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I have been working on getting ready for an event that is very unique. Something I have not yet done as a creator. It is a night market that is a part of a fire arts event. Just crazy fun stuff. Fire spinning, fashion show, bands, djs, and artist market.
You can find the information here and I'll share some photos of some of the things I'll have for sale! You should come!
Spell on Wheels, Vol. 1 by Kate Leth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a tremendous little story. Just what we need. A group of smart, confident witches who use their brains and sarcasm to defeat their adversaries. Teasing each other for their odd quirks(One has a crush on a satyr) and standing together when faced with truths about their pasts and not putting up with one iota of sexism even if it is coming from a famous (has-been) painter. Looking forward to more.
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Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Laini Taylor has written some of my favorite Teen books out there. I re-read Daughter of Smoke and Bone just a few months ago and loved it as much as I did the first time. Strange the Dreamer is a wondrous story of unique ideas and colorful visuals that fill your mind with vivid scenes. Her main characters being star-crossed is one of her themes and she delivers the bittersweet joy of such so well(also writes fabulous kissing scenes). Lazlo is officially my new crush having moved on from Akiva (though I will still always love him). She is quite good at interweaving complex subjects such as prejudice, rape, and religion (to name a few) into her stories and all the grey areas they inhabit without being preachy or trite. I really look forward to the next book because this one ends with quite the unfolding story....
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You reach a point when you suddenly realize you are starting to measure things in decades. You are generally surprised by such revelations, and as you awake to this startling bit of information it occurs to you that perhaps you may be living in another dimension of time that normal people do not exist in because it doesn’t feel like the years are dragging by without magic or anything remarkable happening, that you are in fact, not headed for the dreaded mid-life crisis. (Of course, there is also the possibility that you’ve just been living your life in mid-life crisis mode all along and as such you don’t have to acknowledge or deal with any sort of grown up activity short of showing up to work and keeping the minimum amount of bills paid so you can throw parties on a semi-regular basis).
I am at this point where I am looking around noticing that I’ve been doing certain things for a while. My blog just went past 500 posts, I am well on my way to having sold 600 individual, unique pieces of handmade jewelry, I’ve produced hundreds of thousands of words of creative writing, I’ve hosted hundreds of social gatherings, large and small, and I’ve been attending Convergence for 18 years (or as I recently heard someone describe it -- Burning Man for nerds).
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the convention and I was genuinely surprised to learn this fact. It has me reflecting on the many years that have passed, how each one has been a singular experience, and coming to the evolving conclusion that I’ve actually learned things about myself and others from attending this Sci-Fi/Fantasy hoedown.
I only missed the first year of the convention. I didn’t know the cities well yet, nor did I know any people here really. The handful of acquaintances that I did have thought such things were beneath them and as such I would often keep my preferences to myself, just going along with whatever they wanted to do (never a good idea as you spend countless hours bored out of your mind at baseball games and mediocre concerts) (remember: I’m a geek and a darksider-sports bore the crap out of me). I enter the “dating scene” (for you kids this is when you go out into the world to bars, clubs and various public places to awkwardly meet people and on occasion make the dubious decision to give someone your phone number-which they would then call you. On the phone. To Talk. I know-weird-and likely the way humans do it now by app is a better use of your time). I had been out of it for a while and was only really deciding what I was looking for and one of those things I made up my mind about was that I was not going to date anyone who didn’t at least respect my love for Sci-fi/Fantasy. I was done being shamed and made to feel like an idiot because of my tastes and quite frankly, realizing that my self-esteem was so low at the time that I let people manipulate me into pretending to enjoy things I didn’t was getting frustrating. You spend a lot of your young adult life recovering from trauma that you don’t even realize that you are suffering from, so giving up the things that made life better just gets to a point where it is not worth it anymore.
One fateful afternoon as I was dipping my toe into the shallow end of the pool of things I liked by using the internet to look up stuff I could buy on eBay that I was quite sure I needed to collect, I stumbled upon an advertisement for an event in which the Guest of Honor was going to be Neil Gaiman.
Now, I had read his work a few years before that and had adored it, but never in my young, wildest dreams had it occurred to me that at the time he was working and living around Minnesota/Wisconsin.
So I put the event on the calendar.
