Den Page of C. June Wolf

3 Story Reviews -- Reading on the Wrong Side of the Road

2011-12-12T12:59:00.001-08:00

Leigh M. Lane reviews Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road story by story at her blog, The Cerebral Writer. My stories being many, they get the eyeball several times, with varying degrees of welcome. The one she liked the least appears to have been disliked because of the genre; the one she likes the most " resets the bar". I can live with that.
: )

“The Cenotaph” by Casey Wolf – 4.25 stars

Past and present collide when a camper stumbles upon a long-forgotten memorial.

A thoughtful commentary on perspective and war, this story does a great job at showing the fears and expectations that arise when one considers leaving for war. Some of the shifts are a little jarring, but may be intentional in an attempt to pull the reader into the protagonist’s confused state of mind. Overall, this is a very good story.

“Triona’s Beans” by Casey Wolf and Paivi Kuosmanen – 2 stars

A young girl goes on an intergalactic adventure with little people that look like feathered beans.

I had great difficulty getting through this story, which reads like a very young children’s fantasy. This story does not belong in a dark speculative fiction anthology.

“Pronghorns” by Casey Wolf – 5 stars

A double suicide goes to “Plan B” when initial plans go awry.

“Pronghorns” is a darkly brilliant commentary on life and death. It is well-written, gripping, and has a shockingly profound ending. This is one of those stories that resets the bar.

"Claude" on Beam Me Up! Podcast

2011-11-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today Paul Cole uploaded Beam Me Up!, his weekly SF radio show on WRFR. "Claude and the Henry Moores" is the feature story. It was fun to read, and Paul has added Stirring Music to the sound track to fun it up yet more.

I really like Paul's show. He finds weird fannish music (like this week's "Cube Land"by Laura Shigihara), chats about science and SF news, and features one or two short stories a week. Have a listen!

"Invicta" Available at The Link Online

2011-11-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

My story "Invicta" is now available for free download as part of the Nov./Dec. issue of The Link magazine.

"Invicta" tells the story of a woman who lives...through the library.

http://www.the-link.ca/issues/
NovDec2011.pdf

Writers About to Appear on the Wrong Side of the Road

2011-11-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

The anthology _Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road_, edited by Clayton Bye and Sassy Brit, is about to hit the shelves. Well, the internet shelves. It is mostly being targetted at online audiences, but you can buy the book in paper or e-format. If you are a local yokel (Vancouver) and want a copy, save on postage by ordering along with me when I get my copies. I have 3 stories in the book: "The Cenotaph", "Pronghorns", and "Triona’s Beans" — that last with Finnish author Païvi Kuosmanen.

You can preorder paper or e-book at http://shop.claytonbye.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=65

Shipping commences 25 November 2011.

Sorry for the lack of a hyperlink. Blogger has gone completely weird. I haven't been able to control my post details in weeks.

At Last! Mrs Zaberewsky Meets the (little) Screen!

2011-11-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

For a taste of "This is for Mrs Zaberewsky", as performed by the Pallahaxi Readers Theatre at VCon 36, click away below or go to YouTube and view it on Steph St Laurent's channel. Unfortunately, the camera boobled half way through, but you get a good dose of our humble homage to the late Michael Coney and his staple of yester-VCons, The Lonely Cry Readers Theatre.

Virginia O'Dine of Bundoran Press as Narrator.
Steph St Laurent as Wikta.
Theo Arnott Campbelll as Mrs Zaberewsky and Droodla the alien.
Rhea Rose as Mrs Jablonski, ramp, and Unglubump the alien.
Casey Wolf as prompter (and of course author).

Popcorn permitted but not supplied. Enjoy.

Middlemarch (with kitties)

2011-10-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Another reading (YET another reading) video: the first pages of the awesome Middlemarch by George Eliot.

And then try this take on the book. Unusual, to say the least!

Mike Coney Reading (by Casey)

2011-10-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

There's something happening here... What it is ain't exactly clear. I have only 2 functions I can control in this post, typeface and images. What happened to all the others???

Regardless! I've posted my latest reading on YouTube, this time of the opening pages of Mike Coney's Pallahaxi Tide (Hello Summer, Goodbye in England, Rax in the US). I read another scene from that in a previous post called "Listen To This!", but I can't link to it for reasons stated above. The url is this: http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/2011/10/listen-to-this-vcon-36.html

Now, let's see if I can embed the video, shall we?

Upcoming Releases & Latest Video

2011-10-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, dear friends!

There should be two new releases this month, if all goes according to schedule, and another in December. I have also posted a couple more videos to YouTube (including one in which I sing, of all things.)

Paul Cole is putting the mood music to my podcast of "Claude and the Henry Moores" and plans to have it on air at WRFR and online at Beam Me Up! by the end of the month. For those who can't wait to hear it you can read it on this blog or in my book Finding Creatures & Other Stories. But if you like being read to I suggest you hang on and listen to the podcast.

My story "Invicta" will appear online in the next issue of The Link. I'm excited about this. It is my small contribution to the fight to save the public library system. And my mum will be pleased.

"The Coin", a story about a Haitian streetkid named Likner, has been accepted for this year's issue of the literary journal Lived Experience, brainlovechild of “elder hippy” Van Andruss of Yalakom, BC. Issue 11 of Lived Experience should be out in December. "The Coin" first appeared in Tesseracts 9, edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Geoff Ryman.

And last but by no means least, one of my latest additions to the readings series I am putting up on YouTube: Mary Renault's Fire From Heaven, about the young Alexander the Great:

Beowulf: the Readings

2011-10-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

Well heck if I know why the video is so huge. Better you should go watch it on YouTube where it is acting quite normal.

Listen To This! @ VCon 36

2011-10-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

Finally figured out how to upload a podcast to this blog -- turn it into a video. So, fresh from the FintanSparky YouTube channel, my VCon 36 podcast, Listen To This!

Check out the last posting for more info on Listen To This!

VCon 36: Play, Workshops, Readings...FUN!

2011-10-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Art by Artist VCon 36 Guest of Honour
Jean-Pierre Normand

I had a great time this weekend at VCon 36.

I used to come as a fan and very much enjoyed the panels and schmoozing, going to readings, attending the masquerade and dance.

Then I started coming as a guest. This was both cool and nerve-wracking. I am, believe it or not, shy. I'm nervous speaking to an audience without a chance for rethinks and edits. And I don't manage well trying to get a word in edgewise on a panel where great talkers have hold of the mike.

On the other hand, I love doing readings. Serious or silly. (Obviously, if you have looked at my YouTube channel.) I love doing critiquing. I love encouraging other people to be really silly.

So I have slowly figured it out. Stay off pontificate-y panels. Get reading panels put on the program. Write a silly play. Get people to act it out. Critique people's stories. Goof around. Get to know people. Have fun. Be fun. And forget about My Work.

That is what I did this weekend. I worked my butt off, but I worked at things that give me energy and great pleasure. The workshop participants got pages of carefully thought out notes. The Pallahaxi Players performed the stage version of "This is for Mrs Zaberewsky" brilliantly to an appreciative, and appropriately guffawing, "crowd". Steph St Laurent was over the top as Wikta, the frustrated actress who is taken to an alien planet to be a star. Virginia O'Dine made a wonderful Narrator, as I knew she would from her performances at Turkey Readings of earlier years. Theo Campbell was hilarious as Droodla, the alien director, and Mrs Zaberewsky herself. And Rhea Rose truly rose to the occasion (and lowered to it) as Mrs Jabłoński, Unglubump the aspiring actroid, and well, a ramp. (I had not dreamed anyone could bring such subtlety to the role of spaceship ramp.)

On Sunday Ian Alexander Martin and I presented Listen To This ! Listen To This! He opined and I read favourite passages from works by Avram Davidson, Eileen Kernaghan, Don Marquis, and Mike Coney.

At noon I worked with Fran Skene (whose baby it is), Eileen Kernaghan, Virginia O'Dine, and a crowd of willing victims to produce the Turkey Readings. A quarter at a time, we raised $150.55 for the Canadian Unity Fan Fund (CUFF). (Nothing next to the $650ish raised for Aunt Leah's Place at the Closing Ceremonies by auctioning off Normand's drawings and a personalized copy of Author GoH Larry Niven's new book. But not bad for goofing around for an hour.)

And finally I joined Ian Alexander Martin, Sandra Wickham, and Jaymie Matthews in reading pages 189 from a variety of different books. The books were concealed from the audience members, who had to decide whether they would be interested in reading the whole thing before being told what books they were listening to. (I read from House on the Strand by Daphne DuMaurier, Five Children and It by E. Nesbit, Path into the Unknown: The Best of Soviet Science Fiction, edited by Judith Merril, and The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson.) Of course, we readers didn't know what the others were reading from, either, so we got to enjoy the gosh wow of the surprise, ourselves.

By the end of it all I was most happily read out.

I got to attend only a little of the programming (what I habitually refer to as paneling, which I think is actually something you put on the walls of your rec room). I heard Dave Duncan read, I got to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, saw a stitch of the Costume Masquerade, and so on. My main priority beyond meeting my commitments to the concom was to hang out with my nephew Theo and have conversations with other folk, whether in the Dealers Room or over tea or flying down the hall.

A fun, fun time. I look forward to next years VCon.

Winter on the Plain of Ghosts

2011-09-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm early posting my YouTube Reading video this week. I'll be busy at VCon 36 on Saturday but I didn't want to miss getting one to you, so here she is. The book is Winter on the Plain of Ghosts by Eileen Kernaghan. One of my all-time favourites. I remember being busy out and about, at the gym or wherever, and thinking about getting home to my book. Not something that happens to me every day.

So here is your tiny sampling. Cheers!

More "Other Folk" Readings on YouTube

2011-09-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Now, I was about to tell you that I have posted my reading from "The Golem" by Avram Davidson on YouTube today. But I see that I have neglected to tell you that last week I posted my reading from Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea. So I must tell you both now. Or -- well, how about I just embed them here, and let you figure it out?

Happy story-time!

Casey

"After Hours" Podcast live at Beam Me Up!

2011-09-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

She's up. "After Hours at the Black Hole" aired today at WRFR in Rockland, Maine and on the Internet at Beam Me Up! In addition to my story, there is one by Devin Miller of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "Good Business with Guns" is fun, and well read by Ron Huber. If you want to skip straight to my story (though why would you?) I believe it is at 28 minutes and 40 sec into the show, IIRC.

In his introduction, Paul Cole mentions another story I sent him (that would be "Claude and the Henry Moores") which he hopes I will record for him within the month. So I have pencilled that in and look forward to another podcast with Beam Me Up! in the not too distant future.

Play premieres at VCon 36

2011-09-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Theatre! Aliens! Clumsy dancing!

See it all in

"This is For Mrs Zaberewsky"

Saturday October 1st

@ 1pm

Minoru A

Sheraton Vancouver Airport

starring

Pallahaxi Players Readers Theatre

Theo Campbell, Virginia O’Dine, Rhea Rose,

Steph St Laurent, Casey Wolf

VCON 36

– September 30 to October 2, 2011 –

http://www.vcon.ca/

You are invited to the premiere performance of the Pallahaxi Players Readers Theatre. We wish to acknowledge the late Mike Coney, author of Pallahaxi Tide, Fang the Gnome, The Celestial Steam Locomotive and others, for presenting earlier VCon audiences with the Lonely Cry Readers Theatre, of which we are a blatant rip-off – er, homage.

http://www.lonelycry.ca/mconey.html

http://www.lonelycry.ca/index.html

"After Hours at the Black Hole" on BEAM ME UP! Podcast

2011-09-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Great news! We'll be on air next Saturday, 24 September 2011, at Beam Me Up! on WRFR radio in Rockland, Maine, and on the internet at the Beam Me Up! podcast site. WRFR is local access, volunteer-run radio and Beam Me Up! is their science and science fiction show, created by Paul Cole and Ron Huber. It's a lot of fun , with news and fiction and all kinds of stuff.

"After Hours at the Black Hole" was first published in OnSpec Magazine, and later collected in Finding Creatures & Other Stories. It follows Jude, a space trucker, as he hauls a very dangerous cargo to a black hole named Old Guzzler.

I submitted the story to Paul a couple of months ago because I liked his style and the way he handled his readings. In the communications that followed I accidentally volunteered to do the reading myself. The delight I experienced in putting this together for Paul led directly to the podcast I did for VCon (where is that podcast, anyway?), and indirectly to my new YouTube channel, or rather, to its use as a site for reading aloud to unsuspecting viewers from favourite books.

