Podcast appearances and mentions of Nicola Griffith

In this extra-long episode, Preeti and Jenn dig into the language, atmosphere, and voice of The Crystal Cage: Prologue - Book I: The Dove. (We will fight you for baby Merlin!!!!!)Hild and Menewood, Nicola GriffithThe story of Dinas Emrys and the two dragons (Help Jenn find the audio cassette she used to listen to! The opening lines included something like 'Storm clouds marched along the sky. Rain beat against the gray castle walls. Inside, a young boy woke.' It had a male narrator.)Next section: Book II: The FalconGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.orgGet merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As they prepare to dive into their next reread, Preeti and Jenn talk about Mary Stewart as a writer, their personal history with her Arthurian Saga, and what they're expecting, excited for, and nervous about.Next episode: Prologue - Book 1: The DoveNicola Griffith, Hild / MenewoodGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.org Get merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Preeti and Jenn recorded live with Patrons for a special retrospective, WoT readalikes, and Q&A!Read-Alikes:Dandelion Dynasty by Ken LiuBetween Earth and Sky series by Rebecca RoanhorseInheritance Trilogy by NK Jemisin (and then everything else)The Expanse series by James S.A. CoreyDead Djinn Universe series by P. Djeli ClarkBeverly Jenkins, Vivid (for Romanda)The Kushiel series (incl the Joscelin book) by Jacqueline CareyThe Thief / Megan Whalen Turner The Emily Wilde trilogy Babel by RF Kuang Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel anything Kit Rocha (Jenn loves Mercenary Librarians)It's Not Me, It's You by Stephanie Kate Strohm THE FLOATING WORLD by Axie OhDiviners by Libba BrayCirce by Madeline MillerHild / Menewood by Nicola GriffithPayal Mehta's Romance Revenge Plot is out now!Merch:tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com [new designs available!] Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[…] Galvanisée par l’élection de son ami Bruno, la Salle 101 déporte à tout-va en chroniquant de petites choses sympathiques, de nature à érotiser le fascisme ambiant : Slow Horses & Dead Lions, roman – et série – de Mick Herron. La lance de Peretur, roman de Nicola Griffith. Re : Start, étrange chose de […]

This week it's just Jonathan and Gary again, in what some listeners might view as an either a classic ramble or a series of rabbit holes from which we never fully escape. We start with a discussion of some current trends such as cozy fantasy and SF, romantasy, and dark academia, noting that these had all been around for decades before getting their present labels, and briefly consider Paul Kincaid's contention that “coziness” seems antithetical to what SF really does. We later touch upon what we're reading, mentioning some forthcoming books by Nicola Griffith, Alix E. Harrow, and R.F. Kuang and the spectacular success of the latest novel by Coode Street goest Joe Abercrombie. Somewhere in there we start chatting about collectible editions, how many copies of a book do you really need,  historical fantasy, and even a bit on Robert Holdstock. Most important, though, is Coode Street's first commercial. Jonathan and Gary's common home in SF has long been Locus magazine, and we want to encourage our listeners to take a look at some of the neat perks being offered by this year's IndieGoGo fundraiser and to make a contribution if you can.  

History is on our minds lately. In this episode, we talk to two incredible authors who recreate history in their work. Tananarive Due draws on her own family's experience in her award-winning novel The Reformatory, while Nicola Griffith uncovers the secret history of medieval England in Hild and Menewood. We discuss researching history, and why understanding history is important to building the future. We had an incredible conversation with these two legends.

We return to Nicola Griffith to get a more measured take on the lesbian space colony genre, written if not in direct response to Daughters of a Coral Dawn then to books like it. (We know this because of a helpful author's note.)

“Reminding ourselves that, that commerce is not the same thing as capitalism. Buying and selling things is a really old thing that human beings have been doing for way longer than capitalism has existed.”  Today's episode features anti-capitalist business coach Bear Hebert (they/them). We explore Bear's definition of capitalism as exploitation for profit and discuss principles for running an anti-capitalist business. We examine manipulative tactics often used by entrepreneurs and consider more justice-oriented alternatives.Bear and I discuss the pressure to have an "ideal" business and how to align money-making with our values. With over 20 years in social justice work, Bear brings insights as both a radical business coach and educator, highlighting how capitalism intersects with white supremacy and patriarchy.Check out the episode page for the transcript and the full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/11 ⭐ Key moments03:57 - How Bear got politicized10:11 - What makes us feel gross about marketing18:46 - Authentic alternatives to manipulative marketing tactics28:44 - Debunking the myth of the perfect dream job33:47 - Rethinking niching from an anti-capitalist lens36:15 - Business as a garden, not a machine43:37 - Key areas to integrate anti-capitalist values in your business47:58 - Aligning business policies with anti-capitalist principles52:18 - Bear's sources of nourishment56:51 - Closing

We're delighted to welcome to Coode Street Lev Grossman, bestselling author of The Magicians trilogy, to discuss his major new Arthurian novel The Bright Sword, which appears from Viking in July. We touch upon earlier versions of Arthurian fiction by T.H. White, John Steinbeck, Bernard Cornwell, Nicola Griffith, and others, the balance between historical research and pure fantasy invention, the development of characters based on little or no historical evidence, and even Lev's earlier career as a critic for Time magazine, when he helped bring fantasy literature into the mainstream. Order it here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554241/the-bright-sword-by-lev-grossman/

Welcome to our first episode of 2024. Yes, the title's a quote from our incredible guest. As a podcast dedicated primarily to speculative fiction, we rarely find ourselves taking a deep dive into history. But the growth in popularity of both myths and retellings is bringing with it a new focus on historical periods, and […] The post Beneath the skin of the earth – with Nicola Griffith first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Welcome to this week's Author Diary, where I bring you up to speed with some thrilling updates and announcements!

With plans for are promised chat with Elizabeth Hand and Alix E. Harrow on temporary hold, Jonathan and Gary share some pleasant memories of the World Fantasy Convention, muse about whether the nature of conventions has changed in the wake of the pandemic, and speculate about next year's events in Glasgow, Niagara Falls, and elsewhere. They then touch upon some books they're looking forward to in 2024, including novels by Kelly Link, Nisi Shawl, Peter S. Beagle, and Paolo Bacigalupi, and some titles they'd recommend from 2023, including novels by Ian McDonald, Nina Allan, Geoff Ryman, Christopher Priest, Francis Spufford, Wole Talabi, and Nicola Griffith, as well as a few story collections, anthologies, and nonfiction books. By the end, it almost all comes into some sort of focus.

How often, when it comes to writing in your business, has the blank page beaten you? I've seen so many people get stopped, or never share what they have written because they don't think it's good enough, or they are worried about being judged.  Just like when you speak, in your business writing too, you get an amazing confidence boost from knowing that your message is good, that your content will make you stand out and connect with your target audience.  When that happens you're excited to put yourself out there.  So how do you shift from stuck to successful? How do you go from getting underwhelming results with your business writing, to your audience saying … “this person gets me and my problem, I think I need to work with them”? That's where this show comes in. My guest today is Kyla Skinner, copywriter and business writing mentor.    She helps business owners harness the power of personality to better connect with their audience, stand out in today's increasingly noisy market and attract new clients – so they can grow their business, not hold it back. As a fully accredited introvert, Kyla had herself felt shy, nervous and reluctant about showing her own personality. But that changed when she discovered the huge impact it made on growing her fledgling freelance business. Now, she's an experienced (and award-winning) strategic copywriter, who's built her copywriting and brand language business, The Jarrah Consultancy, primarily through word-of-mouth referrals. Over the past 20 years, Kyla has helped to position and promote hundreds of brands, including many big name, global market leaders. Today, she also encourages coaches, consultants and small business owners to tap into all this insight and expertise via her dedicated membership community, Copy Café. Enjoy!   What you'll discover: How Kyla became a copywriter and why personality matters to her. The problem with generic writing and using tools like chat GPT. What it means to ‘show' your personality in your writing and the difference it makes to your message. Why small business owners struggle to connect with their audience in their copy. The three words that Kyla wrote for a Subaru ad that tells a big story.  How to approach ‘daring to be different' if you are more introverted.  The difference between bland business writing versus writing with personality. The gap that Kyla found small business owners falling into, and how she filled it.  Examples of results business owners have got by stepping out of their comfort zone. Three tips for how to get more personality into your writing in a way that feels natural and not forced. The surprising differences Kyla experienced as a copywriter creating her own signature talk. How speaking has been working for Kyla and her business   All things Kyla: https://copycafe.co.uk/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylaskinner/  Books & Resources*: Maverick! By Ricardo Semler  The Blue Place by Nicola Griffith https://www.facebook.com/copycafe/   Resources: Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk Get a Powerful Talk Structure - Join the Masterclass Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge Practice your speaking & test your content in a safe space in The Speaking Club ‘Live' Membership Want to create a signature talk that sells, then check out our Nail Your Signature Talk in 60 Days programme.  Want to find out about working with me 121 then book a call here. https://www.saraharcher.co.uk   Thanks for listening!   To share your thoughts:                                                   Share this show on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. To help the show out: Leave an honest review at https://www.ratethispodcast.com/tsc Your ratings and reviews really help get the word out and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   *(please note if you use my link I get a small commission, but this does not affect your payment)  

Laura via IG says she "needs historical somewhat fictional adventure" and in Episode 46 the booksellers delivered some great ideas. Emma discussed Hildand Menewood by Nicola Griffith. Jen, subbing for Allie, recommends Washington Black by Esi Edugyan and 100 Years of Solitude  to either read again or for the first time if you have not yet done so. And, Kari wants you to read Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn.Shelf Help is a collaboration between the Book Jam, a nonprofit designed to inspire readers; CATV Upper Valley media community (NOW LOCATED AT JAM, Junction Arts & Media); three Upper Valley bookstores: Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, VT; the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, VT; and Still North Books & Bar in Hanover, NH.

Mary Anne Mohanraj takes a Deep Dive with author Nicola Griffith on her work in Hild, So Lucky, and Spear, covering pacing, disability, and historical research. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources. Find out more about the Portolan Project here: www.speclit.org/portolan-project Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-56-show-notes

In a return to classic rambling form, Jonathan and Gary begin thinking about the waning months of the year, and the inevitable recommended reading discussions. Jonathan starts off by asking why we always seem to say it was a surprisingly good year for collections, when just about every year is a good year for collections. We also touch upon anthologies, such as Jared Shunn's massive The Big Book of Cyberpunk, and what implicit arguments are being made by such broadly inclusive anthologies. We also touch upon Jonathan's brand-new The Book of Witches, the question of whether SFF is starting to mature enough that broadly diverse voices are viewed as simply part of the mainstream of the field, and some of the books we've been reading or anticipating, including Elizabeth Hand's A Haunting on the Hill and Aliz E. Harrow's Starling House (both will be guests on a future podcast), Tobias S. Buckell's A Stranger in the Citadel, Nicola Griffith's Menewood (and how historical fiction relates to SFF),The Best of Michael Swanwick, and Christopher Barzak's Monstrous Alterations.

A queer, gender-bent Arthurian legend full of swords, spears, and sorcery? Sounds pretty great to us! We're talking about 'Spear' by Nicola Griffith. Conversation starts around 14:35. Before that, we chat about the things we've been playing, watching, or thinking about lately. Playing Dredge (PS5) Pokemon Unite (Switch) Pokemon Scarlet (Switch) Watching Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City (Dropout) Dimension 20: A Crown of Candy (Dropout) Dirty Laundry (Dropout) Thinking About Dungeons & Dragons Find us on Twitter: @NovelGamingPod Send us an e-mail: novelgamingpodcast@gmail.com Logo by: Katie! Theme song: "Bit Bossa" by Azureflux

Jean Genii by Randee Dawn, Read by Sally Hourigan A Brooklyn lawyer unwittingly frees a genie from its lamp while cleaning out the closet of a deceased coworker, and uses her training and wits to find the happy ending that's so hard to come by. Randee Dawn is a Brooklyn-based entertainment journalist whose debut novel, Tune in Tomorrow, about a fantastical TV reality show, published in August. She writes about show business for Variety, The Los Angeles Times, Emmy Magazine and Today.com and is the co-author of The Law & Order: Unofficial Companion. Find out more at RandeeDawn.com Sally Hourigan is a Brooklyn-based actor and voice artist. She is a graduate of Seton Hall University, where she studied Theatre Performance and Communications. In addition to her VO work, she has appeared onstage in several NYC theatre festivals and off-Broadway plays, and recently made her on-camera debut in The Jane Doe Murders on Oxygen. When not performing, she enjoys running, cooking, baking, and playing with her tuxedo cat, Billie. Cold Wind by Nicola Griffith, Read by Mary Rodgers A woman enters a Seattle bar on a cold wintry night in the midst of the Christmas holidays, hunting for something…or someone. Nicola Griffith is the multiple award-winning author of novels such as Hild, Spear, Ammonite, and the forthcoming sequel to Hild, Menewood. She lives in Seattle with her wife, Kelley Eskridge. A career performer and storyteller, Mary Rodgers has acted in films, plays and musicals across the globe, and was the keyboardist and lead singer in an all-girl rock band for a number of years. In addition to her acting and music, Mary is also a published author of three novels, two in contemporary romance (Winner Take All and Freeze Frame, published as Mary B. Rodgers) and one in the technothriller genre (Project Catchstar, published as M. Rodgers).

