Swanwick & Keck

Wed 19 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Swanwick & Keck | Posted by: Gavin

Tonight’s Fantastic Fiction reading at the KGB Bar in NYC will be hosted by Matt Kressel, the man behind the curtain at Senss Five Press (publisher of the zine Sybil’s Garage and a new anthology, Paper Cities). Tonight’s reading, beginning at 7 PM features Michael Swanwick (The Dragons of Babel) and David Keck (In a Time of Treason).


Amtrak question

Tue 18 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | 7 Comments | Posted by: Gavin

OK, so is there an arm of Amtrak (the Amtrak Foundation?) or Rail Canada which gives grants to writers (or, er, indie presses) who want to, just to pick a wild example out the air (or, more appropriately if less of an actual fit, off the land), for instance take the train across the USA, up to Vancouver, and then across to Calgary. (Or at least to Edmonton, since Calgary doesn’t seem to have a train connection.)

It would be great publicity for the train companies….


Synth Loops

Tue 18 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Comments Off on Synth Loops | Posted by: Gavin

This is just fantastic (lifted whole cloth from Bookslut):

Christian Bök performs part of “The Cyborg Opera: Synth Loops” & “The Aria of the 3-Horned Enemy” (from R. Murray Schafer’s The Princess of the Stars). Kamau Brathwaite reads from Born to Slow Horses.


Podcast: Kessel

Thu 13 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Comments Off on Podcast: Kessel | Posted by: Gavin

Here’s John Kessel reading the title story of his new collection:

“The Baum Plan for Financial Independence”

Ex-con Sid and his sometime girlfriend Dot break into a house in the Blue Ridge Mountains and open a door to a world that changes everything.

The Baum Plan for Financial Independence (33:03)

First published in SciFiction.

Updated again with a link to a “sneak preview” of the story in the Raleigh News and Observer.  John will be reading in Raleigh in a couple of weeks: see the events calendar over there on the right (a direction that makes no sense in your blogreader of choice) or here.


Kessel reviewers

Fri 7 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Comments Off on Kessel reviewers | Posted by: Gavin

We are running very low on galleys and won’t have copies of The Baum Plan for Financial Independence for a couple of weeks (see previous post). If any writer, blogger, etc. would like a PDF copy of the book for review, please either email or leave a request in the comments field.


Baum Plans for book stores

Thu 6 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Baum Plans for book stores | Posted by: Gavin

Crowley, Endless ThingsIt’s almost all go on John Kessel’s new collection, The Baum Plan for Financial Independence. The book is at the printer , the proofs have been ok’d, it’s just a matter of ink being lathered onto paper then washed carefully off to leave the notes (or “letters” as John likes to call them) that you can take home and sing. Will the book be ready in time for John’s first reading at Quail Ridge Books? We are on the edges of our seats! (See more of John.)
Will you be able to find The Baum Plan in your local bookshop? Yes! The American Booksellers Association just announced their April bookseller picks and they’ve included Kessel’s book. Here’s what they had to say about this book (and a few others):

THE BAUM PLAN FOR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE and Other Stories by John Kessel
“John Kessel’s writing exists at the edge of things, in the dark corner where the fiction section abuts the science fiction shelves, in the hyphen where magic meets realism. This is one of those too rare short story collections that you can recommend with confidence to both the literary snob and the hard-core computer geek.”
—Rich Rennicks, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC

THE SHADOW YEAR by Jeffrey Ford
“I loved The Shadow Year. In this story of the secrets of a 1960s Long Island suburb, Ford’s writing is hypnotic, as he examines the dark side of living in a small town through the lives of three siblings.”
—Roberta Rubin, The Book Stall At Chestnut Court, Winnetka, IL

Other books on the list include new collections from Jhumpa Lahiri (Unaccustomed Earth) and Kevin Brockmeier (The View from the Seventh Layer); Jack O’Connell’s novel THE RESURRECTIONIST (which has already been highly recommended by a couple of readers we trust); the anthology of the moment, THE NEW WEIRD, edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer; and finally ARMAGEDDON IN RETROSPECT, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Between these and some of the rest of the list, that’s more than a month’s reading. Unless you are a book-a-day monster and then we are green and envious and trying not to be small about it all.