Beam Me Up! is available on iTunes and through MySpace. Once it's been aired I'll add here the direct links to "After Hours".

A lovely 11 minute film documentary (Beam Me Up - Local Access Science Fiction Radio, by New Farmer Films***) takes you behind the scenes with Paul and Ron at Beam Me Up! headquarters. If you are interested in public radio, science fiction radio, or SF podcasts, these cats have a lot to say.

Cheers!

***Drat! Blogger won't let me add this many links. So here are the addresses:

Beam Me Up - Local Access Science Fiction Radio --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyOFOhgTFXg

New Farmer Films --

http://www.youtube.com/user/newfarmerfilms#p/u

Canadian Tales of the Fantastic available now

2011-09-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

Canadian Tales of the Fantastic available now from Red Tuque Books and Amazon.ca.

This is the anthology that Eileen Kernaghan and I were finalist judges for back in February.

Red Tuque Books
Trade paperback 188 pp
$15.95

"Invicta" Sold to The Link

2011-09-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

The Link magazine will be publishing my short story "Invicta", wherein a love of books carries a woman through all the difficult days of her life.

"Invicta" was inspired by my mother's tales of her thirst for books at a young age and her first visit to a library when she was in her early twenties. She vowed to read every book on the shelves and made a very good go of it.

In light of Toronto mayor Rob Ford's attacks on the public library system, the story is a timely one. (Follow this link to read Margaret Atwood's defense of the library system.)

Below is a poem my mum keeps framed in her room. Something else that kept a woman going through all the years and their trials.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley (1849–1903)

Kidnapped (written by RLS, read by CJW)

2011-09-10T18:42:00.001-07:00

I've uploaded my 2nd YouTube "reading" video. The last was from Don Marquis' The Lives and Times of Archy and Mehitabel. This is from Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I love this book. (This link takes you to Gutenberg books, where you can download the novel.)

I'm still finding my "intro" style. There is a weird eyeball (mine) looking at you at the beginning of this video and that, plus the peculiar "hello", gives the wrong impression of what you will encounter if you continue watching. I'll sort it out. Meanwhile it is very fun to be doing these little readings, to share my great affection for a book while getting to horse around (er, perform), too.

I've got a couple more in the bag but I won't be posting more than one a week. You can look forward to A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K Le Guin, "The Golem", by Avram Davidson, and "M’ap Ekri Youn Powèm/I’m Writing a Poem", by Togiram (Emil Selesten-Meji). That last is from a collection of Haitian Creole poetry that gives the full Kreyol version followed by an English translation. (Open Gate.)

Anyway, here's Bob Louis, courtesy of Casey June:

The Latest Lonely Crier!

2011-09-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

I have rather belatedly joined the BC SF authors collective, the Lonely Cry, "an informal west coast association of Canadian science fiction and fantasy writers" with which I have long been acquainted.

Belated, because the Age of the Internet has made much of the Lonely Cry's role redundant. There is no longer a need for newsletters to let the world know what the authors are doing: they blog it. Tweet it. Facebook it. And in every other way blast their trumpets to the world.

When Lonely Cry originator Mike Coney was alive the Lonely Cry also banded together to do Readers Theatre at the local SF convention, VCon. Although not an LC member, I was invited to join their performance a couple of times, but mostly I sat in the audience and laughed at their brave idiocy.

Despite the demise of the newsletter, the Lonely Cry remains a respectable group of authors that I am happy and pleased to throw my lot in with. Eileen Kernaghan has put my bio and my first blog announcements onto the site. The site will link back to this blog. And so the life cycle continues.

Have a look. You will find news of Mary E. Choo, Janine Cross, Dave Duncan, Matthew Hughes, Eileen Kernaghan, Linda DeMeulemeester, Clélie Rich and Rhea Rose, all fine local (usually -- that Matt has been gadding around an awful lot) writers of speculative fiction. There is much good reading to be had in their midst.

But first, a little background, gleaned from the memory of Eileen Kernaghan:

It was Mike's idea over twenty, perhaps as much as twenty-five years ago. He had returned jetlagged from a trip and came up with the idea for the Lonely Cry--West Coast speculative fiction writers putting out a periodical newsheet to mail out to libraries, individuals, reviewers, and bookstores, usually promoting one book in particular. Mike did the putting together and publishing at first.

Two or three years later he had the brain wave of putting together a readers theatre piece entitled "Sex and Perversion in Gnomedome". This was a great hit, so he did two or three more at VCons and took it to Context in Alberta as well. Beginning as a small readers theatre, with the readers seated at a table, it developed into an elaborate array of props and costumes, but remained true to the barely rehearsed, read-from-scripts, whacky sensibility of the original. Though the majority of scripts were written by Mike, others were written by Mary Choo, Eileen Kernaghan, and Rhea Rose.

New Feature: Short Story on Blog

2011-09-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Cool! I just noticed I can now add pages to this blog, so I've added a short story for you to read at your leisure. You'll find the tab just below the blog header above.

The story is "Claude and the Henry Moores".

Cheers,

Casey

The Reading of Archy

2011-09-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

I like reading to people. You may have heard me say this before. You may even have heard me read.

Well, it finally occurred to me that I could take this passion to YOUtubb. Then late at night when I have the urge to read a bedtime story, or in the heat of the afternoon when nothing cools like Lucan, I can curl up with a nice cosy webcam and a handful of book and have at it.

As I did tonight.

Behold: Casey Wolf reading Don Marquis, wherein Archy the cockroach proclaims himself to the New York Sun newspaper office, 1927. To wit, the coming of archy, from The Lives and Times of Archy and Mehitabel.

Good lord! The picture looks dreadful! C'est la vie. The story is good.

This video can also be found on YOUtubb, where you will find it nestled among others' tributes to the great Don Marquis.

Three Stories in One Anthology!

2011-08-29T15:46:00.001-07:00

Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road

edited by Sassy Brit and CC Bye:

"Anything goes" in this anthology and I can attest to that. They've accepted 3 (count 'em!) of my stories, and they couldn't be more different than each other.

"Pronghorns" is one of my bleakest stories, about two neighbours who form a suicide pact.

In "The Cenotaph" a young man considering joining the armed forces in order to fight in Afghanistan (against his parents' wishes) meets another young man who refused to fight in the First World War.

"Triona's Beans" is a whacky story suitable for kids or really juvenile adults, in which, as it says on the WWSR back cover, "a teenage girl saves a world between first and last dinner call". "Triona's Beans" was written with Päivi Kuosmanen. It was originally accepted for Ahmed Kahn's anthology Fun Times in Strange Lands, which unfortunately is still awaiting publication.

The anthology ranges from speculative fiction to erotica and covers a lot of ground between. Definitely not your normal fare.

I'll add a purchasing link to this page when I get one. Meanwhile,

Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road expected release date Is Monday, November 21, 2011.

Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road
The most dangerous rule-wreckers from Alternative-Read.com
Edited by Sassy Brit and C.C. Bye
Published by Chase Enterprises, Nov 21, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9781774-4-7 (print) $23.95 USD
ISBN: 978-0-9781774-5-4 (eBook) $5.99 USD
6x9 Trade Paperback, 292 pages, 4 colour stock cover
Short Story Anthology/Fiction

Available soon from Chapters/Indigo www.chapters.ca

We took away the rules
and let them write whatever the hell they liked.

Stories, Poems, Reviews!

2011-07-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Another of my rare postings.

Hello! Summer is crawling coolly by us. A wet one and by many accounts that is a terrible thing but I don't mind a bit. As long as there is weather at all that's good enough for me.

Energy is still not fountaining up in me but what I have I use. I'm spending many hours with my local nephews and niece (Clelie Rich and I simultaneously came up with the word "niblings" to describe such folk), doing lots of meditation and a fair bit of yoga, and...

writing!!!

In the past two and a half months I have written 60 or 70 poems* -- unheard of -- none of the speculative genre. I'm still plunking away at the 25 related reviews I opened my gob about over a year ago. And with the encouragement of a colleague I've dusted off and revised three short stories and sent them out this week. I also wrote a new one, which has a few finishing touches to be put to it before launching at some unsuspecting publisher. (The stories are: "Invicta", "Eating Our Young", "This is for Mrs. Zaberewsky", and "In Days and Nights the World is Spent".)

(*These are not Polished Poems, but earnest first drafts. When I have come to the end of this spurt I'll go back with a straight edge and candle and see what I can do to bring them to maturity.)

I am extremely grateful to this colleague, one Ursula Pflug, who reviewed Finding Creatures & Other Stories for the Internet Review of Science Fiction a while back. I hadn't realized how much it would help to have someone show an interest in the stories that are lying dusty in the drawer, and nudge me to do something with them.

Thank you, thank you, Ursula!

I fell out of action with Dad's death, and the worry about how long the reviews are taking translates in my furry mind to "shouldn't take time for my stories while the reviews are still unfinished." This new situation is helping to remind me that in fact my stories are the juice that gives me the zip to do these other things.

The reviews are interesting to do though. They are all of books about Brigit, goddess or saint, and there is a huge variety of stuff about her now, where a few decades ago there was (count them) one book available about her. The reading is prompting me to write poems related to her, as well, so really it all works like one nice composting cycle. (I am writing them, interestingly, on paper. With a pen.)

In February Eileen Kernaghan and I chose the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place stories from among the tales chosen by another judge for the Red Tuque speculative fiction anthology, Canadian Tales of the Fantastic. It was an interesting process, working with another person to weigh the pros and cons of a given story, and Eileen is always a pleasure to work with. They've come up with a wonderful cover, which I am itching to post here but as I can't find it on the RTB site, I guess I'd better hold back. Check out Red Tuque Books in September for the release.

I've pulled back a lot from the internet, as foreshadowed in earlier postings, and this is part of the reason I am finding the space of mind to write again. The router is off till I actually need it on. The computer is safe territory (safe from endless distractions, that is -- since I don't play computer games) once again.

I'm looking forward to VCon at the end of September/beginning of October. (Both. They occur on the same weekend.) Hope to get up and do more improvfoolery and have fun with the masses. Greg Benford is GoH this year so I have reserved Timescape from the library and will dutifully do some background reading. He is both a scientist and a respected author so I'm thinking this Will Be Good.

I am also going to see a favourite author at a 5 day retreat in August. This thought simply makes me smile. Thich Nhat Hanh, author of Peace is Every Step (my all-time favourite book) and wonderful teacher, is coming to Vancouver. I've been volunteering for several months and will be stepping out of my own hermitage into a sangha of many hundred people for those few days. Lovely.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello from this quiet outpost of the hinternet. Or the outernet, perhaps.

Whoa. That was a quiet spell.

2011-03-18T00:07:00.000-07:00

So here I am after so many months, and what have I got to say for myself?

Well, as earlier posts have indicated, I've been rethinking a few things. (For a clear evocation of that, visit "A Necessary Change".) In the last year I've written some stories, but I haven't been sending them out. Priorities, after Dad died, shifted. Hanging around polishing off edits seemed less important than having the nephew over for a visit, hanging with Mum in Winnipeg, cleaning up my house and health and noticing the world whirling by. With the limits on my energy being what they are, I chose life over writing.

My impatience with social media has been climbing, too. Beyond the expectations of self-promotion, there is the endless wheel of email and chitchat, and with constant weariness, answering missives often ends up being all I have energy for. I'd rather see a handful of real people, I've decided, than send scattershot Facebook messages to three hundred and have perhaps one notice that I've written, or type in quickie answers to a hundred brief posts. So I've deleted my Facebook account, and I'm thinking of cutting out all but the business email, too. Imagine! Can it even be done?

I've also (for example): deleted 2 YouTube accounts, made private my MySpace account (once it's reorganized, I'll open it up again, but for now that untended field is irritating), deleted accounts in many sites, unsubscribed to several discussion lists, deleted one Twitter account, leaving one--@CaseyJWolf--my remaining ongoing social media link.

I have, actually, been doing some writing. But it is nonfiction--reviews--as my alter ego. She is reviewing 25 books (and a few substantial chapters) on the same topic--the Irish triple goddess and beloved saint, Brigit of Kildare. This is limping along rather slowly, due to the fatigue and fog cocktail, but it is progressing, and the subject is fascinating to me. For more on that topic, check out the introduction to the effort at Brigit's Sparkling Flame.