This episode we're giving our book pitches for our Battle of the Books 2023! Each of us has picked one title that we think we should all read and discuss and you get to vote for which one it is! Will we read Spear by Nicola Griffith, Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey, Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History by Lea Ypi, or The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing? You decide!  You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system. In this episode Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards Books We Pitched Meghan - Spear by Nicola Griffith Jam - Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey Matthew - Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History by Lea Ypi Anna - The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing Vote for which we should read! Our “Long List” of Titles Meghan Women of the Fur Trade by Frances Koncan (Wikipedia) The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill Jam How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler Trust Kids!: Stories on Youth Autonomy and Confronting Adult Supremacy edited by carla joy bergman Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree Anna Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah The Best Simpsons Intro Is About Losing Everything You Love (Jacob Geller video in which he recommended this book in the outro.) A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott Matthew Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake The New Teen Titans, vol. 1 by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Romeo Tanghal Podcast Episodes Episode 178 - Aliens, Extraterrestrials, and UFOs (listen to the end of this episode!) Episode 058 - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making Episode 079 - Which Book Should We Read? Episode 083 - The Fifth Season Episode 103 - Battle of the Books 2020 Episode 107 - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi Episode 130 - Battle of the Books 2021 Episode 134 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Episode 154 - Book pitches Episode 159 - Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart Links, Articles, Books, and Things The Coode Street Podcast Episode 576: Nicola Griffith and Spear French Makes No Sense: Pronouns by Loic Suberville Gender Reveal: Episode 136 with Sabrina Imbler River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey Cursed Princess Club, vol. 1 by LambCat Read on Webtoon Jacob Geller - Who's Afraid of Modern Art: Vandalism, Video Games, and Fascism Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston Teen Titans Go! (Wikipedia) 15 Comedic Science Fiction & Fantasy by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers' Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors - to help readers to diversify their reading and library professionals to diversify their readers' advisory. All of the lists can be found here. Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson One for the Morning Glory by John Barnes Waypoint Kangaroo by Curtis C. Chen The Law of Love by Laura Esquivel The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust Tears of the Trufflepig by Fernando A. Flores The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales Severance by Ling Ma Popisho by Leone Ross Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes Bang Bang Bodhisattva by Aubrey Wood Super Extra Grande by Yoss How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu Give us feedback! Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read! Vote for which book we should read! Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email! Join us again on Tuesday, August 1st we'll be discussing the fiction genre of Pulp! Then on Tuesday, August 15th we'll be talking about books and other media we've recently enjoyed in our Summer 2023 Media Update!

David and Perry discuss Perry's recent overseas trip, and then talk about their recent reading, including several books which take existing stories and look at them from a different viewpoint. Introduction (06:51) Perry's trip to Morrocco (04:06) David's news (02:28) General News (16:29) Death of Martin Amis (06:08) Nebula Award Winners (04:12) Miles Franklin Award Longlist. (03:06) New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards (03:00) What we've been reading lately. (50:13) David's reading slow-down (01:27) Five Decembers by James Kestrel (08:59) Unknown Shore by Robert Ruby (05:02) A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (04:38) The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. (04:28) Spear by Nicola Griffith (06:43) Fire With Fire by Candice Fox (04:15) Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk (04:07) Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (04:57) Top Gun Maverick (05:32) Windup (00:59) Illustration generated by Wombo Art

David and Perry discuss Perry's recent overseas trip, and then talk about their recent reading, including several books which take existing stories and look at them from a different viewpoint. Introduction (06:51) Perry's trip to Morrocco (04:06) David's news (02:28) General News (16:29) Death of Martin Amis (06:08) Nebula Award Winners (04:12) Miles Franklin Award Longlist. (03:06) New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards (03:00) What we've been reading lately. (50:13) David's reading slow-down (01:27) Five Decembers by James Kestrel (08:59) Unknown Shore by Robert Ruby (05:02) A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow (04:38) The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. (04:28) Spear by Nicola Griffith (06:43) Fire With Fire by Candice Fox (04:15) Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk (04:07) Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (04:57) Top Gun Maverick (05:32) Windup (00:59) Click here for more info and indexes. Illustration generated by Wombo Art

For all six of the nominated books we'll give you a quick summary (with no spoilers), a review, and a rundown of what kind of reader is likely to love (and who might hate) each book.Featuring: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler Babel by R.F. Kuang Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree Spear by Nicola Griffith Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn MuirAnd join us for our next episode on A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick!Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer video (and see the short videos we've started posting every other week)

Our Book Club begins our walk through awards shortlist reading with two Nebula Awards nominees for best novel, “The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Naylor and “Spear” by Nicola Griffith. One’s a near-future thriller about sentient octopi, the other’s an Arthurian fantasy with a few twists. Next time we’ll be reading Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. If you’re on Goodreads, you can also join our Book Club there. Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Deborah Stanish.

Our Book Club begins our walk through awards shortlist reading with two Nebula Awards nominees for best novel, “The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Naylor and “Spear” by Nicola Griffith. One’s a near-future thriller about sentient octopi, the other’s an Arthurian fantasy with a few twists. Next time we’ll be reading Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. If you’re on Goodreads, you can also join our Book Club there. Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Deborah Stanish.

This week, Jonathan and Gary talk with Kelly Link, whose new collection White Cat, Black Dog is already showing up on bestseller lists. It's her first themed collection, with each of the seven stories linked to a particular fairy tale. We also touch upon several writers whose work has been important to Kelly, including Joanna Russ, Peter Straub, M.R, James, Fritz Leiber, Nicola Griffith, and Shirley Jackson, and even chat a bit about being an author who's also a publisher (with Small Beer Press) and bookseller (with Book Moon), both co-owned and managed with Gavin J. Grant. We also discuss a few other things, including her highly anticipated forthcoming novel, The Book of Love.

Andi and Lise discuss and deeply appreciate multiple award-winning spec fic writer Nicola Griffith's novel Spear (current Nebula finalist!)—a queer Arthurian story that will bring you right into the era from a perspective you didn't know you absolutely needed. If, like them, you grew up on Arthurian/Camelot stories, Spear is like coming home to the people you wanted and needed to see in those tales.  Nicola Griffith's website HERE.  Info about Spear HERE.  List of this year's Nebula finalists HERE.  Shout-outs: Lise started watching the Netflix series Lockwood and Co., about teen ghosthunters/ghost battlers in a Britain overrun by spirits that can kill with a touch. Adapted from the first two books in the Lockwood and Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. Andi shouts-out the ol' skool show Forensic Files which she's watching on Hulu. The episodes are about 22 minutes long without commercials, and she's ended up learning a lot and making it a family affair.  We're still hanging in there on Twitter: @LGOPodcast, @andimarquette, @LiseMacTague.  You can also find Andi and Lise on Instagram, posting fun photos, same handles: @andimarquette, @LiseMacTague  LGO is available on tons of platforms; please like and subscribe. It helps! Thanks! 

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith is an amalgamation of genres, part autofiction, part disability activist story, part metaphysical, and part crime thriller. Mara Tagareilli is a martial arts master and heads up a successful and important AIDS non-profit in Atlanta. She and her wife of many years have just split and after she collapses while getting a jug of milk from the refrigerator, she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  Judith Heumann's website Content warnings (for the book and the episode): violence against women, murder Next time we'll be reading A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us! If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD. Website | Patreon

This week we read the classic noir novel, In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes. We love it for subverting typical noir tropes and tackling American machismo at the same time. March's promopt for the 2023 Bookstore Challenge is to read a book by an author with a disability or about disability. Becca's pick, An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, is up first. And then we will be reading So Lucky by Nicola Griffith. You can find both at your local bookstore or library (at least one of them is available on Hoopla) and read along with us. If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2023, you can find Instagram graphics for your story or grid in this Google Drive folder. You can also join us on The StoryGraph, The Bookstore Challenge 2023. Website | Patreon

It's a retro episode!  (We will eventually make it through Nicola Griffith's entire catalog.)  This is a book about celebrity, hereditary wealth, toxic relationships and the science of water reclamation, and even though it was written in 1995 it feels extraordinarily current.  Recommended.

The end of the year is fast approaching, and this year the Coode Street Podcast is doing something a little different. We've invited 24 creators of some of this year's best and most interesting books to join us for ten minutes or so to talk about what they're reading now, their favourite holiday reads, what they had out this year, and what they've got coming out in the year ahead. It's a Coode Street Advent Calendar if that's your thing, or just a run-up to December 24 for book lovers. Today's guest is the wonderful Nicola Griffith, the multiple award-winning author of Ammonite, Slow River, Hild, and many more. Her brilliant queer recasting of the Arthurian story, Spear, was published earlier this year.

Loganberry Books has been serving the greater Cleveland area since 1994. Bookseller Elisabeth Plumlee-Watson is here to share its unique history. Plus, if you've ever been "that customer" who comes in searching for a book from your childhood with nothing but a vague description to go on, Loganberry has a cool service to help find it. Books We Talk About: A Thousand Was to Pay Attention by Rebecca Schiller, Hild by Nicola Griffith, and On Persephone's Island by Mary Taylor Simeti

Sharifah and Jenn answer listener requests and give their favorites for gifting this holiday season in an extra-long episode! Follow the podcast via RSS here, Apple Podcasts here, Spotify here. The show can also be found on Stitcher here. To get even more SF/F news and recs, sign up for our Swords and Spaceships newsletter! LISTENER QUESTIONS 1. Hi there, I heard you were looking for holiday recommendation requests. I would like to ask for readalikes for books like Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell or A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland. (I've been really enjoying the “Red White & Royal Blue but make it fantasy/scifi” trend lately.) Thank you, Morgan 2. Hi Sharifah and Jenn, I'm looking for SF/F gifting advice for my dad. He used to be a big fantasy reader when he was younger (some of his favorite authors were Ursula K. Le Guin and Terry Pratchett) but doesn't read as much now. The last SF/F he read and loved was the Murderbot series. Do you have any SF/F recommendations that are fast-paced, on the shorter side, and possibly reminiscent of classic fantasy? I love the podcast and particularly love that you recommend excellent new and backlist titles. Thank you, Emma This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. BOOKS DISCUSSED Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (cw: racism, misogyny) The Tensorate Series by Neon Yang (cw: harm to children including medical experimentation and death) Spear by Nicola Griffith (cw: mention of rape) Light Years from Home by Mike Chen (cw: dementia, loss of a parent)  The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach (cw: so many, espec homo/trans phobia and body horror) The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (cw: child neglect) The Way Spring Arrives And Other Stories, edited by Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang (cw: many, depending on story) The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd For a complete list of books discussed in this episode, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arthurian wizards vs lesbians!  And it's by Nicola Griffith, one of the all-time greats.  Find out why Percival's spear was so hard, and what she did with it.

Brea and Mallory talk about reading posture, give tips for moving with books, and recommend books to read while recovering surgery. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!Reading Glasses MerchRecommendations StoreSponsors -Magic Spoonwww.magicspoon.com/GLASSEScode: GLASSES Trade Coffeewww.drinktrade.com/GLASSES Links -Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupAmazon Wish ListNewsletterLibro.fmBooks Mentioned - The Cabinet by Un-Su Kim, translated by Sean Lin HalbertLittle Witch Hazel by Phoebe WahlCloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony DoerrCamp by LC RosenSo Lucky by Nicola Griffith

When Rachel was working on her PhD, she always thought she would graduate and work at a science museum. But the pandemic changed her plans, no museums were hiring. But now she's wondering, was that change forever? Or should she try to work her way back to her passion? With help from the show All Creatures Great and Small and the book Ammonite by Nicola Griffith, Rachel, Casper and Vanessa explore the relationship between passion and work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 10, The bookstore owners attempt to answer our good friend Shari Altman's (from a great book resource Literary North) question -- "I am looking for strange and beautiful novels about middle age." We note that Shari is nowhere near approaching middle age; we then debate what defines middle age. Allie, Sam, Emma, and Kari recommend a few books in response to her query, including House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune; Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette; So Lucky by Nicola Griffith; One DOA, One on the Way by Mary Robison; and The Swimmers by Julia Otsuka. Welcome to Shelf Help a podcast where booksellers help you answer one of life's trickier  - and we'd argue extremely important - questions: what should you read next?  If you've got a reading dilemma, you can email us a question or voice memo at shelfhelpuv@gmail.com. We're here to help your shelves. Shelf Help is a collaboration between the Book Jam, a nonprofit designed to inspire readers; CATV Upper Valley media community; three Upper Valley bookstores: Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, VT; the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, VT; and Still North Books & Bar in Hanover, NH.  

Episode one ninety six - part one Jenn sat down with Nicola Griffith to discuss her new book, SPEAR, a queer retelling of the Perceval story from Arthurian legend. They discussed the attraction of the Middle Ages as a setting for fiction, different versions of the Arthurian stories, and writing queer joy.

