I recently took quite the hiatus from this blog, but I found just the thing to get me back into the swing of things. Capitalism! I’m kidding. Mostly. The season between October 1 and January 1 fills me with an absurd joy. It begins with “Give me pumpkin decorations or give me death” and culminates… Continue reading Personalized Book Recommendations and the Penguin Hotline
I’ve talked about my fascination with language before, but sometimes writers need a little help creating words that make sense in their nascent worlds. I recently found something that streamlines that process. Vulgar (pardon the terrible name) is a constructed language generator. The generator creates fully realized languages; if you were truly ambitious you could… Continue reading Language Generator for Fantasy and Sci-Fi
She began to whisper something in my ear. It’s the strangest thing about poetry — you can tell it’s poetry, even if you don’t speak the language. You can hear Homer’s Greek without understanding a word, and you still know it’s poetry. I’ve heard Polish poetry, and Inuit poetry, and I knew what it was… Continue reading Free Neil Gaiman Stories, Cannes, and “How to Talk to Girls at Parties”
Sometimes writing touches on the more suffocating aspects of life. Marge Piercy’s “A Work of Artifice” captures that tension between care and captivity perfectly. American poet and writer Marge Piercy (1936-) grew up and came of age in the Midwest. She first began publishing her poems in the 1960’s, and much of her writing reflects the… Continue reading Poetry Sunday: Marge Piercy’s ‘A Work of Artifice’
Book cover design is often grand, but sometimes publishers don’t get it quite right. Take for example the case of Nnedi Okorafor. Nnedi Okorafor is an extraordinary science fiction writer, and she has the Nebula Award to prove it. Before she was quite so lauded, however, she had a strange and terrible interaction with her… Continue reading When Book Covers Get Characters Wrong
I’m thrilled to add another interview to my series of discussions with editors, writers, and other folks in books publishing. I had the opportunity to speak with the marvelous and ever brilliant Ree Kimberley who is the author of Rat City, a young adult science fiction novel, as well as a brilliant scholar. She offers… Continue reading Science Fiction and Young Adult Lit: An Interview with Author Ree Kimberley
“The closer men came to perfecting for themselves a paradise, the more impatient they became with it, and with themselves as well. They made a garden of pleasure, and became progressively more miserable with it as it grew in richness and power and beauty; for then, perhaps, it was easier to see something was missing… Continue reading Friday Quick Quote: Walter M. Miller Jr.’s ‘A Canticle for Leibowitz’
When an author finishes a book or a series, I consider it done. I read the book(s) with the understanding that the story is complete. Even if I adore the narrative and characters, I don’t typically feel a burning desire for more. (The exception, of course, being when an author stops writing a story in… Continue reading The Ambiguity of Belated Book Sequels: Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman
There is something remarkable about hearing authors read their own works aloud. Often they emphasize words that are unexpected, or they add extra shades of meaning to the phrases. With all of today’s modern connectivity, it is easy to hear authors read their works even if the listener can’t afford to travel to a book… Continue reading Authors Reading Their Own Writing
Creative Writing and Resources for Writers: An Interview with Teacher and Sci-Fi Author S. J. Higbee
To add another wonderful addition to my series of interviews with editors, writers, and other book adjacent individuals, I am thrilled to present my conversation with Sarah J. Higbee, author and creative writing teacher extraordinaire. She provides great tips for new writers as well as insight into what makes people return to science fiction again… Continue reading Creative Writing and Resources for Writers: An Interview with Teacher and Sci-Fi Author S. J. Higbee
Kristen Twardowski 