100 Best SF Movies

A little while back Time Out London (a very cool mag that I remember from my first days in the UK way back when) asked me to contribute a top ten list of sci-fi movie favs. They collected a bunch from other authors and various peeps and came up with a list of The 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies.

Take a look, and feel free to disagree...

Danny MacAskill

I know this is random, but... Wow. This is too cool. A very unique way to travel from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye. Some of this stuff... how is it possible?

Write Angles (Belated)

Offering another post written months ago but not published!

Here's a first. I was recently asked to be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Write Angles Conference.

What is Write Angles? Here's what they say:

Now in its 29th year, WriteAngles is Western New England’s premier conference by writers, for writers. At this one-day gathering, you’ll mix with experienced writers and agents in panel discussions, hands-on workshops, face-to-face meetings, and in casual networking opportunities. The affordably priced conference fee includes a continental breakfast and a bountiful buffet lunch. The conference is held in Mount Holyoke College’s gracious Willits-Hallowell Center in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Past Keynoters have included Valerie Martin, Richard Russo, Julia Glass, Dennis Lehane, Patricia Smith, Andre Dubus, and Ann Hood - just to name a few. Now me? Yikes.

I was actually a panelist at this a few years back. Fun event. But this is the first time anybody has called me a "keynote" anything. Apparently I'm up at the podium for 45 minutes. Good thing I have until October to come up with something to say!

Wait. October isn't that far away...

From Russia with (Belated) Love

My first installment of a post that I wrote but never published. This refers, by the way, to the winter Stonecoast residency, not the summer one that just happened. So, that makes this about six months old...

Look what I just got my hands on for the first time, some seven years or so after publication...

Recognize the author? Neither do I. But... it's me! It's the Russian edition of Pride of Carthage. The publisher never sent me an author copy (scoundrels!). Several kind people have tried to find it over the years, all to no avail. I'd resolved myself to never seeing the thing in person.

And then enter Amy Bai, a new student at the beloved Stonecoast MFA Program...

I had the pleasure of reading her application, and I got to correspond with her as I tried (gracefully, you know) to win her over to Stonecoast. In the course of our exchange I learned her husband, Art. (aka Artëm Evgenyevitch Bai), was Russian. I told her my story of woe. She was on it. Or, more exactly, her world traveling husband was on it. Did he find it in Russia? He tried, but no. But he did find it, apparently, at a used bookstore in Israel!

Amy delivered it to me on the first day of the residency. Awesome. I was totally surprised. Thank you Amy and Art. You can check out Amy's website HERE.

Now... I'm still missing that Romanian edition... Anybody?

Belated. Like, Really....

Oh my. It's been ages since I posted here. What's up with that? I dunno. Facebook steels some of my thunder, I guess. Anyway, I opened up the hold Blogger thinking I'd do a little post only to discover that when I'd left off blogging here I had several drafts of posts pretty much ready to go. They've languished!

Silly me. Let me make amends, though.

Before I post anything new, I'll post a few things old. Stay tuned...