This week Nicola Griffith joins us to talk about the Arthurian fantasy, SPEAR, out now! Fiind out more at https://nicolagriffith.com, follow Nicola on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nicolaz and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nicolagriffith. Thank you to all of our listeners for your continued support, including our patrons at https://Patreon.com/BeyondTheTrope. Catch exclusive Beyond The Trope gear over at https://beyondthetrope.redbubble.com. Mentioned in this episode: Star Wars Quest for Camelot (Movie) Warner Bros. HILD by Nicola Griffith MENEWOOD (forthcoming) by Nicola Griffith AMMONITE by Nicola Griffith

Surprise! All three hosts are together in this episode to discuss Bridgerton Season 2, and we are very divided in our opinions. Was this season trash or a treasure? Who loved it, who hated it and why? What might happen next based on the books? Find out all this and more in our episode!    Looking for a book mentioned in the episode? Check here! *Note that all links are affiliate links from which we earn a commission to support the podcast Books Mentioned Bridgerton Book Series: https://amzn.to/35Zezjv   Books from On My Radar Spear by Nicola Griffith: https://amzn.to/38vckFm Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare: https://amzn.to/3DXlqqe Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel: https://amzn.to/3DWY9EV Tanked by Mia Hopkins: https://amzn.to/3uBAdUB Elektra by Jennifer Saint: https://amzn.to/3usAfhq   Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @Chapter3Podcast or watch episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy6yRiktWbWRAFpByrVk-kg Interested in early access to episodes, private Discord channels and other perks? Consider joining the Chapter 3 Patreon!  Co-Hosts  Bethany: https://www.youtube.com/c/beautifullybookishbethany Liene: https://www.youtube.com/c/LienesLibrary Izzy: https://www.youtube.com/c/HappyforNow

On this episode of X-Ray Vision, Jason Concepcion and Rosie Knight dive into the world of Fantasy and Science Fiction! First in Previously On (3:17), Jason and Rosie discuss some comics news, including a new Avengers series, a possible new comics origin for Thor in Avengers 1,000,000 BC, Marvel's A.X.E.: Judgment Day, and DC's upcoming Death of Justice League and Dark Crisis; they also discuss the title casting in Disney+'s recently announced Percy Jackson series, the MCU's Ironheart series gaining its directors, and recap episode three of the Disney+ limited series Moon Knight. In the Airlock (53:19), they discuss JK Rowling's transphobia and why they won't be covering the latest Fantastic Beasts movie before diving deep (deeeep) into their book bag to offer recommendations for amazing Fantasy and Sci-Fi that just so happens to be written by marginalized, underrepresented, and queer authors that centers marginalized characters. Then, in the Hive Mind (1:15:06), Jason and Rosie are joined by Nicola Griffith, award winning author of Ammonite, Hild, the upcoming Spear, and more, to discuss her process as a writer, conducting research on Arthurian England, and writing with, and about, disabilities. Finally, in Nerd Out (1:48:43) a listener pitches us on The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Tune in every Friday and don't forget to Hulk Smash the Follow button! Nerd Out Submission Instructions! Send a short pitch and 2-3 minute voice memo recording to xray@crooked.com that answers the following questions: 1) How did you get into/discover your ‘Nerd Out?' (2) Why should we get into it too? (3) What's coming soon in this world that we can look forward to or where can we find it? Follow Jason: twitter.com/netw3rk Follow Crooked: twitter.com/crookedmedia PLUGS: Rosie's IG, website, author archive, & Letterboxd. Spear by Nicola Griffith + Nicola's website is worth checking out too! The Listener's Guide for all things X-Ray Vision! Harry Potter and The Problematic Author by Maia Kobabe The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson Hild by Nicola Griffith Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden Spear by Nicola Griffith (out on April 19th) Pet by Akwaeke Emezi The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton (out on May 3) Recommendations from our guest & award winning author Nicola Griffith: Sorrowland (2021) by Rivers Solomon The Long Way To a Small Angry Planet (2015) by Becky Chambers A Companion to Arthurian Literature  (2009) Edited by Helen Fulton A Spindle Splintered  (2021) by Alix E. Harrow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's only been a week since Jonathan and Gary sat down to chat with Nicola Griffith about her new book, Spear, but in a bid to get back on schedule, they took a moment to record a new episode for the coming long weekend. They kick off chatting about travel during the pandemic and the coming WorldCon, before admits he's only just read Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, before they go on to talk about Le Guin's work, the oddities of book buying and collecting, and then our hosts attempt to answer the age-old questions: do you need to read a book? if so, why? do you need to keep book? which ones can you get rid of, and how?  Really, it's a ramble that kicks off with Earthsea and ends up chatting about books. It's a Coode Street podcast. As always, our thanks for your patience with our rambles. We hope you enjoy the episode, and see you again pretty soon!

This time out, Jonathan and Gary are joined by the brilliant Nicola Griffith, whose Spear, out this month, revisits Arthurian tales from an entirely new perspective. We chat about how the novel came about, Arthurian literature as fan fiction, the wonderful illustrations by Rovina Cai, and what it was like to record the audiobook. We also discuss its similarities to and differences from her well-received historical novel Hild and its forthcoming sequel Menewood, as well as Nicola's classic early novels Ammonite and Slow River, her recent So Lucky, and forthcoming reissues of her Aud Torvingen novels, beginning with The Blue Place.

What does the word "mysticism" conjure up in your mind? And what does it have to do with church? In this episode, Pastor Dan Smail, Associate Pastor Ellen Lundie, and Wendy Farone discuss the true meaning of mysticism and what it could mean for our lives in faith? We will talk about some historical women mystics (yes, women!) and that you may already be one!!The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard (2014) Documentary https://youtu.be/LAP6Ka_pZRIBooksHild: A Novel (The Light of the World Trilogy) by Nicola Griffith (fictionalized) (Easy Read!)Women Mystics in Medieval Europe by Emilie Zum Brunn & Georgette Epiney-BurgardTwo Kinds of Love: Martin Luther's Religious World by Tuomo MannermaaTheology of the Heart:The Role of Mysticism in the Theology of Martin Luther by Bengt R. HoffmanLuther and the Mystics by Bengt R. Hoffmann 

Happy Halloween! Hillary is busy planning and attending her daughter's wedding this month, so Sam is joining us! We're chatting all things spooky! Our House of Leaves rant starts at the 1:24:15 mark and goes until the end credits! Books Mentioned During This Episode Ryan, https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/ryan-elizabeth-clark Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz (audiobook) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (audiobook) Growing Things by Paul Tremblay (audiobook) My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (audiobook) (Jack of All Graves Book Club) Jo, https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/jo Sistersong by Lucy Holland (audiobook) Spear by Nicola Griffith (audiobook) Hild (audiobook) Sword, Stone, Table by Swapna Krishna (audiobook) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (audiobook) Ash (audiobook) Huntress  Sam, doesn't have a staff pick page yet for some reason, everyone bug Sam to set up her staff pick page.  Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson (audiobook) Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby (audiobook) Blacktop Wasteland (audiobook) The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig (audiobook) Wanderers (audiobook) Spooky Books Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink (audiobook) (podcast) Devolution by Max Brooks (audiobook) Robopocalypse by Daniel H Wilson (audiobook) Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (audiobook) Pearl by Josh Malerman (audiobook) (Interview with Josh Malerman for Goblin) (Interview with Josh Malerman for Pearl) The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins (audiobook) Wilder Girls by Rory Power (audiobook) Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (audiobook) Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Lisa Sterle The Dead Zone by Stephen King (audiobook)  Thinner (audiobook)  Bag of Bones (audiobook)  Christine (audiobook)  From a Buick 8 (audiobook)  Cell (audiobook)  Lisey's Story (audiobook)  Revival (audiobook) NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (audiobook)  Horns (audiobook)  Locke & Key House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewsky  OTHER LINKS Shop The Laydown Gibson's Bookstore Website Purchase Gift Certificates!  Browse our Website by Category! Donate to the Bookstore! Check out our Events Calendar! Gibson's Instagram The Laydown Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Libro.fm (Our Audiobook Platform) Use the code LAYDOWN for 3 audiobooks for the price of 1!  Email us at thelaydownpodcast@gmail.com

Reggie is back for a horror-specific episode, just in time for the second half of October. We discuss what works for us in horror (and what doesn't) and share a few books that have gotten under our skin.Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 231: Psychological Terrorism Subscribe to the podcast via this link: FeedburnerOr subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: SubscribeOr listen through TuneIn Or listen on Google Play Or listen via StitcherOr listen through Spotify Or listen through Google Podcasts Books discussed: Infested by Carol GoreSummer Sons by Lee MandeloSing Your Sadness Deep by Laura MauroThe Lighthouse Witches by C.J. CookeThe Good House by Tananarive DueOther mentions:The Missing by Sarah LanganNos4A2 by Joe HillBonkers Romance PodcastCackle by Rachel HarrisonSmart Bitches, Trashy Books PodcastProfessional Book Nerds PodcastBooks in the Freezer PodcastEarth Fathers are Weird by Lyn GalaRewind or Die Series, Unnerving Press (Reggie recommends volumes 2-6, 12-14, 16)The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones@SincerelyWinona in LitsyThe Daylight Gate by Jeanette WintersonKindred by Octavia ButlerThe Shining by Stephen KingUnder the Dome by Stephen KingNorth American Lake Monsters by Nathan BallingrudSilence for the Dead by Simone St. JamesHild by Nicola GriffithA Stir of Echoes by Richard MathesonThe Imperfectionists by Tom RachmanHalf Sick of Shadows by Laura SebastianVelvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-GarciaRelated episodes: Episode 041 - Grotesque Beauty with Nathan BallingrudEpisode 045 - Worlds Collide with Ross O'BrienEpisode 070 - Words Like Weapons with Yanira RamirezEpisode 167 - Book Pendulum with ReggieEpisode 191 - Stealthy yet Sparkly with Gail CarrigerStalk us online:Jenny at GoodreadsJenny on TwitterJenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy Reggie is @reggie on LitsyAll links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

“Suffragettes, but witches.” That was the three-word pitch that Alix E. Harrow used to sell her very fun and very smart second novel, The Once and Future Witches, our newest Monthly Speculative Fiction pick. Alix joins us on the show to talk about portal fantasy, our fascination with fairy tales (and why we keep returning to them), being a messy reader and more. Featured books: The Once and Future Witches, The Ten Thousand Doors of January and A Spindle Splintered, all by Alix Harrow, Ammonite and Spear by Nicola Griffith, and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Produced/hosted by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays.

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate staff writers Rebecca Onion and Heather Schwedel dive into girls' and women's magazines. Many outlets like Sassy and CosmoGirl have been shuttered or moved to online-only editions. With the recent resurrection of teen magazine icon Atoosa Rubenstein in the media, Rebecca and Heather talk about what made these types of magazines pop and how problematic they were for their audience​​—especially the young girls. Then they dig into the lasting impact these relics have in the digital age.  Recommendations: Rebecca: The 2016 PBS show Victoria and Nicola Griffith's book Ammonite. Heather: Listening to music, especially if you usually listen to podcasts.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We spoke to author Robin Sloan about his books and near-future science fiction. Robin wrote Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore and Sourdough. Find Robin on twitter as @robin_____sloan. Robin's website is robinsloan.com. Go there for some short stories, sign up for his newsletter and check out his new ‘zine (also at wizard.limo). Oh! Don't forget his blog, including a description of his neural net for audio generation and for writing. Some books Robin suggested: Home: A Short History of an Idea by Witold Rybczynshi Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie Hild by Nicola Griffith

