Joesphine Baker, 1940, Wikimedia Commons ProjectJosephine 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.

I don’t know who the Thunderbolts were because I never read this comic, but they look like fun. A new series is coming out soon.

Francis Ford Coppola is bankrolling his own passion project film with a working title of Megalopolis. In some future, an architect rebuilds New York as a modern utopia after some kind of disaster. It could be classified as SF, I guess. However it turns out, it will probably be interesting. Since Coppola owns or owned a few wineries near where I live, the phrase “sold off part of his wine empire” caught my attention.

A Subjective Kind of Chaos Awards (really, that’s the name of the award) announced its fifth year. Nomination have been announced, with finalists chosen in July and the awards given out in September. Do they give out a painted rock? That’s kind of cool. (Thanks to File 770.)

Short notice! TexMoot 2022 is calling for papers on the theme of Starships, Stewards and Storytellers: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care For This one. Due date: March 1, 2022. I think there is a registration fee. (Thanks to File770.)

This article showcases an artist working with paper and light. The detail is exquisite. Stay with it to get to some of her life-sized work. (Thanks to Ginny Rorby.)

General fiction writers have discovered the climate crisis and are including it in their fiction, so climate fiction is news now.  (Yes, that is a tad sarcastic.)

John Scalzi took a quick look at statistics in response to someone’s conclusion that “there are no men in SF anymore.” His column is interesting (he is the first to acknowledge that it’s far from definitive.) The comments enrich the topic somewhat.

Here’s an article we’ve all been waiting for; a history of White House cats.

Critics didn’t care much for Sony’s film adaptation of the video game Uncharted.

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.