Small Press Magazines, speculative poetry

I've had a good time this past week catching up on some of the recent issues of several small press speculative poetry magazines that I've let pile up recently. Besides the most recent issue of Illumen that I enjoyed reading tonight, I've also caught up on some recent issues of Scifaikuest, Aoife's Kiss, Star*Line, and have Not One of Us stowed away in my bag to read next.

It's been a good week, and over the next week, I hope to make a little more progress on the pile of magazines I've let build over the past few months.

 Subscribe in a reader

Lighting Your Home

Home lighting is one of the most important decisions when renovating the house. A few years ago, when I did my place, I thought long and hard about the lighting I wanted. I settled on ceiling fans throughout the house, and have been very happy with the choice. We never have to turn on the air-conditioning, which results in huge savings on the electricity bill each month.

At Lighting the Web, you can find great deals on Hunter ceiling fans, as well as lots of other home lighting products. Now is the perfect time to have a look at Lighting the Web to address all of your home lighting needs.

 Subscribe in a reader

Another Star Wars note

Have you heard the news?

Darth Vader just might be suffering from psychosis


At least, so say the French psychologists....

 Subscribe in a reader

Funny Video

I came across a funny Star Wars Rap on YouTube.

Enjoy!!


 Subscribe in a reader

Iron Man 2 in China

I haven't gotten to see the film yet, but found this post interesting...

Censorship of Iron Man 2 in China

 Subscribe in a reader

Robotics in India

 Subscribe in a reader

Favorite Science Fiction Films

I just came across a hub by bloggerdollar in which he gives his 10 favorite sci-fi films. I don't have mine listed quite so neatly, but really enjoyed reading his list. I thought readers here might also enjoy having a look at 10 Science Fiction Movies Every Sci-Fi Fan Should Watch.

 Subscribe in a reader

Mystery Science Theater

I've lived in Asia so long that I don't miss much from my younger days in the States anymore. But sometimes I stumble across something like this that reminds me that there are things that I do miss....




Lyrics | - Mystery Science Theater 3000 lyrics

 Subscribe in a reader

A Modern Retelling

A few weeks ago, a friend loaned me a copy of Beauty, Robin McKinley's modern retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast. It took me a while to get to it (I was in the middle of Le Morte D'Arthur at the time), but I started earlier this week, and finished it today.

The story of Beauty and the Beast isn't a particular favorite with me, but I really enjoyed McKinley's version. I liked the twist on Beauty's character. She was likable, and that made her story move along nicely. The Beast was sympathetic from the beginning, and that made the story kind of fun too.

I enjoyed several things about the book, but probably what I liked best was that it was more about Beauty's transformation as much as it was about the Beast's, and I thought that added an important dimension to the tale.



 Subscribe in a reader

Princess of Mars, the movie

I borrowed Princess of Mars, along with a pile of other DVDs, from a friend over the weekend. I hadn't heard anything about the movie, but like the Burroughs book, so thought it would be fun to watch.


Man, was I ever wrong.

This is not a fun movie. The adaptation is bad, and the acting is pretty atrocious. The sets are not good, and everything about it just pretty much screams "bad."

I am usually a big fan of seeing how a text from an earlier period can be adapted to suit our modern sensibilities. This is especially true for sci-fi flicks, as the science can be dated pretty quickly. That was, of course, the case with this story. That was the one thing that was perhaps done reasonably well, in that the explanation for why we find life on Mars like that depicted in the film was reasonable enough (well, relatively speaking). But the handling of it took the mythopoeic vision completely out of the story, and left us with... well, nothing, really.

It's sad, because I have a pretty high tolerance level for attempts at re-imagining a text into a context more suitable for modern audiences. But this one just doesn't cut it, and was not an enjoyable film on any level, for me.

 Subscribe in a reader

Star Trek

I finally watched the newest Star Trek movie over the weekend. I know, I know... it isn't very new, is it? I heard from a number of friends that it was really good, but somehow wasn't very motivated to watch it a the time. I am glad, though, that someone loaned me the DVD this past weekend and I finally caught this one.

The movie was actually much better than I expected. I liked the games the film played with time, with our cultural memories of the whole Star Trek tradition — the whole works. I don't think this one is as good as some of the earliest Star Trek movies, but it was still lots of fun. Really, I shouldn't have waited this long to see it.

 Subscribe in a reader

The Door

I recently stumbled across an old short story by E. B. White, entitled "The Door," in an anthology I was reading. I was impressed by the piece for its clever use of language, and the complexity of the ideas addressed in a very short space.