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate staff writers Rebecca Onion and Heather Schwedel dive into girls' and women's magazines. Many outlets like Sassy and CosmoGirl have been shuttered or moved to online-only editions. With the recent resurrection of teen magazine icon Atoosa Rubenstein in the media, Rebecca and Heather talk about what made these types of magazines pop and how problematic they were for their audience​​—especially the young girls. Then they dig into the lasting impact these relics have in the digital age.  Recommendations: Rebecca: The 2016 PBS show Victoria and Nicola Griffith's book Ammonite. Heather: Listening to music, especially if you usually listen to podcasts.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate staff writers Rebecca Onion and Heather Schwedel dive into girls' and women's magazines. Many outlets like Sassy and CosmoGirl have been shuttered or moved to online-only editions. With the recent resurrection of teen magazine icon Atoosa Rubenstein in the media, Rebecca and Heather talk about what made these types of magazines pop and how problematic they were for their audience​​—especially the young girls. Then they dig into the lasting impact these relics have in the digital age.  Recommendations: Rebecca: The 2016 PBS show Victoria and Nicola Griffith's book Ammonite. Heather: Listening to music, especially if you usually listen to podcasts.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of The Waves, Slate staff writers Rebecca Onion and Heather Schwedel dive into girls' and women's magazines. Many outlets like Sassy and CosmoGirl have been shuttered or moved to online-only editions. With the recent resurrection of teen magazine icon Atoosa Rubenstein in the media, Rebecca and Heather talk about what made these types of magazines pop and how problematic they were for their audience​​—especially the young girls. Then they dig into the lasting impact these relics have in the digital age.  Recommendations: Rebecca: The 2016 PBS show Victoria and Nicola Griffith's book Ammonite. Heather: Listening to music, especially if you usually listen to podcasts.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A girl, a horse, and a magical sword save a kingdom in Robin McKinley's young adult classic, "The Blue Sword" — a book beloved by women of all ages. "Hild" author Nikola Griffith explains why.  My name's Nicola Griffith. I am the author most recently of a novel called “Hild.” I'd like to recommend a book. If you haven't read it, then please pick up “The Blue Sword” by Robin McKinley. It is ostensibly for teenagers, but I think I was probably about 25 or so when I read it. And I have re-read it many times since, and it holds up. It's a wonderful first-person story about a woman called Angharad, but she calls herself Harry, and by the end of the book is known as Harry, Harimad-sol. She moves from a place called Home. Sometimes I think of it as an English place, and sometimes I think of it as American Northeast, but it's very stuffy. It has lots of etiquette rules. Basically, the Wild West or the Indian frontier. When I first read it, I was thinking in terms of the Raj, I was very English. I am very English. But now that I've lived in this country for a bit, I can see the parallels with settlers who moved out to the Western frontier. Anyway, there's lots of magic. There are swords and horses. It's sword and pony fiction with magic. I love it. It's a great book. I've just started reading it aloud. I just read the first three pages, which is why it's on my mind. And McKinley does this amazing job of taking us in to this teenager's head, her essential loneliness, her longing for a place to belong. And she does that really, really well. And then further on in the book, there are these wonderful scenes where Harry learns that she has this power. She can do prophecy. She can fight. She can control her horse. Essentially, she could beat everybody, except, of course, the king who she ends up marrying. Sorry for the spoiler. So it's romantical, but it doesn't follow some of the really tired tropes of old fashioned romance in the sense that the woman has to look at the floor and flirt. She's basically very angry with this man in the nicest possible way. And he's reluctant to use her in the way that his powers dictate that she be employed to help him in his goal, which is to keep everyone safe because of her magic. The Blue Sword is the novel about a young woman becoming herself. It's about a woman finding her place in the world. She is a woman, but she could just as well be a man. It's about a person learning to belong, about a person finding their feet. And that is a story for any age, for any era. —This author recommends— The Blue Sword (Newbery Honor Roll) —More from this author— Interview: Nicola Griffith on Lesbian Crime Writing—Interview: Meet a Medieval Warrior-Girl: Nicola Griffith's "Hild"

În episodul de azi vorbim cu Carolina Vozian despre antologia de proză queer-feministă speculativă Lumile noastre posibile. În prima parte a episodului discutăm despre ce reprezintă termenii de science-fiction, ficțiune speculativă și ficțiune vizionară, și despre cum autoare ca Ursula K Le Guin și Octavia Butler au împins frontierele acestor categorii. În a doua parte vorbim despre antologie, despre procesul lung care a culminat în apariție ei și toate muncile vizibile și invizibile care au contribui la aceasta, despre autoare, despre format și cum lucruri mici ca acesta pot fi și ele politice și despre multe alte lucruri. ====== Re(Surse) Literatură și feminism https://literaturasifeminism.wordpress.com/ Lumile noastre posibile: Antologie de proză speculativă queer-feministă https://literaturasifeminism.wordpress.com/2020/01/28/e-book-lumile-noastre-posibile-antologie-de-proza-speculativa-queer-feminista/ Octavia’s Brood, Ed. adrienne maree brown & Walidah Imarisha, AK press (2015). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23129839-octavia-s-brood The Dispossessed, Ursula K Le Guin, Harper and Row books (1974). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13651.The_Dispossessed Against Creativity, Oli Mould, Verso books (2018). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39728820-against-creativity Ecology of Everyday Life, Chaia Heller, Black Rose Books (1999). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2695947-ecology-of-everyday-life Kim TallBear, The Critical Polyamorist (blog) http://www.criticalpolyamorist.com/ Sylvia Marcos, Femeile indigene și cosmoviziunea decolonială, trad. Ovidiu Țichindeleanu, Ed. Idea (2014). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50514334-femeile-indigene-i-cosmoviziunea-decolonial The Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler, Four Walls Eight Windows (1993). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52397.Parable_of_the_Sower The Parable of the Talents, Octavia Butler, Seven Stories Press (1998). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60932.Parable_of_the_Talents The Word for World is Forest, Ursula K Le Guin, Berkley Books (1976). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/276767.The_Word_for_World_is_Forest Lilith’s Brood, Octavia Butler, Grand Central Publishing (1987-89). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60926.Lilith_s_Brood The Broken Earth Trilogy, N.K. Jemisin, Orbit Books (2015-17). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38496769-the-broken-earth-trilogy Ammonite, Nicola Griffith, Del Rey Books (1992). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180270.Ammonite Arta de Alex Horghidan instagram.com/0sens sloth metal riffs de Zomfi Piesa de intro/outro: Healing Spells, de Sofia Zadar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ZJV5hHhv4

John and Karen sit down and talk through Karen's process and ideas about a Vampire Abbess story. From research to editing, she talks her way through a new story. There is no "right way" to write! Hope it proves inspirational to someone else. … Continue...Episode 65 – Karen Sources a Story

Amanda and Jenn discuss summery reads, dance stories, essay collections, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Book Riot Insiders, the digital hangout spot for the Book Riot community, Harper Perennial and Twisted by Emma Dabiri, and Humanity’s Gauntlet: The Archons Rise by Brian A. Sieteski, June 17th 2020. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. Feedback The Fate of Stars by SD Simper, The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and A Fish Out of Water by Karin Kallmaker (rec’d by Wynnde) Taste by Kris Bryant (rec’d by Wynnde) Ann McMann’s Dust, Jericho, and Beowulf for Cretins (rec’d by Wynnde) Questions: 1. I love to read books with a seasonal feel (cold and snowy in the Winter, spooky in Fall, etc.). I would love a book for summer that feels sunny and hot, but, the problem is, all of my favorite books are dark or gothic. My favorite genres are fantasy, mystery, and gothic but I am also open to lit fic and non-fiction. My favorite books of all time are The Diviners series by Libba Bray, Lonesome Dove, The Thirteenth Tale, Rebecca, The Night Circus, anything Tana French, The Queen of the Night, and The Secret History. -Danielle 2. Hi! I’ve sent in before but this isn’t a recommendation for me. My brother is a teenager but is only now just starting to get into reading (which I’ve been trying to do for years). He enjoys anything action packed, historical, logical, and or science fiction. As long as the book is exciting to keep him engaged and not too long. He’s 16 and grew up on Percy Jackson but hasn’t read much else from then on. Hope that helps!   -Gigi 3. Hey y’all! I would like a YA book based on the dance world. I have read some nonfiction, but I would really like a fiction book. I have been dancing for 13 years, and right now am dancing primarily ballet and pointe. I do not want a drama- filled cliche book, like dance moms. Just something where dance is a huge part of the main character’s life and is really good.  Thanks so much! -Allison  4. Hi I’ve recently been reading a lot of middlegrade books, I find they are just the mood I want for this lockdown & it’s helped me clear my backlog. My favourite was Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm It features all the elements of science fiction I love, a bit of peril, a lot of space travel and a view of a positive future. It reminded me of Heinlien’s juveniles (without the sexism), Becky Chambers and KA Applegate’s Remnant Chronicles. I’m looking for more middle grade that is proper science fiction please help me find something that is not an earth bound dystopian future (that seems to be all that comes up in searches) I’ve got Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee on order but need more! -Bex 5. Something to escape into: fantasy, fairytale, folklore, time slippage -Kim 6. Hi, I have fallen in love with essay collections this year. They have all been thematically different but written by female authors, beautiful writing as well as are on interesting topics.  I have loved: Constellations by Sinead Gleeson Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino Make It Scream, Make it Burn by Leslie Jamison  Thick by Tressie Macmillan Cottam Would love to hear some further recommendations! Not that keen on anything by straight white men. Thanks.  -Georgia 7. Hi! Me and a friend are starting a book club! We’re a group of disabled and chronically ill young people, from the US and UK (so books released in both is a must). Available in audio and on Kindle also important for accessibility reasons, nothing too long or hard to read, and maybe older books so they’re also available second hand/in libraries without huge hold lists. Disability representation is obviously important, but other diversities (especially LGBTQ+) would be great too, and personally I’d quite like something with mental health or neurodiversity themes. Fiction and non both okay, any and all genres too! Books already on the list include Get a Life, Chloe Brown and The Pretty One -Caz Books Discussed Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller Each of Us A Desert by Mark Oshiro (out in September 2020) (tw: abusive parent, graphic violence) The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling Zero Sum Game by SL Huang The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma A Time To Dance by Padma Venkatraman   We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey Sal and Gabi Break The Universe by Carlos Hernandez Conjure Women by Afia Atakora (TW slavery, rape) Unraveling by Karen Lord (tw: harm to children) My Time Among the Whites by Jennine Capó Crucet Beyoncé In Formation by Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley Far From You by Tess Sharpe (TW homophobia, drug addiction) So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Gary is joined by multiple award-winning author Nicola Griffith and they discuss the less-than-satisfactory challenges of the virtual cocktail party, the more satisfactory challenges of researching historical fiction and of reading Patrick O'Brian and others, the advantages of using genre as a set of tools rather than a container, her own So Lucky, her forthcoming sequel to Hild, and an exciting new as-yet-untitled book. Books mentioned include: Nicola Griffith, So Lucky Nicola Griffith, Hild Nicola Griffith, The Aud Torvingen mysteries Sigrid Undset, Olav Audunssøn: The Vow, translated by Tiina Nunnally Maggie Brookes, The Prisoner's Wife Octavia Butler, Kindred Patrick O'Brian, The Aubrey/Maturin novels Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave Rosemary Sutcliffe, Sword at Sunset Mary Renault, Fire from Heaven Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising Sarah Waters, Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet Ellen Galford, Moll Cutpurse: Her True History      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan sits down with Alyx Dellamonica to talk about writing Dealbreaker - the sequel to their L.X Beckett novel Gamechanger - how living through the pandemic sometimes feels like being stuck in Brendan Fraser's 1999 movie Blast from the Past, the wonders of science, and the comfort of fine crime novels. Books mentioned include: Gamechanger by LX Beckett Nature Obscura: A City's Hidden Natural World by Kelly Brenner The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5) by Tana French The Aud Series (The Blue Place, Stay, & Always) by Nicola Griffith      

One tried and true way to pass the time when you’re alone indoors is to read a book.Think Out Loud is starting an on-air book club so we can spend time alone...together. We’ve chosen a book by a Pacific Northwest author that seems to have some resonance with the particular moment we’re living through right now. And we hope you all will read it with us, and then call in to talk about the book with us and the author, Nicola Griffith. Her book, 'Ammonite,' is a science fiction novel about a colony planet quarantined because of a deadly virus that changes everything about how people there live.

This week on the Handsell, Jenn recommends Hild by Nicola Griffith. This episode is sponsored by Book of the Month. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

One tried and true way to pass the time when you’re alone indoors is to read a book. We thought perhaps we could try an experiment with our listeners that would allow us to spend time alone … together. We’d like to try to host a sort of on-air book club. We’ve chosen a book by a Pacific Northwest author that seems to have some resonance with the particular moment we’re living through right now. And we hope you all will read it with us, and then call in to talk about the book with us in a few weeks. Nicola Griffith lives in Seattle. She wrote the book we've chosen, 'Ammonite,' along with a number of others.

Your Hosts: Piper, Dan, and Tempest, with special guest Nicola Griffith In this episode we discuss how to faithfully represent people with physical disabilities through the characters we create. Our guest, Nicola Griffith, walks us through the process of rigorously imagining how the world might look to someone with a particular disability. Credits: This episode … Continue reading 14.47: Writing Characters With Physical Disabilities →

Join us in talking to disability activist and media maker Alice Wong about building media that values accessibility, disability as a political and socio-cultural identity, and her journey in founding the Disability Visibility Project. We also reflect on the continuing work of Access is Love, a campaign that aims to help build a world where accessibility is understood as an act of love instead of a burden or an afterthought. Access full resources, notes, and the transcript at http://www.healingjustice.org/podcast/46 ----------- TRANSCRIPT LAUNCH: In the next episode, we share a conversation with members of our volunteer Access Team, reflecting on the labor and lessons of their work to share our complete transcript collection and the continuing work to build access here at the podcast. Find that episode here & learn more about our access commitments here at the podcast. ----------- MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST: Alice Wong is a disability activist, media maker, and consultant. She is the Founder and Director of the Disability Visibility Project (DVP), an online community created in 2014, dedicated to creating, sharing and amplifying disability media and culture. Alice is also a co-partner in four projects: DisabledWriters.com, a resource to help editors connect with disabled writers and journalists, #CripLit, a series of Twitter chats for disabled writers with novelist Nicola Griffith, #CripTheVote, a nonpartisan online movement encouraging the political participation of disabled people with co-partners Andrew Pulrang and Gregg Beratan, and Access Is Love with co-partners Mia Mingus and Sandy Ho, a campaign that aims to help build a world where accessibility is understood as an act of love instead of a burden or an afterthought. Find out more about these at the links below: Disability Visibility Project (DVP): https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/ DVP Podcast: https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/podcast-2/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DVP Twitter: @SFdirewolf @DisVisibility Instagram: @disability_visibility DisabledWriters.com: https://disabledwriters.com/ #CripLit: https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23CripLit&src=typd #CripTheVote: http://cripthevote.blogspot.com/ Access Is Love: https://www.disabilityintersectionalitysummit.com/access-is-love Access is Love online store: https://www.disabilityintersectionalitysummit.com/onlinestore ----------- JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Sign up for our email list to receive a free healing justice zine & resources for your work and wellbeing. Sign up here: http://www.healingjustice.org Join our virtual community at http://www.patreon.com/healingjustice  Talk with us on social media: Instagram @healingjustice, Healing Justice Podcast on Facebook, & @hjpodcast on Twitter  ----------- Join us for Book Club! 