I showed up to this hotel in St. Paul on a particularly sweaty afternoon and bought a badge that had some sort of image of Trinity from the Matrix on it. I had no real idea what to make of what was happening around me as the very first thing I encountered was people in costumes. And I don’t mean your ordinary run-of-the-mill Halloween costume. I mean a full-on -I doubt I could tell if you were in the movie or just pretending to be- handmade piece of artistic craft. I was beyond impressed. I meandered about the hotel a bit having no real clue what to do and went to sit in a room where Neil would be reading and talking.
About 25-30 people joined me at some point and then the writers showed up. It was delightful to say the least. Neil was engaging and afterwards sat at the table to sign books and that weekend I went to every panel he was on and they also included writers Emma Bull and Will Shetterly talking to and speaking with some of the most nervous, geeky, flustered and shy nerds (including a girl who informed Neil she didn’t find him especially creative and he was just a total sweetheart to her and rather agreed that she was right) I have encountered and I was so, so very happy.
I was taken underwing by a few people and shown around parties that included Klingons and futuristic cityscapes, a concert by the Flash Girls and having my first real conversation with writers I truly admired. And under the non-stop lightning and unrelenting thunder of a Minnesota summer storm-I made the plan to attend the next year……more to come….including how Convergence helped me deal with the death of my mother….
My original set though I had to drop a couple of songs due to time constraints. Includes source material. Pretty awesome and looking forward to doing it again.
Yellow Flicker Beat performed by Lorde from the movie Mockingjay Part. 1 based on the novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
#1 Crush -Garbage from the movie Romeo & Juliet, story by William Shakespeare
In Your Grave -Jaymes Bullet from the movie Vampire Academy based on the books in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
I Want You to Want Me performed by Letters to Cleo from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You adapted from The Taming of The Shrew by Shakespeare
Kids in America- The Muffs from the movie Clueless an adaptation of the book Emma by Jane Austen (also recently featured in Riverdale)
Hush performed by Kula Shaker from the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer based on the book by Lois Duncan
Let’s Do It-Joan Jett & Paul Westerberg from the movie Tank Girl based on the comics series Tank Girl by Jamie Hewlett & Alan Martin
It’s On Again by Alicia Keys (featuring Kendrick Lamar) from the movie The Amazing Spiderman 2 based on the comic series created by Stan Lee
Backdoor Lover performed by “Du Jour” from the movie Josie and the Pussycats based on the comics created by Dan DeCarlo
Poker Face performed by Lady Gaga from the movie the Lightening Thief from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Obsession performed by Sky Ferreira from the show The Vampire Diaries based on the book series created by L. J. Smith
Choosing Dauntless by Junkie XL featuring Ellie Goulding from the movie Divergent based on the book series by Veronica Roth
Into the Lair performed by Zedd from the movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones based on the book series by Cassandra Clare
Tea Party performed by Kerli from the movie Through the Looking Glass based on the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Brand New Day performed by Diana Ross and Micheal Jackson from the movie The Wiz based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book series by L. Frank Baum
Be Our Guest performed by Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Gugu Mbatha-Raw from the movie Beauty and the Beast based on the book La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Other Father Song performed by They Might Be Giants from the movie Coraline based on the book by Neil Gaiman
Kings and Queens and Vagabonds performed by Ellem from the show Reign inspired by the Young Royals Series by Carolyn Meyer
Breath of Life performed by Florence and the Machine from the movie Snow White and the Huntsman based on the fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm
Once Upon a Dream performed by Lana Del Rey from the movie Maleficent based on the stories La Belle au bois Dormant by Charles Perrault and Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm
We’ve covered some heavy stuff in the last few days and Young Adult books are not all doom and gloom, so let’s talk about…HAHA Just Kidding-Yes they are! It just isn’t always nuclear war doom and gloom. Sometimes it’s dramatic, sexy, and yes everyone lives in a nice house and drives a nice car somehow even though nobody actually works doom and gloom-VAMPIRES! I generally think in the supernatural world you pick a side-zombies or vampires-and I most assuredly fall into vampires. In fact, it got to the point that I was reading so many vampire books I asked my friends and co-workers to stage an intervention if they saw me pick up one more.
What can you do? You read Lost Souls (Poppy Z. Brite) when you’re 15 and that’s that. And no one show or movie over the last twenty years can fill the role of drama and sexy quite like the Vampire Diaries.
