Where I've been...

It's been a mad, mad, mad few weeks trying to tie up loose ends on an upcoming project (announcement soon!) but even though I haven't been here I have been a few places around the web:

The lovely Chip of the Two-Minute Time Lord Podcast invited me to participate on The Steven Moffat Roundtable with Steven Schapansky (Radio Free Skaro), Neil Perryman (Adventures of Wife in Space) and the fabulous Teresa Jusino (of everywhere it is cool to be).

If you like podcasts and listening to fun people (mostly them but I try!) check out 2MTL265: The Steven Moffat Evaluation

I also had the privilege of contributing to the Legendary Women's month of Buffy by talking about Whedonistas.  They are also running a Whedonistas (now in its second printing!) giveaway so if you don't have a copy, drop by.  You have until May 31 to enter.

So...a bit busy but more exciting news to come!

On the Shelf

We are entering the Season of Driving and Sitting, also known as "little league" and "swim team".  The upside is my reading time gets a huge boost and all that time in the car means I can catch up on podcasts and audio plays. This is what's keeping me company these days:

 

On the Back Burner:  The Odyssey.  Since this is a year-long reading project this will be hanging around for a while

On the Shelf: Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.   I just picked this up yesterday and can't wait to delve into it's creepy, photograph-laden pages.  I can't resist digging through piles of old black and white photos at flea markets and antique shops so I have high hopes for a novel that incorporates the creepiest of found images.  

 
On the Nook:  Apex Magazine.  I'll be honest and admit that I initially subscribed to this magazine as a show of support to new editor Lynne Thomas but I quickly learned that it was a treasure trove of short, amazing bits of fiction and thought-provoking essays. Perfect for between inning reading.

On the iPhone:  The Witch From The Well.  This audio play from Big Finish is the second in a trilogy featuring Doctor Who's Eighth Doctor and Mary Shelley.  Yes, that Mary Shelley.  If you've never listened to an audio play I can't recommend them enough.  With a full cast of actors and high production values it engages me in ways that audio books can't.

Of course this makes me look like a person who is absolutely terrified of downtime but that's a post for another day. ;-)

Cool things for Friday

1.  I was interviewed with Lynne M. Thomas at Doctor Her on projects current and past.  This is one of my favorite new websites and if you're interested in pop culture and feminism I can't recommend it enough.

2.  Another favorite - the The History Chicks podcast - has a new espisode discussing Margaret "Molly" Brown.  If everything you know about "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" is via Debbie Reynolds run to this podcast and be amazed at this spirited philanthropist who got things done with style and panache. Hosts Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider never fail to amuse and educate and their shownotes are an amazing resource.

3.  One of my favorite publishers, Persephone Books, has a beautiful blog that is a catch all for art, history and the lives of women.  It's the sort of thing you dip into when you feel your spirits flagging.  Thank you Persephone Books for rescuing and reclaiming so many women writers!  Now, if they'd only open a shop in the U.S......

The Power of Story

In February of this year I had “A Perfect Moment”.  I was at the The Getty Villa in Los Angeles, eating a plate of figs and cheese while drinking a glass of chardonnay.  The breeze was soft, the company excellent and the view sublime.  All of my senses were fulfilled.  But what pushed the day to “perfect” status was the opportunity to see a tiny sliver of papyrus, a bit over 2,000 years old, which held a fragment of Homer’s The Odyssey.  See, I’d just undertaken a year-long read-along of The Odyssey and while I may be a book or two behind at this point, it’s been a fabulous experience.  I don’t think I’ve done a close reading of a text since college so to be forced to slow down, to give the words time to sink into my bones and let the story that has been such a bedrock of western literary experiences wash over me has been a luxury. 

It certainly hasn’t hurt that I chose to read  Robert Fagles' translation, selected because it purported to give us a bit more domestic detail along with all the clashing armor.  While there has been some criticism of Fagles’ trading authenticity for readability, there is no denying the language is sensuous and beautiful.