More on The Baum Plan:

There’s a humongous review by Nick Gevers in the March issue of Locus.

Library Thingers (now exploding locally!) your copies of The Baum Plan for Financial Independence are in the mails and may even have arrived. We look forward to your reviews. Maybe there will be copies of Ben Rosenbaum’s collection up for grabs later this spring.

Lunacon: No, we will not be there. However, there will be one copy of Kessel’s book available (along with a CD of John reading the title story) from the Book Exhibit and Raffle: “The funds raised go directly into the Donald A. and Elsie B. Wollheim Memorial Scholarship Fund, which helps beginning SF and fantasy writers attend the Clarion or Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop.” Bid high!Listen to an episode of Starship Sofa featuring John’s story “Buffalo” narrated by James Campanella.

Listen to an episode of Starship Sofa featuring John’s story “Buffalo” narrated by James Campanella.

And lastly here’s what Publishers Weekly thought about the book:

The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Other Stories
John Kessel. Small Beer (www.smallbeerpress.com), $24 (336p) ISBN 978-1-931520-50-8; $16 paper ISBN 978-1-931520-51-5
This nuanced mostly reprint collection, the first in a decade from Nebula winner Kessel (Good News from Outer Space), plays on the theme of a hapless, down-on-his-luck man thrown into extraordinary circumstances. “The Juniper Tree,” the Tiptree-winning “Stories for Men,” “Sunlight or Rock” and “Under the Lunchbox Tree,” all tied to Kessel’s lunar colony sequence, explore the limits placed on a man’s life in a beautiful, woman-dominated city on the barren moon. In “Powerless,” the only story original to the volume, a hapless inventor finally perfects a strange new power generator, destroying his relationships along the way. Paying homage to the classics, “Every Angel Is Terrifying” serves as a sequel to Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” while in “Pride and Prometheus” Mary Bennet meets Victor Frankenstein. These well-crafted stories, full of elegantly drawn characters, deliver a powerful emotional punch. (Apr.)

Powerful, baby, powerful.


Emshwiller hits the Top 20

Wed 5 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Emshwiller hits the Top 20 | Posted by: Gavin

Apropos of the next item, we just bought a hilarious, poignant, excellent story by Carol Emshwiller for the next issue of LCRW. She’s getting to be a regular. We’ve had stories by her in LCRW 8, 19, 21, and even in Trampoline.

Last week the io9 blog picked a list of

The Twenty Science Fiction Novels that Will Change Your Life

which so far has been seen 93,718 times. And one of those novels (which was a pretty good list as lists go) was

The MountThe Mount (2002), by Carol Emshwiller
After human civilization is destroyed by a group of invading aliens, the survivors become the ponies of their new alien overlords. Generations later, our hero is a happy mount to the alien prince, but slowly begins to realize that the life of a pampered pet is not all he wants.

That’s right! It will change your life! Changed ours. Won an award, went back to press, sold some books, sold mass market paperback rights to Penguin, sold to Spain and some other countries. And, oh yes, it is awesome.

More about The Mount:

More about Carol:

  • Carmen Dog, Chapter 1.
  • “Mrs. Jones” from Report to the Men’s Club and Other Stories
  • A letter to Carol Emshwiller from James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon) written in 1975. You can see a scanned version of the letter here or read the letter here.

Date: Up.

Tue 4 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , , | Comments Off on Date: Up. | Posted by: Gavin

Today’s juggling of tasks incomplete landed these few on the ground as done enough for now:

Kelly is one of the readers in a Tin House/excellent indie press night on Thursday at the Dweck Center at the Brooklyn Public Library in Grand Army Plaza with Anne Carson, Brenda Shaughnessy, and Lydia Millet.

Maureen McHugh has some new stories coming up (or at least one in Ellen Datlow’s Del Rey Books of Science Fiction and Fantasy) and maybe she’s working on a novel in between more of those computer game/operas she’s working on. Catch up with her in a Locus interview.

Updated the KGB Fantastic Fiction Reading Series page with some upcoming readers. Yes, you will need to go to the page to see who. Ooh! Unless, of course, it is you, Michael Swanwick or David Keck who is reading this. Some of these readers are more firmly booked than others.