The original books were first published in the early 90’s when Vampire stories were having something of a renaissance. Author LJ Smith created the series, which is set in a little place called Fell’s Church. When the rights were picked up for the show they decided to change the name of the town to Mystic Falls because the producers did not like the religious implications of the first name. (Mystic Falls is actually Covington, Georgia, where the series is filmed. That almost changed a few years ago when anti-gay rights legislation was set to be signed by the governor, but enough companies threatened to leave that the bill was dropped). Not too far into the show being filmed, author LJ Smith was fired from writing her own series after two decades because the television producers did not like the direction she was taking the story. This took a strange turn of events when the author turned to fan fiction to finish the storyline, and fans started to boycott her previous publishers and made her stories best sellers on Kindle Words. Fast forward 8 seasons and the Vampire Diaries has turned into one of the most successful vampire franchises out there, and includes another very popular spinoff: The Originals. (I somewhat prefer this one because I have a soft spot for stories set in New Orleans, because of course.)
The Vampire Diaries has all the trappings of escapist, young adult fantasy. Attractive 20-somethings playing teenagers, a mysterious small town steeped in folklore, what little evidence there is of parents of any kind is evidenced by their children discovering their long-hidden secrets of the supernatural and shenanigans from eras past, real life co-stars caught up in love triangles, being able to get up to anything at any time all while looking dashing, and last but certainly not least, a song attached to it that is instantly recognizable if you have even accidentally seen an advertisement for the show.
Forever undecided between who to spend eternity with (which is something we all seem pretty determined to figure out at the wise old-age of 18) this song mirrors rather perfectly the story’s ability to go round and round again the sordid love affairs of the Salvatore Brothers, Elena, and later on Caroline (and occasionally throw a bone to the other people in the group of friends and cohorts) (but only dangerously flirting with outsiders never to be taken *too seriously*). Obsession is most assuredly the theme of this particular mythology. Reincarnations, prophecies, destiny, and the inescapable ill-fated love-
Sky Ferreira’s song sums it all up quite perfectly. I give you one of the *many, many* fan made videos-
(As a side note one of the things that genuinely cracks me up about the Vampire Diaries: characters are beheading one another, drinking blood, performing witchcraft rituals, drinking, smoking pot, engaging in illustrious sexual relationships-but if anyone smokes a cigarette everyone has an absolute meltdown). Enjoy! And remember-*especially* when it comes to Vampires-age is just a number.
Nuclear War. Fanatical religion. Tribalism. Treacherous A.I. Ecological Disaster. Making our children fight wars for us. Just to name a few of the elements that fuel the storylines of the show "The 100". Based on a book series by Kass Morgan, the television show "The 100" sits on a lot of lists with titles “Best Shows You’ve Never Seen” and “Most Underrated Sci-Fi Shows.” The overwhelming majority of the time I do not agree about what shows are on these lists, but in this case they are correct.
Set a little less than 100 years after nuclear war has wiped out most of mankind, "The 100" tells the story of 4,000 survivors sent to live in a space station above the planet to ensure the continuation of the human race. Resources are scarce and they are supposed to last far beyond what they realistically can, so any crime, no matter how small, is punished by death-unless you are under the age of 18. These crimes include stealing needed meds or food, and having more than one child.
But best laid plans really are the road to hell. The ark (as the station is called) does not have what it takes to ensure the survival of anyone, much less 4,000 people, so they send 100 “prisoners” to see if Earth is in any way habitable. Here they find radioactive storms, toxic soil, warring clans, and societies that shun anyone not genetically attractive (not unlike leper colonies from history).
Merciless in killing off of characters, somewhere near the end of episode 3 The 100 is already down to less than half. (At this point into season 3 I am surprised if anyone makes it through an episode, much less a season).
"The 100" brings with it some of the more realistically theorized behavior of humanity after a nuclear war than I would say most shows do. In the sci-fi writing world there are genuinely only a handful of things writers seem to agree on. Humankind’s annihilation at their own hand, be it through nuclear war or ecological disaster, definitely is one of those things. And really, when you have a look around, I don’t think anyone (reasonable) would disagree that this is a possibility beyond measure these days. It also establishes once again that here on Earth we seem to have a pretty hard time learning any lessons.