In terms of health I have been diligently using what little energy I have to get to yoga several times a week, and to a mindfulness meditation group (a la Thich Nhat Hanh*, who is coming to Vancouver in August--space is still available in the Public Talk only) on Friday nights, as well as pinning myself to the cushion or doing walking meditations more and less regularly on my own. I got to attend Snatam Kaur's wonderful kirtan in North Vancouver last week, which was a balm for the heart (and a bit of a kundalini workout!). I have been enjoying the company of my sister's children, and reading good novels. And being. And being with. I look forward to writing more. But in the meantime, cutting back to the main trunk seems like a wise way to prune. And getting some of those stories into the mail will be a good test of the waters of writing. But life trumps. If you want me, come to my door. Much better than email--don't you think?

* For some reason my links aren't saving. So I'll try down here:

Thich Nhat Hanh: http://plumvillage.org/thay.html

Thich Nhat Hanh Vancouver Visit: http://www.tnhvancouver2011.org/

Snatam Kaur: http://www.snatamkaur.com/web2.html

Interrogation and Flesh-Eating Heretics

2010-10-24T03:22:00.000-07:00

Another view of VCon 35. Geoff Cole staged a reading of his short story "Abbatoir Blues". I volunteered to be the 2nd person in the reading--as it turned out, an evil, mean, yukky interrogator of Our Hero. Cold readings are always exciting--I knew nothing about the story when we picked up the books and the video recorder clicked On. For the full poop on Geoff, The Blackness Within Anthology, and Geoff's writing, go to Geoffrey W. Cole Science Fiction Writer.

Meanwhile...

A Had Time Was Good By All!

2010-10-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

OMG, as the saying goes, what a perfectly MAD time we had this past weekend at VCon 35.

VCon is my local SF convention and I have been going (more on than off) since VCon 11. When I was 3. This year's theme was steampunk--a genre about which I know little but which has the coolest costumes and props, all brass and cogwheels and flash Victorian clothing.

My main occupations were:

hanging out with my nephew, Theo Campbell, and sundry other bright lights.
participating in one of 3 Writers Workshops, which entailed reading and carefully critiquing three novel beginnings. A very interesting endeavour. Lots of work, on everyone's part, and educational for all. (Fun, as well. Who'd a thunk it possible?)
doing readings, including:
-- my short story "Dreamcatcher", from Room Magazine's Speculative Fiction issue, in a group reading with Donna McMahon and Marcie Tentchoff.
-- the part of the Interrogator for Geoff Cole's short story “Abattoir Blues” from The Blackness Within. (watch for the video!)
-- performing as one of a panel of literature-mauling Turkey Readers, in which we read TheWorst of the Worst and force unwitting audience members to act out the evil scripts. (We also force witting audience members to pay to make us stop, and start, and stop, and... All in the name of raising pennies for the Canadian Unity Fan Fund.)

Rim World Legacy... A modest example herein follows, showing the depths to which we sink at SF cons... (To see it without the obstruction of my LibraryThing widget, click on the title and go to YouTube. You'll find lots more of a Turkey nature there.)

at last I was able to contain my enthusiasm no longer. When Virginia O'Dine rose to read the final Turkey, I offered myself as the Evil Queen, and, bounding from the podium, joined Steph Thevideoguy and an 8 foot tall monster in a diabolical battle of wit and wonder.

Scene from the diabolical battle of wit and wonder:

And so you can see why VCon keeps us coming back for more.

Till next year!

Video credit, Jax184. Photo credit, Virginia O'Dine*, which is strange, since she is the one doing the reading in this picture...

* Of Bundoran Press fame.

Casey's dress was made by Krista Reich of Foliate Face Artworks.

Three Events

2010-09-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that I'll be at the opening day (tomorrow!) of "A Book Arts Mosaic", hosted by the Burnaby Arts Council, features 26 works by 33 Canadian book artists from across Canada. The exhibition runs from September 18 to October 3 at the Deer Lake Gallery. Hand-crafted books and books by local authors.

(Okay, a little time travel here. The above photo of me was taken by "Wild Talent" and "Tales from the Holograph Woods" author Eileen Kernaghan at the Arts Mosaic. Sure wish I could still get blogger to let me arrange my photos the way I want them.)

I will also be reading in the Authors Tent at Vancouver's Word on the Street on 26 Sept.--next Sunday--at 4:30, along with Ashley Little and Lorrie Miller. "The Corpse Pose", from Room Magazine's upcoming "Women and Spirituality" issue, touches on the many aspects of death and afterlife and saying goodbye.

A week after WOTS I'll be at VCon, our local SF convention, which I look forward to every year. (My first was VCon 11, with I believe Frank Herbert, of Dune fame, as GoH. This year is VCon 35...)

Thanks to R. Graeme Cameron, the Writers Workshops have been revived, and I'll be critiquing submitted stories alongside Eileen Kernaghan and undisclosed (to me) others. That's Friday from 1-4 pm -- though I can't imagine we will need all that time, so you may see me creeping around earlier than 4.

On Saturday I join Marcie Tentchoff and Donna McMahon for a Group Reading from 2-4 pm and on Sunday the highlight of the weekend, the Turkey Readings, in which we drive you mad with histrionic renditions of empurpled scientifictional prose.

Here's an example -- a rather mild example (I think I was half asleep when I made this video. The actual event is quite a bit wilder.)

T urkey Readings Revealed!

Guests of Honour

Author Guest of Honour : Cherie Priest

Artist Guest of Honour : James F. Beveridge

Music Guest of Honour : Heather Dale

Special Media Guest : David Nykl

Hope to see you there!

Photos by Skot Nelson: Main Street Magazine Tour

2010-08-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

The Main Street Magazine Tour was well attended, well put together, and quite enjoyable. Nephew Harper Campbell came along with Clelie and I, and we had a good visit before and after the event. Photographer Skot Nelson posted a number of shots on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/penguinstorm/with/4911333495/

Here are Skot's photos of the Kafka's Coffee & Tea performances by myself and Elena Johnson.

Alien Contact!

2010-08-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am, pointing you toward August’s Broad Pod -- the podcast of Broad Universe. Broad Universe promotes the “voices of women in science fiction, fantasy, and horror”. It’s podcast blog, Broad Pod, features short readings by a selection of writers on a given theme each month. On the theme of Alien Contact, you’ll find me among my colleagues, reading from “Equals”, a story about the ethics of first contact. The full story is in my book Finding Creatures & Other Stories.

“Equals” is “Science made lyrical and passionate.”

—Eileen Kernaghan, author of Wild Talent: A Novel of the Supernatural

Aug 15 2010

The Broad Pod Episode 7: In a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Click here to download:
AugBPod2010m.mp3 (22224 KB)

Welcome to the August episode of the Broad Pod! This month's theme is alien contact. Join our host Jean Marie Ward (URL: JeanMarieWard.com) and four out-of-this-world authors--Gloria Oliver, Casey Wolf, Roxanne Bland and Trisha Wooldridge--as they explore the space ways for your listening pleasure. We think you'll find our universe is very broad indeed.

Please let us know what you think of our podcast.

Happy listening!

Upcoming Readings of "The Corpse Pose"

2010-08-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

I'll be reading "The Corpse Pose" a couple of times in Vancouver this and next month. The story was the first I wrote following my Dad's death in December, and deals with death from a number of angles. I wonder how easy it will be to read it to an audience. With that slight trepidation, I am looking forward to the events.

"The Corpse Pose" will be published in the December Room Magazine's Women and Spirituality issue.

The Short Version:

The Main Street Magazine Tour! Thursday, August 19, 2010, 6:20–6:55 p.m. @ Kafka’s Coffee & Tea. 2525 Main St.

Word on the Street Vancouver! Sunday Sept 26th, 2010, 11 am to 5 pm at the Library Square in Vancouver. Time and room number not yet announced.

The Long Version:
The Main Street Magazine Tour

A celebration of local arts, literary and cultural magazines, the Main Street Magazine Tour sees BCAMP team up with neighbourhood businesses to showcase the local literary landscape of BC magazines. Local poets Elizabeth Bachinsky and Jennica Harper lead you to a free series of 30-minute readings, exhibits and performances, held in various Main Street shops and cafes. The evening culminates in an afterparty with music, prizes and more.

FREE ADMISSION

Word on The Street Book & Magazine Festival

Sunday Sept 26th, 2010, 11 am to 5 pm at the Library Square (Central Library) in Vancouver.

"WOTS brings out an estimated 35,000 visitors for literary readings, demonstrations, music, contests, panels and much more. It's one of the year's highlights and is a great way for publishers to connect with readers, current and new."

And vice versa, I should think!

image borrowed from Hindu Website.

"Sometimes I wonder if God is weeping"

2010-07-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes I wonder if God, or whomever is up there somewhere, is weeping. Or if he's mad as all get out."

Lily

Hi, Lil.

I kind of think it is neither. That we exist at all is such a miracle. That a gecko can move and breathe is an amazing overabundance of good fortune. There is no reason that such a thing must ever have happened, and yet it has. When a toad then shoots out her tongue and eats him it is not bad luck, it is absolutely imperative for life to go on. We have to die. Our bodies must fall apart. The earth itself must fall apart and rebuild and one day die entirely. In the process it injures and kills millions. But it MUST. There is no cruelty in that, however much it torments us.

There are also cruelties and disasters caused by humans. That we have evolved to the point where we can cause destruction as well as care about it, but not to the point where we are willing to stop causing suffering, is not a shocking thing. Species of all sorts do terrible things without a blink of compassion; they just haven't had the ability to do it on such a large scale. That we have developed compassion and introspection is as startling as that we have developed the ability to see, or breathe, or in any way be alive.

We are blessed with the joy and passion and sorrow and rage that come with inheriting physical bodies in an astonishing universe, a universe and bodies that could not have been predicted and which we in no way "earned". The bodies, the suffering, the universe--all gifts. That we feel those emotions is amazing, though from the perspective of my pain it isn't always possible to see that. But if someone as subjective and human as I can occasionally get a glimpse of this, a god of the omniscient variety would be able to see it far more clearly. And if she wept, it would be as much with joy and awe and amusement and tenderness as with sorrow.

Evolution takes a long time. Maybe we will make it to the next, desired spot of compelling and universal wisdom and compassion. But if we don't, it isn't that we have failed. It wasn't failure that caused mass extinctions many times in the history of the earth. It was a combination of factors including luck--the luck that brought those conditions together at that time. Just as the many times we have NOT gone extinct are a result of the combination of factors that led to our continuance--as an individual, a species, a biosphere.

To me, suffering, cruelty, destruction, and death are sad. I am still very attached to my life and to my perspective as a human who hurts and dies. But if I stand back and imagine all the worlds and universes beginning and ending and following so many different and similar paths, I am struck by the breathtaking wonder of it all, and my own sorrow and fear grow small and comforted.

It is a huge thing that we are a part of. Unimaginably huge and inexpressibly beautiful. That we even try to figure it out is mind-boggling. That we can't is not surprising. Which is why I am grateful I have my breath to return to. When nothing else makes sense, there is a deep comfort in just noticing my breath, an ability and an experience which I share with all of you and in some form with every living being on earth. And, perhaps, beyond. What a luxury. What a joy.

Blessings,

Casey

Posture of the Infinite: She Likes It!

2010-07-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Anantasana

I just wanted to share with you Elisa's comments on "The Posture of the Infinite", the story I wrote for her (as a prize, using her prompts. See my interview with Bitten By Books).

Spoiler Alert!

You are right - the story isn't exactly what I prompted for, but I think that's a good thing. :)

There were moments where the story reminded me of The Epic of Gilgamesh, which is one of my favorite stories from my time at University studying literature and history. I love the idea that Daya had great knowledge (and therefore power) with each life/species she experienced, and yet all she wanted was to help someone else. She didn't complain about an inability to control her fate, nor did she scheme for which incarnation she desired next, she just gave.

And I liked that as she transformed with each position, it symbolized each being she has been or will be. Which of course begs the question: is the posture of the infinite each pose you take, or is it the essence of your soul (no matter what form you've taken) in each lifetime? Personally, I feel her desire to interact with others in a positive matter is the Posture of the Infinite. Perhaps that's my rosy outlook on how humanity should be - I can't shake my naïveté sometimes - but that's what I got from Daya.

A fitting story to be dedicated to me, to be certain!

Thank you so much for tackling my prompt, the result was perhaps experimental and literary, but a great experiment at that.

Elisa Jankowski

Now, to send the story out somewhere. (My, I'm lax.)