Since we just finished the selections for the next Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror now seemed like a good time to update the page a little. Not much. There really are ghostly gremlins working away to make the site better so until then, hodge and podge are the breakfast, elevensies, lunch, threesies, nibbles, dinner, supper, and midnight feast around here.


PC

Sun 2 Mar 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Comments Off on PC | Posted by: Gavin

In the early 80s metal bands were pretty politically aware. Well, not sure if that’s what Iron Maiden qualify as. Metal, that is. They always seemed like a hard rock band more than heavy metal monsters—despite their predilection for a certain monster, Eddie. Yes, they were part of the New Wave of NWBHM Heavy Metal (could have picked a better acronym than NWBHM), but listen to this lovely pop song (the sound quality on this video is pretty poor) and see what you think.

Hmm. Iron Maiden are playing in LA during BookExpo. Tempting. Haven’t seen them since 1987.

This posted due to someone with a sense of humor giving me a CD of Number of the Beast at some point and me digging it up today while at work. I don’t know how often the CD will be played but it is clean, crisp old-fashioned somewhat-familiar rock’n’roll and is refreshingly noisy. Tomorrow will be time enough for calmer climes.

One funny thing is that I remember most of these songs pretty well (they were used to wake me up when I was 12 so they’re pretty deeply worn into the failing brainpan) except “Total Eclipse.” Without doing further digging to see if I still have a tape of the original album I suspect the reason is that that song may not have made it on to my tape.* Funny. It’s an ok song and there’s some fun Maiden-y time signature change-ups in the second half. Who knows why it didn’t make the cut. Funny to have it now as basically a new 26 y.o. song.

It’s ok Jed, I won’t play it while you’re here.

* Yes, as in taped album (or cassette), rather than something I owned. Naughty? Perhaps. Penurious way to acquire music in pre-internet age? Yes. Sued by record companies at the time? No. Later purchases of music owing a debt to those tapes: quite a lot. RIAA: go sue yourselves out of existence for being so anti-fan.


5 years of this

Tue 26 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | 2 Comments | Posted by: Gavin

(which would be this) will no doubt bring us millions of hits, readers, and dollars. Our plan for wasting all our time on frivolous pursuits is going verrrry well.

Can’t find us? Look up, to the right near Old Radio Fun—who have a nice, easy to read 100% comprehensible message, and lots of fun old shows.


They may not have any feelings

Tue 26 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on They may not have any feelings | Posted by: Gavin

as Mr. Cobain was wont to moan, but it looks like that piece of sushi (or, maybe that fried thing getting in the way of the mushy peas and chips) could count:

Their numerical ability is on a par with that of monkeys, dolphins and children aged between six months and 12 months. “We have provided the first evidence that fish exhibit rudimentary mathematical abilities,” said experimental psychologist Christian Agrillo, of the University of Padova in Italy.

From the whole story on the BBC’s Love Earth(!) site:

… as Agrillo points out: ‘The most interesting thing is that fish performance is very similar to what is observed in adult humans who possess a very limited vocabulary for numbers.’ For example, speakers of the Amazonian language Mundurukú lack words for numbers beyond five. ‘Their limits in quantity tasks closely resemble what we found in pre-verbal organisms such as fish!’ says Agrillo.


Monstrously Bad Sex

Sat 23 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Monstrously Bad Sex | Posted by: Gavin

The Award.


KJF

Wed 20 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Comments Off on KJF | Posted by: Gavin

Inferno CoverKGB reading tonight features many mighty fine writers from Ellen Datlow’s Inferno: P.D. Cacek, John Grant, Jeff Ford, Elizabeth Bear, and Nathan Ballingrud.

Karen Joy Fowler’s new novel is just a fantastic read. More on it when the pub date comes round. There’s a small piece on her worth reading at the NBCC blog.

Border’s have mashed-up (says Ed Nawotka) the real and virtual worlds in their new Ann Arbor store. Looks like fun. Burn a Neko Case CD, download something or other, have a cup of tea, then go buy some books (and maybe LCRW) at Shaman Drum—Mary Doria Russell is on their front page. Now that’s a good bookshop.