The books had not yet been published when the CW picked up the rights for the story. I didn’t know much about it when it was being filmed, but I decided to avoid watching it for some time because what little I knew about it I didn’t want spilling over into my own writing as I was rounding out completing my first sci-fi novel at the time. (This ended up being unnecessary as the stories are pretty different).
In the first season of the show the soundtrack was comprised of popular, recognizable hit songs and it did not work. It was one the few elements keeping it from being a serious sci-fi epic, but season 2 came and that changed.
As the kids go out into the world and discover not only do they not necessarily have any idea what morality is or what that could even possibly mean in this world they now live in, the music gets more complex and immersive. And one way this is demonstrated is by the discovery of relics of the past. And it is UNSETTLING. It’s in these moments that the nature of the story really hits home. A very good example of this is a scene when a group is headed once again to find if there is any safe passage across a stretch of land and in a moment of seemingly carefree jubilance they sing along to "Add It Up" by the Violent Femmes-a pretty familiar song in the indy rock world. It’s only then you realize how eerie the lyrics to this piece of music really are, and that 100 years from now is not much time.
*as a side note, the linguist who worked on Game of Thrones has also worked in developing the Grounder language on "The 100"
*I also appreciate that sexuality is a non-issue. It just is.
Miserable, misanthropic, reluctant, trying to do the right thing even though you don’t always want to or even know what it might be-
Of all the Young Adult books I’ve read (which numbers into the hundreds the last 10 years) and of all the movies made in the genre, no one embodies these qualities more in my mind than Katniss Everdeen.
In the world of the Hunger Games, where the differences of status and authoritarianism is the rule, the most vulnerable of people paying the highest of price-one can’t help but notice the correlation to reality in our world where the wealthiest of us take more and more and the gap between economic classes continues to grow. The overwhelming anger this can cause is enough to make anyone want to hide away and not deal with it because who ever knows what to do to change anything? We seemingly often end up back in the same place. And Katniss Everdeen gets to live through all of this cycle. Her anger drives her and her detachment keeps her alive and her emotional reactions inspire a world.
Unsurprisingly, due to it’s “unsatisfactory religious content”, sexual implications, and seemingly violent political messages, this book has become one of the most challenged pieces of writing out there. In 2013 it hit the #5 spot on the list of books people tried to ban. As such, I think one of my most joyous moments as a reader was helping buy an entire classroom full of kids a copy of the first book.
These books are important. Our society tries very hard to stomp the rebellious spirit out of us as we grow older, and never more so than when we are teenagers. In a lot of ways the Hunger Games trilogy is not a new set of stories but simply a retelling of a world that has a very difficult time learning its lessons.
Reality television dominates the world that Katniss inhabits-sound familiar?
Suzanne Collins used as reference many of her father’s own hunting and foraging books as well as his knowledge he acquired growing up in the Great Depression. He also served in the Vietnam war and this had a big impact on her family growing up.
Not all that long ago I was talking with someone who felt uncomfortable saying they didn’t like the movie “since it was so popular.” I countered with explaining that it’s not the type of movie you like. Kids are killing kids to survive, it’s not a story to entertain you, it’s a story to make you think.
So as you have your celebrations today, with all the things that people enjoy on this day: hot dogs & hamburgers (created in Germany), apple pie and soda (created in England), cold beer (so old-think Mesopotamia, read: Ancient Iraq) and of course fireworks (invented where else but China?) consider what it means that we have an administration with implications of an election having been influenced by a foreign government and a president demanding to see the most sacred of documents in a democracy-the voter rolls- and recall what author Suzanne Collins hoped to accomplish with the Hunger Games which was, "questions about how elements of the book might be relevant in their own lives," like not taking your next meal for granted and being politically aware.
It’s not really a secret where the ideas for these stories come from. With that I give you Lorde’s excellent cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World from the movie Catching Fire in the Hunger Games series.
(If you need something a little lighter to do with the Hunger Games I recommend looking up the Onion’s review of Catching Fire)
In continuing with giving a glimpse of my upcoming dj set at Convergence.
If you know me even a little bit it would be no surprise to know this post is about Alice in Wonderland. At this point in my life I own over 50 different editions of the book everything from a replica of the original manuscript (which does not leave England) to the challenging interpretation(and often banned) version written By Alan Moore, Lost Girls.
White Rabbit most assuredly sits amongst my favorite all time songs. Although, I would suspect not for the reasons one might assume.
