- The MacArthur Genius grants for 2018 have just been announced. And once again I have been cruelly snubbed simply for not doing anything of any particular note. The system is rigged, I tells ya!
- A good (for certain very depressing values of “good”) essay on why people are getting poorer without necessarily losing money. (from this MetaFilter post)
- Some mad genius has posted over 13,000 playable Commodore 64 programs to the Internet Archive. I would like to hereby apologize to any and all personal responsibilities which existed up to this moment. They will be missed.
- Latest catch-all thread on Metafilter.
- A compelling list of up-and-coming Asian writers, courtesy of LitHub.
- Charles Stross put a post up on his blog asking his readers to come up with story ideas which nobody seems to have done yet. Or more specifically, What are the current blind spots in SF? The (1,000+) comments and ideas therein are very much worth reading.
Books and Broadsides
Another week, another collection of new reading material. This post is exceptional for reasons I will get to in a moment, but first: the books. Starting at the upper left, is issue 7.1 of Storm Cellar Quarterly, which I picked up for research as a possible venue for submitting poetry. Next is Passing by Nella Larsen, published by Restless Books but not part of my subscription. Restless is doing some seriously good work in bringing forgotten and underrepresented voices into public awareness. Next is the easiness and the loneliness, poetry by Asta Olivia Nordenhof, from my subscription to Open Letter Books.
The bottom row is my reward for backing a Kickstarter campaign from Copper Canyon Press to publish Ursula Le Guin’s last collection of poetry, So Far So Good. Next to that is a broadside of her poem “July”, and on the right side is a special-edition reprint of one of Le Guin’s early collections, Wild Angels.
Le Guin didn’t come into my awareness as a poet until many years after I began reading her fiction, so when this Kickstarter appeared shortly after she passed away I jumped at the opportunity. Copper Canyon continually turns out superlative work and in this they have done justice to the final collection of a magnificent writer.
New Books and a New Subscription
This was an excellent week for The Library at Winkelman Abbey. First up is the latest issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, followed by the latest issue of Apex Magazine. Both of these are the results of successful Kickstarter campaigns. Next are the two latest books (Tentacle by Rita Indiana, Slip of a Fish by Amy Arnold) from my subscription to And Other Stories. On the top right is Ink by Sabrina Vourvoulias, from Rosarium Publishing.
The entire bottom row is my first shipment from Ugly Duckling Presse, to whom I subscribed back in July when I had a little extra money and no immediate household needs. From left to right they are Orange by Christine Herzer, Wolfman Librarian by Filip Marinovich, This Window Makes Me Feel by Robert Fitterman, Feeling Upon Arrival by Saretta Morgan, Defense of the Idol by Omar Cáceres, and Dear Angel of Death by Simone White. All are poetry, and all are beautiful editions of beautiful writing.
Once again, this week’s haul is made up entirely of books from independent publishers. Save for Ink, all are part of annual subscriptions. If Rosarium ever offers a subscription to their catalog, I will be the FIRST in line to purchase one.
Mount Tsundoku Grows Apace
Last week brought a small pile of books. On the left is Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation, which I picked up as research material for an upcoming anthology submission. The second, Scarborough, was recommended to me by my girlfriend, and on quick glance looks like it will be a fantastic, emotional read. Celadon is collection of poetry by my friend (and 3288 Review contributor!) Ian Haight. Checkpoint is the most recent arrival through my subscription to Restless Books.
Bonus note: all four of these are published by indie publishing houses!
One day I will be retired or otherwise unemployed, and on that day my pile of unread books will start to shrink. Or more likely, continue to grow at a slower pace.
Links and Notes for the Week of September 23, 2018
- The New Yorker’s first stab at the Canon of the 21st Century.
- After Man. An appreciation.
- 14 Writers Imprisoned for Their Work.
- Tor has posted its excellent lists of October genre releases:
- 31 Movies Based on Short Stories.
A Small Pile of New Books
Another light week for new acquisitions, but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality.
On the left is Paternus: Wrath of Gods by Dyrk Ashton. This is the sequel to the fantastic Paternus: Rise of Gods, which I finished back in the middle of summer.
On the right is American Fictionary by Dubravka Ugresic, the most recent delivery from Open Letter Books. I am now well into my third year of subscribing to Open Letter, and my only regret is that my reading time is so limited that I will likely never catch up with the ever-growing stack.
Links and Notes for the Week of September 9, 2018
- Pitchfork just posted a list of the Top 200 Albums of the 1980s. They also included a Spotify list for your listening pleasure.
- The National Book Awards longlist has just been published. Once again, I have been unreasonably snubbed simply because I have not written a book. Is that fair?
- Categorizing Types of American Religious Belief. Which is to say, cataloging how Americans believe as much as what they believe.
- For all you Twitter users out there who want Twitter as YOU want it, not as Twitter wants it, user realtwitter.com. No algorithms, no likes or follows or replies. Pure chronological order of first-level tweets.
More Books for the Library
This was a good week for books! A little over half of them (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) are from publishers to whose catalogs I subscribe. A couple (2, 11) are from Kickstarters, one (1) is for research for an upcoming call for submissions, and the last (10) is just because it is an interesting title on an interesting subject.
Links and Notes for the Week of September 2, 2018
- Having recently visited San Francisco for the first time, I found this essay particularly compelling: HAGS In Your Face: A People’s History of the Legendary San Francisco Dyke Gang. Michelle Tea is a superb writer. I read her semi-autobiographical story Black Wave while on a work trip to Sacramento back in 2017.
- Tor.com asks, Who are the Forgotten Greats of Science Fiction? I expect this list will expand as time goes on. It is in the nature of things to be forgotten.
- What would a socialist America look like?
- An overview, description and explanation of Late Capitalism, from the always-excellent Midwest Socialism.
- Metafilter has added a new post containing links and discussion of the deranged and pathetic reign of Daddy Issues Donnie.
Some New Reading Material
Here are the latest books and magazines to arrive at my house. From left, Amazing Stories, Girl Genius: Kings and Wizards and The Paris Review.
Amazing Stories and Girl Genius came from Kickstarter campaigns, and I have a years-old subscription to The Paris Review