Taos, Romania

Tue 19 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Taos, Romania | Posted by: Gavin

Kelly is off on Wednesday to a publishing conference somewhere in Atlanta, then she’ll do a side trip to Athens for something at the uni there.

Here’s an update on teaching from her website — most of these programs are still accepting applications so send them on in if you fancy a couple of weeks in Taos or 6 weeks in San Diego or Brisbane!

  • This semester Kelly is teaching a class at Columbia University, NYC, and one at Smith College, Northampton, MA
  • She is on the pop fiction faculty at the Stonecoast low-residency MFA program at the U. of Southern Maine

Romania: sadly, not a teaching gig. But you can now go read “The Faery Handbag” in Romanian!


Manana we go to Boskone

Fri 15 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Manana we go to Boskone | Posted by: Gavin

Tomorrow we go to the only con named after Bruce Springsteen’s ice cream. We have not been to this Westin Waterfront hotel convention echoing hall of death place (although we have found many such places in the metropolis of Boston, Massachusetts). We will be there 10AM – 6PM and then we shall ride our unicorns into the sunset. Between 10 and 6 we shall Huck, Huck, Huckster! Our table will be filled with goodies beyond either description or compare. (Although some of them will resemble these.)
We will also contribute to the hive-mind’s peregrinations through the following topics:

Kelly Link:

11am Bar: Literary Beer
Walter H. Hunt, Kelly Link

1pm Otis: Do Sweat the Small Stuff: Writing Short Fiction
Versus novels, do short forms let you spend more lapidary time and effort on each detail? Or do you write in a headlong burst? Is it carpentry or sculpture? Do you feel constrained, or cozy? Do you add context or cut fat? If you stop writing before the end, could the fizz leak out? Examples, please.
James Patrick Kelly (m), Kelly Link, Jennifer Pelland

2pm Grand Prefunction: Autographing
 John Langan, Kelly Link, Michael Swanwick, George Zebrowski

3pm Commonwealth A: Good Things Come in Small Packages: The Craft of Short Fiction
 The craft of writing a short story is different from writing a novella or novel. Having fewer words means each word has to be there for a reason. How do pace and characterization differ in a short story? Is a writer forced to decide if the idea is more important than the description? How are those decisions made, and so made, create an effective story, which lingers with the reader?
Beth Bernobich, James Patrick Kelly (m), Kelly Link, Michael Swanwick

Gavin J. Grant:

10am Kaffeeklatsch

2pm The Great Book Covers
Ellen Asher, Gavin Grant, Elaine Isaak, Omar Rayyan, Joe Siclari (M)
Let’s talk about the truly outstanding art that has adorned science fiction, fantasy, and horror books. (By all means, bring and show examples.) How is a cover different from other artworks? Does a great cover always make a great book? Must it always both tell and sell? Do the best covers share any specific elements of content or style? Can a once-great cover go out of fashion?


Happy Spiderwick Day

Thu 14 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Happy Spiderwick Day | Posted by: Gavin

Today most people in the western world are celebrating the 42nd* anniversary of the decimalization of the Australian currency.

Besides reading Garth Nix and Margo Lanagan, drinking some decent wine, and wishing it were summer, we’re also celebrating the release of the Spiderwick movie from the ton of fun books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.

* Pre-decimalization it would have been the 4 pun, twa shillin an sixpence anniversary.


Secret

Wed 13 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Secret | Posted by: Gavin

  1. kessel-hc-lg.gifShouldn’t that be Sekrit? Isn’t that the OED-approved spelling for the web?
  2. Also, is it true that “Two can keep a secret if one of us is dead?

Next: Two actual secrets!

We just sent John Kessel’s collection to the printer so that it will (fingers crossed!) hit its publication date of April 15th (and, cough, the reading the next night at Quail Ridge).

  1. We can’t tell you this yet but it is very nice news for this book!
  2. The hardcover edition has a secret. The front cover (with amazing art by Nathan Huang) looks like this ->
    (very similar to the paperback—although the backside of both are different).
    But. And this is the secret part (if all goes well at the printing plant) the reverse side of the dustjacket will look like this one below. No kidding! Get yours before they run out.

kessel-hc2.gif


Defeated!

Wed 13 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Defeated! | Posted by: Gavin

The weather has done us in and we will not be at the lovely NYC reading tonight: bah!