It is a story that has influenced everything from The Matrix to Guillermo Del Toro’s work and has numerous movie versions, the most recent ones being those produced by Tim Burton. Many people took issue with these movies and I can definitely see that point of view. And I do also fall into the category of people who feel at this point Tim Burton’s interpretations of others’ work is not particularly good.
However, there is some charm and merit to be found in the most recent movie Through the Looking Glass (and I might add a particularly enjoyable soundtrack). This film touches on the treatment women received throughout Victorian Times for not bowing to the conventions of society. Where anything out of the ordinary was an indication of mania or hysteria. In addition, Alice’s resolve to help her friend the Mad Hatter and making the impetuous decisions of a young person which often lead to unexpected consequences despite good intentions- a part of growing up that is very real.
At this point in my search for music I could likely play an entire evening of only Alice in Wonderland theme songs and none more so than covers of White Rabbit.
The original, of course, being that written and performed by one of my favorite vocalists, Grace Slick.
This was the first song written for Jefferson Airplane by Grace Slick. At the time she wasn’t officially a part of the band and had another job until a producer bought out her contract with another company for $750 so she could become a full member. The song was released in 1967, the height of counter-culture in the 60s, a time in our history most notable for protesting the Vietnam War. (People quickly took to the song as being an anthem for the use of drugs, most pertinently LSD.) She was brought on to be a part of Jefferson Airplane because the other members wanted someone who was outspoken and aggressive.
This, however, was not the point or the intention of why she wrote this song.
She maintained throughout her career that she wrote the song not to only encourage people to continue to expand their education (as noted by the lyric “Feed your head”) but to also point out the great hypocrisy she always felt came from parents reading kids stories like Alice in Wonderland that do reference drugs (Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz- being two other notable classics that do so as well) and then to punish them for experimentation and exploration as they grew older rather than educate them.
Despite being a song that has maintained a cult status since its release, the highest it ever reached on Billboard was #8.
Grace Slick is currently retired from music but still makes a living off of White Rabbit and runs a one-woman art show where her most popular series of paintings are based on Alice in Wonderland.
I came across this fan-made video of clips from the movie with Pink performing White Rabbit live at one of her shows. (She performs a different song on the soundtrack). I was surprised to find I liked her cover a great deal and read not all that long ago that so did Grace Slick. I might add, they nearly left it off the album altogether thinking it would never catch on…
Facebook reminded me of this from a year ago-I forget that this happened. It can be so easy to get mired down in your missteps and failures you can’t see the successes. Some of the best advice I was given by a different *very successful* writer was to celebrate every victory *no matter how small*. I don’t always remember to do this and I should. Don’t get me wrong: don’t stop being critical of yourself because otherwise you won’t get better. But try not to let it become such a force in your life that you also never realize when you’ve gotten better or worse yet-it paralyzes you. This is something I am definitely working on. As well as using the critic voice and instinct and learning to trust it. For example in my case, I am currently in the process of redoing the first chapter of my first book because it is arduous(it is being rewritten for submission to different publishers) and when I read it again the first time(I might add I had already rewritten it 2 other times and thought I was done with it this time) I couldn’t figure out how to change it but my gut was telling me it wasn’t right. I finally set it aside convinced I couldn’t “kill my darlings” as the saying goes and really you don’t have to kill them. BUT you sure as hell better be ready to edit and rewrite them over and over. I recently had another example of my seeing something as a failure when actually it wasn’t: in recent conversation about my currently printed novels and being told they did well. I didn’t see it that way and said, “but none of them made it into the top 10.” It was then pointed out to me that everything I have put out thus far has made it into the top 100 and was followed with, “do you have any idea how many books there are in the world? On Amazon?” I didn’t and then I was informed somewhere around 2-3 million. Most with very large publishing houses behind them. It was nice to hear that but of course, it wasn’t enough. It’s called a creative process for a reason and until you get into the deep shit of it you don’t really get it. You are never going to pull the perfect book(album, painting, sculpture, etc…) from your ass the first time and if you do, then what? Then nothing. You cease to exist.
Celebrate the successes, no matter how small. There’s plenty of failures to stew in for later.
And if you are so inclined you can get my ebook here.