In today’s episode, Lee explores the incredibly complex female characters in Ammonite by Nicola Griffith. Join her as she enters the mysterious world affectionately (or not so affectionately) called Jeep and discusses Marge, Aoife, Danner, and Thenike. You’ll also get your nerdy news and question of the episode. Get your nerd on!Newsy Newshttps://geektyrant.com/news/heres-a-preview-for-the-hellmouth-event-starting-with-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-8https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/indie-comics-spotlight-alitha-martinez-made-two-comics-about-genius-black-womenLet’s Get SocialTwitter: @LasersLocketsDiscord: https://discord.gg/hd53W8N

This week on the cast, we talk with author and activist Deji Bryce Olukotun, whose books "Nigerians in Space" (2014) and "After the Flare" (2017) both enriched science fiction as a whole and the conversation about the immigrant experience in Africa. In 2019——with films like "Black Panther" making a splash and authors like N.K. Jemisin, Nnedi Okorafor, and yes! Deji Bryce Olukotun zeroing in on glass ceilings in publishing——new avenues for social, authorial, technological, and civic engagement are opening up, but what is the state of things, really? Olukotun brings us thoughts on the influence of technology on his own writing as well as his work with Access Now and PEN America. He talks about obscure NASA publications about tracking stations, the narrative function of dinosaurs, and advocating for other authors and storytellers. We ask the big questions: What does science fiction allow or make possible or manifest in respect to these topics that other genres might not? Are we really making progress on finding and boosting #OwnVoices stories? Are dinosaurs supposed to be people? Deji and the cast mention a number of works looking up after listening to this episode, including: - Sunny Tsiao's "'Read You Loud and Clear!' The Story of NASA's Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network" (https://history.nasa.gov/STDN_082508_508%2010-20-2008_part%201.pdf) - Nicola Griffith's "Bending the Landscape" anthologies with Stephen Pagel ("Fantasy" in 1997, "Science Fiction" in 1998, and "Horror" in 2001) - Avery Brooks' 2013 interview with K. Tempest Bradford (http://dailydragon.dragoncon.org/interviews/far-beyond-deep-space-nine-a-conversation-with-avery-brooks/) - The "Queers Destroy Science Fiction!" June 2015 special issue of "Lightspeed" edited by Seanan McGuire (http://www.destroysf.com/queers/) - "A People's Future of the United States" (2019) anthology edited by John Joseph Adams and Victor LaValle (http://www.johnjosephadams.com/projects/peoples-future/) - Deji Bryce Olukotun's "Insights" page on his website (https://returnofthedeji.com/revamp/insights/), which links to his short pieces "We Are the Olfanauts," "How to Create Your Own Jurassic Park," and "Utopian and Dystopian Visions of Afrofuturism" You can look for Deji Bryce Olukotun's books wherever good books are sold, and you can look for his work to appear in upcoming issue of "Lightspeed" this summer. You can find all of our back episodes on YouTube once they have shuffled off these earthly coils of their SoundCloud first life. Like our content? Our website is www.imaginaries.net, and you can drop us a line at imaginarypod@gmail.com or find us on Twitter at @imaginary_pod. You can find ALL of our back episodes on YouTube, and listen to our episodes on iTunes or SoundCloud. If you would like to help support our work, you can do so at www.ko-fi.com/imaginaries.

