tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89038480808402591272024-03-08T05:31:41.078+08:00Bibliophile StalkerThe World Fantasy Award-nominated speculative fiction blog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3558125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-7774558289067172392014-10-17T06:46:00.000+08:002014-10-17T06:55:54.974+08:00Ethical Approches #Gamergate Could Take But Doesn'tThe movement #Gamergate is problematic on several levels. One, it's based on <a href="http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/2014/10/gamergate-has-everything-to-do-with.html">misogyny and rooted in Privilege</a>. Two, <a href="http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/2014/10/understanding-gamergate-and-why-its.html">some of its points don't hold water</a>. But there are people with good intentions involved in the movement, and this blog post is addressed to them.<br />
<br />
If you want to actually address journalistic ethics in the video game industry and do not condone the harassment of women, here are some solutions that #Gamergate could take, not just to win public approval, but because it's right.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Do Not Read the Publications You Don't Like</b><br />
<br />
If this was really about journalistic integrity, you, as a consumer, have every right to boycott a product. In this case, it's the magazines. You can even write to their sponsors, like what happened between <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/10/03/intel-pulls-ads-from-gamasutra-then-apologizes-for-it/">Intel and Gamasutra</a>.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
End of story. That's all you need to do. No need to harass people, no need to Doxx women, no need to write scathing letters to people not involved with the magazines you don't like.<b></b><br />
<br />
Don't make it about Zoe Quinn, because she's not a journalist. Don't make it about Anita Sarkeesian, because she's not a journalist. Don't make it about Brianna Wu, because she's not a journalist. If you want to be taken seriously about journalism ethics, talk about journalism ethics.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, we'll call bullshit on you.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Start Your Own Publication</b><br />
<br />
No one is censoring you. If you have ideas or messages or propaganda other publications don't want to cover, create your own.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
That's what <a href="http://www.goodgamers.us/">GoodGamers.Us</a> did.<br />
<br />
Do I find their rhetoric problematic? Yes. They claim to be Ad-free but make an exception for Google AdSense (what happens when Google makes games?). They don't pay their contributors.<br />
<br />
But that's within their right, and currently, the most reasonable response from #Gamergate I've seen.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Codify Your Stance</b><br />
<br />
List down what you stand for, in concrete terms. "Corruption in Games Journalism" might be a competent tagline, but it's useless unless you cite specific points or examples. In what way is there corruption in games journalism? For example:<br />
<ul>
<li>Game reviewers should not review games they paid via Kickstarter.</li>
</ul>
That's a concrete stance on the issue. Critics from both sides can discuss this issue. I can say, for example, that it is not a Conflict of Interest to review a game you paid for, regardless of whether it was bought via Steam, Kickstarter, or at a store. But via this way, concrete points can be discussed and debated, and people can either agree or disagree on the specifics.<br />
<br />
Part of the reason #Gamergate is demonized is because it has an abstract cause, and people can only judge the results, which is the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/technology/gamergate-women-video-game-threats-anita-sarkeesian.html">harassment and doxxing of various women in the industry</a>.<br />
<br />
Codify your position, and then we can gauge you on how close or far off the reality is from that goal or intent.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Accountability in Membership or Leadership</b><br />
<br />
Currently, #Gamergate has no accountability. What they have is a membership of convenience: if someone claims they are pro-#Gamergate, they are part of the membership; if someone claims they are pro-#Gamergate and do something that tarnishes the image of the movement, they are disavowed by some members. This is a membership of convenience, in which no member of the movement can do anything wrong, or when they do, they are immediately expelled, depending on who you are talking to.<br />
<br />
What they need is one of two things. One is a census (and I don't mean real names). They have a list of their members. So whenever someone outside of that list does something horrible in the name of #Gamergate, it is transparent that they are not really part of #Gamergate. But if you do not have such a list, you cannot claim that 99% of your movement are good people and only 1% is bad, because you don't have the numbers to back that up. Similarly, you can't say that person is not part of your movement despite them claiming to be part of it, because you have no concrete membership criteria; you have to take the good with the bad.<br />
<br />
In Ferguson for example, it's clear who the citizens of Ferguson are, and who aren't. And when someone in Ferguson causes or is subject to conflict, there is accountability in that community; they don't say he or she is not part of Ferguson. That person is their responsibility and they act accordingly.<br />
<br />
But because outing is a real threat, a census is not necessarily a practical solution in this case. Instead, a figurehead or leader should represent #Gamergate, someone who can speak for them, and someone who can't be disavowed in case they say or do something wrong. Even groups like Al Qaeda have leaders and spokepersons, to either claim credit or disavow the actions of other people claiming to be part of their membership. But without a leader, claiming that someone is not part of #Gamergate is as valid as a harasser claiming to be part of #Gamergate.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Multiple specific threats made stating intent to kill me & feminists at USU. For the record one threat did claim affiliation with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gamergate?src=hash">#gamergate</a><br />