Quenching the Router: Controlling the Winds of Distraction

2010-06-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

Thich Nhat Hanh tells a story about going for a walk once when he lived in a mountain hermitage, and leaving his windows open to the morning air. While he was out the wind picked up violently and by the time he arrived home his writing papers were wildly flung about the room and his belongings were all in chaos. He closed the windows against the still blowing wind, gathered his papers, and put his home back in order before doing anything else.

He tells this story to illustrate the necessity, when confronted with internal chaos, of closing off the source of disturbance if we are to re-establish order and calm within ourselves.

This applies to writing, too. It is very hard to settle down and write when windows are unfastened and winds are whipping around our mental domiciles, particularly when we suffer from fatigue and can be easily thrown off course by such things.

One of the unceasing winds with which most of us are confronted is the internet. Some of us cool-nerved souls are able to ignore its presence and do the work before us without stealing a peek at Facebook or Twitter, or checking out how the gang at the SF Canada listserve is doing, or responding to just one more email. Some of us are not sucked into the airstream of YouTube to be spat out hours later, dazed and uncertain where we have been.

I was once strong, like these peerless fellows. I was shocked by reports of nightlong YouTube binges, I scorned the inbox, thumped with discipline on the keyboard in the direction my plans, and not my impulses, led.

No more.

Of course, it helped that the old laptop I was using for writing fiction wasn’t connected to the internet, and that the old desktop had (and still has) such a formidable hum that I can’t stand to use it for very long.

Since reluctantly wiring up my laptop to the internet when abdominal surgery made it impossible to sit on a chair, I have occupied the increasingly wind-struck world of—maybe I’ll just check that fact before writing another word. Oh, look. What a fascinating article. And all these links. I should forward this to my friend—oh! I really ought to answer that email. It’s been sitting there for ages. Haha. A funny video from so and so. (Looks up hours later. What was it I turned the computer on for, again???) This isn’t, of course, simple foolishness. I’m chronically tired and even without the help of the internet it’s hard for me to remember what I’m doing at any given moment. With a dozen windows open—literally and metaphorically—I’m pretty much doomed.

My weakness is so pronounced that I start avoiding the power button in self-defense. A dark screen is a happy screen. Unbridled computer immersions—whether word processing or internet surfing—are exhausting enterprises to the person suffering from fatigue, and can be neatly sidestepped by pretending the computer isn’t there. Indeed, days off are a good good thing. But they might not be so necessary if I didn’t get discombobulated by the many distractions of the internet while trying to get a simple thing done.

So this week I unlinked my connection to the internet. I closed the windows, gathered up my papers, put away what wasn’t needed and took a grateful, relieved breath. Now when I write I can’t flick, without pausing to consider the consequences, to check out an assumption or grab some extra intell or find a picture to help clarify something I’m working on. That’s a nuisance. I like being able to do that.

But it means I get to stay on track. I don’t lose the trail entirely and use up whatever energy I have just finding my way back to my chosen task. I make a note or just ignore the impulse and carry on, till at length I decide to stop and do something else. A process that is clearer, cleaner, less exciting, nice…

With the result that I’m a whole lot less frazzled when I turn the computer off. Which I do earlier. Cause I’m not surfing the endless billowing updrafts of the net.

I’m not cured of my distractibility (or my fatigue). I approach the router nervously, fearing being sucked back in to entertaining, pleasing, boring or distressing but myriad and infinite distractions. I haven’t caught my breath for long enough to want to be blown away again. I’m on retreat. May I remain here (I pray). I sympathize with those who have signed off of Facebook. I suspect those who aren’t just worried about privacy are trying to close a few windows, themselves. Whatever works, compadres. Whatever works.

Turning off the router is one means of taking back control over what comes blasting in on us. The internet is still there when we have the courage and energy to enter it, but the necessity of asking yourself whether this impulse really justifies walking across the room to re-open the windows to that impetuous wind, whether we really want to risk wandering off without finishing this bit of work we’ve set out to do today, or whether it might just be something that can wait… What a wonderful difference this moment of hesitation makes.

This blog entry was written using a word processing program (not Blogger) with the internet router turned off. On a peaceful afternoon in Vancouver, BC.

Photo of Wind Storm: Pal Hermansen—Stone/Getty Images

New Review FCOS by Simon Petrie in ASIF

2010-05-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

New Review May 27, 2010

Finding Creatures and Other Stories

Reviewed by Simon Petrie.

C. June Wolf is a specfic writer who lives in Vancouver. Finding Creatures is her first collection of stories, several of which have appeared previously in various small press magazines and anthologies.

“Claude and the Henry Moores” features a failed artist security guard who works at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and becomes gradually captivated by the gallery’s collection of Moore’s abstract sculptures. Claude is convinced there’s more to the objects than meets the eye. This is a closely informed story with an intriguing premise. It works well, although the “aurora” scene carried less power than I felt it should have. But all up, it’s an effective and memorable story that does a good job of introducing Wolf’s style to the reader.

“Thunderbirds”, the collection’s longest story, has nothing to do with the marionette rescue specialists. Instead, it’s the story of Norman, a native North American who struggles to balance the ways of his ancestors with the necessities of modern life. It’s also the story of Chitta, a doomed alien explorer who crashes on Earth, in the woods behind Norman’s home. Told in alternating slices centering on the two protagonists, “Thunderbirds” attempts a separate resolution for the two of them. Does it succeed? I’m not completely sure, but Wolf is nonetheless adept at crafting stories that stick with you after the telling, and this is no exception.

“The Ziz” sounded, to me, to be a made-up word, which only goes to betray my level of ignorance. Ziz is in fact the aerial sibling of Behemoth and Leviathan, and Wolf’s story here is an irreverent and didactic retake on the biblical fate of these colossi. This one didn’t particularly resonate with me, but it’s nonetheless a short, fun tale with a serious subtext.

“The Coin” is a token given several times to Likner, a young Haitian streetkid, by a mysterious middle class woman who tells him each time not to lose it. There’s a sharp edge to this one, which manages to present itself as both intense and subtle. A good example of contemporary urban fantasy.

In “Finding Creatures”, Bernadette is a pious young girl who longs for a miracle to prove God’s existence. What she gets is a horse… but can anyone else see the horse? This is a charming story that plays to Wolf’s strengths: she seems most assured in characterising introspection and solitude, and these are attributes very much at play here.

“Miss Lonelygenes’ Secret” starts promisingly, but throws a few too many ingredients into the mix. Rosaleen is a phenotypic profiler, a career for which she has her pioneering, Nobel winning mother to thank, although the sentiment would not be reciprocated. For Rosaleen uses her skills to the end of pairing up lonely souls with safe, compatible lifemates. So who is she holding out for? The ideas explored here are very interesting, though I ended up feeling the overall story didn’t do them justice.

“These Old Bones” has previously appeared in the anthology SF Waxes Philosophical which, as it happens, I’ve also reviewed. Back then, I described it as “a subtle, atmospheric tale of the interaction between two loners who share an interest in palaeontology. It’s an intriguingly elusive story that’s reminiscent in style to the work of Kate Wilhelm. For me, it echoed long after I’d finished reading” and my view of it hasn’t changed.

In “Aggie’s Game”, the young narrator’s sister is overly given to theatricality, perhaps not without reason. This one is charming, principally for the exactitude with which the sister’s foibles are drawn.

In “The MagniCharisma Machine”, two young lovers attempt to make the world a better place by collaborating on a machine which engenders empathy. Despite the serious premise, this one feels more light-hearted than many of the other stories accompanying it.

“Equals” is one of the collection’s more overtly SF-leaning tales. It jarred somewhat with my own tastes in SF – and to my mind, it doesn’t quite pull off what it’s attempting – but the central ideas are intriguing.

“After Hours At The Black Hole” is a whimsical fable on the dangers of shovelling awkward things and unwanted memories under the carpet – or, as in this case, into the mouth of a black hole.

I didn’t fully fathom the significance of the title hand in “Dana’s Hand”, but it’s nevertheless a well-crafted and unsentimental story of the bleaker attributes of senility. If there’s a speculative element in this one, I missed it.

In “Kouzen Zaka”, fifty-year-old Vancouver resident Isabel is haunted by memories of her time in Haiti, with Denys, a young journalist committed to revealing those resposible for the entrenched abuses of power. Such idealism is, of course, dangerous. For my tastes, the story’s pivotal scene is inappropriately muted, but the depiction of Haiti and its people remains effective.

“Mr. Cowmeadow’s Sky” is a closely observed story of resilient old Mr Cowmeadow, whose existence creeps along in a world gone to ruin.

“Saint Francis and the Green Man” explores a mythical meeting between the two. It’s a story about belief, which manages to avoid pushing any particular barrows (and is the stronger for that.)

These are the fifteen stories in Finding Creatures . There’s a variety of tones and themes, but if I had to tease out some common threads from what I found in its pages, these would be a tendency to focus on loners (and therefore on solitude and introspection), a persistent concern with the past in all its forms, and a subtle yet unflinching quietness of observation. It’s not a book to attempt to read in one sitting, nor did every story succeed on all levels. But there are enough memorable moments here, including “Claude and the Henry Moores”, “These Old Bones”, “Aggie’s Game” and “Dana’s Hand” that I found the overall collection to be enjoyable and worthwhile.

Casey Wolf Writes: The Inaugural Newsletter, 21 May 2010

2010-05-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Sent off my first writerly newsletter, inviting people to sign up at Yahoo Groups for the occasional followup missive. Here it is below, sans links. If you want the links as well, have a boo here. Unfortunately, Yahoo can't cope with accents and so on, so the letter looks a tad silly there, but what the heck.

One good use of the group is the File folder. I've placed pdfs of three stories there, which I will add to from time to time. So far you may help yourself to:

"The Coin"

"Claude and the Henry Moores"

"After Hours at the Black Hole"

Cheers!

Casey

Casey Wolf Writes: The Inaugural Newsletter, 21 May 2010

Hello!

Those of you who expected to receive this message may be surprised at how long it has taken to arrive. Those who weren't expecting it are probably puzzled that it's come at all. Allow me to explain.

A number of months ago I was interviewed on video for the book review site Bitten By Books. At that time I was persuaded by Rachel, the site owner, to start up a periodic newsletter to let people know what I have been doing in my writing life. Shortly after that my dad became very ill and died. Most of my life went on hold at that time, and I am beginning to reorganize now.

This newsletter will be very occasional--2-3 times a year tops. If you want to continue receiving them, please go to the Yahoo group site Casey Wolf Writes and sign up.

You will find on the site a few photos, links to interviews and social networking sites I participate in (you are welcome to join me there), my blogs, etc. Feel free to contribute to the site if you wish.

I'm also uploading pdf files of some of my stories for you to read and pass on as you wish. Please, if you want to quote extensively from or publish them, do get in touch with me about it first. Otherwise, enjoy!

************ ********* The News******** ********* *****

Stories out:
* "The Brideog"; a modern nod to an ancient Irish goddess. Published in Escape Clause: A Speculative Fiction Annual, edited by Clelie Rich.
* "The Dreamcatcher" ; set in British Columbia. A white artist uses native imagery in an unexpectedly powerful way. Room Magazine, (32.2) , edited by Fiona Lehn.
* "Triona's Beans" with Paivi Kuosmanen; too odd to describe and keep face. Pending publication of Fun Times in Strange Lands, edited by Ahmed Kahn.
* "The Corpse Pose"; a woman sits with her father as he dies. Accepted for Room Magazine's upcoming "Women and Spirituality" issue. (33.4)

Writing for Rose and Elisa:
Rose Gabdul and Elisa Jankowski won the most interesting (to me) prizes in the Bitten By Books contest. Each gave me hints on what they wanted, and I wrote a poem ("Roksana") for Rose and a story ("Posture of the Infinite") for Elisa. Each in its way was a challenge, and took me into territory I wouldn't necessarily have arrived in without their promptings. Most enjoyable work!

Interview:
I was interviewed by Robert Runte for Strange Horizons speculative fiction online magazine.

Book Club News:
Vancouver Public Library now has a book club set of 10 copies of Finding Creatures & Other Stories, in addition to the circulating copies. So have at it, those of you in the local area, if you dare.

Novel Update:
The second draft is close to being finished. With the earthquake in Haiti and the effect this has had on my friends there, and in me as a result of that connection, I'm returning to work on the story, which is set in pre-earthquake Haiti, with renewed acuity after neglecting it in favour of other projects for the last year. (Sorry, novel.)