The story is basically a set of musings on a lab rat, entertained by an individual who finds himself frightfully similar to said rat. It is really masterfully handled, and touches on a myriad of interconnected ideas in a very short space. What an amazing piece of writing.

You can read the full text here. It will only take a few minutes, and I think you'll find it very worth your time.


 Subscribe in a reader

Marco Polo Sings a Solo

I recently finished reading John Guare's 1973 play Marco Polo Sings a Solo, and really loved it! It is set in 1999, a future imagined from the 1973 context. It is a very funny, heavily ironic piece.

Guare sets up a nice set of expectations in the play, and really delivers on them. I like the premise that he explores — the idea that there is such an overwhelming desire to explore the self that we forget to let the world "out there" shape us, as we fail to engage with it. I was amazed by the way the play worked with this problem, bringing up such outlandish, crazy scenarios to explore it all.

The future imagined in the text is now, of course, a decade in the past. And the real world 1999 wasn't anything like the 1999 of the play.... at least, not on the surface of it.


 Subscribe in a reader

Music for the Cyborg

Remember how scared we were of robots back in the 1980s?



Lyrics | Dennis DeYoung - Mr. Roboto lyrics

At least things have changed... we aren't as scared of the Japanese as we used to be.

(even though robotophobia is still around)


 Subscribe in a reader

Movies so Bad They're Good

I was just listening to a podcast (look up resources@uen.org) about camp movies — things so outlandishly bad that they somehow work. The standard example is, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The ridiculous nature of these films makes them able to be so removed from our experience of life (via the fictional world of good film?) that they garner a following, somehow managing to speak to wide segment of the population.

A lot of these campy shows fall in the sci-fi genre. I think that there is something to the genre that makes unbelievability acceptable. The nature of sci-fi is that it is not true to our contemporary living. Instead, it explores the idea of "it's not this way, but what if it was?"

The removal from our daily experience of life distances us from the situation of the story. When this setting is used to explore issues that are, perhaps, too close for comfort, we somehow manage to accept the exploration, whereas we might resist the same exploration in a more "realistic" setting.





 Subscribe in a reader

Robotics in Shanghai

I recently stumbled across the Robotics Society of Shanghai. Meetings of the group are pretty irregular, apparently, but it looks like it could be lots of fun!

My oldest godson signed up for robotics as his extracurricular activity at school. It looks like fun! I have several friends in the field, and it is so interesting to hear about the things they are working on. One of my favorites was the study of robots performing dramatic texts onstage. Can you imagine....?



(Actually, I guess if you've, say, seen Abraham Lincoln deliver speeches at Disneyland, you don't have to imagine.)



 Subscribe in a reader

a funny thing happened

My friend sent me this link to a showing of King Lear in Shanghai. I know, I know... this site is where I talk about science fiction, not Shakespeare, and this isn't exactly Hamletmachine (Heiner Müller, in case you're wondering). But still... scroll down a little. Did you see it?

"Han Lei Solo"

I have been learning Chinese for nearly 20 years, but my childhood baptized in Star Wars still has me reading that "Han & Leia Solo." I have to look twice to remember that Han Lei is a Chinese name.

---

Read more about Hamlet-Machine and Other Texts for the Stage



 Subscribe in a reader

Christina Sng

It was great to get to meet speculative poet Christina Sng a week or so ago. I've not met another speculative poet in person before, and really enjoyed getting to know Christina.

Sng also gave me a copy of her book, The Darkside of Eden. I read it and was very impressed. This is the second of Sng's book I've read, the other being Angelflesh, which was also a great read.

The field of speculative poetry is an exciting, growing one, and I am thrilled to meet Singapore's pioneer poet in the field last weekend.



 Subscribe in a reader

Yoshimi going to battle

Lyrics | Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots lyrics


Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

 Subscribe in a reader

Launch of Cyborg Chimera in Singapore

My book Cyborg Chimera will soon be available in bookstores in Singapore. To launch the sell of my poetry collection here, we'll be hosting a book launch here over the last weekend in February. I'll post some pictures when it's done. For now, I'm looking forward to the event, especially because my family from the US will be here to celebrate with me!

 Subscribe in a reader

Looks Promising: Plasma Rocket

This looks promising....



 Subscribe in a reader

Tron Legacy coming soon...

I can hardly wait for the release of Tron Legacy. Just look at these billboards. It's going to be so fun!

 Subscribe in a reader

Good News

I got some exciting news yesterday about my poem "Manipulation," which was first published in the May 2009 online edition of Scifaikuest. The poem, a haibun, was nominated for a 2010 Rhysling Award in the long poem category.