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) <a href="https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/522218152071925760">October 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopGamerGate2014?src=hash">#StopGamerGate2014</a> because the guy who made that “Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian” game is a proud vocal member of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GamerGate?src=hash">#GamerGate</a><br />
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) <a href="https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/522852125835923457">October 16, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
This is perfectly valid. This is why #Gamergate is a movement associated with harassment and threats.<br />
<br />
Claiming that "they're not part of #Gamergate" is hollow because the organization has no sense of accountability. In fact, this only creates an atmosphere ripe for harassment, because the harassers are part of a mob, as opposed to individuals, and can thus conduct more harassment because the blame will be shouldered by the community as opposed to the individual.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Change the Hashtag</b><br />
<br />
#Gamergate has a lot of baggage that goes with it, including harassment and misogyny.<b> </b>If you really wanted to discuss journalism ethics and make it a safe space, start a new hashtag.<br />
<br />
Would it ensure the harassers won't go with you to the new hashtag? No. But they will definitely stay with #Gamergate.<br />
<br />
But I can understand why people don't want to change the hashtag. They attach pride and identity to the hashtag. Or perhaps they think others won't follow them to the new hashtag.<br />
<br />
But what are you more concerned about? Actual ethics and the protection of men and women in the Internet, or the numbers a hashtag has garnered so far?<br />
<br />
<b>6. The Privilege of Walking Away</b><br />
<br />
If you walk away now, nothing will happen. Companies making AAA games will continue to make AAA games. You will still be able to play games. That's Privilege.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
You know who can't walk away? The people being harassed, especially the public figures in the limelight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-84280781887903597582014-10-16T06:36:00.001+08:002014-10-16T06:36:53.530+08:00#Gamergate Has Everything To Do With GenderThere's a lot of sexism in the industry, whether we're talking about fandom, gaming, etc.<br />
<br />
What a lot of people don't realize is how sexism is systemic and often unconscious. Just take a look at #Gamergate and its proponents immediately shout that they're against "corruption in games journalism" (which is about as concrete as the "War on Terror") when their entire movement has revolved around perpetuating sexism and harassing women and allies.<br />
<br />
A lot of people, understandably so, are tired of having the 101 talk. That's because doing so is exhausting, and they're not here to teach you: they expect people to be intelligent and do their own research.<br />
<br />
But proponents of #Gamergate claim that they're not misogynists, when that's precisely the case. Let me break it down for you.<br />
<br />
<b>I. The Initial Focus was on Zoe Quinn</b><br />
<br />
Here is <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/gamergate">GamerGate's Know Your Meme page</a>.<b> </b>You don't get more pro-#GamerGate than that. It starts out with Zoe Quinn, a female developer. Now here are the accusations:<br />
<br />
1. She slept with journalist Nathan Grayson to gain favorable reviews for her game <i>Depression Quest</i>. Let's unpack that assumption.<br />
<ul>
<li>First, this is what Joanna Russ (author of <i>How to Suppress Women's Writing</i>) describes as "The Double Standard of Content". To quote from Russ's book: <i>"Motives for the dismissal differ: habit, laziness, reliance on history or criticism that is already corrupt, ignorance (the most excusable of all, surely), the desire not to disturb the comfort based on that ignorance (much less excusable), the dim (or not-so-dim) perception that one's self-esteem or sex-based interests are at stake, the desire to stay within an all-male, all-white club that is, whatever its drawbacks, familiar and comfortable, and sometimes the clear perception that letting outsiders into the club, economically or otherwise, will distrub the structure of quid pro quo that keeps the club going."</i> Many of this will apply to <i>Depression Quest</i>, but let me put it in Lay Man's terms: Zoe Quinn, a female developer, made a game, and because female developers could not possibly make a good game, she slept with a man to get a good review. That is what #Gamergate is stating, whether implicitly or explicitly.</li>
<li>Second, such a <a href="http://kotaku.com/in-recent-days-ive-been-asked-several-times-about-a-pos-1624707346">review did not exist</a>. But it is easier for a lot of gamers to believe it so.</li>
<li>Hypothetically speaking, let's assume that Quinn did, in fact, bribe Grayson to gain a favorable review. Gamers should have focused on Grayson, not Quinn. (They would only do so significantly later, nor did this lessen the harassment on Quinn.) If the Koch brothers bribes George W. Bush to gain a favor from the government, the burden is on Bush, not the Koch brothers. But the focus on Quinn (as the subsequent points show) betrays that this is really about women in the field instead of actual ethics in journalism.</li>
</ul>
<br />
2. That journalists were contributing to Quinn's Patreon account.<br />
<ul>
<li>This is what Russ would consider a "Prohibition", which prevents women from committing art. To quote: <i>"For example, poverty and lack of leisure are powerful deterrents to art: most nineteenth century British factory workers, enduring a fourteen-hour day, were unlikely to spend a lifetime in rigorously perfecting the sonnet." </i>Simply put, these gamers do not want Quinn to earn a living, so she can create more games.</li>
<li>Second, Patreon is not GoFundMe. In order to get be supported at Patreon, you need to deliver a product. In that sense, it is irrelevant if journalists are contributing to a developer's Patreon account or not; they are consumers, and free to critique or review those products.</li>