Stories My Body Can Tell by Alina Sichevaya   My mama used to tell me I was born screaming, sticky, and uglier than every sin she’d ever known, which was all of them. I still like to remember that. Gives me a warm feeling in my stomach. Especially when it looks like I’m about to die the same way. I’m remembering it now. My throat feels skinned, but on the inside, and my lips stick to each other, the blood from my nose drying over them. It’s definitely broken, and one of my lips might be split. One of my eyes is swelling shut. I’ve had worse—I’m not exactly dying—but it hurts to breathe, and my ribs feel like they’re falling to pieces inside of me. They probably are.   [Full story after the cut.]     Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip Episode 62! This is your host, Keffy, and I'm super excited to share this story with you. Today we have a GlitterShip original, "Stories My Body Can Tell" by Alina Sichevaya and a poem, "Daddy Death" by Jeana Jorgensen. This episode is part of the newest GlitterShip issue that is now available. The Spring 2018 issue of GlitterShip is available for purchase at glittership.com/buy and on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. If you're a Patreon supporter, you should have access to the new issue waiting for you when you log in. The new issue is only $2.99 and all of our back issues are now $1.49. GlitterShip is also a part of the Audible Trial Program. This means that just by listening to GlitterShip, you are eligible for a free 30 day membership on Audible, and a free audiobook to keep. If you're looking for an excellent book to listen to, check out Hild by Nicola Griffith which is a historical fantasy about the youth of St. Hilda in 7th century Britain. The book is full of lush historical descriptions and the sometimes brutal life of a young woman with extraordinary gifts. To download Hild for free today, go to www.audibletrial.com/glittership — or choose another book if you're in the mood for something else.     Jeana Jorgensen is a folklorist, writer, dance, and sex educator. Her poetry has appeared at Strange Horizons, Liminality, Stone Telling, Enchanted Conversation, and Mirror Dance. She blogs at Patheos (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/foxyfolklorist/) and is constantly on Twitter (@foxyfolklorist).     Daddy Death by Jeana Jorgensen   Death is just.Death is fair.Death was ours firstand still he loves us best. I only had one father that mattered:Daddy Death, godfather to lost boys like mewho arrived alone and quaking, newborns at the gatesof the club, too new to know our language, our customs. I was Daddy Death’s favorite, strong and young,a pup lapping up rules and adoration and learning so quicklyto spot our kind in the waking world:the closeted businessman, father of four;the baker, the lawyer, the burly school bus driver;and more politicians than I could count.I eyed them all, a specter of Daddy Death in my visionnodding, as if to say, he is one of ours,he belongs to our underworld,if only he’d let himself. Daddy Death is fair and even-handed with all(even me; especially me)bears and pups and dykes and moremeting out punishment when deservedbut oh so tender, so gentle with aftercare. That was before the rumors,the slow illness preying on us;whispering grid, gay, go awayand the clubs closed as the body count rose. Aging monarch on shadowy throne:Daddy Death lasted longestbut stopped going out(except for the appointments)and I was his messenger boy.I, who passed well enough in the straight world;I, who charmed all the pharmacists;I, who could still see unerringlywhen I meet a man thathe is one of ours; he may yet escape the plaguethough Daddy Death looms over his bedeach night, an invitation, a warning,a man whose heart can hold us all. Love is a door, love is a dungeonwhere a tender man presses paininto your skin and shows you to yourself. Daddy Death waits for me in the next worldwhile I do his work in this one, shepherding boysso young to be in so much pain, but so was I at that ageand now we know so much more,and the medicine takes root in our bodiesand though decimated, we grow strong again.     Alina Sichevaya is a writer and student based in North Carolina. She is a graduate of the Alpha Workshop, was a finalist for the 2017 Dell Magazines Award, and her work has previously appeared in Strange Horizons. In her spare time, Alina plays a lot of Overwatch and waves a string around for her very large orange cat. She can be found on Twitter at @alina_sichevaya and you can visit her website at https://sichevaya.wordpress.com. Our narrator is Kirby Marshall-Collins. Kirby is a Los Angeles-based writer and director with a hunger for authentic, hopeful storytelling. She got her start writing Disney spec scripts as a child before going on to gain a BA in Theater, Film, and Digital Production. She'd like to thank her high school English teacher for always volunteering her to read in class--if she can do "The Odyssey" solo, she can do anything.   Stories My Body Can Tell by Alina Sichevaya   My mama used to tell me I was born screaming, sticky, and uglier than every sin she’d ever known, which was all of them. I still like to remember that. Gives me a warm feeling in my stomach. Especially when it looks like I’m about to die the same way. I’m remembering it now. My throat feels skinned, but on the inside, and my lips stick to each other, the blood from my nose drying over them. It’s definitely broken, and one of my lips might be split. One of my eyes is swelling shut. I’ve had worse—I’m not exactly dying—but it hurts to breathe, and my ribs feel like they’re falling to pieces inside of me. They probably are. The girl doesn’t punch me again. She doesn’t have to. I feel like my insides are turning into soup as she hauls me upright by my hair. Somewhere in the parts of my head that aren’t full of feeling-like-shit, I think that I need a haircut. “Tell Craiden where she can shove her cheap fists next time,” she hisses in my ear. Then, she bites it. Just for good measure. It could be hot, if she doesn’t then pull away and take part of it with her. I don’t scream. Or, I do, but I don’t have the air in me to do it right and it comes out in a low, embarrassing wail. “I don’t think she can fit an entire grown woman up her ass, but I’m sure she’ll appreciate the message,” I hiss. Flecks of pink spittle land on the carpet in front of me. It’s satisfying to watch them soak into the plush surface, especially when they’re next to the bright red stains that got there when the kid shoved my face into the floor and held it there. “She can leave now,” says the man at the window, some official from bumfuck-nowhere with six lifetimes’ worth of gambling debts. How he can afford this kind of muscle is beyond me. How he can stand there, not even glancing over as I get the shit beaten out of me—that, I can understand. The kid hauls me back to my feet, meaty hand still fisted in my hair. Some of it comes out in her fingers as she pulls me out of the study, and she readjusts her grip. “Y’know, s’not,” I start, but forget my words. “S’not polite,” I say. “Beating your elders to a pulp, ‘s a dick move.” “I’ll remember that the next time a crusty hag like you shows up at the door,” she says before letting go of my hair. I turn around, raising my fist for a last punch. Before I can even get close, she plants a hand squarely between my tits and shoves me backwards out the door. I skip all three of the steps leading down to street and land on my ass, hard. I get up. I rub at the ache in my assbone. That makes it worse, so I stop. I want to fall down again, on something else, maybe something that doesn’t already hurt, but I walk. If I don’t tell Craiden that she’s not getting her money back anytime soon, I never will, and that will end badly for me. Even worse than it’s already turning out. All the way to Craiden’s building, the skin on my back aches, the same way it always does when I miss the woman who used to drag her nails down the name burned into it and curl up against me after. It’s a nagging, touch-hungry kind of ache, the kind that wants comforting. I do my best to ignore it. My best is pretty shit. Craiden runs a hand over her stubbly scalp, scowling down at me like I’m a stray dog she can’t afford to feed. “Give me one good reason to keep you, Jansse.” I don’t have one. I can’t tell if that’s because there isn’t one, or because my head has stopped working. “Well?” I shrug. “Can I…” I have to think for a minute or two. “Can I get back to you after I get my face fixed?” Craiden laughs. The stamps burned into her face, scars from her own extremely brief career as a fist-for-hire, wrinkle with it. “Honey, if you want your face fixed, you gotta go back to whenever it was you were young and decide to do something else with your life.” “Know it didn’ go well,” I say, breathing in that shallow way I know helps get air past my ribs. I shift from foot to foot in the alley. Her doorway opens onto the hidden refuse of the city, piled up in stinking heaps of wasted food and waste itself against the walls of buildings. I wonder if I’m more like the wasted food or the waste. “That’s not what I asked you for. One reason, Jansse.” “I don’ know righ’ now, a’right?” I say, letting myself sag against the frame. “I’ll do better. Next time.” Craiden sucks at the insides of her lips, drags her teeth over the top and bottom ones in succession. “Jansse, there’s not going to be a next time.” “Wha’ you mean?” The split lip and broken nose are making talking harder and harder. “You have to understand, at this point, I’m about to start sinking more money into keeping you alive than you’re bringing back to me,” said Craiden. “You get that, right?” “Wai’—“I lean forward, shaking my head quickly before getting dizzy and stopping. “No, you can’—” “I’m sorry, Jansse, I’d keep you if I could,” she says. It’s almost like she means it, her face folds in all the right ways, but I know better. What she says next hurts worse than the letting me go. “It’s just business,” she says. “You’ll still be a friend—” My breath comes faster, the spaces between my ribs filling with the ache of panic to complete all of me. “You can’t,” I say, forcing the consonant out as good as I can. “I got nowhere else to work, nobody else—” I try to breathe enough to keep talking. It takes me a good few moments. “You’re the only one hirin’ at my age,” I say. “’M only fifty, please—” “That’s the problem,” says Craiden, and she’s already closing the door. “You’re fifty, Jansse. You can’t do this forever. The fact that you’ve made it this long is impressive.” “Wai’,” I say, and it sounds like I’m yelling from really far away. “Lemme try agai—” The door clicks closed. The little sound it makes is louder than anything I can produce in response. Fuck, but everything hurts, and the marriage burned across my back hurts the most, maybe because there’s nothing like getting your ass handed to you by a someone at least two decades younger than you and losing your job for it to make you want pity from someone who’s been done with you for years. Even my bones hurt, the whole ones, with the shame of it—this is what I do, and besides, it’s not right, losing to someone when you’ve got thirty years of experience on them. I shouldn’t go, but focusing on where my feet take me and on staying conscious is too much work, so I choose consciousness and let my legs follow a familiar path of back alleys to a home that isn’t mine anymore. It’s a little unfair of me, but I never claimed to be a good person, and besides, we’re both used to it by now. Avne’s a better person than I am. She has to let me in if I’m hurt, and she does, though her graceful dark face is pinched with disapproval. My insides do the same warm thing they did when I met her, even though she’s not smiling this time. “There’s nobody following you, is there?” she asks as she pulls me through the door and settles me, oozing fleshy lump that I am, into a chair at her kitchen table. The faint light of her fire is more than I could see by outside. I don’t know how long it’s been since the last time, but there’s definitely more gray in her hair. What a pair of old crones, we are. “Well, Jansse? Is there?” she disappears behind me, and I can hear her pouring water. It takes me a moment to find my tongue. “Nah,” I say. My mouth feels thick, the words distant. “Craiden don’ need me anymore.” “She paid you like shit,” says Avne, and I almost smile, but my sticky mouth protests. Then I remember that she’s not paying me at all anymore, and I don’t want to smile after that. “Thought you didn’ care what I was makin’,”I say. This is old talk, warm talk. My insides do the thing again. “Arms up.” I obey, as much I can, and she pulls my shirt and wraps off. The weight of my tits falling free makes my ribs hurt, and I breathe in sharp and fast before I can remember not to. My middle is a bruising, swelling, scarred wreck. The only good stories my body has to tell are in the marks she’s left on me, the rounded twists of her name-letters burned into my back by the priest at our wedding, two decades ago, and in the stamps she sears into me every time I come crawling back to her for fixing-up. “I do care what you make,” says Avne, stiff, dabbing at my face with a warm, wet cloth. It comes away red when she stops to rinse it off. “Especially when you come back thinner than when you left.” I’ve got nothing to say to that, so I don’t answer, but after she puts the cloth down in the bowl of bloody water, she goes for my nose and I flinch away. “Don’t be a child,” she waves her hand for me to come closer, and I force myself to lean forward. “I can’t repair it without setting it first.” When she does push the bone back where it belongs, I let out a groan that squeezes my ribs. I’m too proud to scream. She keeps me talking, just about random bullshit, as she finds the right stamp and pulls it from the fireplace. It doesn’t hurt, even though the metal’s glowing bright orange when she presses it to a convenient clear spot on my cheek. My nose has been broken enough times that it’s hard to find good places on my face to stamp fixes onto, but she always manages to get to one. Stamp healing always leave me feeling softer, warmer. I don’t understand how it works, but all I need to know is that after the little circle with the right character inside gets burned into me I start feeling like life’s way easier than it really is. Names are different. They hurt going on and feel all kinds of ways after. She goes to work on my ribs next, and my split lip. My ear, she can’t do much about—“I can’t grow your flesh back,” she says, but the rest she patches up until I’m warm all over. It’s like sleep, but better. She lets me just sit there like that for a little while, come off that flood of calm nice and slow, and when my eyelids are light enough to lift she asks, “What went wrong this time?” I whisper it first, then say it louder when she asks me again. “I got beat by some kid bodyguard over money someone owed Craiden.” My body doesn’t hurt anymore, but I still have to look at the ceiling to keep my eyes dry. “She thought I was too expensive to keep fixing. And paying. I’m not useful anymore, not the way you are,” I whisper. I can barely hear myself say it. I clear my throat. “You got anything to drink?” Avne pulls a bottle of something clear and colorless off the shelf above the fireplace and opens it. I take a long pull that burns my throat in a way some would consider less than pleasant. I put it down on the table maybe a bit harder than I should, and it sloshes up the sides not unlike my innards probably did earlier. “You know how we’d used to talk about it sometimes, when we were still...” I try again. “You know how we’d talk about it when we were younger? Which one of us would still be working?” “That’s not really what was happening, and you know it,” says Avne, looking at the bottle for a second before deciding against it, instead shoving the cork back inside. “I told you you couldn’t keep it up for long. That’s what I meant.” This is an old argument, a well-worn one that fits between us nice and snug, but it’s deeper this time. “It was fine, back then,” I say, more to my hands in my lap to her. “She couldn’t have been more than twenty, that’s what really fucks with me, and she’s got nothing of the art of it in her. Just muscle, y’know?” Avne gives me a sad smile. She opens her mouth to say something, closes it again, and answers, “There’s an art to being a mercenary?” “There’s efficiency, and then there’s just throwing your weight around hoping it lands somewhere.” I’m not crying, I swear I’m not crying, but my voice catches like I might and it disgusts me. “So what are you going to do about it?” She sounds completely calm, collected, nothing like I’ve ever been. “Can I—” Avne stands so quickly it makes my head spin. “Don’t ask.” That’s when I start crying. “Why not?” “What do you think it’s like for me, when you ask to come back?” she returns, folding her arms around herself like she’s holding herself together by the force of it. “You say every time that it’s the last, that you’ll either stop breaking yourself for money or just stop coming back, and then you just leave in the mornings like nothing happened, and what am I supposed to do with that?” There’s no point defending yourself when you know it’s only going to get you hurt worse. I learned that today, if nothing else, so I say nothing. We sit like that, and I drink, not enough. She only looks at me like she wants a response that I don’t know how to give. “I get it,” I finally say, “but I’m outta work now. Craiden was the only one paying for someone my age.” “There’s a difference between understanding and not having a choice.” “That’s fair,” I say, because it is. “I won’t get very far with you tonight, will I?” I would agree, but that implies too much of a future for me to want to risk it by responding. Avne replaces the bottle on top of the mantlepiece. “I’m not letting you back out there until you’ve slept,” she says, glancing at the door. “Leave at dawn, or don’t, but do it when you’re not on your last legs. I don’t need to put you back together twice in as many nights. Take the bed.” “But—” “Jansse. Take the bed. You’re a terrible liar, and even worse when you try to fake humility.” This, too, is old territory, streets we’ve packed dustless with our footsteps. “Thanks,” I say. “If you stay, we’re talking,” she calls after me as I make my way to her bedroom. “In the morning, when you’re functional, we’re talking.” I drop myself on top of her covers and regret it—my insides were always slower to pull themselves back together than the rest of me—and watch her through the open door. She’s gone up in the world—the last time I was here, it was a curtain. Outside, things creak and slosh and rustle as she gets rid of the evidence that I was ever any less than whole. I just lie on my side and blink. She moves, sometimes, into the narrow field of vision afforded me by the door. She lets her hair down. The gray makes it even more beautiful, I decide. It means she’s been around long enough to get it in the first place. “Avne,” I ask, but it doesn’t feel like a question. “Y’know what?” My jaw feels heavier the more I try to talk, the comfortable exhaustion of the freshly stamped. “What?” she returns, tone neutral in that careful way of hers that she uses when she doesn’t want to take any more of my shit. The light of the fire dims, is squeezed out to a sliver as she closes the curtain most of the way. All that’s left is the faint light cast by the better parts of town, but that’s far away too, so the room looks like dusk. I keep myself awake with little pinches to the back of my thigh, where she won’t see. I never manage to stay awake this long, and I want this time to be different. “I never got you burned off of me,” I say. It slurs out of me. I let it. Avne pauses. Something rustles, and her dim outline moves like she’s pulling her clothes off. “I know,” she says. “I’ve seen you shirtless more times than I can count.” She doesn’t face me when she lays down on the spare folding cot set up against the wall. There’s something on her back, something whole and beautiful and not quite discernible in the barely-light on her skin. I pinch myself again, I want to see it right before I can sleep it out of my memory. It’s the curves of my name-letters, less intricate than hers, but still dark, the scar still raised against her skin, uninterrupted by the char of removal. When the light works its way through my eyes, she’s not there—she’s already awake, from the sound and smell of it. Her cooking’s always been good, and at the scent of it my stomach pulls me upright and commands my legs to swing over the side of the bed. The memory of last night almost forces me back down for a moment before deciding that out the window would be better, and I have the shutters open before I can even think about it. I pull my hand back. Names hurt going on and feel all kinds of ways after, but in the few seconds after the rod leaves your skin, it’s better than anything, even that soft wholeness you get after your insides have been stamped back together by someone who knows what they’re doing. That’s what makes me go to the door instead, and open it. “Good morning,” I say. Avne looks over her shoulder, her hair catching the light. Her smile is small, but it’s there. I want to keep it there forever.   END   “Daddy Death” is © Copyright Jeana Jorgensen 2018. “Stories My Body Can Tell” is © Copyright Alina Sichevaya 2018. This recording is a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license which means you can share it with anyone you’d like, but please don’t change or sell it. Our theme is “Aurora Borealis” by Bird Creek, available through the Google Audio Library. You can support GlitterShip by checking out our Patreon at patreon.com/keffy, subscribing to our feed, or by leaving reviews on iTunes. You can also support us by picking up a free audio book by going to www.audibletrial.com/glittership or buying your own copy of the Spring 2018 issue at www.glittership.com/buy Thanks for listening, and we’ll be back soon with a reprint of "Gravedigging" by Sarah Goldman.

We interview two real life trolls. They managed to get wind of the Zuck Juice story that we picked up in our newsroom. Trolls need love too. Internet trolls aren't so famous in the troll world. Neither is making fun of Dwarfs. Redhood is pissed, why, because he tried to fight back. Not that its wrong to fight back, The Cheesecake Factory is on fire (literally) intimidated by a 22 year old who got bullied for wearing a MAGA hat…The group tried rather unsuccessfully to infiltrate Starbucks. Don't we all.  Then a school board dismissed a teacher for showing the film Halloween. And last but certainly not least So, Lucky author Nicola-Griffith gets serious about disability. The Satirically Challenged Show is presented by AMCPress&Co.  We are the #1 disabled satirical news program  in the world (65,000 and Counting) that provides uncensored news on numerous topics worldwide. We are now on ITUNES. Subscribe to us through there.  Want to connect with us? Seek us out on facebook under AMCPRESS&CO. You can find us at http://bit.ly/2fXFEFT. * Some Media  (sound effects, news clips and other sounds. etc) is protected by Fair Use. Main theme song is composed by , Redhood, Drizz, and End theme song is composed by Pinkhood. All Rights Reserved. © This has been an AMCPRESS&CO production.  No copyright infringement intended**   Cast: Pinkhood, Redhood, Johnnie, & Drizz Tonight's episode is written by the Company of The Satirically Challenge Show  

In this, the third and final installment of our "Enclosed Spaces in sFF" series, we tackle the city. The city on our planet, the city on other planets, the city in worlds of strange makings. Cities have long been a construct familiar to the reader of science fiction as well as the reader of fantasy, just as they have been familiar to the authors who put them to many diverse purposes. Here, we discuss the city in such texts as "Lord of the Rings," Nnedi Okorafor's "Akata" series, in "City of Stairs," "Harry Potter," "Crossroads of Canopy," the works of China Mieville and Adrian Tchaikovsky, Kim Stanley Robinson and Omar El Akkad, NIcola Griffith and Patrick Rothfuss, Chris Beckett and Octavia Butler ... among many, many others. You can find our back episodes on YouTube. Our Twitter handle is @imaginary_pod, our website www.imaginaries.net, and our email imaginarypod@gmail.com. If you would like to help support our work, you can do so at www.ko-fi.com/imaginaries. And don't forget to vote on on our "What Should We Read Next?" lists on Goodreads! See our Twitter for more information on that. Thanks for listening!