So, what is it about that tiny sliver of parchment that still transfixes us centuries later?  Nothing really.  Despite its age and rarity it’s just the medium for the real treasure: the story.  And what a story – it’s been told and retold so often that it’s become a part of us. Over the years we’ve picked it apart, rebuilt it and, at times, turned it into something new.  It is a story that speaks to our soul.

That is what a good story does.  

Of course The Odyssey is “literature” and given the reverence and awe that “literature” deems its due.  But the story started out as merely a cracking good tale filled with adventure, loss and love, told by storytellers to captivated audiences. It was the Lost or Downton Abbey or Doctor Who of its time.   It didn’t become “literature” until much later.  

I guess the lesson to be learned from that tiny slip of papyrus is that the medium is irrelevant.  A good story is a good story whether it is delivered to us via paper, film or the internet.  It has a power over us that cannot be contained by its delivery system and whose merits are earned by the emotions it generates.

And that is, pretty much, the definition of perfect.

P.S. If you really want a perfect example of the power of story, check out Chicks Dig Comics edited by my fabulous Whedonistas co-editor Lynne M. Thomas and Sigrid Ellis.  These amazing essays by women artists and writers will challenge you to re-examine the powerful story-telling medium of comics. 

Books, Libraries and CNET

I was recently at a fundraising event and the topic of eBooks came up.  As it is does when the fundraising event is for a library.  I found myself in the position of passionately defending eBooks, eReaders and the technology involved.

Not too long afterwards I found myself in another conversation where I found myself passionately defending good old-fashioned paper books.  The kinds with covers and pages and the smell of dust and glue that you just can't emulate.

To parse this out, I love and adore my eReader.  It's loaded with approximately 120 books spanning all genres.  Just in case.  (I live in perpetual fear of being stuck somewhere with nothing to read, don't you?)  I love the ease of acquiring new material, either purchasing from the cloud or borrowing from my library,  And I REALLY enjoy the fact that I can bump up the font size at the end of the day when my eyes are suffering from computer fatigue. When I travel it is one of the first things in my bag.

But...that doesn't mean it will ever replace physical books in my life.  Books are so much more than words, they are an experience bound in pages. They have a feel and a personality that you can't match with simple words on a screen.  Books are visceral, wrapped up in memory, a physical manifestation of Proust's madeleine.  Just catching a glimpse of my neat row of yellow-spine Nancy Drew's recalls lazy summer afternoons underneath the Norwegian Maple in my front yard.  Drips of peach juice stain the pages of Anne Sexton's To Bedlam and Partway Back.  I devoured the book during lunch breaks and was careless in my enthusiasm.  My copy of A Separate Peace  has a dented corner from where I threw it down in a fit of aggravation.

Both mediums have value and I don't plan on giving up either.  I don't understand the concept of "either/or" when "and" is so much more satisfying.  Here's another "and" - both of these mediums are available from your local library. Along with other content and services too numerous to mention.  In fact, your local library is pretty much the King of "and".

Unfortunately "and" is a concept under attack.  Don't believe me?  Read the LISNews report on CNET's Brian Cooley's recent podcast interview.  Who needs libraries when we have the internet, right?  I'll leave you to draw your own opinion of the piece but I think an appropriate lesson would be to lock Mr. Cooley in a room with a group of teachers who have spent the last few years grading Wikipedia-based reports.  They might have a few things to add to the conversation.

Whedonistas vs. The New York Times

It’s been exactly a month since the official launch of Whedonistas and nearly two months since it’s unofficial launch at the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles.  Since the calendar and, shockingly, the weather is crying out for a bit of spring cleaning, I can’t move forward in this space without taking a moment to reflect on both of these amazing events.

Whedonistas Signing at Gallifrey One Convention

Bottom, from left: Jane Espenson, Lynne M. Thomas, Me, Teresa Jusino. Top, from left: Nancy Holder, Jenn Reese, Kay Shuttleworth, Kelly Hale, Racheline Maltese

First, a huge, huge, thank you to all of the amazing women who were able to panel and signing in Los Angeles.  The panel was well attended, well received and just plain fun.  But how could it be anything else with this line-up?  The only thing that would have made it better was having ALL of our awesome contributors in attendance.

