Author: Marion Deeds

Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved Black woman in Massachusetts, won her freedom in court, 80 years before the Emancipation Proclamation. She effectively ended slavery in the state. She’s finally getting a statue.

Just want to get away? You can buy this picturesque Canadian town, which is completely abandoned. It’s on top of a mountain, hard to get supplies or emergency vehicles to, but so picturesque. What could possibly go wrong?

Brandon Sanderson has made Kickstarter history. As of this writing, I think the amount pledged has exceeded $20 million.

A VERY short column this week.

In 1925, a group of women explorers founded the Society of Women Geographers, after two of them were denied admission to the Explorers Club because they were women.

File 770 shared a link to the 10 best Science Fiction board games.

The 1632 universe is celebrating the 100th issue of The Grantville Gazette.

Nerds of a Feather reviews Spelunking Through Hell, Seanan McGuire’s eleventh (and final?) Incryptid novel.

The Mary Sue includes an article about the choreography of the Bollywood number in The Eternals.

Josephine Baker was born in the United States but was hounded out of the country by racism and Jim Crow laws during the Jazz Era. She went to France, where she had equality, and became, according to some, “the most famous woman in France,” known for her singing and dancing. As a celebrity, she seems like a bad choice for a spy, but she was part of the French Resistance during WWII, and a top-notch spy, probably because no one would suspect such a high-profile performer. (“When they ask me for papers, they generally mean autographs,” she is quoted as saying.) Part of her passion to help her adopted country came from her hatred of fascism and discrimination.

Jewel Plumber Cobb was a leading researcher in the field of skin cells and cancer, and she crusaded for more women in science. During her academic career she was dean of science at both Connecticut College and Douglass Residential College at Rutgers University, and was the president of University of California at Fullerton. President Carter appointed her to the Fulbright Scholarship board in 1978.

John Scalzi is embarking on a book tour for The Kaiju Preservation Society. He provides his itinerary on his blog.

Uncanny Magazine unveils the results of its Readers’ Favorites survey.

The Mary Sue graciously provides a character list for the upcoming Death on the Nile movie.

Also from The Mary Sue, a profile of the short documentary Shades of Cosplay and an interview with the director.

The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition was inspired (at least) by the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. The newer contest focuses on science fiction. File770 shares the list of semi-finalists.

Do you want AI to narrate the audiobook you’re listening to,

Ida B. Wells was an influential journalist and educator. Born enslaved, as an adult Wells brought to light incidents of white mob violence, including lynching, and fought for equality and women’s suffrage.

Tim Waggoner tackles the “secret cabal of [genre of your choice]” in his blog post.

Baen’s 9th annual Fantasy Adventure Contest is open. The word length is 8,000 and they want fantasy adventure. Baen  may not be my favorite publisher, but they love adventure, and this contest is fun. (Thanks to File 770.)

A school board in McMinn County Tennessee,