam-packed fall term, it’s been a relief to have a slower winter break and a little time to reflect. While I’m still enthusiastic about Workable Utopias, which launched this newsletter, I’ve moving toward a focus on the rhetoric of "hope." The word “utopia” carries complicated and negative connotations, and while it's worth reclaiming, it’s not always necessary to fight that battle. Moreover, we’re in no danger of achieving utopia—even ambiguously—anytime soon. What we do need right now, though, is hope. Indeed, how to find and sustain hope in the slow apocalypse of climate crisis is arguably the defining issue of our age. Without it, human society will collapse, but with it, even a collapsed society may re-learn how to live.
And so my science fiction writing, my scholarly writing, and my teaching are all bending toward hope. I mean a genuine hope, not a frivolous lie that things will be “all right” or an imaginary golden age can be recovered, but a determination to see the good and find ways to heal. I have a couple of upcoming hope-related workshops in the works, and will report in due course.
Report from Jolabokaflod PDX
I had a wonderful time this past December at the Jolabokaflod book festival, based on the Icelandic new year’s tradition. Hosted by Nordic Northwest, the event was just the right size to be cozy but bring in a good number of people. Many thanks to Margaret Pinard for developing and executing this project. I had a blast tabling with Arthur Smid, who kindly helped me workshop my focus for my upcoming Writing to Sustain Hope class. (The title is his wording, in fact.) It was also very gratifying to meet Monica Bourgeau, author of The Change Code: A Practical Guide to Making a Difference in a Polarized World, just the sort of hands-on approach to making positive change we so profoundly need right now.
Pay Raise at Clark College: It's All Connected
The delay in my newsletter this month has largely been due to my union, the Clark College Association of Higher Education, going on strike, which was exhausting, nervewracking, and exhilarating, and culminated in our ratifying to a good contract with significant pay increases for both full-time and part-time faculty. (I’m part time.) Aside from distracting me from writing this newsletter, the pay raise may not seem directly connected my life as a writer. But really it’s all connected. While I’m still underpaid as adjunct, I now have more leeway for things like paying editors, attending workshops, and so on. One open door opens another. And that’s one reason equity is always important.
Happy New Year! After a jam-packed fall term, it’s been a relief to have a slower winter break and a little time to reflect. While I’m still enthusiastic about Workable Utopias, which launched this newsletter, I’ve moving toward a focus on the rhetoric of "hope." The word “utopia” carries complicated and negative connotations, and while it's worth reclaiming, it’s not always necessary to fight that battle. Moreover, we’re in no danger of achieving utopia—even ambiguously—anytime soon. What we do need right now, though, is hope. Indeed, how to find and sustain hope in the slow apocalypse of climate crisis is arguably the defining issue of our age. Without it, human society will collapse, but with it, even a collapsed society may re-learn how to live.
And so my science fiction writing, my scholarly writing, and my teaching are all bending toward hope. I mean a genuine hope, not a frivolous lie that things will be “all right” or an imaginary golden age can be recovered, but a determination to see the good and find ways to heal. I have a couple of upcoming hope-related workshops in the works, and will report in due course.
Report from Jolabokaflod PDX
I had a wonderful time this past December at the Jolabokaflod book festival, based on the Icelandic new year’s tradition. Hosted by Nordic Northwest, the event was just the right size to be cozy but bring in a good number of people. Many thanks to Margaret Pinard for developing and executing this project. I had a blast tabling with Arthur Smid, who kindly helped me workshop my focus for my upcoming Writing to Sustain Hope class. (The title is his wording, in fact.) It was also very gratifying to meet Monica Bourgeau, author of The Change Code: A Practical Guide to Making a Difference in a Polarized World, just the sort of hands-on approach to making positive change we so profoundly need right now.
