The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Gatherings, or Not:

SFWA’s Nebula Event starts Thursday. I think you can still register.

AmazingCon, held June 12-14, will also be an online experience (as most of this year’s conventions will be.) Thanks to File 770.

Giveaway:

One commenter chosen at random will win a hardcover edition of N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became.

Books and Writing:

Nerds of a Feather posted a micro-review of an anthology on inland seas.

At Whatever, Nancy Kress’s Big Idea column is about a big idea, a huge one; GMOs. I love that Kress takes on controversial topic in her new book, which I think is nothing new for her.

The Worlds of JRR Tolkien mines the British countryside for landmarks that may have inspired the writer in his creation of Middle Earth. I think there might be great photos in this one.

Sea Change by Nancy Kress

Sea Change by Nancy Kress

The Romance Writers of America had a pretty big scandal last year. As part of their reorganization, they have changed the name and the purpose (slightly) of their annual award, which used to be called the RITA. Now it’s the Vivien, named after the organization’s founder. Here’s a bit more from the RWA website.

John Joseph Adams is turning the editorial reins of Nightmare Magazine over to Wendy N. Wager. Adams will continue as the editor of Lightspeed, and the publisher (and probably continue as a renowned anthologist).

Locus published its bestsellers for May. Taking at look at the paperback list, I think a lot of people are getting around to reading books they’ve heard about for years, or indulging in some quality re-reading.

TV and Film:

Black Girl Nerds interviewed Adriyan Rae, the title character of Syfy’s Vagrant Queen. I like that the interviewer describes the show as “neon sci-fi,” because that’s very accurate.

This Washington Post article about the fall network TV season describes it as “nothing we’ve ever seen before,” except a lot of it will be reruns or runs of shows that already aired on other platforms, so it will be like a lot of things we’ve seen before. The most interesting part of the article is in the middle where they talk about the logistical challenges of reopening.

Internet:

John Scalzi wrote a blog post last week about why he isn’t quite ready to go running around the countryside mask-free in his home state of Ohio, even though it was aggressively opening things up.

Captain Tom Moore is going to be knighted for his fundraising work, which raised $33 million dollars for Britain’s National Health System. It’s an outrage that a private citizen had to do this; it is inspiring that this 99-year-old veteran walked in his yard—his garden – every day, and that he so captured people’s imaginations.

Really? A remote-controlled mask? As someone who has already tried to drink her coffee beverage through her mask (twice), I think this requires too much coordination for me.

Earth:

Atlas Obscura had this article about indigo, its use, its color and its entanglement with the enslavement of captive Africans in South Carolina.

Space:

A prominent NASA official resigned abruptly, and it appears the reason is rooted in some kind of scandal.

Videos:

The Oregon Zoo’s miniature goats meet some Humboldt penguins in this segment. I also learned about Humboldt penguins!

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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