Important Realization:
I don't want to make this newsletter too long. If you want to know my current thinking on how writing fits into my life, please read the posting A Necessary Change at the Den Page of C. June Wolf.

excerpt:
"Where I want to focus, how I want to carry on." This question is different in weight than when I first asked it in my teens. I realized then I had to choose between a flood of interests, that I would benefit from narrowing in on and really exploring just a few of them. Years later, I wanted to focus still more tightly, to become adept at one or two things and let other activities--beloved or unfulfilling--go. Now, with chronic tiredness and pain, and a very slow thought turnover rate, I have to cull as never before. Yet after Finding Creatures & Other Stories* came out, I actually did the opposite. I opened up my sights and welcomed in the world...

Egoboo:
Finding Creatures has gotten some lovely reviews, which is very gratifying, and I am happy to be receiving very positive responses to my current work, as well. Sometimes a note from a fan or a long lost friend can come by to lift the writerly spirits as well. Such is the following from musician/songwriter Nathen Aswell. Thanks Nathen!

Dearest Casey -

Just wanted to let you know how thoroughly I'm enjoying your book (MASSIVE understatement! ). I marvel and delight in the richness of your imagination come alive on every page.

Reading your words is like eating the best chocolate: every mouthful is a celebration, and moderation (not more than a story or two in one sitting) is the best way to enjoy it/them. THANK YOU, my talented friend!

Much love,
- Nathen xo

P.S. I'm halfway through, and my favourites, so far, are "Claude and the Henry Moores", "Thunderbirds" , and "Finding Creatures".. . :-)

Best to you in all of your endeavours, and in your non-endeavours, too.

Casey

What seems at first a cup of sorrow is found in the end immortal wine.

That pleasure is pure:

it is the joy which arises from a clear vision of the Spirit.

.......................The Bhagavad Gita 18:37

The Prizes: "Roksana" & "Posture of the Infinite"

2010-05-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Back in the mists of time I did an interactive interview and chat for Bitten By Books. The prizes included a poem and a story written to specs given by the winners. (Within limits. See the bottom of this post for details or check out the video interview and text chat at the BBB site.)

I wrote the poem "Roksana" for Rose last November. This is what she'd said: "Ok, protagonist's name is Roksana, and the ability she has is shape shifting to any animal. Roksana loves paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Chocolate is her life." Rose mentioned that she was from Uzbekistan, and told me a bit about what is important to her. I tried to bear all this in mind while crafting the poem, which turned out to be about a were snow leopard. It was great fun to write it and to be in touch with the delightful Rose.

Elisa took longer to decide what she wanted her story to be about. (I can relate! I took much longer to figure out how to write it!) She came up with this: " Based on the types of things you have in your repertoire, I think a story that touches on the process of a character finding his/her path in life would be great. I think most of us ask ourselves every now and again, “What is my purpose? Surely, I was meant to do something!” It’d be great to see this question answered by a divine someone in this character’s life. Be it a fairy, goddess, grocery clerk, you name it. Does that make sense? Actually, it would be pretty neat if the person directing people to their “right paths” was someone you’d least expect. Like that grocery store clerk, or perhaps the homeless man you pass by at the corner every week. Or a bus driver."

Elisa hasn't yet seen her story. I have a little editing left to do on it. But it is not quite what she or I probably expected, based on her notes. The thing that I stumbled on was the "purpose in life". I have a hard time with that concept; I don't believe we have a single purpose, a single path that will suit or fulfill or be best for us. But I do believe we get knocked off any good path at times and people, situations, unorchestrated epiphanies can bring us to a new awareness that will help us get onto a path worth following. That is what I ended up writing about in "Posture of the Infinite", which features a woman who remembers countless past incarnations, and is a human for the first time.

Both of these writing projects were challenges for me and I loved that about them. My contact with Rose and Elisa was a great pleasure, too. I wondered if I was biting off more than I could chew by offering these prizes, but I am very glad I took the chance. I hope Rose and Elisa are, too! I regret the long delay in delivering Elisa's story--after my dad's death I lost all feeling for writing for several months--but I'm glad I got to ponder it long enough that I finally came up with something I think is worth giving her.

Prize 1: A story written for You. You choose the genre and the time period. Tell me up to three things about the protagonist (a name, an ability, something she hates or something she likes – it’s up to you) and I will do the rest. Or you can choose a theme - say, art and the paranormal or alien shopping or whatever you’re curious about, and I’ll come up with the character, etc. Or you can leave it all up to me. In any case, tell me a little about yourself and what you like or what is important to you, and I will bear that in mind as I write. The publishing rights remain with me, but the story is dedicated to you and you see it first. I’ll send you a signed printout when it’s done. Heck, if you like I’ll call and read it to you. Plus you will receive a personalized signed copy of Finding Creatures & Other Stories. (Note: writing a story takes time! This won’t come instantly but it’ll get there soon enough.)

Prize 2: A personalized signed copy of Finding Creatures & Other Stories plus a poem in the genre of your choice. Choose one element of the poem and I’ll do the rest. See Prize 1 above for details.

A Necessary Change

2010-04-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

I’ve been quiet on this blog recently. Besides dealing with the death of my dad, a motley of illnesses, and difficult unplanned events, I’ve been thinking. About writing, about self-promotion, about blogging, and primarily about my life. Where I want to focus, how I want to carry on. A change is needed, and though this was evident before Dad died, I was managing okay and planned to finish up the projects I’d chosen to do before making any alterations to my lifestyle. Dad hastened all that along. With the bottoming out of my energy and the going to sleep of my work-related brain, I’ve been forced to do what I was able to more or less ignore before. Rest. Take care of my physical health. Lower the stress in my life. And ask myself what my priorities really are, because clearly, there isn’t enough of me to do the many things I want to do.

“Where I want to focus, how I want to carry on.” This question is different in weight than when I first asked it in my teens. I realized then I had to choose between a flood of interests, that I would benefit from narrowing in on and really exploring just a few of them. Years later, I wanted to focus still more tightly, to become adept at one or two things and let other activities—beloved or unfulfilling—go. Now, with chronic tiredness and pain, and a very slow thought turnover rate, I have to cull as never before. Yet after Finding Creatures & Other Stories* came out, I actually did the opposite. I opened up my sights and welcomed in the world.

Is it 19 months since my book came out? Something like that. With that event I no longer settled down to ponder stories and flesh them out. I waded into the world of self-promotion and social networking, and I began working on other people’s writing projects more. It was a lot of work, often fun, and I learned a great deal. I even got a few stories written and some of them published. I wrote the second draft of a novel I’d written the year before. All good. But all very wearing, as well, and instead of waking up and wondering what writing I’d do that day, I woke up wondering if I’d ever have time AND energy to write again. Not a good thing.

Writing is nothing new, and it’s not the only thing in my life that matters. But it is the lens through which I revisit and interpret and re-experience life, the way I return with heightened senses to matters that fly too quickly by, to realize and appreciate them deeply. You could say it's my meditation, or part of it—you could call it my prayer. When I'm worried about who I'm keeping waiting or whether I'm making sales or how to keep my profile up, when I'm digging in to help other people lift their careers and am investing too much time in that, I don't come back to that still place where I remember why I chose writing over singing and art, why I chose it over science and religion and all my early loves.

The nearest thing I can compare writing to is staring. Being a kid, and a young adult, with nothing I had to do and lots of time to do it, I would stare close up at a spider web, a slick of machine oil on dusty water, crumbs of cement, shadow on tile. I would notice precisely the air touching my skin. Would stare at an idea, a book, an animal, a friend. Stilling to wait for the next breath of an insect, the next turn of a leaf, I found something far more profound than I could guess at when headlong. In not rushing by, I was discovering some part of them, and in discovering, bringing them into myself.

When I write, I touch these things once more, bring them out of me again, hold them up, meld them with other ideas, beings, sensations, questionings, and offer them to the page, where with luck another person will pause some time, read, and see still more than I have seen.

It isn’t about producing something, but about making contact with what already is, with noticing and perhaps celebrating it; at the very least, whispering it aloud.

Last week for the first time in months I was able to start and complete a piece of creative writing. I had to give up the thought of writing a story I owe someone, or working on the novel, or any other such constructive thing. Instead, I just wrote like I used to, letting the words and images that needed to come, come, and welcoming them. Not surprisingly, it’s a three page observation of dying and death. It made me cry. It made several other people cry, too. And talk. And smile. Those are very great rewards.**

The last 19 months of producing and promoting have changed my life, and they have changed the way I write. Although the output has slowed, my writing has deepened, or at least my sense of things has done. Doors have opened in my mind and heart, I have greater expertise in bookish things, and my appreciation of my own and other people’s limits has sharpened accordingly.

But it isn’t the life for me. I would love to support all the inspired people I find around me, and to learn well the skills of layout, cover design, and editing. I’d love to hang out online regularly with all sorts of writers and readers, share ideas and promote our work. But what I need is a quiet life where I am rested and cared for enough that I end up moved and inspired to write a little, now and then, rather than dragging myself from commitment to commitment with the guilty feeling that I’m just not doing this right. That someone with more energy than I have should be taking these things on.

I’ve never, luckily, been interested in being famous. The idea scares the bejeezus out of me, actually. I’m unlikely ever to write anything that hits big in the popular canon, and I’m unlikely to fill a bookcase with publications before I die. But I can let writing be the essence that makes the details of life weave together for a moment, now and then, into a pattern I can recognize and delight in and not forget. I can let writing be an oar, not a compass. An awareness, a sensation, instead of a statement, a summing up, a pressing on. Something to rest in, in other words, rather than something to grapple with. And if my writing can offer the same for a reader, well—wonderful. I couldn’t ask any more.

* Finding Creatures & Other Stories, by C. June Wolf.

** The story is “The Corpse Pose”, and it will be published in Room Magazine’s “Women and Spirituality” issue in December 2010.

Coming Publication: "The Corpse Pose"

2010-04-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that my story "The Corpse Pose" has been accepted for Room Magazine's Women and Spirituality issue, coming out in December 2010.

"The Corpse Pose" is the first thing I have completed since my dad's death in December. I tried to write about something else but, as you might guess from the title, death is still very much on my mind. I'm happy to say that the story is getting wonderful reactions. One reader said, "You've written about death, but you've given us life." I'm grateful for this kind of response.

The submission details are below for those who are interested. I know there is not a lot of fiction coming in, so if you have something, fire away.

Casey

Room Magazine's Call for Submissions on Women and Spirituality

Room's 2010 December issue (33.4) will examine Women and Spirituality. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines "spiritual" as "...relating to the human spirit or soul; not of physical things." How do you define it? We're looking for writing that transcends the material realm and explores what lies beneath, beyond, and above. Send us your best original, unpublished fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. We are also looking for suitable artwork and illustrations. For submission guidelines, click here. Submit to the attention of Clélie Rich by June 30, 2010.

Shekhar Kapur: We are the stories we tell ourselves | Video on TED.com

2010-04-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Okay. You are getting the idea that I think TED is great. A rich store of short films offering ideas, inspiration, observation--wonderful! Here is a talk by Shekhar Kapur on the creation of stories.

Where does creative inspiration spring from? At TEDIndia, Hollywood/Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth," "Mr. India") pinpoints his source of creativity: sheer, utter panic. He shares a powerful way to unleash your inner storyteller.

'...When I go out to direct a film, every day we prepare too much, we think too much. Knowledge becomes a weight upon wisdom. You know, simple words lost in the quicksand of experience. So I come up, and I say, "What am I going to do today?" I'm not going to do what I planned to do, and I put myself into absolute panic. It's my one way of getting rid of my mind, getting rid of this mind that says, "Hey, you know what you're doing. You know exactly what you're doing. You're a director, you've done it for years." So I've got to get there and be in complete panic. So it's a symbolic gesture. I tear up the script. I go on [unclear]. I panic myself. I get scared. I'm doing it right now. You can watch me. I'm getting nervous. I don't know what to say. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't want to go there.

And as I go there, of course, my AD says, "You know what you're going to do, sir." I say, "Of course, I do..."'

"He was completely and utterly unusual, and deeply unafraid."
Cate Blanchett, in Time

Shekhar Kapur: We are the stories we tell ourselves | Video on TED.com

Ryan Lobo: Photographing the hidden story | Video on TED.com

2010-04-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

What storytelling can be.

From TED: Ideas Worth Spreading:

As a photographer and filmmaker, Ryan Lobo uses his exquisite lens to capture humanity and nature at their most open and vulnerable moments.

"...the theme of Lobo's career: breaking down stereotypes while reframing the landscape.