Some years ago I learned that the geology in Minnesota and Wisconsin is some of the oldest rocks and sediments in the world. There's no earthquakes here that disturb or move anything since the areas sit on a fairly solid deposit of Iron bedrock. Now I bring up something that I should've addressed a while ago when someone said something negative to me about one of my cave posts in the past: if you're one of those people who thinks earth is only 6,000 years old, I do not have time for you. It is not. It is millions and millions and millions of years old. It is so old that humans are still learning how old it is because in the short time we have been on this planet we have yet to uncover everything there is to find and there is no scientific proof that the planet is only 6,000 years old. That is "faith" based proof and I am not in the slightest bit interested in it. And if you want to deride scientists and all the hard work they do you can do it in your own time. My mother used to tell me that of course, scientists were doing God's work and why wouldn't he want credit for some of his smartest children? And I grew up in Texas, attended church multiple times a week and no one-not once -told us that creationism was literal. The story of God creating the Earth in 6 days and resting on the 7th was a simple way to explain a very complicated and divine idea. One that humanity could not grasp on their own since they were not God. It was never used to slander our teachers or our scientists. So no, I will not respond to negative comments about such things anymore.
You do what you need to do to find peace in your heart but this probably isn't a post for you if you think that way.
That said I move onto one of the coolest things I did in Minnesota last year and that was visit Niagara Cave. I have long been an amateur cave explorer and rock collector. I have no illusions to being an actual spelunker or hard-core adventurer but I do like a good hike and I do like a good rock formation. It turns out that Minnesota has pretty cool caves including this one which has an underground waterfall in it. You'll see it not too long after going underground and once you do and start to move through the cave-that's when things get really interesting. The cave is lined with fossils and formations that have been cut through by water. Some of them get super narrow and go high up. It is an absolutely fascinating walk. The guide pointed out corners shaped like the Titanic and that looked like an elephant. And they do have their place to take you for absolute darkness. All of the caves I have visited thus far seem to have this spot and it's always funny if there is a kid on the tour because they always say something silly when it gets totally dark. One time a kid growled which made me laugh. It's a couple of hours for a visit if you want to do the tour, mini-golf, picnic, etc.. worth it absolutely. The gift shop I might add had a pretty great selection of treasures to bring home....
My pics are a bit dark cuz, yeah, cave. I do sometimes wonder if I might not mind living in a cave far underground -although I'd miss the rain and snow. Though not the heat. No thank you summer time. Which is a good way to tell you that it is usually pretty cool (temperature wise) in these places if you need a break from the heat. Also-this place was found by pigs. True story. Seriously you should go. Also pigs are awesome. If clumsy.
Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a lovely version of Alice in Wonderland. Yet it was also all its own story. Where things are not always what they seem and foxes are made of paper and maybe you can't keep everyone from being prejudice but maybe you can see beyond your own. I adored it and look forward to jumping into the author's Shatter Me series.
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I’ve been excited to watch American Gods. I was a little behind everyone else but now I’m caught up and I'm still pretty excitable about things. It's so crazy to think this book is 16 years old and to see it turned into such a huge production is really cool. Especially since Neil Gaiman is actually getting as much attention if not more attention than the actors. When does that happen? Having been a fan for more years than I can recall (hah j/k I just don't want to talk about how many years), it's always so heartening to see decent, hardworking people getting rewarded in a world that seems to reward jerks more often than not. The House on the Rock event in 2010 was definitely one of the coolest weekends ever. It's really the perfect place to spend Halloween. Plus I was with my friend Emily plus MPR picked my question to ask Neil Plus Neil told me he thought I was pretty and always dressed nice when he saw me(took this as marriage proposal was totally off on that one). Plus then I died(metaphorically as one does) and haunted the event with Emily.
Came back to life as pretty goth girl gave me handmade black cat brooch when I was creeping out on the Infinity Balcony. Yeah. Happy Memories for a particularly disturbing story.
I think my favorite thing about the episodes that have aired so far is what feels like a more substantial development of Laura Moon. Looking back she was a bit one-dimensional in the story and of course, sometimes you want to change what you create after time has gone by. I would be interested to know if this was a deliberate choice by Neil Gaiman or someone else’s. I am a long time fan of Bryan Fuller’s as well. The only work of his I have been unable to get through is Hannibal because I am especially squeamish to cannibalism. I am not even sure why it unsettles me when so little actually does *especially* considering the current state of our government is some sort terrifying dystopia.