Pay Raise at Clark College: It's All Connected
The delay in my newsletter this month has largely been due to my union, the Clark College Association of Higher Education, going on strike, which was exhausting, nervewracking, and exhilarating, and culminated in our ratifying to a good contract with significant pay increases for both full-time and part-time faculty. (I’m part time.) Aside from distracting me from writing this newsletter, the pay raise may not seem directly connected my life as a writer. But really it’s all connected. While I’m still underpaid as adjunct, I now have more leeway for things like paying editors, attending workshops, and so on. One open door opens another. And that’s one reason equity is always important.
Emerging from burial under an exhausting, invigorating, warp-speed teaching term, I have so much news to catch up on! Prepare for snippets that deserve more space. This issue...
* Spoon Knife 4: A Neurodivergent Guide to Spacetime
* Jolabokaflod PDX Book Festival This December
* Book-Pod Podcast
* Anarres Project: Just Futures Symposium
* Positive Dystopia
* Thoughts on OryCon
Click here for a version of this newsletter that's better formatted and stuff.
Short Neurodivergent SF Story Published
My short story “Veils and Gifts” has been published in Spoon Knife 4: Neurodivergent Guide to Spacetime, on sale now. The anthology’s theme is neurodivergent queer characters involved with time travel. Astoundingly, the backstory to my indie film The Eater fit the bill. So here it is: everything the world's three and a half Eater fans ever wanted to know about how that giant, derelict ship got out there! Plus a diverse array of neurodivergent, queer time travel adventures!
Jolabokaflod PDX Book Festival Is Coming
Jolabokaflod PDX is festival in the Icelandic tradition of ushing in the new year with good books. I will be tabling there with Arthur Smid, December 28, 2:30-5:30 p.m. at Nordic Northwest, 8800 SE Olesen Rd., Portland, OR 97223. Thanks to Margaret Pinard (Twitter @ tastelifetwice) for holding the event!( Read more... )
* Spoon Knife 4: A Neurodivergent Guide to Spacetime
* Jolabokaflod PDX Book Festival This December
* Book-Pod Podcast
* Anarres Project: Just Futures Symposium
* Positive Dystopia
* Thoughts on OryCon
Click here for a version of this newsletter that's better formatted and stuff.
Short Neurodivergent SF Story Published
My short story “Veils and Gifts” has been published in Spoon Knife 4: Neurodivergent Guide to Spacetime, on sale now. The anthology’s theme is neurodivergent queer characters involved with time travel. Astoundingly, the backstory to my indie film The Eater fit the bill. So here it is: everything the world's three and a half Eater fans ever wanted to know about how that giant, derelict ship got out there! Plus a diverse array of neurodivergent, queer time travel adventures!
Jolabokaflod PDX Book Festival Is Coming
Jolabokaflod PDX is festival in the Icelandic tradition of ushing in the new year with good books. I will be tabling there with Arthur Smid, December 28, 2:30-5:30 p.m. at Nordic Northwest, 8800 SE Olesen Rd., Portland, OR 97223. Thanks to Margaret Pinard (Twitter @ tastelifetwice) for holding the event!( Read more... )
Fall 2019 Workable Utopias Newsletter
Sep. 6th, 2019 08:10 amThe Big News: I'm switching from a quarterly newsletter to a monthly author newsletter. It will still cover lots of utopia stuff. Read the full newsletter HERE.
Also in this issue:
* Free ebook giveaway in September for Arthur Smid's techno-utopian sci-fi novel, You Will Win the Future.
* Indie book sale, featuring my sci-fi novels Perdita and The Hour before Morning Sunday, Sept. 8, 11 a.m. at Kairos Milwaukie Church near Portland, Oregon, an open and affirming progressive church: 50% of proceeds to benefit church.
* I have a lovely new website design, featuring this great photo by Nate Rayfield.
Also in this issue:
* Free ebook giveaway in September for Arthur Smid's techno-utopian sci-fi novel, You Will Win the Future.
* Indie book sale, featuring my sci-fi novels Perdita and The Hour before Morning Sunday, Sept. 8, 11 a.m. at Kairos Milwaukie Church near Portland, Oregon, an open and affirming progressive church: 50% of proceeds to benefit church.
* I have a lovely new website design, featuring this great photo by Nate Rayfield.
