ADignity, Statue of a Lakota and Dakota woman in south Dakotamanda Gorman wowed a lot of us last Wednesday. PBS interviewed her earlier, and this video addressed her preparation for the inauguration.

Obituaries:

Mila Furlan, who starred on Babylon Five, passed away after a long illness. Her character Delenn’s comment, that “we are made of star-stuff,” seemed like a fitting observation for this hardworking actor.

The New York Times published a tribute to a pioneering Black speculative fiction writer, Charles Saunders, who died last May.

Writers, Writing, Reading, Books (and Gaming Tie-Ins):

Margaret Weiss and Tracey Hicks filed suit against Wizards of the Coast last year, alleging breach of contract for a series of Dragonlance books. In late December, the writer withdrew their suit. Weiss tweeted to their fans to “watch for exciting news,” which some speculate is new content in the Dragonlance world.

This is cool! The American Library Association started a virtual Midwinter Meeting yesterday!

This week’s top ten fantasy bestsellers, according to Publishers Weekly, are interesting. It’s great to see V.E. Schwab and Silvia Moreno-Garcia holding their places. Science fiction is interesting too.

At The Big Idea on Whatever, Alexander Weinstein writes thoughtfully about his short story collection and our search for connection.

Comics:

The Doctor Who comicbook universe is dedicating a run to a special adversary: Missy! The series launches in April, 2021.

Copper Road Novel CoverPromotional Giveaway:

Copper Road, the second book in my Copper Road fantasy series, comes out tomorrow. It’s available for pre-order today via Amazon. One commenter with a USA mailing address, though, will get a hard copy, bundled (Yay! I get to use the “bundle” concept!) with the first story, Aluminum Leaves.

Heroes:

Superhero or Superzero?  In this six-minute video Regina King has to guess which of the six costumed actors in front of her are actual comic book heroes, or made up ones. How well did you do? (I got two.)

Science:

PBS explored some of the less-public aspects of the deployment of the Covid vaccines. What’s cool about this segment is the Chemical Vapor Deposition process that gives a plastic vial an airproof glass lining.

Internet:

I tried to stay away from this one. I really did, but honestly, it is just… so… gonzo. A lawyer has filed a suit requesting that a federal court have President Biden removed from the White House and instead a council of “stewards” picked from former President Trump’s cabinet be put in charge of the country until the rightful heir returns, or something. In the filing, he refers to Lord of the Rings and the Steward of Gondor. He actually says, “Gondor has no King.” I assume he never read the books or saw the movies, or he’d know that didn’t end well for the Steward.

The Dignity statue in South Dakota is not only beautiful, it is a beacon of hope.

New Zealand has an artistic public toilet.

 

Author

  • Marion Deeds

    Marion Deeds, with us since March, 2011, is the author of the fantasy novella ALUMINUM LEAVES. Her short fiction has appeared in the anthologies BEYOND THE STARS, THE WAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, STRANGE CALIFORNIA, and in Podcastle, The Noyo River Review, Daily Science Fiction and Flash Fiction Online. She’s retired from 35 years in county government, and spends some of her free time volunteering at a second-hand bookstore in her home town.

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