</ul>
3. Kotaku writer Patricia Hernandez had relationships with other game developers so she must be biased.<br />
<ul>
<li>In many ways, this is a double standard. Men in other industries have friendships and relationships with people they write about or whose works they review. It's like claiming that the late film critic Roger Ebert never should have met or befriended the people he wrote about. Moreover, the focus on Hernandez (as opposed to every other male game journalist and their web of friendships and social contacts), betrays this conscious--or unconscious--sexism.</li>
</ul>
4. Robin Arnot, the chair for Night Games at Indiecade, had an affair with Quinn, which was how she received her award.<br />
<ul>
<li>See #1.</li>
<li>That accusation also dismisses the integrity and decision of the rest of the jury.</li>
</ul>
<b>II. Denial and Victim Blaming When it Comes to Harassment</b><br />
<br />
During #Gamergate, several people were harassed, including the following:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/zoe-quinn-slut-shaming-the-feminist-conspiracy-and-depression-quest">Zoe Quinn</a><b> </b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/27/6075179/anita-sarkeesian-says-she-was-driven-out-of-house-by-threats">Anita Sarkeesian</a><b> </b></li>
<li><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/22/hackers-post-fez-developer-phil-fishs-personal-information-and-take-control-of-his-studios-website/">Phil Fish</a><b> </b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.themarysue.com/gamergate-harms-women/">Jenn Frank</a><b> </b> </li>
<li><a href="http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/09/05/youll-never-guess-what-misogynistic-gamebros-did-to-these-two-women-in-gaming-hint-drove-them-out/">Mattie Brice</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/24642/article/game-developer-brianna-wu-driven-from-home-after-death-threats-and-doxxing/">Brianna Wu</a></li>
</ul>
1. The initial responses was to either deny the event, that <a href="http://mattforney.com/2014/08/25/zoe-quinn-phil-fish-and-the-great-social-justice-swindle/">they staged it</a>, or that they deserved it. This is what's called <a href="http://www.feminist.com/resources/ourbodies/viol_blame.html">Blaming the Victim</a>.<br />
<br />
2. Notice that one of the people that was harassed was Phil Fish, a male developer. There is a different form of harassment applied to him. Whereas with female developers it is enough to threaten them, show them dick pics, mail death threats, or call their house, because Fish is a male developer, a different method used to scare him: divulging his financial information. The discrepancy in tactics used shows the inequality between men and women in the industry, in the same way that a <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/09/15/3567345/why-was-this-black-man-killed-by-cops-in-utah/">black man carrying a toy sword</a> can get shot in America, while a <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/09/05/gun_nuts_special_privileges_how_police_treated_a_dangerous_open_carry_zealot/">drunk white man goes home safe</a> (or another extreme, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/dick-cheney-shooting_n_4774219.html">a white man can shoot another person in the face and have the injured party apologize</a>).<br />
<br />
3. Some proponents of #Gamergate have claimed that <a href="http://whatculture.com/gaming/10-things-need-know-gamergate-scandal.php/2">they get harassed too</a>. One wrong does not eliminate another wrong, nor is that a valid excuse to dismiss the harassment others have received. (The tragedy is that when publications like Polygon writes articles like harassment in video games, the response by #Gamergate is that such articles are corrupted and biased!)<br />
<br />
<b>III. Using #NotYourShield as a Shield Against Criticism</b><br />
<br />
#NotYourShield is simple: whenever critics of #Gamergate claim that #Gamergate is misogynistic, they use the "But my female friend said" or <a href="http://www.peerreviewedbymyneurons.com/2014/05/12/every-racist-black-friend/">"I have a black friend so I can't be racist"</a> card.<br />
<b> </b><br />
It is also a failure of proponents of #Gamergate how dialogue and Feminism works. First, Feminism represents several things, and there is room for debate. That is why there were arguments between the First Wave Feminists and the Second Wave, the Second Wave and the Third Wave, etc. There will be various interpretations of Feminism and it continues to evolve. For example:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Disappointed to see most major Bayonetta 2 reviews completely ignore or even praise its shameless sexism and flagrant use of the male gaze.<br />
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) <a href="https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/521778746655649792">October 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
Paste Magazine's <a href="http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/10/bayonetta-2-review-the-witch-is-back.html">review of Bayonetta 2</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
It seems like Bayonetta is the beyonce of video game feminism<br />
— XOXO Ghostie Gita (@xoxogossipgita) <a href="https://twitter.com/xoxogossipgita/status/521828399766327298">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>There is nuance to that discussion and will boil down to the articulation of their respective points. (And the difference is that these critics can disagree without threatening each other with harassment or violence.)<br />
<br />
There is this video for example from someone who describes themselves as a Feminist. This doesn't give proponents of #Gamergate a free pass when it comes to accusations of misogyny and sexism though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9MxqSwzFy5w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<b>IV. The Invisibility of Women and Unconscious Bias</b><br />
<br />
First off, you know someone who talks about ethics in games journalism? Maddy Myers. How come you haven't heard of her? Maybe because she's not one of the <a href="http://metroidpolitan.com/blog/2014/6/24/a-gdc-epilogue-powerful-games-journalist-men-i-have-met">Powerful Games Journalists [that are] Men?</a><br />
<br />