Bryan Fuller and Neil Gaiman are a good team for one particular reason in my mind. Bryan Fuller has a knack for telling the story of women who don’t live up to their potential in what society would consider the right way or timely manner. He creates characters who usually are too smart for their own good and not entirely sure what to do with it. Partial commentary on our society’s lack of opportunities for such people it seems to me. He uses unconventional situations to give women characters the opportunity to make a difference in the world around them and he does it without being condescending. He doesn’t force them into having children or getting married or other traditional roles as deemed ok by the world.
Neil Gaiman adds to this as he’s never been one to write a story where a woman has to be rescued by a man. In fact, Laura Moon is most assuredly on her way to rescue Shadow. The creative team of the two of them is a good example of male allies to feminism in the arts.
Laura’s affair having seemed like it was central to her turnaround when in fact it was a symptom of something deeper rooted in who she was when alive and who she did not want to be in death. Recognizing that she only did it because she thought she did not feel anything else or believe anything. Only to be shown she was not only wrong but had loved another person and did not realize it as she was so mired in being lost in indifference to life(not dissimilar to Georgia in Dead Like Me. George’s love being for her younger sister.) She also did not really cared for being judged for it. Something I personally fully support. I am curious to see how this will continue. I know the story centers around Shadow and the battle for America’s soul but most particular at this point in history how could that not possibly include the women?
Here are some snaps from the event at the House on the Rock. Happy Easter!
Phillis Wheatley(1753-1784) was the first African American, the first slave, and the third woman in the United States to publish a book of poems. Kidnapped in West Africa (believed somewhere in Senegal) and transported aboard the slave ship Phillis to Boston in 1761, she was purchased by John Wheatley as a servant for his wife. Phillis quickly learned to speak English and to read the Bible.
She published her first poem in 1767 and her first volume of verse, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in 1773. She traveled to London to be treated for a medical aliment and learned she had a great many admirers there. She was eventually freed from slavery and married another freed slave. The Wheatleys and her husband died and she was left to support herself, dying in poverty alone in her thirties. Her last manuscript which was never published has not been located. Read more about her here: https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/phillis-wheatley
María Amparo Ruiz de Burton (1832–1895) was the first female Mexican American writer to publish two novels in English in the United States, and while they both feature romances between Mexicans and Americans (she married a white solider which caused a great deal of strife for her), the narratives denounce U.S. colonialism and Anglo-American racism. She was also the first published Mexican American writer after the war with Mexico (1846-1848), English was her third language after Spanish and French. For a time her work was lost but is since being studied and is believed to be one of the precursors to the Chicano Literature movement. (She also put together the Don Quixote de la Mancha: A Comedy in Five Acts: Taken From Cervantes’ Novel of That Name 1876)
You can purchase one of her books here: Who Would Have Thought It?
Sources: 19th Century Literature
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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is not a new story necessarily.
Girl is the outcast of a family. Mother dies, father marries new and awful stepmother. Girl is strong-willed and "impossible." Stepmother resents any attention she gets over her own daughter. Vampires, sirens, demons, a hypocritical and awful priest who uses religion to do terrible things. Ignorant peasant community, the word witch is thrown around a lot. Becoming allies with something that is supposed to be evil. You know the story.
What makes this book remarkable is the delivery.
It is beautifully written and uniquely crafted. Using old words and ideas in a modern way but still telling a fairy tale from the past. And one rooted in Russia's rich and deep folklore.
Vasya, our heroine, is easy to root for as is her siblings. Including her half-sister despite the wedge the stepmother tries to drive between them. You can clearly picture the land, the winter and what it feels like to see the summer light. The author gives voices to some of the animals which adds an extra layer to the story. The horses in particular with their indifference and skeptical help remind me a lot of the cat in Coraline.
Moscow is now a larger than life city but to read what it used to appear as to people is compelling and fascinating. The author clearly spent time studying Russia's past.
I really enjoyed this story and had a very hard time setting it aside in the couple of days I read it. I am looking forward to Vasya's next adventure with the Frost Demon.
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This weekend during my Open House the election was on everyone's mind. (No surprise)Most especially since many of the people who stopped by stand to lose a great deal with the new administration myself included. The conversation turned to womens health and this bit I wrote was brought up. It was requested I repost it. So here it is. I recently read 72,000 donations had been made to Planned Parenthood in Mike Pence's name. You know what Planned Parenthood help me do? Get antibiotics for my pneumonia when I was a broke twenty something. Now I have insurance through the ACA and like a lot of other people I need my health insurance that's about to be taken from me. And so do my friends.