"Since 2001, Lobo has been taking haunting stills of everything from Yakuza tattoos and the illegal organ trade to the Indian middle class. He's worked as a field producer on many nature-oriented shows for National Geographic and founded Mad Monitor Productions, a production company based in Bangalore and Washington, D.C. There's no scientific, economic or sociopolitical boundary Lobo isn't willing to cross. His intense fieldwork continues to illuminate his traveling (you can read about his journeys and see photographs on his blog) and a forthcoming book project."

The video:

Ryan Lobo: Photographing the hidden story | Video on TED.com

The transcript (which on TED Talks is interactive: click the words in the transcript and it starts the video at that spot. Is that cool or what?):

My name is Ryan Lobo, and I've been involved in the documentary filmmaking business all over the world for the last 10 years. During the process of making these films I found myself taking photographs, often much to the annoyance of the video cameramen.

I found this photography of mine almost compulsive. And at the end of a shoot, I would sometimes feel that I had photographs that told a better story than a sometimes-sensational documentary. I felt, when I had my photographs, that I was holding on to something true, regardless of agendas or politics. In 2007 I traveled to three war zones. I traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Liberia. And over there I experienced other people's suffering, up close and personal, immersed myself in some rather intense and emotional stories, and at times I experienced great fear for my own life.

As always, I would return to Bangalore, and often to animated discussions at friend's homes, where we would discuss various issues while they complained bitterly about new pub timings, where a drink often cost more than what they'd paid their 14 year old maid. I would feel very isolated during these discussions. But at the same time, I questioned myself and my own integrity and purpose in storytelling. And I decided that I had compromised, just like my friends in those discussions, where we told stories in contexts we made excuses for, rather than taking responsibility for.

I won't go into details about what led to a decision I made, but let's just say it involved alcohol, cigarettes, other substances and a woman. (Laughter) I basically decided that it was I, not the camera or the network, or anything that lay outside myself, that was the only instrument in storytelling truly worth tuning. In my life, when I tried to achieve things like success or recognition, they eluded me. Paradoxically, when I let go of these objectives, and worked from a place of compassion and purpose, looking for excellence, rather than the results of it, everything arrived on its own, including fulfillment.

Photography transcended culture, including my own. And it is, for me, a language which expressed the intangible, and gives voice to people and stories without. I invite you into three recent stories of mine, which are about this way of looking, if you will, which I believe exemplify the tenets of what I like to call compassion in storytelling.

In 2007 I went to Liberia, where a group of my friends and I did an independent, self-funded film, still in progress, on a very legendary and brutal war-lord named General Butt Naked. His real name is Joshua, and he's pictured here in a cell, where he once used to torture and murder people, including children. Joshua claims to have personally killed more than 10,000 people during Liberia's civil war. He got his name from fighting stark naked. And he is probably the most prolific mass murderer alive on Earth today.

This woman witnessed the General murdering her brother. Joshua commanded his child-soldiers to commit unspeakable crimes, and enforced his command with great brutality. Today many of these children are addicted to drugs like heroin, and they are destitute, like these young men in the image. How do you live with yourself if you know you've committed horrific crimes? Today the General is a baptized Christian evangelist. And he's on a mission.

We accompanied Joshua, as he walked the Earth, visiting villages where he had once killed and raped. He seeked forgiveness, and he claims to endeavor to improve the lives of his child-soldiers. During this expedition I expected him to be killed outright, and us as well. But what I saw opened my eyes to an idea of forgiveness which I never thought possible. In the midst of incredible poverty and loss, people who had nothing absolved a man who had taken everything from them. He begs for forgiveness, and receives it from the same woman whose brother he murdered. Senegalese, the young man seated on the wheelchair here, was once a child soldier, under the General's command, until he disobeyed orders, and the General shot off both his legs. He forgives the General in this image. He risked his life as he walked up to people whose families he'd murdered.

In this photograph a hostile crowd in a slum surrounds him. And Joshua remains silent as they vented their rage against him. This image, to me, is almost like from a Shakespearean play, with a man, surrounded by various influences, desperate to hold on to something true within himself, in a context of great suffering that he has created himself.

I was intensely moved during all this. But the question is, does forgiveness and redemption replace justice? Joshua, in his own words, says that he does not mind standing trial for his crimes, and speaks about them from soapboxes across Monrovia, to an audience that often includes his victims. A very unlikely spokesperson for the idea of separation of church and state.

The second story I'm going to tell you about is about a group of very special fighting women with rather unique peace-keeping skills. Liberia has been devastated by one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars, which has left more than 200,000 people dead, thousands of women scarred by rape and crime on a spectacular scale. Liberia is now home to an all-woman United Nations contingent of Indian peacekeepers.

These women, many from small towns in India, help keep the peace, far away from home and family. They use negotiation and tolerance more often than an armed response. The commander told me that a woman could gauge a potentially violent situation much better than men. And that they were definitely capable of diffusing it non-aggressively. This man was very drunk, and he was very interested in my camera, until he noticed the women, who handled him with smiles, and AK-47s at the ready, of course. (Laughter)

This contingent seems to be quite lucky, and it has not sustained any casualties, even though dozens of peacekeepers have been killed in Liberia. And yes, all of those people killed were male. Many of the women are married with children, and they say the hardest part of their deployment was being kept away from their children.

I accompanied these women on their patrols, and watched as they walked past men, many who passed very lewd comments incessantly. And when I asked one of the women about the shock and awe response, she said, "Don't worry, same thing back home. We know how to deal with these fellows," and ignored them.

In a country ravaged by violence against women, Indian peacekeepers have inspired many local women to join the police force. Sometimes, when the war is over and all the film crews have left, the most inspiring stories are the ones that float just beneath the radar. I came back to India and nobody was interested in buying the story. And one editor told me that she wasn't interested in doing what she called "manual labor stories."

In 2007 and 2009 I did stories on the Delhi Fire Service, the DFS, which, during the summer, is probably the world's most active fire department. They answer more than 5,000 calls in just two months. And all this against incredible logistical odds, like heat and traffic jams. Something amazing happened during this shoot. Due to a traffic jam, we were late in getting to a slum, a large slum, which had caught fire. As we neared, angry crowds attacked our trucks and stoned them, by hundreds of people all over the place. These men were terrified, as the mob attacked our vehicle.

But nonetheless, despite the hostility, firefighters left the vehicle and successfully fought the fire. Running the gauntlet through hostile crowds, and some wearing motorbike helmets to prevent injury. Some of the local people forcibly took away the hoses from the firemen to put out the fire in their homes. Now, hundreds of homes were destroyed. But the question that lingered in my mind was, what causes people to destroy fire trucks headed to their own homes? Where does such rage come from? And how are we responsible for this? 45 percent of the 14 million people who live in Delhi live in unauthorized slums, which are chronically overcrowded. They lack even the most basic amenities. And this is something that is common to all our big cities.

Back to the DFS. A huge chemical depot caught fire, thousands of drums filled with petrochemicals were blazing away and exploding all around us. The heat was so intense, that hoses were used to cool down firefighters fighting extremely close to the fire, and with no protective clothing. In India we often love to complain about our government bodies. But over here, the heads of the DFS, Mister R.C. Sharman, Mister A.K. Sharman, lead the firefight with their men. Something wonderful in a country where manual labor is often looked down upon. (Applause)

Over the years, my faith in the power of storytelling has been tested. And I've had very serious doubt about its efficacy, and my own faith in humanity. However, a film we shot still airs on the National Geographic channel. And when it airs I get calls from all the guys I was with and they tell me that they receive hundreds of calls congratulating them. Some of the firemen told me that they were also inspired to do better because they were so pleased to get thank-yous rather than brick bats.

It seems that this story helped change perceptions about the DFS, at least in the minds of an audience in part on televisions, read magazines and whose huts aren't on fire. Sometimes, focusing on what's heroic, beautiful and dignified, regardless of the context, can help magnify these intangibles three ways, in the protagonist of the story, in the audience, and also in the storyteller. And that's the power of storytelling. Focus on what's dignified, courageous and beautiful, and it grows. Thank you. (Applause)

Haiti Updates

2010-03-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Gody, in La Vale, Haiti, sent me this video link: "Haïti, retour au pays dévasté". Temps Present: Magazine de Reportage presents footage and French language discussion of the current situation in Port au Prince.

For those of you with Facebook accounts, you can view Gody's slide show of the situation in La Vale at this link: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1321332146295&ref=mf

A film showing La Vale de Jacmel before the quake. Focus is on the people's credit union. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2hoPY30ul4

TIME Magazine looks at the cultural inheritance of the larger center, Jacmel itself, and efforts to save it. http://youtu.be/p2hoPY30ul4

Carla in Port au Prince sends this update:

Loved ones of ours,

(sorry, we experienced a tremor while I was working on this which made the unedited version go out!)

Loved ones of ours,

Today Feb 11, the day before the month marker of this "event" (as it is commonly referred to now) which will begin a 3 day national time of prayer and fasting, normally the pre-carnival time 12th-14th, was one of the lowest days so far for me.

I am deeply grateful as an undeserving human who was not buried in the rubble of a planetary shakedown. We were somehow spared even as the church just a few yards above our house crashed, pancaking on itself during those fatal seconds. Fortunately, no one was within its unsuspecting death-chamber-like walls, but I am still reeling from the truth of the real disaster as it reveals itself out of the dust.

The ensuing chaos continues to be upon us. It almost feels immoral or unjust to me (is this survival guilt?), having been spared death, physical suffering or any loss of property through the quake but now even more so as the threatening clouds of the rainy season promise more disaster for the thousands cast out unceremoniously into the streets by this catastrophic itch in the underskin of mother earth. This year those long awaited rains for the expectant farmers to plant and the welcome relief to the months of tongue coating dust film, (now mixed with cement and human remains), seems more like a death certificate awaiting those who have not been fortunate enough yet to get a tent or just a tarp. Many families are sleeping with only a cotton sheet and scraps of plastic between themselves, their children and the cold evening downpours that will surely provoke sickness and more suffering will inevitably follow.

These crushed concrete schools, churches, businesses, homes have turned into spontaneous tombs for the unretrievable bodies of loved ones decaying in undignified circumstances. But, for me, the spiritual weight of all these instantaneously snuffed out lives is much heavier than the concrete and steel that smothers them.

This photo is of one of my best friend's front "yard", a place I've known for years, having visited a jillion times though always focusing on the beauty of laughter and the energy of life to blot out the sewage smell and uncleanable environment, the material deprivation in this ghost town ghetto was stark. This forced exodus from these once hot crowded spoonfuls of earth lay naked the truth of unbridled greed that crushed people into these conditions by an economic catastrophe that has been going on for generations. This photo is simple, but perhaps it can help tell the story of the lives and dreams of thousands of lives of loved ones crammed into the virtual fissures of bare cinderblock destined to having their bones and breath suffocated out of existence in a mere few seconds.

The uncomfortable question as to why an earthquake could kill the horrific numbers of people compared to earthquakes of equal seismic shock was asked during the Discovery program shown the other night. As the documentary camera zoomed into the rubble of Port-au-Prince, the condemning evidence of snapped off corner posts of schools and houses where too few bars of metal and sacks of cement were used in their construction gave some hints that should make us squirm. The economic choices that parents in these types of neighborhoods are constantly pressured into making is that they literally sacrifice themselves to pay for their children's education at the expense of their own housing. This cosmic shudder exposed the worst of our human spiritual condition, stuffing a major part of humanity (most major cities have similar situations, but to a lesser degree) into indecent cracks and edges of life with no real choices. It has exposed an ancient catastrophe of racism, prejudice, exploitation and greed that exploded into this cataclysmic catastrophe of unjust proportions. There's no more hiding behind the thin curtains of laughter any more, the wails of grief have torn it away.

As I drove by a temporary shelter camp made up in a park in one of the richer neighborhoods of Petionville the other day, I saw an older man stooping by the curb having found an unusually clean bit of water running in the gutter to scrub out his small washcloth. I thought about not looking at him allowing him my respect for his privacy in a somewhat humiliating circumstance, but I was impelled to see him and to have him see me understanding our mutual humanity in the seconds of our passing glances. He smiled with eyes glistening into my own and cast out his hands in simple resignation.

N a Sonje

"We Will Remember"

Carla

a mix of the artsy with some respectable hard SF: Schellenberg reviews Finding Creatures

2010-02-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

Finding Creatures & Other Stories, C. June Wolf, Wattle and Daub Books, 2008, 236 pp.

The Storyteller and Other Tales, K.V. Johansen, Sybertooth, 2008, 106 pp.