The Rhysling is awarded by the Science Fiction Poetry Association each year for best poem published in the previous year, as voted by members of the association. There are two categories for the poetry award, short (under 50 lines) and long (over 50 lines). It is the biggest award for speculative poetry.

You can read the full text of "Manipulation" at the readers' page set up by Malcolm Deeley, where he is kindly showcasing some of the poems eligible for nomination for this year's award. (You'll have to scroll down to find it.)

This is my first Rhysling nomination, and I'm very excited about it.

---

Check out the The 2009 Rhysling Anthology at Amazon



 Subscribe in a reader

Interview with John J. Dunphy

Interview with speculative poet John J. Dunphy



 Subscribe in a reader

Poetry Coach Online

I've recently begun offering a new coaching service for writers and poets.

You can have a look at my website to see how it works and what services are offered. I hope to add a series of online poetry courses in the next few weeks as well.

And now I'll let this particular blog go back to its normal work of discussing science factoids and science fiction.....

 Subscribe in a reader

Kinetic Wind-Powered Robot

I saw a little clip on the news recently about some wind-powered kinetic robots put together by a Dutch designer. I came across some more designed by Dutch artist Theo Jansen when browsing this blog. Really beautiful work! The video clips I saw on the news were amazing.



 Subscribe in a reader

The Attack of the Two-Headed Poetry Monster

I recently finished reading Attack of the Two-Headed Poetry Monster. It's a pretty funny collection, with lots of spoofs, warped humor, and all the things that can make reading poetry fun.

It's the first collaboration between Mark McLaughlin and Michael McCarty I've read, but I really enjoyed it, and would happily delve into anything else they put together.



 Subscribe in a reader

Seeing Double?

If you think a robot girlfriend is weird, what about someone who puts the real object of his affections into robot form — himself! The robot doppleganger is now available for retail in Japan.

What would you do if you had a robot who looked just like you? Do you think you'd try to be in two places at once? Would it be better or worse than a clone?

I can't imagine how I'd manage my day if I had a doppleganger. I have enough trouble keeping track of everything now.



 Subscribe in a reader

What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?

I knew the day would eventually come, but it's still kind of funny to see it arrive. RoXXXy is now on the scene, offering a very specific service for lonely men. Yes, you guessed it — she's a sex machine. Literally.

Roxxxy was recently unveiled, um... I mean, introduced at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. She's 1.52 cm, and weighs 54 kg. And more importantly, has a full C-cup. She is programmed with artificial intelligence, and covered with flesh-like synthetic skin. And participants at the expo in Las Vegas were completely enamored.

Roxxxy is just one of the names of the robot, which is more accurately branded TrueCompanion. She comes equipped with 5 different personalities. Douglas Hines is her inventor.


 Subscribe in a reader

Voices

A friend loaned me Urusula Le Guin's Voices recently. I picked it up over the weekend and finished it in just a couple of days. As soon as I'd read the first chapter, I knew I was going to read it straight through in a relatively short time, and that feeling of being firmly in the grip of a good story didn't let up. It's been a while since I last read a Le Guin novel (at least 3-4 years), and I'd almost forgotten how good she can be.

Voices is a book about healing, and about being broken. It is both profound and moving. If ever there has been a tale to make me believe the pen is mightier than the sword, this is it. Never have I seen diplomacy presented in such active terms, making the tale seem action-packed, even though there is surprisingly little fighting in it. The violence we see is not romanticized into some heroic act, but presented in the stark realities of the suffering inflicted by violent acts — suffering that can damage generation after generation, if allowed.

Here are a couple of things to whet the appetite, quoting from the book:

"I'm sorry, now, for that girl of fifteen who wasn't as brave as the child of six, although she longed as much as ever for courage, strength, power against what she feared. Fear breeds silence, and then the silence breeds fear, and I let it rule me. Even there, in that room, the only place in the world where I knew who I was, I wouldn't let myself guess who I might become." (page 32)

"I get along with animals and they get along with me. The gift is called calling, but it's more like hearing, actually." (page 73)

"'Heathen,' they called us. A word we learned from them. If it meant anything, it meant people who don't know what's sacred. Are there any such people? 'Heathen' is merely a word for somebody who knows a different sacredness than you know." (page 126)

"We've sung your poem 'Liberty' for ten years now here in Ansul, in hiding, behind doors. How did that song get here, who brought it? From voice to voice, from soul to soul, from land to land. When we sing it aloud at last, in the face of the enemy, do you think you'll be silent?" (page 169)

"Love of country, or honor, or freedom, then, may be names that give that pleasure to justify it to the gods and to the people who suffer and kill and die in the game. So those words — love, honor, freedom — are degraded from their true sense. The people may come to hold them in contempt as meaningless, and poets must struggle to give them back their truth." (page 296)


There's plenty more like that — moving passages couched in the middle of a good story. I'll just quote these few parts, though, and hopefully that will be enough to let the book jump out and begin to work its magic on you too.