Or look at Jenn Frank, whose disclosure that she bought Quinn's work previously and briefly met Sarkeesian was so ridiculous a disclosure that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/01/how-to-attack-a-woman-who-works-in-video-games">The Guardian's editorial did not deem it fit to publish the disclosure originally</a>. Because it's ridiculous (e.g. there is no conflict of interest). But it is only in the #Gamergate community that such standards are enforced.<br />
<br />
A lot of gamers will probably have heard of TotalBiscuit, currently one of the top Steam Curators. Kudos to him for thinking on the ethical conflicts of using his position to recommend a game from a paid sponsor. It's too bad that when it comes to the harassment of women in the industry, his explicit support of #Gamergate is implicitly condoning all the bad things associated with the movement. Those are his priorities.<br />
<br />
That's not to say all of this is conscious. Take a look at Escapist Magazine, which ran two articles on game developers and how they perceived #Gamergate:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Part 1 of that Escapist article was all women. Part 2 was all men. Notice anything about the titles? <a href="http://t.co/63J4mUjAny">pic.twitter.com/63J4mUjAny</a><br />
— Skeleton Infiltrator (@alexlifschitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexlifschitz/status/520646421201321984">October 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> If I have to spell it out to you, Women are described as <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/features/12306-Female-Game-Developers-Make-Statements-on-GamerGate">Female Game Developers</a>. The men, however, are just <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/features/12383-Game-Developer-GamerGate-Interviews-Shed-Light-on-Women-in-Games">Game Developers</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/RobZacny">@RobZacny</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ELahti">@ELahti</a> I removed the problematic introduction. I was a fool for not seeing the implications of the two titles. Apologies.<br />
— Greg Tito (@Gregtito) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gregtito/status/520674232062070784">October 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Later, when it's revealed that one of the male developers interviewed harassed Zoe Quinn, a female game developer, here was their response:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/alexlifschitz">@alexlifschitz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/notryan">@notryan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy">@TheQuinnspiracy</a> I understand your position. The Escapist also signal boosts other viewpoints. Not an excuse, I know<br />
— Greg Tito (@Gregtito) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gregtito/status/520689289365975040">October 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
But when male journalists start complaining...<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/Gregtito">@Gregtito</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/alexlifschitz">@alexlifschitz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/notryan">@notryan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy">@TheQuinnspiracy</a> I want to add to this: Slade has actively participated in my harassment on Twitter.<br />
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/520689380701138944">October 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray">@stillgray</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Gregtito">@Gregtito</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/alexlifschitz">@alexlifschitz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/notryan">@notryan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy">@TheQuinnspiracy</a> He's tried to kickstart dogpiling on me too, to be quite honest.<br />
— Jim Sterling (@JimSterling) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimSterling/status/520689629469896704">October 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> You end up with this message:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Update #2 -> We have removed the testimony of Slade Villena, known as RogueStar. <a href="http://t.co/Y9hqiBjwGB">http://t.co/Y9hqiBjwGB</a><br />
— Greg Tito (@Gregtito) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gregtito/status/520697473711362048">October 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
The Escapist does not support harassment in any way.<br />
— Greg Tito (@Gregtito) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gregtito/status/520698168606867456">October 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<br />
Because in the gaming industry, when a woman claims that they're being harassed, their word isn't good enough. How many proponents of #Gamergate will deny this happened?<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Multiple specific threats made stating intent to kill me & feminists at USU. For the record one threat did claim affiliation with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gamergate?src=hash">#gamergate</a><br />
— Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) <a href="https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/522218152071925760">October 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-5652194178283926022014-10-15T11:57:00.001+08:002014-10-15T12:01:27.378+08:00Interview: Cypher on #INeedDiverseGames<b>Hi. Thanks for agreeing to do the interview. First off, what is #INeedDiverseGames?</b><br />
<br />
It was a wee hashtag that was born out of frustration with the state of the industry, the lack of diversity I saw. Now it's become a point for people to express why then need diverse games, not just for themselves but for others to enjoy the art of gaming.<br />
<br />
<b>How did it start?</b><br />
<br />
This tweet:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INeedDiverseGames?src=hash">#INeedDiverseGames</a> because I am tired of the same variant of scruffy white dude protaganists in every game I buy.<br />
— Cypheroftyr (@cypheroftyr) <a href="https://twitter.com/cypheroftyr/status/519438387624042497">October 7, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
Despite what people might think, the hashtag was not in reaction to, or in anyway influenced by GG. They really weren't on my radar until the renewed coverage lately.<br />