We interview two real life trolls. They managed to get wind of the Zuck Juice story that we picked up in our newsroom. Trolls need love too. Internet trolls aren't so famous in the troll world. Neither is making fun of Dwarfs. Redhood is pissed, why, because he tried to fight back. Not that its wrong to fight back, The Cheesecake Factory is on fire (literally) intimidated by a 22 year old who got bullied for wearing a MAGA hat…The group tried rather unsuccessfully to infiltrate Starbucks. Don't we all.  Then a school board dismissed a teacher for showing the film Halloween. And last but certainly not least So, Lucky author Nicola-Griffith gets serious about disability. The Satirically Challenged Show is presented by AMCPress&Co. We are the #1 disabled satirical news program  in the world (65,000 and Counting) that provides uncensored news on numerous topics worldwide. We are now on ITUNES. Subscribe to us through there.  Want to connect with us? Seek us out on facebook under AMCPRESS&CO. You can find us at http://bit.ly/2fXFEFT. * Some Media  (sound effects, news clips and other sounds. etc) is protected by Fair Use. Main theme song is composed by , Redhood, Drizz, and End theme song is composed by Pinkhood. All Rights Reserved. © This has been an AMCPRESS&CO production.  No copyright infringement intended**    

Amanda and Jenn discuss fantasy, diverse kids books, awkward romances and more in this week's episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by Lady Rogue by Theresa Romain and Everywhere You Want to Beby Christina June.   Questions   1. My husband loves fantasy but hasn’t read much recently. He has a long road trip this summer and is looking for a new series to dive into on audio. His past favorites have included Game of Thrones (of course!), anything by Patrick Rothfuss, Anne Rice books and Lord of the Rings. I had him try NK Jemisin Fifth Season and he couldn’t get into it. Any thoughts?? --Sara   2. Hi! My "deadline" for this question is June 2018, that is the first birthday month :). Two of my best girl friends have made me the proudest Auntie of three beautiful little boys. Ages 4 years, 8 months, and 2 months old. I love to gift them books, I always try to send at least one for each birthday/Christmas. All three of my nephews are multiracial, and two (4 years old and 8 months old) are brothers. I want to gift them books that have one or more of the following themes: ~ unique story lines ~ characters that are not white (bonus points for multiracial characters) ~ Stories that provide a broader view of the world/culture curated for little people I do not have a very deep knowledge of children's literature and find myself a little stuck, can you suggest books/authors for me to gift to my nephews? Below is a sampling of the books I have gifted them in the past: ~ The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers~ The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko~ Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison (decidedly too advanced for a two month old, but it is breathtakingly beautiful and he will grow into it!) Thanks! --Melissa   3. Hi Amanda, Hi Jenn I am taking woman's history, and my professor is focusing on American woman who influence history. She assigned a project on women we don't talk about but have influenced or changed society. I have been left wanting more because I want to learn more about women who have influence outside America. I would love to read more on Mexican women, British women, African American women who have influenced history. I have already read Code Girls, Wonder Woman, The Wolves at the Door, Headstrong. --Grace   4. Hello, my son's birthday is coming up towards the end of May, and I am looking for book recommendations. He will be turning 21. Lately, to my excitement,I have been able to find my way through a few books that we have both been able to form a connection over. We both seem to enjoy them and like talking about them together. But as of late I am now stuck. Could you help me with some recommendations? Among his favorites are the Night Circus by Morgenstern, and Little, Big by Crowley. I have not read those yet, but from how he describes them I would like to read them. Some books I gave him that we both like are the short story collections of Edgar Allan Poe, and Shirley Jackson. Also, the Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things ( which are a collection of Japanese ghost stories with a mythological and traditional background). Graphic novels are a big plus, because of his love for art. I'm not sure if this will help but we both like Tim Burton's work. Thank you for your help --Melissa   5. Hello! First things first, I absolutely love this podcast! Thank you so much for always have great recommendations! I have recently read "Me before you" by Jojo Moyes and really enjoyed it especially the controversial subject of assisted suicide that's legal in Switzerland. I have also previously read "The Universe Versus Alex Woods" by Gavin Extense that has the same subject in the book. I got very interested in this subject and haven't been able to find any great books that deal with this matter. I was wondering if you'd be able to help me with that! Thank you so so much! --Fabiola   6. Jenn and Amanda, Though I used to read a lot of urban fantasy romance in the past, more recently I tend to just dabble in romance. One of the things that I’ve really wanted to see is a heroine who is not instantly great at the sexy times. I thought I had found the perfect heroine in Lady Philippa in One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean, but unfortunately as soon as the steamy scenes became physical, our heroine is very not awkward and somehow instinctually knows what to do. I don’t know if this is a weird request, but I think I would like to see some more awkward and not-intuitively-good-at-sex sexy times between the romance hero and heroine. Can you ladies help me out?? --B   7. Hello Ladies! I'm sure you've gotten a few of these already but... Black Panther, Afrofuturism, please! Black Panther has long been one of my favorite superheroes and I am so f****** pleased that the movie was so good and that so many people are excited about it. I've heard it described as afrofuturism which is a term I've heard before, but am maybe not as familiar with as I'd like to be. I think I'm a little more interested in a novel, but I'll take a comic if you've got one you are excited about. I'm not even sure if these qualify under that genre (as my understanding of the term is loose), but I've read N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy (well, the first two so far, third will be soon) & Octavia Butler is on my list. What have you got? Thank you! --Violet   Books Discussed So Lucky by Nicola Griffith (out May 15) History of the Philippines by Luis H. Francia The Detective Elouise Norton series by Rachel Howzell Hall A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic) The Acacia series by David Anthony Durham (The War with the Mein) A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love The Leper Spy by Ben Montgomery Empress by Ruby Lal Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly Neil Gaiman (The Graveyard Book or Stardust or Sandman) Wayward Vol 1: String Theory by Jim Zub, Stephen Cummings, John Rauch “At Death’s Window” by Anne Lamott (in Grace (Eventually)) Knocking on Heaven’s Door by Katy Butler Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James How Not to Fall by Emily Foster Binti by Nnedi Okorafor Books Like Black Panther post A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

We spoke to author Robin Sloan (@robinsloan) about his books and near-future science fiction. Robin wrote Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore and Sourdough. Robin’s website is robinsloan.com. Go there for some short stories, sign up for his newsletter and check out his new ‘zine (also at wizard.limo). Oh! Don’t forget his blog, including a description of his neural net for audio generation and for writing. Some books Robin suggested: Home: A Short History of an Idea by Witold Rybczynshi Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie Hild by Nicola Griffith

Interview with Ellen Klages The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 19b A series of interviews with authors of historically-based fiction featuring queer women. In this episode we talk about The long incubation for the ideas that became Passing Strange Lesbian culture in mid-century San Francisco and the San Francisco World’s Fair on Treasure Island The hidden interconnectedness of Ellen’s novels The love of historic objects and texts Historical fiction as “time travel” for the reader Publications mentioned: Passing Strange (tor.com, for signed copies: Borderlands Books, Amazon) “Caligo Lane” (originally published in Subterranean Online, Winter 2014, available in the collection Wicked Wonders Tachyon Publications, 2017, Amazon) “Hey Presto” (originally published in the anthology Fearsome Magics by Jonathan Strahan, 2014, available in the collection Wicked Wonders Tachyon Publications, 2017, Amazon) The Green Glass Sea (Viking Children’s Books, 2006, Amazon) “Time Gypsy” (originally published in Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction, edited by Nicola Griffith and Stephen Pagel (Overlook Press, 1999), also available in the collection Portable Childhoods Tachyon Publications, 2007, Amazon) More info The Lesbian Historic Motif Project lives at: http://alpennia.com/lhmp Website: http://ellenklages.com Twitter: @eklages Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ellen.klages If you have questions or comments about the LHMP or these podcasts, send them to: contact@alpennia.com No transcript is available for this episode.

This is the third and final installment of our "planetary bodies" series, which began with the Moon (Ep. 37) and middled with Mars (Ep. 38). Here we cover a LOT of ground--everything from Kim Stanley Robinson's "Aurora" to Sheri Tepper's "Grass" to Nicola Griffith's "Ammonite" to Cixen Liu's "Three Body Problem." How do we present planetary bodies in science fiction as a landscape and a function? And what's this about "Cli-Fi" or climate-change exploratoriums in science fiction? We have a lot of questions, and a lot of thoughts, and cats. WHAAT. You can find our back episodes on YouTube. Our Twitter handle is @imaginary_pod, our website www.imaginaries.net, and our email imaginarypod@gmail.com. If you would like to help support our work, you can do so at www.ko-fi.com/imaginaries. Thanks for listening!

Les Do Books  Ann McMan’s Favourite Lesbian Books  In this episode, Ann McMan tells Tara all about her three favourite lesbian books. Authors are readers too, so Tara was excited to hear about these books and why Ann loves them. And if you can believe it, Tara even managed not to fangirl too much.  Check out the books discussed here:  Other Women by Lisa Alther Get It On Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca     Slow River by Nicola Griffith Get It On Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca     Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge Get It On Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca       Ash by Malinda Lo Get It On Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca       Learn more about Ann McMan Website Facebook  Twitter     See our reviews and top 10 lists featuring Ann McMan’s books    More info Come talk to us about these books and any other lesfic you’ve been reading lately at our Facebook group, The Lesbian Review Book Club.    You can see all of our reviews, top 10 lists and author profiles on TheLesbianReview.com and don’t forget to send your emails, questions and more to Tara@TheLesbianReview.com   Book Blurbs Other Women Caroline is a giver—as an ER nurse, as devoted lover to her partner, Diane, as a divorced mother of two boys, and as the daughter of world-class do-gooders—but can she accept help from others and still be herself?  When trauma cases in the ER leave Caroline emotionally paralyzed and her relationship with her partner, Diane, breaks down, she knows its time to take a look at her life and do something she’d never imagined: go to therapy. Her therapist, Hannah, knows a thing or two about sacrifice and pain. A former war bride, Hannah may live a seemingly cozy domestic life with her beloved husband and two grown children, but she can’t forget her own harrowing past. As she and Caroline work together, each comes to understand and admire the resilient woman sitting before her.  A poignant look at the human need for acceptance, Other Women is a thoughtful novel about how a life examined is worth living.    Slow River  Nicola Griffith, winner of the Tiptree Award and the Lambda Award for her widely acclaimed first novel Ammonite, now turns her attention closer to the present in Slow River, the dark and intensely involving story of a young woman's struggle for survival and independence on the gritty underside of a near-future Europe.  She wakes in an alley to the splash of rain. She is naked, a foot-long gash in her back was still bleeding, and her identity implant is gone. Lore Van de Oest was the daughter of one of the world's most powerful families...and now she is nobody.  Then out of the rain walks Spanner, an expert data pirate who takes her in, cares for her wounds, and gives her the freedom to reinvent herself again and again. No one can find Lore if she doesn't want to be found: not the police, not her family, and not the kidnappers who left her in that alley to die. She has escaped...but she pays for her newfound freedom.  Lore has a choice: She can stay in the shadows, stay with Spanner...and risk losing herself forever. Or she can leave Spanner and find herself again by becoming someone else: stealing the identity implant of a dead woman, taking over her life, and inventing her future.  But to start again, Lore requires Spanner's talents--Spanner, who needs her and hates her, and who always has a price. And even as Lore agrees to play Spanner's games one final time, she finds that there is still the price of being a Van de Oest to be paid. Only by confronting her past, her family, and her own demons can Lore meld together who she once was, who she had become, and the person she wants to be...  In Slow River, Nicola Griffith skillfully takes us deep into the mind and heart of her complex protagonist, where the past must be reconciled with the present if the future is ever to offer solid ground. Slow River poses a question we all hope never to need to answer: Who are you when you have nothing left?   Solitaire  Jackal Segura is a Hope: born to responsibility and privilege as a symbol of a fledgling world government. Soon she'll become part of the global administration, sponsored by the huge corporation that houses, feeds, employs, and protects her and everyone she loves. Then, just as she discovers that everything she knows is a lie, she becomes a pariah, a murderer: a person with no community and no future. Grief-stricken and alone, she is put into an experimental program designed to inflict the experience of years of solitary confinement in a few short months: virtual confinement in a sealed cell within her own mind. Afterward, branded and despised, she returns to a world she no longer knows. Struggling to make her way, she has a chance to rediscover her life, her love, and her soul—in a strange place of shattered hopes and new beginnings called Solitaire.  Ash  In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.  The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.  Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief. 