After all, what could I say about the book that would better recommend it than that it overflows with lines like these?

 Subscribe in a reader

House of Many Ways

I managed to pick up a copy of the Diana Wynne Jones novel, House of Many Ways when I was in Shanghai recently. I had been keeping an eye out for the book, but certainly hadn't expected to find it in Shanghai. Anyway, I am happy I did spot it there, and really enjoyed reading it. Not surprising, as Diana Wynne Jones is always one of my favorites.

The book features Howl and Sophie, but they are not the main characters. Instead, Charmain and the little dog who adopts her, Waif, are the main stars of the show. It is a nice way to continue to feature Howl and Sophie, the pair in Howl's Moving Castle, as they make a very fun couple to follow. And Calcifer is, of course, as charming as ever.

It is always hard to beat a Diana Wynne Jones fantasy tale. She knows how to weave stories in such a way as to make the reader want to know what is going to happen next. She is incredibly creative, making use of all sorts of strange and funny magic to get the tale moving along. Her use of space and time is, as always, entertaining in House of Many Ways.

Charmain is like most of the characters you expect to find in a Diana Wynne Jones book — whether it be a part of the Chrestomanci series, the Dalemark series, the Spellcoats series, the Howl books, or any of the many stand-alone volumes she's written. Charmain, like the rest, is simultaneously lovable and infuriating. Her faults aren't hidden from us, but are rather made an object for amusement and bemusement all at the same time. You wonder, while reading, how someone could continue to be so bad-tempered... and yet, you can't help but smile, perhaps recognizing it as a very typical, very human mode of behavior. (Maybe even something you might have seen in yourself from time to time.)

For me, it is this combination of innovative magic, good humor, lovable/infuriating characters, and good plots that makes every Diana Wynne Jones story so much fun. And House of Many Ways doesn't disappoint.

 Subscribe in a reader

If Star Wars had Facebook...

I came across a really funny post here.

Hope you get a laugh out of it.



 Subscribe in a reader

Fun Viewing

It was fun yesterday, on the second day of the new year, to see the 1984 film 2010 showing on TV. I enjoyed watching it again, just like I did 26 years ago. (Wait... 26 years??? Ouch!)




And right after watching 2010, the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was aired. It's been some time since I last saw that old classic as well, and so I really enjoyed catching up with both films yesterday.



The old movies are obviously a little dated when you look at some of the technologies pictured in them, but it doesn't matter much. They are still good movies. The ideas in the series, both about space exploration and the interaction between humans and the technology they create, are really fun to consider. The Bowman-HAL connection is a little creepy still — in fact, it might be even more so today, when such things seem to really capture the imagination of serious women and men of science.


I'm glad both films were shown — especially together — and getting to see them right in the middle of the era they depicted and predicted. It's interesting to think about the different directions our technology and space exploration has taken us since the making of the movies (and the writing of the books on which they are based), and also the ways in which the stories still hold certain ideas that are, even today, worth exploring further.


I read 3001 several months ago, and also read a book entitled Flesh and Machines, which makes mention of HAL and his (its?) interaction with humanity. Seeing these films again after having recently enjoyed both of those books was extra fun. I'm glad I caught them on TV and got to experience them all over again.






 Subscribe in a reader

Happy New Year

Have a safe and happy new year, and a wonderful 2010!

 Subscribe in a reader

A Look Back

A quick look back at 2009 shows me it has been a good year for my writing. My first book was released, along with a line of collectible art pieces built on 30 of my haiku.

The book is science fiction poetry, while the art pieces are not. (An online gallery of the art pieces is available at Sloth Jockey.)

You can have a look here if you are interested in seeing a list of all of my published work. There are links to those that are available online.


 Subscribe in a reader

Merry Christmas!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family!

 Subscribe in a reader

Avatar

I saw Avatar last night, and really enjoyed it. It might be the best new film I saw this year.

The technologies of the future presented in the film were lots of fun. I liked the ideas explored, and loved the new world created on Pandora. The use of all the old tropes was good, especially mixed in with the idea of a true global network. That concept reminded me of a lot of sci-fi books I've read (including Asimov's later installments to the Foundation series), but the whole biological explanation of it was very nicely done in the film. I liked how it was presented on the screen too, with the various creatures able to connect (literally) to the world around them in a special way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and might even see it one more time while it is still on the big screen. Fun stuff!