<br />
<b>What are your goals, whether short-term or long-term?</b><br />
<br />
The short term goal is to get people on board with the idea that diversity in games is a good thing, that it does not hurt anyone to give people more options rather than retreading the same stories, the same plots in games. For people to realize it's about inclusion, not exclusion.<br />
<br />
Long term goals is to make sure it doesn't become a flash in the pan, hot topic of the day then fizzle out because something else is going on in the gaming world. Be that making it into a full time project, asking the game dev community for help in keeping it alive and thriving or the masses that clearly want more diversity based on the tweets that have been flying fast and furious.<br />
<br />
<b>What's the reaction been so far?</b><br />
<br />
For the most part, incredibly positive. There have been attempts by GG'rs to hijack the hashtag, claim that if you support #INeedDiverseGames, then you support GG. That's so far from the truth, I don't even have words for it.<br />
<br />
But on a more positive note, the outpouring of support and great response has been amazing. For a hashtag that was thought up on the fly while I was angry about gaming, it's gotten a great response. Kudos to those folks who have actively taken on those who seem to have a problem with wanting more diversity in gaming.<br />
<br />
<b>What have been the challenges?</b><br />
<br />
Mostly, making sure that this doesn't overwhelm me (or the awesome dragonreine who has been instrumental in helping me run the tumblr, twitter, etc.) and to not let it fizzle out. Gaming is important to me, it's been part of my life for twenty years and because of my love of gaming, the challenge we all have is to make diversity more than a buzzword, to make it the norm rather than the exception. To show that there is room at the table for everyone.<br />
<br />
<b>What games do you like to play? Which games are doing it right?</b><br />
<br />
I'm more of an action and RPG fan. <i>Final Fantasy VII - XIII</i>, <i>Suikoden</i>, <i>Shenmue</i>, <i>Dragon Age</i>, <i>Dragon Age II</i> and the <i>Mass Effect</i> Series. I also grew up in arcades, I love, love, love a good fighting game. <i>Street Fighter</i>, <i>Mortal Kombat</i>, <i>Samurai Shodown</i>, so many I could name but except for FPS (I get motion sickness from them), I'm pretty much an all types of games gal.<br />
<br />
As for games doing it right, <i>Mass Effect 3</i>, <i>Dragon Age Origins & II</i>, <i>Gone Home</i>, <i>Child of Light</i>, <i>Papa & Yo</i>, <i>Remember Me... </i>are all examples of giving you more diverse options, either through customization of your character, or giving you the option to play as a woman, a woman of color, a child, a young adult woman. There's also been a lot of suggestions from followers of the tumblr and via twitter. <br />
<br />
<b>How can we help?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Tweet, write up posts, review games and spread the word about titles you find. Not everyone has played every single game, and a lot of times you might have played a game that others may not know about.<br />
<br />
If you can back game projects, or signal boost if contributing money is an issue. Tweet with the hashtag, Support indie game devs, support those with ideas if they tell you they want to do X, don't let the first thing that come out of your mouth be don't do it, it won't sell, no one cares. If that's the default response to different ideas, nothing will change.<br />
<br />
<br />
Also be able to criticize games and gaming culture. Accept that not everything is great and that for the medium to grow, it must be critiqued and analyzed so people can find the flaws, fill them in and smooth them out.<br />
<br />
<b>Where can people find more about #INeedDiverseGames?</b><br />
<br />
Here’s a handy <a href="http://why-i-need-diverse-games.tumblr.com/about">link to the About page</a>. <br />
<br />
You can also find us at:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/INeedDiverseGames">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/INeedDivGms">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/1/103266464062135562437/posts">Google +</a><br />
<br />
We’re taking <a href="http://why-i-need-diverse-games.tumblr.com/submit">submissions</a> and are open to questions via the <a href="http://why-i-need-diverse-games.tumblr.com/ask">askbox</a> or <a href="http://whyineeddiversegames@gmail.com/">email</a><br />
<br />
Lastly, there’s now a <a href="http://why-i-need-diverse-games.tumblr.com/post/99945516527/ineeddiversegames-shop-is-open">spreadshirt store up, and a full explanation up here</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Cypher has been an avid gamer for twenty years, and is invested in making sure that people see having more diversity in games is not a zero sum game, or about exclusion, in fact she wants more, better games for everyone.</i><!------><!------>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-29602967007891419002014-10-12T22:46:00.000+08:002014-10-13T10:41:37.750+08:00Understanding #Gamergate and Why it's ProblematicFor more than a month now, one of the biggest controversies in the video game industry is #Gamergate. Each side will have their own narrative. Here's the one from the pro-#Gamergate side for example:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ipcWm4B3EU4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
However, if you parse the details of what #Gamergate stands for, it becomes problematic on several levels.<br />
<br />
Both sides agree that #Gamergate started when independent game developer Zoe Quinn (creator of <a href="http://www.depressionquest.com/"><i>Depression Quest</i></a>, what some gamers consider a "non-game" because, among other things, it was an interactive fiction game) was accused of sleeping with a journalist to gain favorable reviews on gaming website <a href="http://kotaku.com/">Kotaku</a>. This is detailed in the <a href="http://thezoepost.wordpress.com/">website of Zoe Quinn's ex-boyfriend, Eron Gjoni</a>. (Vice has an <a href="http://www.vice.com/read/this-guys-embarrassing-relationship-drama-is-killing-the-gamer-identity-828">interview with him</a>.) Never mind the fact that <a href="http://kotaku.com/in-recent-days-ive-been-asked-several-times-about-a-pos-1624707346">such a review did not exist</a>. Or that <a href="https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy/status/508176985932046336">Gjoni coached members of 4chan</a> on how Quinn (and the media) would react.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