Library Thing

Mon 4 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Library Thing | Posted by: Gavin

has some copies of John Kessel’s Baum Plan going free—if you wants to gets your hands on a copy before April this is maybe (unless you are a reviewer or movie maker or something) your best chance.


Lazy update without links

Mon 4 Feb 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Lazy update without links | Posted by: Gavin

We are behind! Not you, you paranoiac fool. More along the lines of behind and with you. Or something. Especially if you have sent us something to read. Because there is an awful lot of stuff waiting to be read for

  1. LCRW — we are behind! Will we catch up by the end of the month? Only time will tell!
  2. Small Beer submissions: we are buying a book that came in on a quer, which we think may be the first time we’ve done this. Which means that for now we will keep reading queries. (Unsolicited advice to writers: target those queries!)
  3. The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror: we have decided (as we are the deciders) that we will reprint the 2008 speeches of George W. Bus. No, wait, that’s the horror half. Will check with Ellen and see if she will go for it. Really: we are nearly done reading. Just the damn honorable mentions, introductions, and summary to do. Cough.
  4. Review: Jo Graham’s Black Ships is fun.

Stuff for Bostonians:

  1. Boskone will be going on soon and we will have books for sale. Whoopee, you say, as do we. Maybe we will surprise you and have John Kessel’s book for sale. Just kidding, because we won’t.
  2. Here is something more interesting: go see the Massachusetts Book Awards this Thursday at 1.30 PM on the Grand Staircase at the State House. An event on a staircase has all kinds of possibilities for sweeping entrances, banister hijinks, slips, falls, chandelier swinging, etc.
  3. Vericon: hey, that was a fun convention!

Stuff for New Yorkers:

  1. New York is Book Country has moved their book festival to Sept. 21—the week after the Brooklyn Book Fair (see you there on Sept. 14th). They have booths, not tables so it doesn’t look like we’ll be there.
  2. We will be at Think Cup Cafe on Feb 13 with Carol Emshwiller (who you can also hear tomorrow night with John Langan at the NYRSF reading) with Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, and Veronica Schanoes.
  3. Ok, so we will be at KGB Bar on Feb 20th with everyone in the world, even the seen-it-all Mr. Richard Bowes.
  4. And we might be at The New School on Feb 27th for the Story Prize night: Tessa Hadley, Vincent Lam, and Jim Shepard are up this year.

That, as Mr. Hodgman is wont to say, is all.


Cut the meat

Tue 29 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Cut the meat | Posted by: Gavin

In the NY Times Mark Bittman (who writes the Minimalist column in the Dining sections, is the author of “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” and is not a vegetarian) stumbles over his place in time and refers to “growing meat” instead of raising animals.

That cook book is great—picked it up in Oberlin at (maybe?) Mindfair Books—and it has already seen some use. (Not bad around here where cookbooks can lie around uncracked for centuries.)

However Mr. Bittman must be thinking of the near future when “meat” is grown in vats or tubes or whatever and its production doesn’t involve a slaughterhouse. At the moment when someone eats meat, it’s likely they’re eating one of 10 billion animals (this year) that will cross the definitional line from animal meat on the killing floor.

Hopefully this is thought-provoking stuff:

Americans eat about the same amount of meat as we have for some time, about eight ounces a day, roughly twice the global average. At about 5 percent of the world’s population, we “process” (that is, grow and kill) nearly 10 billion animals a year, more than 15 percent of the world’s total….

…. an estimated 30 percent of the earth’s ice-free land is directly or indirectly involved in livestock production, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, which also estimates that livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gases — more than transportation.

…. Animal welfare may not yet be a major concern, but as the horrors of raising meat in confinement become known, more animal lovers may start to react. And would the world not be a better place were some of the grain we use to grow meat directed instead to feed our fellow human beings?

Real prices of beef, pork and poultry have held steady, perhaps even decreased, for 40 years or more (in part because of grain subsidies)….


AWP in NYC this weekend

Mon 28 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on AWP in NYC this weekend | Posted by: Gavin

We’ll be at the Associated Writing Programs Conference and Bookfair this coming Thursday to Saturday (Hilton New York & Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers on 6th Ave. and 53rd St.).