I’d like to take a look at two recent short story collections, Finding Creatures & Other Stories and The Storyteller and Other Tales. Both are by Canadian authors, and are published by small Canadian presses (see more detail below). I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve checked in with the work being done by Canadian author and publishing outfits, so this was an interesting return for me. The short version: the work looks very good indeed.

Finding Creatures is a collection of 15 stories by Wolf and has an insightful introduction by Charles de Lint. The 15 stories make for a mix of the artsy with some respectable hard SF that I wasn’t expecting from a collection like this. No offence meant to small press short stories, but I don’t see a lot of hardcore science-fictional speculation from them.

The artsy side of the collection is represented by stories like “Claude and the Henry Moores,” the opening story (I’ll talk about this story in more detail in just a moment), and the title story which is about imaginary creatures and loneliness.

I liked these stories a great deal. In particular, Wolf does a good job with endings. Since we get a lot of detail about the internal life of the characters, the structure that leads to the ending is most often an epiphany, a moment where all those internal musings or developments come together in a rush, like a plateau before the next ascent begins. Not an “I feel ripped off” artsy ending, but an artsy ending that the story is nicely tailored for.

I’ll use the Henry Moore story that opens the collection as an example. Claude works as a security guard at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto), and he becomes fascinated with the Henry Moore sculptures on display in the gallery. Then entranced, then possessed with an incredible connection with the personality of each sculpture, then convinced that there is an entity trapped within each sculpture. The writing is very moving, and the “freeing” of the AGO sculptures is a memorable sequence. That could be the ending, but in the last few paragraphs, Claude realizes there are Henry Moores across the whole world. It’s both closure and grand reveal of new vistas for the protagonist. Neatly played.

I don’t want to give away the endings of any of the other stories in the collection; rest assured that they are just as craftily constructed.

Of the stories with a more science-fictional nature, I’ll mention “Thunderbirds” and “Equals.” The first is an unusual first contact story, between Norman the human, living by himself in the woods, and Chitta the alien, who crashes nearby. Again, the story works toward an epiphany, but the alien details along the way are suitably convincing. The second story is about a research mission on an alien world named Lorin4. I was reminded of Robert Charles Wilson’s Bios in Wolf’s careful attention to biological details.

The longer stories in the collection – “Thunderbirds,” “Finding Creatures,” “Miss Lonelygenes,” “The MagniCharisma Machine,” “Equals,” and “Kouzen Zaka” – are generally better than the shorter ones, but all told, the reading is very rewarding.

On to The Storyteller and Other Tales. I didn’t get as much of a grasp of Johansen’s style, since The Storyteller only has four stories in it. All are based on historical moments (or our stories of those moments, appropriately enough considering the title), but the styles vary. Each story has a motif illustration by Johansen herself.

The title story is about a character named Ulfleif, a royal girl in a remote kingdom, and two visitors, Moth and Mikki, storyteller and warrior respectively. The storyteller begins a familiar tale about seven demons who were bound into earthly prisons a long time ago, but the story takes a turn that brings the events right into the building with them. It feels like a piece of a longer story, but it works very well.

The next story, "He-Redeems," is about 3 slaves living in the palace of the Lady, and reminded me a great deal of Eileen Kernaghan's Winter on the Plain of Ghosts. One of the slaves is accused of heresy, and the title character, who is impossibly naive, gets his eyes opened in a painful way. A journey into apostasy, but rather baldly stated.

"The Inexorable Tide" is a serviceable bit of Arthuriana, told through the eyes of Nimiane, daughter of Merlin. The emphasis is on how Arthur's wanderings and distant battles are a form of desertion for those back home. Nimiane and Mordred and Guenevere get up to all the familiar troubles, but there's a reason for their actions in the absence of the king. Nimiane manages a happy ending for herself, but the moment of Arthurian glory is brief, as it always is.

“a.d. cmxci” (AD 991 for those of us who have trouble deciphering Roman numerals) is a short piece, riffing off of an old epic poem. It feels like a bit of academia, rather than a finished story.

Both books are published by small presses here in Canada. Wattle and Daubis a west coast outfit, putting out a handful of books each year. Finding Creatures and Other Stories is a nice edition, so they’ve done good work so far.Sybertooth is a little harder to figure out: they’re on the east coast, and have published a lot of Canadian humour. I hadn’t run across Donald Jack’s Bandybooks in years and years, so I’m glad to see that someone is keeping that series in print. They’ve also published a number of genre works by Johansen and other writers.

Wolf was recently interviewed over at Strange Horizons and talked about Canadian SF and fantasy (among other interesting topics).

I feel a bit like this is a sequel to my earlier piece,The Latest in Canadian SF, from 2007. The venerable Tesseracts series, collecting Canadian fantasy and science fiction short stories since 1985, is now at number 13, with a fourteenth volume set for release in 2010. Canadian authors have been doing very well for themselves – Robert J. Sawyer’sFlashforward is now a TV series on ABC, Karl Schroeder’s Virga series is now at 4 volumes, and much, much more. I’m looking forward to something new from Nalo Hopkinson, and of the books on my shelf, Robert Charles Wilson’s latest,Julian Comstock, is the one I’d most like to read. And I’m glad to see that small presses like Wattle and Daub, Sybertooth, and Edge are fighting the good fight.

Last modified: February 20, 2010

My Haiti Writings

2010-02-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

I was asked by a friend where she could find my writings on Haiti. I discovered that they are not so easy to find on this blog as I'd assumed (bad tagging?), so here is the digest of important links. (There are also a number of Haiti postings not written by me, which you can find by following the tag "Haiti".)

my stories are in my book (Finding Creatures & Other Stories, by C. June Wolf. do you have? can send pdfs of said stories if required.) OH! one is on the blog:
http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/2007/08/story-coin.html

much about haiti on my blog (Tag: Haiti)

travel journals:
2008:
http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/2008/07/notes-from-haiti-days-1-4-6_01.html
http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/2008/07/notes-from-haiti-days-10-18.html
http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/2008/06/final-notes-from-port-au-prince.html
2006:
http://cjunewolfden.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_archive.html

For a list of books about Haiti, check out my LibraryThing site:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/thesmellofbooks&tag=Haiti&collection=-1

Jou a Rive: The Day Will Come

2010-02-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

TREZO "Jou A Rive" Music Video from Ciné Institute on Vimeo.

Jacmel, Haiti
cineinstitute.com

Ciné Institute provides Haitian youth with film education, training and production support. The Institute's programs are: Ciné Lekòl; a film school offering training in fiction documentary and commercials. Ciné Services; an income generating production center for film school students and graduates. Ciné Klas; daily educational film screenings in partnership with national public schools and Ciné Klub; weekly public screenings of world cinema.

Ciné Institute began as a film festival in Jacmel, Haiti. Held for three years, Festival Film Jakmèl showed hundreds of films from around the world free of charge to tens of thousands of local audiences.

Our mission is to use the power of cinema, integrated educational programming, technical film training and production funding, to entertain, educate and empower Haitian youth to create a movement that grows an industry in national cinema and arts which creates jobs, stimulates regional economies and drives sustainable long term development.

Nice Makes Write: Interviewed by Robert Runté

2010-02-09T22:58:00.001-08:00

Here it is! Robert Runté's interview of me in today's issue of Strange Horizons. The photo was taken by Patrik in La Vale de Jakmel, Ayiti (Haiti) in 2006. That's mayi boukonen I'm eating and it is yummy and CHEWY!

Nice Makes Write: An Interview with Casey Wolf

By Robert Runté

8 February 2010

Casey Wolf is the author of numerous speculative short stories, several of which were recently collected as Finding Creatures & Other Stories by C. June Wolf.

Wolf’s stories represent a uniquely Canadian approach to fantasy: where others write about the astronaut hero, she writes about the father who is left behind; where others write about planetary conquest, she writes about multiculturalism and the respect for alien life; where others write about revenge, she writes about reconciliation; where others write stories filled with sound and fury signifying nothing, her stories quietly engage the reader in the real lives of ordinary people—who become extraordinary because they have imagination, perspective, courage—and above all—integrity.

Yet, unlike a lot of CanLit, her stories are never depressing or dry. The speculative element makes her stories both more interesting and, in some strange sense, more real than other Canadian literature exploring the same themes. Consequently, I really wanted to ask Casey about her writing, and how her settings, themes, and characters reflected her Canadian upbringing. She graciously agreed to this interview.

Wolf: Not all of my characters do the right thing. But when they don’t, there are repercussions—not in terms of divine (or authorial) retribution, but in the same terms as life. I don’t see this as being about niceness, or characters putting others ahead of themselves. It’s more about integrity, something some of my characters summon up with ease where others struggle with it. When we live without integrity, we suffer the consequences: greater isolation, with all the lack of resource—emotional and psychological, at least—that that implies; lower self-regard (on whatever level we are honest with ourselves); an extinguishment of a sense of belonging and all-for-oneness that gets human communities through long periods of difficulty and want. In other words, supposedly selfish behaviour actually drags the individual down. We don’t like ourselves as much, and no one else holds us in such high regard, either. And we don’t heal from our wounds, but carry them around sequestered behind our defenses.

To read the whole article go to Nice Makes Write.

Dr. Robert Runté is an associate professor at the University of Lethbridge and co-edited (with Yves Meynard) the Tesseracts5 SF anthology. He has won two Auroras as an SF critic and was Fan Guest at the 52nd WorldCon. He is a regular reviewer for NeoOpsis Magazine.

Strange Horizons (www.strangehorizons.com) is a weekly web-based magazine of and about speculative fiction. The term "speculative fiction" refers to what is more commonly known as "sci-fi," but which properly embraces science fiction, fantasy, magic realism, slipstream, and a host of sub-genres. The magazine was founded in September 2000, and as we said then:

[Speculative fiction is] important to the world. These stories make us think. They critique society. They offer alternatives. They give us a vision of the future—and warn us of the potential dangers therein. They help us understand our past. They are full of beauty, and terror, and delight.

Even as the print publishing market for speculative fiction has contracted, the genre has expanded. A new generation of writers and artists has emerged: multicultural, non-traditional, willing to step past clichés. Strange Horizons hopes to give these rising stars another place to shine.

Strange Horizons has an all-volunteer staff, which enables us to pay our fiction and poetry writers professional rates. We are committed to expanding the readership, professional status, and literary appreciation of speculative fiction in all media, for all people.

Award Winner!!!

2010-02-09T22:11:00.001-08:00

Okay, not really fair. It isn't my writing that's won an award, but my blog, and it's a "fun" award, not a big prestigious award but HEY! Who cares? It IS fun.

Martina Carter of the blog Creative Chronicles picked Den Page of C. June Wolf as one of her choices for the Over the Top Award. What she says:

The rules of the award are to answer the questions with one word answers, then to pass it on.

Your Hair? - Whacky.
Your Favourite Food? - Healthy
Your Hobby? - Yakking
Your Fear? - Atrophy
Your pets? - Felines
Something You Aren't? - Pregnant
Where Did You Grow Up? - Canada
Your Life? - Quiet
Your Mood? - Content
Your Favorite Colour? - All!

And I'm passing the award to these little known bloggers:

Under the Oak
Writer's Travels
Eileen Kernaghan's Blog
The Beacon Blog for Writers
Wisdom Play

Please go check out their blogs and if you like what you see become a follower.

Letter from Carla in Port au Prince

2010-02-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Carla is one of the friends I was worried about when the earthquake hit Haiti. She has lived there for over 20 years and shows no signs of ever leaving. It is her beloved home. She is pictured here with neighbours as well as students from the US, listening to fellow N a Sonje founder Ari Nicolas. This is a note Carla sent out two days ago.

I am and continue to be overwhelmed by all of the messages of love and support since almost the first words indicating there had been an earthquake here. It was so overwhelming the first time I saw all the messages, I literally ran away from the computer as sobs started to rise from my chest to my throat as I realized that in the cries for knowing about us was because it was all too possible for us to be those under the rubble. Those emotions are constantly running through our brains and hearts almost numbed by our blessing both in being alive, having a house in tact and all of our closest friends still alive though many without homes.

Our home has been full, our guesthouse full, our yard full, always in a constant flux of different folks knowing they have a refuge with us and yet wandering the remains of buildings and places looking for family or friends. Now there is the wonder of what next, where will the next day come from, not only the next mouthful, but what thing will be there to hang a life onto in the world out there after you wake up. The 3 basics of any structure for a society have fallen, the state, the church and the schools, what's left are just dreams. How it will all unfold is the question, will the world just take over the country and the Haitian way of life evaporate the way Port-au-Prince has. Will there be Haitians left after those who can leave do? The president of Senegal and of Benin have opened their doors to Haitian, offering land for free. Welele, the young man who has lived with us for the past 4 years or so, is ready to go, he says after 200 years of not getting it together, it's time to leave. The country is naked before the world, the corruption and lack of vision of her leadership is clear as the dust settles and the world stands stunned at the devastation that Haitians themselves have known they've been living in for a long long time even before the quake.