and here is my ex coaching them on how to fuck over indiefriends <a href="http://t.co/rSijLkSrCj">pic.twitter.com/rSijLkSrCj</a><br />
— Spoopy Twittër Rando (@TheQuinnspiracy) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheQuinnspiracy/status/508176985932046336">September 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
Adam Baldwin (popularly known for playing Jayne in <i>Firefly</i>) was initially the face of #Gamergate, as he was one of the <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/504801169638567936">first to use the hashtag</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GamerGate?src=hash">#GamerGate</a>:
pt. 1: <a href="https://t.co/VMIwtoFlhD">https://t.co/VMIwtoFlhD</a>
pt. 2: <a href="https://t.co/bLrgB8JGwQ">https://t.co/bLrgB8JGwQ</a><br />
— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/504801169638567936">August 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Several personalities would come to Quinn's defense, including controversial game developer Phil Fish (creator of <i><a href="http://fezgame.com/">Fez</a></i>, the subject of which was tackled in <a href="http://buy.indiegamethemovie.com/"><i>Indie Game: The Movie</i></a>), as well as several simultaneous articles from various gaming media outlets that "gamers were dead":<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/gaming-is-leaving-gamers-behind#1hejwdh">"Gaming Is Leaving 'Gamers' Behind"</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://kotaku.com/we-might-be-witnessing-the-death-of-an-identity-1628203079">"We Might Be Witnessing The 'Death of An Identity'"</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/224400/Gamers_dont_have_to_be_your_audience_Gamers_are_over.php">"'Gamers' don't have to be your audience. 'Gamers' are over."</a></li>
<li><a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/08/the-death-of-the-gamers-and-the-women-who-killed-them/">"The death of the 'gamers' and the women who 'killed' them"</a> </li>
</ul>
So cue the <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/6/6901013/whats-happening-in-gamergate">current uproar</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Background</b><br />
<br />
As a background, this isn't a development that happened overnight. Neither pro-#Gamergate or anti-#Gamergate woke up one day in August and decided to be angry. This was a conversation with the gaming industry that has been happening slowly.<br />
<br />
For the past few years, the gaming media has pointed out various injustices in the gaming industry, such as the <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/22/5926193/women-gaming-harassment">harassment of women in the industry</a>. This has been the bias of various media outlets as part of, well, making the gaming industry a more welcoming place for people outside of the status quo. Does the video game industry have problems?<br />
<br />
Here are some examples:<br />
<ul>
<li>In 2011, we had <a href="http://debacle.tumblr.com/post/3041940865/the-pratfall-of-penny-arcade-a-timeline">Penny Arcade's problematic approach to "Dick Wolves"</a>.</li>
<li>In 2012, <a href="http://kotaku.com/5917623/awful-things-happen-when-you-try-to-make-a-video-about-video-game-stereotypes">Anita Sarkeesian was harassed for daring an attempt at critiquing video games and how it portrays women</a>.</li>
<li>In 2013, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/12/11/video_games_race_problem_goes_all_the_way_to_the_top/">the issue of race was brought up</a>. </li>
</ul>
Currently, some gamers are infuriated with this. For some, it's because they think this has no basis in reality. (Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening to others.) Some are thinking that if this continues, someone will take their games away. (The critics aren't asking to take away your games; they're criticism.) And some simply play defensive and can't take any form of criticism when it comes to their favorite media. (They should read <a href="http://www.socialjusticeleague.net/2011/09/how-to-be-a-fan-of-problematic-things/">"How to be a fan of problematic things"</a>.)<br />
<br />
So here we are, #Gamergate.<br />
<br />
<b>The #Gamergate Propaganda</b><br />
<br />
The problem with harassers in the gaming community is that they have no moral cause (beyond simply being personally offended) before #Gamergate. By framing their agenda in what seems a righteous cause, they draw upon support from various people (some with legitimate grievances towards the gaming industry, some opportunists, and others that are simply ignorant).<br />
<b> </b><br />
But what exactly does #Gamergate profess to stand for? Corruption in video game journalism.<br />
<br />
In WhatCulture's <a href="http://whatculture.com/gaming/10-things-need-know-gamergate-scandal.php">"10 Things You Need To Know About The #GamerGate Scandal"</a>, here's the things they bring up (those in bold italics are my replies):<br />
<ol>
<li>It’s Not About Misogyny. <i><b>Yes, it just so happens that many of the targets happen to be women. Or as some pro-#Gamergate proponents have framed it</b></i><b>:</b> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Video games should be about gameplay, nothing else. It is the same as movies. <a href="http://t.co/kRYFW1e7q3">pic.twitter.com/kRYFW1e7q3</a><br />
— Rowan Kaiser (@RowanKaiser) <a href="https://twitter.com/RowanKaiser/status/510682922127347713">September 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></li>
<li>Everybody Receives Death Threats. <b><i>Which is why #Gamergate condones victim blaming or suggest harassment is a false flag?</i></b></li>
<li>It’s Not Just Straight White Males Who Are In Favour. <b><i>And some women don't identify as Feminists. Or that some People of Color have racists views.</i></b></li>
<li>Not All Gamers Send Death Threats And Harass People. <b><i>Cue <a href="http://time.com/79357/not-all-men-a-brief-history-of-every-dudes-favorite-argument/">#notallmen</a>.</i></b></li>