Second, thank you to Shaun Lyon and his fabulous staff of volunteers.  Not only for giving us the forum to launch Whedonistas, but for creating a truly memorable convention.  I can’t honestly recall when I’ve had more fun, laughed so hard and met more people who would quickly become friends.  

There's so much I could say about the process of this book, of how the lessons I learned from editing and what a valuable experience it was to work with my co-editor Lynne Thomas.  Instead I want to talk about what an honor it was to work with this group of fierce, talented women who not only unabashedly shared their love for these creations, but declared them to be important in so many ways.

This message can't be repeated enough considering we still live in day and age when a reviewer from the New York Times classifies the wildly popular fantasy series The Game of Thrones (adapted for HBO and premiering this Sunday) as "boyfiction" with a bit of titillation thrown in to interest the ladies who couldn't possibly be bothered otherwise.

I know a bunch of women who would beg to differ.

Whedonistas!

 I've been holding off on announcing this because I wanted to be able to list all of our contributors, for lo, they are mighty.  But this is the project that has been eating my brain, consuming my life and generally filling me with glee:

Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them
Edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Deborah Stanish



 This is an amazing essay collection touching on nearly all of the works of Joss Whedon from an astounding array of female viewpoints.  We've gathered an absolutely brilliant group of professional and amatuer writers as well as industry professionals to examine and celebrate the complex and compelling world that Whedon has created in such shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, and Firefly/Serenity.  Whether you are a Whedon fan, a media pop culture fan or simply enjoy reading smart, fun essays, you are going to love this book!

Now, for that awesome contributor list I mentioned - check out this Table of Contents!

Introduction – Lynne M. Thomas and Deborah Stanish

The Girls Next Door: Learning to Live with the Living Dead and Never Even Break a Nail:   Seanan McGuire

Ramping Up for a Decade with Joss Whedon:  Nancy Holder

Outlaws & Desperadoes:   Sharon Shinn

An Interview with Jane Espenson

My (Fantasy) Encounter with Joss Whedon (And What I’ve Learned from the Master):  Jeanne C. Stein  

The Ages of Dollhouse: Autobiography through Whedon: Sigrid Ellis

A Couch Potato’s Guide to Demon Slaying: Turning Strangers into Family, Buffy-Style:   Heather Shaw

Smart Is Sexy: An Appreciation of Firefly’s Kaylee:   Laurel Brown

Teething Troubles and Growing Up:  Caroline Symcox

Transgressing with Spike and Buffy:  NancyKay Shapiro

Brand New Day: The Evolution of the Doctor Horrible Fandom:  Priscilla Spenser

“We’re Here to Save You”:  Elizabeth Bear

Imperfectly Perfect: Why I Really Love Buffy For Being a Pill Sometimes:  Mariah Huehner

My European Vacation:  Kelly Hale

Romancing the Vampire and Other Shiny Bits:  Lyda Morehouse/Tate Hallaway
 
An Interview with Juliet Landau

I Am Joss Whedon’s Bitch:  Maria Lima

Going Dark:  Jackie Kessler

Joss Giveth:  Jaala Robinson

The Kindness of Monsters:  Sarah Monette

Shelve Under Television, Young Adult:  Jody Wurl

The Browncoat Connection:  Dae Low

Late to the Party: What Buffy Never Taught Me about Being a Girl:  Racheline Maltese

How an Atheist and His Demons Created a Shepherd:  Meredith McGrath

Older and Far Away:  Jamie Craig

Why Joss Is More Important Than His ‘Verse:  Teresa Jusino

Let’s Go to Work:  Catherynne M. Valente

Something to Sing About:  Jenn Reese

Malcolm Reynolds, the Myth of the West, and Me:  Emma Bull

This is our crew - the smartest and fiercest professional and amateur writers in the 'verse. Can you blame me for running around in circles with a huge grin on my face?  Not to mention that working with the fabulous Lynne M. Thomas has been an absolute joy and one of my favorite aspects of the project.  Expect more blathering about this - how could I not?  Did you *see* this contributor list?!!


Whedonistas is scheduled for release on March 15, 2011 by Mad Norwegian Press and can be pre-ordered at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.