Ah me, there are so many reflections going on every minute and every hour.

I have begun to work in a coalition of small ngo's who are working with a team of Haitian animators or community facilitators to try and find base communities in the places that now have camps so that they get connected to the humanitarian aid coming in but get it in a way that it doesn't cause damage, which most of it really does other than fill the hole of hunger as free stuff causes fighting, jealousy, stealing, selling, etc in the best of times. The coalition's intentions are to build the capacity of the base community organizations that are working in the camps of thousands, organizing the wounded, the sick, the children, the pregnant women and are looking for their basic needs, water, sanitation, medical care, food, and TENTS!!! The rainy season is almost upon us and it is almost certain there will be more deaths as there are so many just under sheets in these camps, especially the babies. It is amazing though the incredible capacity that so many of these organizations have in spite of all this disaster, this is evident and something of hope for the country to build on. The really important place now is the countryside, that's for sure and where the expertise of the animators we have known for years can be of the greatest help. The coalition is working to keep the channel open between these grassroots organizers and visionaries and the international communities that are flooding the country to keep the Haitian voice funnelled into the heavy powerful money and aid organizations, it's quite a challenge. The day of big egos, big potential for investments is upon the country and it can either go for the benefit of the Haitian dream or the profiteers.

One of our own dreams is to work in education right here in our community as there is a true need to get children back into a routine but with something very valuable to themselves, education. We've always known that education doesn't necessarily happen within 4 walls and what a better time to try it out. We had a very informal summer camp that was pretty successful with hardly anything but good will, so we think that if we can brainstorm about how to form little mobile groups of children in age groups to circulate in the community, going to where there are people who can give training, knowledge, music, dance, art, science, making the whole community participate, especially the elders, using Creole and making our own texts using their own stories, it might be a place to begin again with the human resources right at our fingertips! The vision of N'a Sonje--to remember, to heal, to go forward--may find its place right here in Gwo Jan. There are some burgeoning organizations in the past 6-9 months that were beginning to get a feel for what that means and we hope that with Leres, our long time animator/friend, we can get more training on all kinds of organizations, especially cooperatives, we will see.

If you are interested in helping in some way, Beyond Borders is helping to sponsor this coalition approach and efforts, as well as their own great programs. You can check out their website: www.beyondborders.net , the coalitions google group that is just getting started: haitiresponsecoalition@googlegroups.com

There is one story that has given me inspiration. There are so many stories of survival going around, especially as they kept finding people alive underneath the rubble after so many days. One last one was a young person, I didn't hear the story myself, though many people heard in on the radio, was pulled out and still alive after more than 14 days. When asked how did they make it for so long, the young person responded by saying that every day an old man in white with a long beard came and gave them a piece of bread and sugar water! However you want to understand it, it is a story of faith. This is my inspiration at this point because it feels like we are under the emotional, spiritual, psychological rubble of despair and only as we keep the lines open to the source of all life will we be able to survive all of this! It'll be the only way to keep going by getting our spiritual bread and water of life every day under the rubble.

All my love and appreciation to everyone, I'm off to translate for an American getting stories of survival for an Irish ngo, Worldwide Concern. It's a paying job, yeah!

More soon, keep praying as the stress continues with rumors of more quakes, inondations, volcanoes, military occupation, etc keep running around!

yours always,

Carla

more when I can...

Video by Claire Karoly. It and parts 2-7 can be found on YouTube.

5th annual Cyberspace Poetry Slam for Brigid

2010-02-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Autumn Hiscock passed on through Facebook the invitation to publish Brigit poetry all over the web today.

And why would we do this?

Brigit is a Celtic triple goddess, as well as a saint of later and different but related fame. As a goddess she is patron (matron?) of Poetry, Healing, and Smithcraft. So it is not surprising that many writers of a Pagan or Christian bent are attracted to this personage. (Go to the bottom of this post to see my offering.)

Autumn encourages us to "Help weave a web of poetry today in honour of Brigid by posting a poem (original or otherwise) on your blog, journal, Facebook page, Twitter, or somewhere else (who says you can’t write one out and pin it to a bulletin board at work, or tape it to your office door?). Leave links to it in the comments area of other post...ed poems; follow the other links you find online to read a vast woven web of poetry today."

Here is the original invitation from Oak:

5th annual Cyberspace Poetry Slam for Brigid
Feel free to copy the following to your blog/facebook/website and spread
the word. Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again!

WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2010

WHERE: Your blog

WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day

HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to
post February 2nd.

RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on
this post. Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in
cyberspace than I could keep track of. So, link to whoever you hear
about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.

Please pass this invitation on…

Hail, Poetry! Let the web be woven!

Autumn's offering can be found at http://www.owldaughter.org/blog/?p=2761

and here is mine. From 20 February 1995:

St. Brigit of Kildare

she was a short woman with heavy hair
the colour of peat
plaited and pinned back recklessly
her skin bore a swarthy
neolithic caste
hips hands forehead
broad and strong as rock

she never read
nor spoke from a pulpit
and no
she didn't appoint bishops
hang her garment on a beam of sun
cause the milk to flow
from calfless teats

she never met saint patrick
didn't catch the slippery christ
as he was squeezed from his mother's pelvis
she never was a goddess
though she believed in many
her god was well accompanied

the land spoke to both of them
birds' pathways meant much
and a poem sung on an injured part could heal

yeats would not have known her
we would not have known her
she would have stared at us
from crooked brows
if she had seen how we'd picture her

she would have trod on
momentarily
a sort of prayer inherent
in her breath her step
her glance at the harebell
on the moist edge of the spring

Recent Library Thing Reviews

2010-01-31T01:45:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a broad variety of books recently, and some of these I have done brief reviews of on Library Thing. Here are a few. For all my LT reviews, go to: http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=thesmellofbooks

The Kar-Chee Reign by Avram Davidson

Avram Davidson is a master of short fiction but I had heard his novels, few as they are, didn't measure up. I was expecting a flub; that's not what I got.

Davidson adopts a voice in writing the Kar-Chee Reign that remains consistent and convincing throughout, and is a subtle alternative to many of the voices found in SF. The writing is evocative, the characters are interesting and the story and its underpinnings are complex and well-crafted. The aliens _are_ alien, their purpose aloof from the fate of humankind but huge in its impact, and the differing perceptions of the humans guide their responses to the aliens in intriguing ways. Like much of Davidson's fiction it is thoughtful and thorough rather than explosive and thrilling. A quiet, intelligent read. ( )

flagJan 22, 2010 | edit | |

Black Chick by Kirya Traber

So good I gave it away to my sister. Beautifully made book and wonderful poems. ( )

flagJan 20, 2010 | edit | |

Limekiller by Avram Davidson

Davidson spent the '60s in British Honduras. As always a sponge for nuance and perspective, he wrote a series of stories set in the invented country of British Hidalgo. The Limekiller stories feature an ex-pat Canadian who makes his living on the waterways and encounters locals, both human and creature, in a land where magic is part of the atmosphere and talk is slow and sweet. Like spending a month in a land that never was. (Pity.) ( )

flag1 other review | Jan 20, 2010 | edit | |

The Water-Babies 1891 (A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby)… by Charles Kingsley

This book is a mixed bag, one I enjoyed reading for its wonderful turns of phrase and flights of fancy (to quote a couple of worthy cliches). It's not real strong on plot and being of another age I don't buy a lot of the author's views on things -- which since this is a moralizing tale it is not easy to overlook. But still, lots to mine here, and a soothing read at a difficult time. ( )

flag16 other reviews | Jan 19, 2010 | edit | |

The Energy of Prayer: How to Deepen Your Spiritual Practice… by Thich Nhat Hanh

This small, unassuming book makes clear and grounding sense. Appendices include useful gatthas for rooting prayer in your daily life. I destress just reading it! ( )

flagJan 17, 2010 | edit | |

Fatal Encryption (Alex Bellamy mystery) by Debra Purdy Kong

I'm not normally a reader of this genre but I found this book a real page-turner -- I read 259 pp in one evening!!! Kong has firm control of her story and the plot rolls out at a good pace. ( )

flag2 other reviews | Jan 14, 2010 | edit | |

The Jaws that Bite, the Claws that Catch by Michael G. Coney

What an intriguing book! Coney has a deft touch with setting and character. I was hoodwinked into wondering if he had gone suddenly sexist until I figured out that it was the viewpoint character who was incapable of seeing women as human beings, but always as reflections of his own desires and prejudices. Questions of ethics and human rights mix here with strange science and daring young men in their gliding machines. An odd and fun and ultimately subtle fiction. ( )

flagJan 12, 2010 | edit | |

Scarlet Music: A Life of Hildegard Von Bingen (Crossroad fiction program)… by Joan Ohanneson

I enjoyed this book. I had to shift my expectations a little -- let it be what it was instead of what I am used to. Once I let go, I was along for a passionate and fascinating ride. Suitable for lovers of historical fiction, mysticism, feminism, and even, in its own way, romance. The romance here being of a celibate sort, between humans and between a woman and her deity. ( )

flagJan 9, 2010 | edit | |

Too Long a Sacrifice (Orbit Books) by Mildred Downey Broxon

The writing is solid and pleasing, the ideas are good, and the basic plot is well told. Broxon has thought deeply about her subject and done good research, giving especially the modern parts of the book a ring of truth. My only wish is that she had better developed the archetypal characters so that there was greater impact on me as a reader as their subplot unfolded. My impression, too, is that the Horned God and Goddess bit is borrowed from Wicca, and is not actual Celtic mythos. Nevertheless, recommended for those interested in Ireland and Irish history, as well as in the struggle for peace. ( )

flag1 other review | Dec 31, 2009 | edit | |

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

It's a strange feeling when I finally read something that I've heard of is a classic -- though in this case which I had not heard of AT ALL before hearing it was a classic -- and then suddenly being swept away with enthusiasm for that book and wishing everyone interested in the subject had the opportunity to read it. [We] by [[Yevgeny Zamyatin]] was mentioned by [Ursula LeGuin] in an essay, I think in [[The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction]], as being both a wonderful book and very important in the history of science fiction. I finally stumbled across a copy, in which I learn that it was written between 1920 and 1921 in Russia where, at the time of publication, it had still never been published. It was this book that inspired the later dystopian works [[1984]] and [[Brave New World]]. It is written in a more stylized, you could say alien, fashion, although the characters are human. Highly recommended, both as a novel in itself, and as a spyglass into our genre's (and our world's) history. ( )

1 flag56 other reviews | Dec 27, 2009 | edit | |

The Memory Tree by Little R. John

John Little handles his themes masterfully. I was drawn in from the first pages and read the entire book in one sitting -- NOT my usual pace. Good characters, good story, good setting -- an excellent book.

Pity that the publisher went under. The book will be hard to find -- here's hoping another publisher takes it on. ( )

flagDec 15, 2009 | edit | |

Svaha by Charles de Lint

I wasn't sure when I opened this one if I would enjoy it. Page by page as plot, characters, and themes developed I was drawn in until I finished, thoroughly satisfied. A _good_ book.

De Lint explores themes of oppression, environmental responsibility, spirituality and honour in an action-packed futuristic novel. ( )

flag1 other review | Dec 9, 2009 | edit | |

A Pagan Place by Edna O'Brien

God, O'Brien is good!

Once I get over the fact that this reads unlike a normal a novel with its clear plot and obvious arc, but as an almost poeticly observed stream of consciousness, I settle into the sheer pleasure of it. The first 80-some pp are a child's eye view of life in Ireland in the 60s (50s?). Brings [Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man] to mind in some ways.

The child looks around herself at what others are doing, at the small details of life and landscape, and as she grows this continues. Also as she grows, life gets more complicated. There is much truth, much beauty, and much sorrow in this novel, all given the same weight in the telling. A wonderful book. ( )

flagOct 30, 2009 | edit | |

Kali the Mother by Sister Nivedita

First published in 1900, Sister Nivedita's essays about the language and symbolism of religion, informed by culture, and about Shiva and Kali themselves shed precious light on this feared deity and her people. ( )

flagOct 26, 2009 | edit | |