<li>Corruption In Video Game Journalism Is A Real Issue. <b><i>Yes, it is. Leigh Alexander has a list of <a href="http://leighalexander.net/list-of-ethical-concerns-in-video-games-partial/">genuine ethical concerns</a>. But blaming indie developers is like saying <a href="http://www.nea.org/home/41301.htm">public school teachers should receive less funding to solve the US budget</a>. Or actually going after <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/10/08/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-paid-branding-deals-should-have-gamergate-up-in-arms/">actual controversial issues like Shadows Over Mordor</a>.</i></b></li>
<li>It’s About Separating The Journalist From The Blogger.<b> <i>Or: I don't understand media bias and how how actual journalism works, so I will claim people whose views I don't agree with aren't being objective. And let me insult bloggers while I'm at it.</i></b></li>
<li>Men Don’t Want To Keep Gaming A “Boy’s Club”. <b><i>They have a funny way of showing that.</i></b></li>
<li>#DescribeAGamerIn4Words Is A Smear Campaign. <b><i>And endemic of the perception gaming has to the general community, and why #7 keeps on happening.</i></b></li>
<li>It’s About Negating Censorship. <b><i>Governments censor work. Individuals or companies don't.</i></b></li>
<li>It’s About The Videogames.<i> <b>Cue excuses why they don't like games like Depression Quest or Gone Home, so if somebody likes games they don't, it must be corruption</b></i><b>.</b></li>
</ol>
So you can see some of the inherent problems when discussing #Gamergate, whether its proponents approach it with intentional or unintentional ignorance.<br />
<br />
In my interaction with the hashtag, other points brought as evidence of corruption in games journalism include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Conflict of interest in reviewing video games where the author backed it via Kickstarter, Patron, or some similar crowd-funded service. <b><i>That's not conflict of interest. That's like saying it's a conflict of interest to review a game I bought. You are not a shareholder when you fund a game via crowdfunding; you're a consumer.</i></b></li>
<li>Game journalists are too close to game developers.<i> <b>First off, game journalists ARE close to game developers. That's how they obtain the news and how stories/leaks happen. Second, when journalists aren't close to game developers, as is the case in this <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/gamergate-interviews/12397-Brad-Wardell-GamerGate-Interview">Brad Wardell interview</a>, you're still angry at them.</b></i></li>
<li>The game journalists have a <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/09/17/Exposed-the-secret-mailing-list-of-the-gaming-journalism-elite">secret mailing list</a>. <b><i>Journalists are allowed to converse with each other, just like professionals in other industries.</i></b></li>
</ul>
There's a list of other grievances at <a href="http://www.littletinyfrogs.com/article/458015/GamerGate_What_do_you_want">Little Tiny Frogs</a>. <br />
<br />
L. Rhodes attempts to converse with proponents of #Gamergate and understand their points. Here are <a href="https://medium.com/@upstreamism/to-fair-minded-proponents-of-gamergate-7f3ce77301bb">Rhodes's observations</a><i>:</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"At the same time, many of you told me that you wanted to see less social criticism in those reviews. If you really think that through, you’ll see that you can’t have it both ways. There’s a deep contradiction imbedded in the notion that, on the one hand, writers shouldn’t be beholden to developers when they review a game, and that, on the other hand, they should avoid criticisms they feel are relevant. Most game publishers don’t want to be criticized for the social prejudices they may have worked into their games. As such, the simple fact that a writer or editor would be willing to publish a social criticism ought to be treated as evidence that the venue is maintaining some independence from the industry on which it reports. Even when it doesn’t interest you, even when you disagree with what’s been said— even if, as some of you expressed, you feel personally affronted on the game’s behalf—you ought to welcome such criticism as a check on the sort of cozy developer/press relationship you’ve called corrupt."</blockquote>
<br />
<b>Who Is Involved or Supports #Gamergate?</b><br />
<br />
As previously stated, there are a lot of personalities involved in #Gamergate. Some believe the propaganda, some have sincere intentions, and some that view this as an operation and propaganda. Here are some who publicly support #Gamergate.<br />
<ul>
<li>There are members of <a href="https://storify.com/strictmachine/gameovergate">4chan</a>, as outed by Quinn. The participants have subsequently published the <a href="http://puu.sh/boAEC/f072f259b6.txt">chat logs in its entirety</a>, and you can read parts of what makes it problematic at <a href="http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/09/08/zoe-quinns-screenshots-of-4chans-dirty-tricks-were-just-the-appetizer-heres-the-first-course-of-the-dinner-directly-from-the-irc-log/">We Hunted the Mammoth</a>. (Some of the vocal supporters are now at 8chan.)</li>
<li>Gaming personalities like <span id="goog_2063220453"></span><a href="https://twitter.com/Totalbiscuit/status/520242699082145792">Total Biscuit support #Gamergate<span id="goog_2063220454"></span></a>. While Total Biscuit has made some smart commentary in video games (he's also the one who helped break the news on the <a href="http://n4g.com/news/1595420/total-biscuit-reveals-shady-shadow-of-mordor-review-code-deal">problems of Shadows Over Mordor's "reviews"</a>), this isn't one of his finest moments.</li>
<li>Journalist Milo Yiannopoulos, who previously said <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/05/27/virgin-killer-was-not-a-misogynist-but-a-madman">"movies and games that provided the contextual framework for his [Elliot Rodger] crimes"</a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/mar/01/the-kernel">failed to pay contributors in a company he ran</a>, and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/may/17/telegraph-wonga-startup-award">whose company participated in running a fraudulent competition</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/j_millerworks/">Jason Miller</a>, a game developer <a href="https://twitter.com/j_millerworks/status/507675751227736066">who started #NotYourShield</a> because <a href="https://twitter.com/j_millerworks/status/508213130493952000">the media was ignoring coverage of his game</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/j_millerworks/status/508211227412426752">subsequently approached 4chan</a>.</li>