Here are a few items of interest and so on (some of this info is also on our calendar). The conference is sold out but the book fair is open to the public Saturday 8.30 – 5.30. If you’re in NYC (or nearby) we highly recommend you drop by—not to see us (but sure, come by and say hi to Jed and Gavin and Kelly), but because this will be the biggest small press fair this year this side of the Mississippi. While you might see some of the same people at the Brooklyn Book Fair, there will be a ton of people and presses you’d never normally see. (And just because the bookfair opens at the cruel and unusual time of 8.30 AM doesn’t mean you have to be there then, wait until at least 10 or 11 for the maximum literary crowd experience.)

First thing: we are taking down boxes of returns (most like-new condition) and selling them at 1/2 price. That is 50% off the price agreed upon by the oligopoly of Small Beer Press and Small Beer World Domination, Inc.

There are about a million events going on, a hundred thousand interesting panels, a few bars, and not enough time. See you there—

Thu., Jan 31, 7 PM
Ira Glass Discussion & Signing
Borders
10 Columbus Circle
From the witty first-person fiction radio shows to the acclaimed program on DVD, Ira Glass celebrates the series at Borders.
(This has nothing to do with us, it’s just kind of cool.)

Fri., Feb 1, 10:30 AM — “Reeling Beyond Realism: But to Reel in What?”
Kate Bernheimer, Rikki Ducornet, Brian Evenson, Theodora Goss, Kelly Link, Ken Keegan (moderator)
Sheraton, Lower Level, Executive Conference Center, Rm D

Fri., Feb 1, 2:30 PM — Kelly Link signing at the Best American Fantasy table.

Sat, Feb 2, 11 AM — Delia Sherman & Theodora Goss sign copies of Interfictions,
Small Beer Press
Americas Hall 1, Exhibit Hall, 3rd floor, Hilton

Sat, Feb 2, 2.30 PM — Kelly Link signing
Small Beer Press
Americas Hall 1, Exhibit Hall, 3rd floor, Hilton


Lovely books to be read

Thu 24 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Comments Off on Lovely books to be read | Posted by: Gavin

So we are working away away on this that and the next thing (can only dominate one galaxy at a time due to slower than lightspeed travel. This is an ongoing annoyance. Someone get us the FTL drive, ok?) and in the meantime Good Books Have Appeared! So, hence with the pix (except for the fabulous Matter by Iain M. Banks which has teleported itself somewhere else right now):

P1050863.JPGFirst up is Jeff Ford’s novel The Shadow Year. This is the novel where Jeff’s short story writing skills fully infuse (or liquor up and have fun with) his novel skills. Based on his long story “Botch Town”, it’s an exploration of the unsolved mysteries of childhood. Ford expertly captures the lack-of-knowing that kids spend so much of their time in. Kelly said it better in her blurb:

“Put Jeffrey Ford’s latest novel, a Long Island bildungsroman replete with marvels and monsters, on the shelf with Harper Lee, Lynda Barry, Ray Bradbury, Tobias Wolff. THE SHADOW YEAR is the kind of magic trick writers dream of being able to pull off — Ford evokes the mysteries, the inhabitants, the landscape of childhood briskly, unsentimentally, and with such power that you come away feeling as if someone has opened up a door to another world.”—Kelly Link, author of Stranger Things Happen and Magic for Beginners

P1050868.JPGNext up is a book that promises a ton of fun, Jennifer Stevenson‘s The Brass Bed This is the first book in a three book series which will slipping seductively into bookshops in April, May (The Velvet Chair), and June (The Bearskin Rug). The covers of these—as you can see from this one as it is carefully held up to the light by our intern Meg (thanks Meg!)—are great pieces of retro-sexy design, click through on the titles to see the next two. Lots of people will be reading these come spring.

P1050867.JPGThe third book that just came in is Karen Joy Fowler’s—how can we say this, em, much anticipated?, yes, that would about cover it—novel Wit’s End. Look at that little eye looking in at you. What’s it about? Not telling. Anyway, you don’t care. You’re going to run out and buy it no matter what it is because it’s a new novel by Karen. Whisper along with us: yay.

[Walks away from computer. Wonders whether should add a stage direction such as “Exit Stage Left, Dancing” or “Laptop screen darkens slowly” but refrains.]