 Subscribe in a reader

Edwin Morgan, my introduction to speculative poetry

It's no secret that speculative poetry (including sci-fi, fantasy, horror, the surreal, slipstream, etc.) is very much my thing. But long before I knew that genre poetry had such a big market these days, with loads of new reading material being published within the genre all the time, I first stumbled across it in the work of Scottish poet Edwin Morgan. Morgan quickly became one of my favorite poets, as I devoured everything I could get my hands on.

I moved from there to other "mainstream" poets who had done a good deal of exploring of sci-fi themes in their work. It was only years later that I found places like Sam's Dot Publishing, Dreams & Nightmares, and the Science Fiction Poetry Association — all of which directed me on to more and more magazines, small publishers, and so forth that are producing quality work in the field of genre poetry all the time.

And it felt like finding home.

 Subscribe in a reader

Cyborg Chimera — it's here

I've received my copies of Cyborg Chimera at last. (That's the down side of living in a different country than your publisher — many readers may receive your book before it can make it over the sea to you!) I'm handing out copies to friends and loved ones, and hoping it has a warm reception with them.

If you purchase your copy from The Genre Mall now, it should arrive just in time for Christmas.

Enjoy!

 Subscribe in a reader

Online Again

My blog poetically challenged has been offline for a while due to some difficulties I had accessing the site for a while. I think the issues are now resolved, and I will be updating it regularly again.

The blog focuses on publication opportunities for poets. I hope you'll find something useful there.

 Subscribe in a reader

Aliens Among Us

The theory that there are aliens among us has recently gained a little more credibility. Well, at least it has gained a proponent who is more credible than the cranks often associated with such theories.

Bulgarian astrophysicist Latchezar Filipov believes that there are aliens living on our planet, though they are (somehow) invisible to us. That doesn't mean we can't see their effects, though, he claims. Crop circles are one way they communicate with us. And what they are saying is that they aren't happy with us, particularly for the issue of global warming.

It's interesting when theories like this begin to be more accepted by mainstream thinkers. If it becomes accepted as fact, I guess science fiction writers will have one less "what if" to treat. Though, I am sure that means it will open up plenty more options to take its place.



 Subscribe in a reader

Time Travel: The Most Ridiculous Theory In Science

I came across an interesting hub at HubPages the other day, Jon E. Royeca's Time Travel: The Most Ridiculous Theory In Science. In it, Royeca outlines the main ideas proposed by those who say that time travel is bound to happen sooner or later, and tells why he is sure that this is just not possible.

A fun read for anyone interested in science fiction, so I thought I'd put a link up here.

dark 'til dawn, video catalog

Just in case you haven't seen it yet (I've been posting it everywhere)....
the dark 'til dawn video catalog





 Subscribe in a reader

2012

I just got back from watching 2012. It isn't the greatest movie I've ever seen — not even the best end-of-the-world story — but it was still pretty fun. Woody Harrelson was a riot, and, well, I always like John Cusack.

There were several touching moments in the movie, and a few spots that would make you think. I liked the weaving in of the Noah story, and how that old tale came back to life. There were a lot of completely unbelievable plot devices, but hey... it was still a fun night at the movies.

Overall, I would say the film doesn't offer a lot of depth, but it is entertaining. And the special effects are pretty cool too.


 Subscribe in a reader

Cyborg Chimera

Cyborg Chimera, my first poetry collection, is out now. I've written a little HubPage on it, for those who are interested. It is a work of speculative poetry.

If you'd like to order a copy, you can find it at The Genre Mall.


 Subscribe to this blog in the RSS reader of your choice

Book Review Website Aimed at Christian Ficiton

I have started to build a new website with Christian fiction book reviews. The site has reviews of all sorts of titles, whether they be books marketed specifically as Christian fiction, or books that seem like things Christian readers might be interested in. I want to eventually have all kinds of books, old or new, and really aim to feature a breadth of titles, authors, and genres.

I am listing titles by author, title, and genre. I hope over time to feature a lot more science fiction and fantasy that is geared to the Christian market. I'll be posting reviews of my own, but I also hope to get some new reviewers to send thoughts over. I don't mind what your own beliefs are, and would actually like thoughts coming from all different perspectives. But the site is aimed at Christian readers, and reviews should be geared to that market.

At any rate, do feel free to send any reviews my way that you'd like to see posted at the site.

 Subscribe in a reader