Bookrageous Episode 84; Historicals What We're Reading Jenn [0:45] Sacred Games, Vikram Chandra [1:51] Pandemic, Sonia Shah (February 23 2016) [3:05] Pandemic board game [3:55] Getting Things Done, David Allen Josh [4:30] Judge This, Chip Kidd [6:30] American Housewife, Helen Ellis [7:55] Eating the Cheshire Cat, Helen Ellis [8:15] The Noble Hustle, Colson Whitehead [8:25] On the Books, Greg Farrell [10:20] Plotted: A Literary Atlas, Andrew Degraff Preeti [13:00] Knulp, Herman Hesse [14:40] Bucky Barnes: Winter Soldier, Ales Kott, Marco Rudy [16:20] Amazing Spider-Man, Dan Slott ----- Historicals [23:50] The Wake, Paul Kingsnorth [27:00] A Magnificent Farce, Alfred Edward Newton [27:45] The Memoirs of Cleopatra, Margaret George [28:45] Sharon Kay Penman [29:40] Saint Mazie, Jami Attenberg [30:25] The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone [32:00] WWII: Number the Stars, Lois Lowry; The Book Thief, Markus Zusak; Code Name Verity, Elizabeth E. Wein [32:45] Magic Tree House series [33:35] The Bad Popes, ER Chamberlin [35:20] Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff [36:00] The Witches, Stacy Schiff [37:15] Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, James Loewen [37:25] Kenneth C. Davis books [39:55] Pandemic, Sonia Shah (February 23 2016) [42:10] Mary Stewart's Arthurian Saga [42:48] Hild, Nicola Griffith [43:42] Debt, David Graeber [44:10] The Utopia of Rules, David Graeber [44:50] Colum McCann: Dancer, Transatlantic, Let the Great World Spin [45:45] Studs Terkel [46:02] Please Kill Me, Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain [46:29] The Ibis Trilogy, Amitav Ghosh [47:20] K Blows Top, Peter Carlson [48:16] Terra Nostra, Carlos Fuentes [49:40] Courtney Milan, Beverly Jenkins, Sarah MacLean [50:50] Georgette Heyer [52:55] Walk on Earth a Stranger, Rae Carson [55:02] Ellen Oh: Warrior, Prophecy [55:45] Under a Painted Sky, Stacey Lee [57:50] Patrick O'Brian, Aubrey Maturin novels --- Find Us! Bookrageous on Tumblr, Podbean, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, and leave us voicemail at 347-855-7323. Find Us Online: Josh, Preeti, Jenn Get Bookrageous schwag at CafePress

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, open with a discussion about gender, publishing and awards, focused around the following articles: "Books About Women Don't Win Big Awards" by Nicola Griffith (see also the follow-up post on this project) "Homme de Plume: What I Learned Sending My Novel Out Under a Male Name" by Catherine Nichols They then move on to the two chosen books, The Godless by Ben Peek (31:55) and The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (1:12:45). The reviews, blogs and podcasts mentioned during the discussion can be found via the following links: Pembroke Lecture on Fantasy Literature by Kij Johnson (podcast) "The Godless by Ben Peek" reviewed on Pornkitsch "Book Review: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison" by Ian Mond "Ending the World with Hope and Comfort" by Matthew Cheney If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:54:00 for final remarks. For the next episode, Kirstyn has chosen Day Boy by Trent Jamieson while Ian is recommending Viper Wine by Hermione Eyre. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Our fifth podcast for February is “It Takes Two” written by Nicola Griffith and read by Marguerite Kenner.   First published in Eclipse Three, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Subscribe to our podcast.

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, kick things off with a debate about cultural cringe, tall poppy syndrome, big girl pants and why all these elements may have contributed to a dearth of Australian content on this podcast of late. Things, they will be a changing. This episode of The Coode Street Podcast focusing on Australian Science Fiction is mentioned, as is Kirstyn's love of The Babadook, an Australian film about which she recently talked at length with Terry Frost on The Martian Drive-In Podcast. The two novels up for dissection this episode are Hild by Nicola Griffith (12:30) and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (58:30). The reviews, blogs, podcasts and books mentioned during the discussion can be found via the following links: Gemaecca, the ongoing Hild research blog kept by Nicola Griffith (her regular blog lives here) Nicola Griffith talking about Hild on The Coode Street Podcast The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality by Hanne Blank Review of Hild by T.S. Miller at Strange Horizons Review of Station Eleven at The Skeptical Reader Review of Station Eleven by Sigrid Nunez at The New York Times If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:35:30 for final remarks. For the next episode, Kirstyn has chosen The Bitterwood Bible by Angela Slatter while Ian is recommending How to be Both by Ali Smith. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

On this episode of The Writer and the Critic your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond, begin with a lengthy discussion about authors, reviewers, and fans in view of the rapidly changing dynamics of author/reader relationships and power structures in publishing. This was sparked off by an excellent and thoughtful essay, "Don't Attack Reviewers", written by Jonathan McCalmont and published on his Ruthless Culture blog. You should go off and read the entire essay. Seriously. This two books up for critique this time are Dust Devil on a Quiet Street by Richard Bowes (beginning at 24:30) and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (1:03:10). During the discussion of the Fowler novel, this review by Dan Hartland is mentioned. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, then it's safe to return at 1:38:50 for some brief final remarks. The books that will be featured on the next episode are Hild by Nicola Griffith, chosen by Kirstyn, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, which Ian has recommended. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Bookrageous Episode 68; Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball Intro Music; "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode What We're Reading Jenn [1:17] Hild by Nicola Griffith  [2:46] Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Brooke Allen [3:54] Rocket Girl by Amy Reeder and Brand Montclare Josh [4:53] Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky [5:55] The EC Comics Slipcase Library, Vol 1 [7:18] Caffeinated by Murray Carpenter (Caffeine Zone 2 app) Paul [13:28] Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham [16:37] Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton [19:38] Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey [20:00] Coruscant Nights trilogy by Michael Reaves, The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn [21:25] Stray Bullets: Killers, Stray Bullets: The Uber Alles Edition by David Lapham --- Intermission; "Cum On Feel The Noize" by Quiet Riot --- Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball [24:50] HERE BE SPOILERS. Jenn, Paul and Josh dig deep into Jesse Ball's novel Silence Once Begun.  --- Outro Music; "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode --- Find Us! Bookrageous on Tumblr, Podbean, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify, and leave us voicemail at 347-855-7323. Come to the BOOKRAGEOUS BASH at BEA on May 28th in New York City Find Us Online: Jenn, Josh, Paul Order Josh's book! Maine Beer: Brewing in Vacationland Get Bookrageous schwag at CafePress Note: Our show book links direct you to WORD, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn. If you click through and buy the book, we will get a small affiliate payment. We won't be making any money off any book sales -- any payments go into hosting fees for the Bookrageous podcast, or other Bookrageous projects. We promise.

The Unheard Voices of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror panel from Arisia. Catherine Lundoff moderated this panel, with K. Tempest Bradford (standing in for Nisi Shawl), Julia Rios, Trisha Wooldridge, Andrea Hairston, and Victor Raymond. Listening to this doesn't give you the visual cues that people in the room had, so a note up front: Nisi was in the audience, but wasn't up for sitting on the panel. There was an ongoing joke about Tempest being Nisi, and about Nisi being Nalo Hopkinson, who was not at the convention. Awards season!*Lambda finalists include lots of OA members like Nicola Griffith, Sacchi Green, Mary Ann Mohanraj, Alex Jeffers, Alaya Dawn Johnson, The editors and contributors to Ghosts in Gaslight, Monsters in Steam Gay City: Volume 5, Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold, Richard Bowes, Lee Thomas, and more. Full list here: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/news/03/06/26th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists-announced/*The Nebula nominee list is also out, and lots of OA types are there too, including Sofia Samatar, Nicola Griffith, Ellen Klages and Andy Duncan, Vylar Kaftan, Catherynne Valente, Christopher Barzak, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Sarah Pinsker, Rachel Swirsky, Karen Healey, and Nalo Hopkinson. Full nominee list here: http://www.sfwa.org/2014/02/2013-nebula-nominees-announced/The Galactic Suburbia Award and Honor List is out now, and the joint winners are N.K. Jemisin and Elise Matthesen. Full Honor List here: http://galactisuburbia.podbean.com/2014/03/23/episode-96-19-march-2014/*Carl Brandon Society is a group for fans and writers of color. They give out the Kindred and Parallax Awards for fiction by and/or about people of colors, and also administer scholarships for students of color to attend Clarion.*Broad Universe is a group for women who write and publish science fiction and fantasy. They have a website, a podcast, and many promotional and support networking opportunities for members, including organizing group readings and book sale tables at conventions. *WisCon is a feminist science fiction convention held each year at the end of May in Madison, Wisconsin. The Carl Brandon Society and Broad Universe both have strong presences there. *Con or Bust is an organization that raises money to send fans of color to conventions. The Carl Brandon Society administers the funds. *Gaylaxicon and Outlantacon are conventions specifically for the QUILTBAG SF fandom community. Gaylaxicon is a roving con (like WorldCon), and Outlantacon happens each year in May in Atlanta. This year's Gaylaxicon will be hosted by Outlantacon.Work by people on the panel:*Filter House is Nisi Shawl's Tiptree Award Winning short story collection (Tempest joked that her collection would be called Filter House 2).*Redwood and Wildfire is Andrea Hairston's Tiptree Award Winning novel (for which she had also just received a Carl Brandon Award on the day of this panel).*Silver Moon is Catherine Lundoff's novel about menopausal werewolves*Catherine writes a series about LGBT SFF for SF Signal.*Julia is an editor for Strange Horizons, which is always interested in publishing diverse voices.*Kaleidoscope is an anthology of diverse YA SF and Fantasy stories Julia is co-editing with Alisa Krasnostein, which is scheduled to launch in August of 2014.*In Other Words is an anthology of poetry and flash by writers of color Julia is co-editing with Saira Ali, which is scheduled to launch at WisCon in May, and which will benefit Con or Bust.Other things mentioned: *Lorraine Hansberry was an African American lesbian playwright, best known for Raisin in the Sun, but Andrea pointed out that she also wrote a lot of science fiction plays. *The SFWA Bulletin incited a lot of pushback in 2013. Here is a timeline: http://www.slhuang.com/blog/2013/07/02/a-timeline-of-the-2013-sfwa-controversies/. It has since changed editorial staff and has just put out the first of the new team's issues, which seems to be a lot more favorably received, as evidenced here: http://www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2014/03/the-new-sfwa-bulletin-is-blowing-my-mind.html.*"The Serial Killer's Astronaut Daughter" by Damien Angelica Walters was written partly in response to the SFWA bulletin's sexism. *A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar came up as an example of a novel by a person of color put out through an independent (not one of the big New York houses--Andrea argued for calling these sorts of publishers independent rather than small) publisher, Small Beer Press. Since the panel, A Stranger in Olondria has won the Crawford Award and been nominated for the Nebula. *Crossed Genres, Twelfth Planet Press, and Papaveria Press are independent presses that publish diverse voices.*Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, and Apex are magazines Tempest sees publishing diverse stories. Tor.com is also publishing more diverse stories now, like "The Water That Falls on You From Nowhere" by John Chu. *The Tiptree Award celebrates work that expands our notions of gender.*Dark Matter is an anthology exploring a century of SF by black writers. *Blood Children was an anthology put out by the Carl Brandon Society in 213 to benefit the Octavia Butler Scholarship, which sends students of color to Clarion. *Bending the Landscape, Kindred Spirits, and Worlds Apart were brought up as examples of QUILTBAG anthologies from more than just a few years back. All of these were mentioned as early examples, but the panel agreed we need more. *Daughters of Earth is a collection of stories by women from the early 1900s to 2000 with accompanying critical essays. This collection is edited by Justine Larbalestier. Andrea wrote a critical essay about an Octavia Butler story in this book. *The Cascadia Subduction Zone has a feature where an established writer recommends and reviews an older work that might be obscure. Andrea and Nisi have both done this. *Lethe Press publishes best gay SF stories each year in Wilde Stories, and best lesbian SF stories each year in Heiresses of Russ. Nisi and Julia are both in Heiresses of Russ 2013.*From the audience, Saira Ali recommends Goblin Fruit and Stone Telling as diverse poetry magazines, and Aliens: Recent Encounters (edited by Alex Dally MacFarlane) as a good anthology.

Battling the fickle beast that is Skype, this week Jonathan and Gary talk to Kelley Eskridge and Nicola Griffith about the recently released Nebula ballot and what it might say about SF today, Nicola's recent novel Hild, Kelley's novel Solitaire, science fiction as a way of reading, language, politics and a lot more. In many ways this episode isn't so much a conversation, as what feels like the beginning of a long and interesting one to be continued at conventions and elsewhere in the future. As always, our sincere thanks to Kelley and Nicola for making time to appear on the podcast and for being such interesting and engaging guests.  As always, we hope you enjoy the podcast!

This week our two commentators, emerging from the pall of jetlag and the reality of impending deadlines, turn their attentions to what is intrinsic to science fiction as a genre, what SF & fantasy has in common with historical fiction, the terrible burden of having to read lots of books, and Nicola Griffith's acclaimed sixth novel Hild.  There is also, towards the end of the episode, a brief discussion of issues related to this year's World Fantasy Convention, which are outlined in greater depth and with more intelligence over at Cheryl Morgan's blog. We also want to remind listeners that we will be going on hiatus for four weeks, starting 14 December 2013 and returning 18 January 2014. As always, we hope you enjoy the episode.

Coming Up This Week 00:10 Sofanauts Announcment 01:50 Fact Article: Autumn Rain by David J. Williams 04:00 Transcriber Update by Dee Cunniffe 09:19 Main Fiction: It Takes Two by Nicola Griffith 12:25 Fact Article: Film Talk by Rod Barnett 01:20:00 Fact Article: The Obsavation Deck by Cheryl Morgan 01:31:00 Closing Remarks: Tony C. Smith 01:35:00 Narrators: Chrstie Yant See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.