A New Logo

Mon 21 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on A New Logo | Posted by: Gavin

http://lcrw.net/images/logo/black-smallbeer3a.jpgWe just received another potential new logo from artist, illustrator, and webguy extraordinaire Theodor Black.

Ok, now we need some beer to go with this label:


The Girl Detective: movies and song

Thu 17 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Comments Off on The Girl Detective: movies and song | Posted by: Gavin

The Girl Detective’s mother is missing.

On Ninth Letter there is an amazing video interpretation of Kelly Link’s story “The Girl Detective” put together by videographers Samuel Copeland, Kelly Cree, Fabiola Elias, Mark Hauge, Andrew Nguyen and Brett Tabolt and narrated by Hannah Gottlieb-Graham. (Parts of it can be seen on youtube: 4, 7, 11, 13.)

And, Uglinessman sent in this mellow and somewhat startling techno/trance song where he samples part of Alex Wilson’s reading of “The Girl Detective”.

You can download the story for free as part of Kelly’s first collection, Stranger Things Happen.


Carol Emshwiller reading and Albany-Schnctady-Troy, NY

Wed 16 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Carol Emshwiller reading and Albany-Schnctady-Troy, NY | Posted by: Gavin

The MountCan someone in the Albany-Schnctady-Troy region of New York explain to us what’s up with the (very nice!) bump in sales of Carol Emshwiller’s The Mount?

We’re very happy and are wondering if a local bookshop has it as a staff pick,or if the whole city is reading it, or it has been assigned to a class or it’s some kind of cruel trick or . . . something?

Also: Carol will be reading in New York City next month:

Wed., Feb 13, 8-10 PM
Carol Emshwiller, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, Veronica Schanoes
Think Coffee, Cup & Pen Presents Small Beer Press
 248 Mercer Street
(between 3rd and 4th streets)
New York, NY
(212) 228-6226

Here’s the most recent sales figures for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY region:

This week: 21
Last week: 14
2 weeks ago: 15
3 weeks ago: 0
4 weeks ago: 15
5 weeks ago: 9
6 weeks ago: 9
8 weeks ago: 6
9 weeks ago: 7
10 weeks ago: 4
11 weeks ago: 0
12 weeks ago: 7


Books Out Loud

Mon 14 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Books Out Loud | Posted by: Gavin

BOOKS OUT LOUD DANCE PARTY!Essentials, a local store of just that, has put together an evening of entertainment which will feature readings, bands, dancing, and a bar. Oh yes, we are so up for that. Discount tickets ($7 instead of $10) can be gotten here.

Books Out Loud Dance Party.

Join essentials, wünderarts, and many more as we celebrate the written word with music, readings, and a whole lot of dancing!

Featuring John Hodgman of The Daily Show and The Areas of My Expertise, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Kelly Link, Rachel Sherman, Ed Skoog, Who Shot Hollywood, and More…

Farm-fresh Food provided by Tabella Restaurant.

When and Where:
From 7:00 pm until 11:00 pm, January 26, 2008 at the American Legion Hall in Hadley, MA. Only a limited number of tickets available so get yours NOW!

Please note: All tickets can be purchased here online, at either essentials locations, and at wünderarts. All tickets are Will-Call and will not be shipped. Please contact us with questions or comments regarding this all-ages literary event.


Episode 6: Mead

Mon 14 Jan 2008 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Comments Off on Episode 6: Mead | Posted by: Michael

A record of my first experiments in brewing that most literary of all beer (though not technically a beer), ambrosia to the Greeks, bal-che to the Mayas, the gold of Midas, the honey-wine of gods and heroes—mead.

Let me just get the obligatory reference to a certain great English epic out of the way, and we’ll get down to business.

Then for Geatish tribesmen, close together all,
Was a bench made ready in the wassail-hall
There the stout-in-spirit went to take their seat
Proud of this their prowess. A henchman did as meet,
Mindful he to bear round the figured ale-tankard,
And pour to each the clear mead. Whiles would sing a bard,
Clear of voice in Heorot. Reveled there the thanes,
A host of happy heroes, Wederfolk and Danes.

For the adventurous: try it in the original.

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