On this day in 1373, Julian of Norwich was struck with a serious illness and, as she awaited death, she had 16 visions of the Passion of Christ and the Virgin Mary. In one of these visions, she saw the entire universe held in her hand, as small as a hazelnut.
The entrance to Hell being locked by an archangel
Writing, Editing, and Publishing:
There will be a Nebula Awards mass autographing in Chicago; check out all the great authors who will be in attendance!
The Shirley Jackson Awards nominees for “outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic” have been announced; they include some of our favorites, such as Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer and Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes.
The Locus awards finalists have also been announced; VanderMeer stars again, along with Ann Leckie‘s Ancillary Sword, Katherine Addison‘s The Goblin Emporer, Robert Jackson Bennett‘s City of Stairs, and George R. R. Martin‘s edited anthology, Rogues. Lots of great books here!
And for SFWA members, the Hugo awards voting is now open.
Finally, in awards news, Emily St. John Mandel‘s Station Eleven wins Arthur C. Clarke award for best sci-fi novel. Here, the Guardian explains why.
Ursula K. LeGuin has a blog, you guys, and it’s really great. Here she writes about the yin and yang of utopias/dystopias.
This is great; The Guardian has culled quotes from famous authors about which children’s books inspired their writing. Lots of what you’d expect–fairy tales, The Wind in the Willows, etc.–but I was surprised to see Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca on the list!
Japan Times has a two-part exclusive interview with Haruki Murakami; here’s part one, in which he talks about story’s relationship to history.
Finally, Eli K.P. Williams at Tor.com writes abou 5 genre-bending books set in 1970’s Tokyo. My goal for the summer is to read more non-Western authors, so this list is immensely helpful.
Image from a compendium of demons.
Movies and Television:
There’s going to be a Muppets TV show, and it looks pretty cute! I love Gary … er, Gonzo.
Also, in big TV news, ABC has decided to renew Agent Carter after all, a decision that brings a lipsticked smirk to all of our faces, I’m sure.
And SyFy is filming an adaptation of A Brave New World, which should be great.
Avengers: Age of Ultron has been kicking up some dust recently; lots of people liked it, and lots of people found it disappointing.
So, if you’re not into Avengers, at least do yourself a favor and go see Ex Machina! This is one of the best films I’ve seen this year; it was creepy, quiet, lovely, and stayed with me for quite a while.
A cat plays an instrument.
Internet Stuff:
As someone who moonlights as a party princess, I really loved this i09 article about what it takes to become a professional faerie princess.
Tired of poseable action figures and bulky costumes? Looking for a classy way to display your fandom? Look no further!
And if you’re still in an art-buying mood, check out these gorgeous Miyazaki landscapes, reimagined as woodblock prints.
This story, about a plane flying through a cloud of antimatter, is fascinating, but the guy is overlooking the most obvious explanation: Earth is a giant experiment, run by aliens.
Geneticists engineer a chicken embryo with a dinosaur snout: my day is made.
Art Feature:
In honor of Julian of Norwich, enjoy these illustrations from medieval manuscripts!
I was surprised that Rebecca showed up on that list too. And was it Atwood who got hold of an “unBowdlerized” Grimm’s Fairy Tales book? I thought that was funny.
Kate, my husband and I have been meaning to get to Ex Machina; I think we’ll finally get there this weekend. Want to write a joint review once I’ve seen it?
I’d love to write a review of Ex Machina with you, Terry. Do we review movies, too, or do you have another venue (perhaps just our blogs) in mind for this?
I would never, in my wildest dreams, imagine Rebecca as children’s lit. Maybe they meant Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and some wires got crossed? Let’s hope, anyhow.
I’d love to read a Terry/Kate review of Ex Machina! That definitely needs to happen!
I’m more interested in Ex Machina than Avengers: Age of Blockbuster Retreads. Looks very cool indeed.
Thanks for the link to Eli K.P. Williams’ books set in 70s Tokyo. Hard-Boiled Wonderland was pretty surreal and I need to re-read it someday, and David Mitchell’s Number9 Dream sounds intriguing. I also had no idea there was a Tokyo-based SF author who also is a translator~