The Unicorn Visit
The girl came into her room after being out all night and was surprised to find the unicorn standing by her bed.
“Good morning,” the unicorn said in a clipped British accent. “Did you have a good time?”
Unsure what to say, and feeling a blush creep into her cheeks, she stood awkwardly by the door and shifted around in stocking feet.
“My, my! It must’ve been a good time if you can no longer speak,” the unicorn teased her.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” she stammered. “I’m just quite shocked to find you in my room. My father said unicorns only visit pure girls. Girls who’ve no sexuality or sexual relationships with anyone. He told me I am not a good person, as I’ve a boyfriend.”
The unicorn raised its eyebrow skeptically. Well, it would’ve raised its eyebrow skeptically if unicorns had eyebrows to raise.
“I beg your pardon, Miss, but I must say, your father is a bit of a judgmental creep. And not just a small amount of a hypocrite,” it finished, muttering to itself.
“What? I’m sorry, Mr. Unicorn, I didn’t hear that last part.” The girl stepped a bit closer.
“Nothing, dear. If you don’t mind, please do not call me ‘Mister’. I prefer to be a non-gender-specified creature so I can visit anyone I wish and not make them uncomfortable. A side note, darling, ask your father what he gets up to on Tuesday nights down at the tavern, and we’ll see how judgmental he is then.”
“Okay?” The girl cocked her head to the side and, sweet as can be, tried to puzzle out what that meant. “What is that on my bedside table?” She pointed past the unicorn.
“Ahh, yes. The reason for my visit. Now, I most assuredly do not presume to judge you for having sexual relations with anyone who is a consenting adult. However, I’ve made it my job to visit people of all shapes and sizes and preferences and make them accountable to their safety and their partners’ sexual safety. One can be fun, but one must also be wise. That’s what we really do, us unicorns… Educate. Honestly, I am quite tired of these silly, faux tales of us running around judging everyone. We enjoy a good romp as much as the next beast. That said, go ahead and open your gifts.”
The girl set her smashingly cute high heels on the floor and wove over to the table. She unwrapped cheerfully festooned boxes full of condoms, birth control, dental dams, and many other things to make life a bit easier.
“Do you think you might find those useful, milady?” the unicorn asked in a silly voice, trying to ease the girl’s discomfort. “Really, you’ve nothing to be ashamed of. And most importantly, you should be taking care of yourself. Never mind what these ridiculous people try to tell you to control you.”
“Why, yes, I think I would find them useful.” She turned and looked at the unicorn. “Truthfully, I do get a little tired of hearing the crap people say when I know they are full of b.s. They’re always telling us to look to the princess for virtuous leadership.”
“Believe me when I say, when she gets her chance the princess will speak out, as she enjoys a good time as much as anyone. Now, dear, I also left you a daring little number in the closet. I must be on my way. The princess in question has asked me to visit her ladies-in-waiting. Waiting for what, I always wonder?” The unicorn laughed and strutted out the door, but not before turning around and reminding her, “Being sexually active is a great deal of fun, but do not forget your annual exam.” With that, the unicorn disappeared into a puff of glitter.
Since we don’t have unicorns, we need Planned Parenthood.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is not easy Sci-Fi. This is a book for people who like deeply entrenched stories with their own history and worlds to live in. It's one of the more unique stories I've ever read about the end of the natural world and the people expected to save humanity. And when I say expected, I mean enslaved and forced to live in bondage in order for this to happen. There's something in it that reminds me a lot of Dune. Deeply superstitious societies that finds extraordinary powers of gifted individuals as some sort of supernatural threat that has to be controlled. A high powered organization that spreads it's agenda through the world with the end game always in mind and using the ignorance of the masses to it's advantage. I haven't picked up the next one yet but I plan to, to say this book will leave you wanting more is an understatement. This one is a classic in the making. As a side note: I appreciate the way the main characters sexual relationships are written about and addressed unapologetically and additionally not flagrantly gratuitous. Writing sex is a tricky business in my opinion and doing so in a realistic way that doesn't overtake the point of the story is a skill.
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