</ul>
<b>The Results of #Gamergate so far:</b><br />
<br />
The harassment and doxxing of various people (whether pro- or anti-#Gamergate) including (but not limited to:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/zoe-quinn-slut-shaming-the-feminist-conspiracy-and-depression-quest">Zoe Quinn</a><b> </b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/27/6075179/anita-sarkeesian-says-she-was-driven-out-of-house-by-threats">Anita Sarkeesian</a><b> </b></li>
<li><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/22/hackers-post-fez-developer-phil-fishs-personal-information-and-take-control-of-his-studios-website/">Phil Fish</a><b> </b></li>
<li><a href="http://www.themarysue.com/gamergate-harms-women/">Jenn Frank</a><b> </b> </li>
<li><a href="http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/09/05/youll-never-guess-what-misogynistic-gamebros-did-to-these-two-women-in-gaming-hint-drove-them-out/">Mattie Brice</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/24642/article/game-developer-brianna-wu-driven-from-home-after-death-threats-and-doxxing/">Brianna Wu</a></li>
</ul>
Various hashtags like:<br />
<ul>
<li>#Notyourshield, where various people (including LGBT and people of color) support #Gamergate and tell video game journalists not to represent them in their criticisms.</li>
<li>#Gameethics, which discussed problems in the video game industry--usually from AAA companies--but is constantly accused of derailment by #Gamergate supporters.</li>
<li>#INeedDiverseGames, which states reasons for having diverse games, only to be criticized by #Gamergate supporters as derailment. (<b>Edit:</b> From the comments: <i>"I was not thinking about GamerGate when I created the #INeedDiverseGames
hashtag. Do not give them credit, or give the impression they were
even on my mind when I created it. - Cypher"</i>)</li>
</ul>
A cancelled Indiegogo campaign, <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lawyers-against-gaming-corruption-canceled">Lawyers Against Gaming Corruption</a>. It was not initially disclosed that the campaigner was intending to hire their spouse as the lawyer in question.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodgamers.us/">GoodGamers.us</a>, a no-ads (except Google AdSense) gaming review site that claims to be mostly free of political ideologies and does not pay its staff.<br />
<br />
Christina Hoff Sommers, host of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/AEIVideos/videos">Factual Feminist</a>, makes a video that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MxqSwzFy5w">video games are not sexist</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/intel-pulls-ads-from-site-after-gamergate-boycott/">Intel pulling out its ads from game development site Gamasutra</a> and <a href="http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2014/10/03/chip-shot-intel-issues-statement-on-gamasutra-advertising">subsequently apologizes (but does not reinstate) on a late Friday afternoon</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Comments:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/features/12306-Female-Game-Developers-Make-Statements-on-GamerGate">The Escapist has an article featuring several anonymous female game developers sharing their views on #Gamergate</a>.<br />
<br />
Leigh Alexander has a <a href="http://leighalexander.net/list-of-ethical-concerns-in-video-games-partial/">list of ethical concerns in video games</a>.<br />
<br />
The prevalence of <a href="http://online%20impersonation%20and%20conspiracy%20theories./">impersonation and conspiracy theories</a> to discredit women in the game industry. <br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-91836413374879815482014-05-28T22:56:00.000+08:002014-05-30T09:07:37.761+08:00Essay: Bigotry, Cognitive Dissonance, and Submission GuidelinesFirst off, before I start, I wanted to say I didn't want to write this blog entry. Not because it needs to be said, not because it's another controversy in the speculative fiction field, and not because I'm probably the least qualified person to talk about it, but rather because it's another case of a privileged White Anglo-Saxon Male who posts something problematic on the Internet, and marginalized groups get to respond.<br />
<br />
So instead of starting off with what's wrong, let me begin with what's right. When talking about diverse anthologies and submission guidelines, here are some books that fit the bill:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKGltsOnB_cfNV1jOw_STsk3rZWoJV8SujsBlli8NxIZQNf52Db83eMF7Su0cvy2wIlzDBjlczH63EESZxfj8xymcbUbC9nNr9DQZVH-DZcQwhfkQk3wWNgrPeQtifVQIV7u0JeZnjgIS/s1600/9780991392100_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKGltsOnB_cfNV1jOw_STsk3rZWoJV8SujsBlli8NxIZQNf52Db83eMF7Su0cvy2wIlzDBjlczH63EESZxfj8xymcbUbC9nNr9DQZVH-DZcQwhfkQk3wWNgrPeQtifVQIV7u0JeZnjgIS/s1600/9780991392100_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<a href="http://longhidden.com/"><b>Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History</b> edited by Rose Fox & Daniel Jose Older</a> | <a href="http://longhidden.com/submissions/">Submission Guidelines</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFGLgxu_A7j2F7E1EtqmfvLJhacNR7FwIHJqlGLSF3TuM66A6NMHifCgA_WHn6BPC6uUQjca0Fshf3NIaHVVfgqA3YmFtiCtVRH5iCOdj1cHqb0aGsw0EhgyDS8ngk2yzYp24QR-ja4ZP/s1600/diverseenergies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFGLgxu_A7j2F7E1EtqmfvLJhacNR7FwIHJqlGLSF3TuM66A6NMHifCgA_WHn6BPC6uUQjca0Fshf3NIaHVVfgqA3YmFtiCtVRH5iCOdj1cHqb0aGsw0EhgyDS8ngk2yzYp24QR-ja4ZP/s1600/diverseenergies.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.leeandlow.com/books/485/hc/diverse_energies"><b>Diverse Energies</b> edited by Tobias S. Buckell & Joe Monti</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZ26wrXJTS1gxCa7cYla0hj1Pen8U8-NZTsr6kLLUz9TR_ppp6DZg4fy5sevhS_R7Gq1ifcHhOECdUvg2AzKu2cERn-0bbWrmK0T70sNRFZivXH43v6dVa8ok97zXcQh9gDYZaWq3cCUM/s1600/Rosa-book-mothership-sf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSOT3TnGn4ccA9orE2J2bTsZGEfRVmPjBtvzwpjdyXEvcxKNTHkGWx3WxJZaYsFEKo7aHZMmxPG_HR652A0I50pfFW9yd1qfPi-qsMBlTtA2oZvSfIEPKyENi5sir2usYtHRy-nBrRTKS/s1600/18432560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSOT3TnGn4ccA9orE2J2bTsZGEfRVmPjBtvzwpjdyXEvcxKNTHkGWx3WxJZaYsFEKo7aHZMmxPG_HR652A0I50pfFW9yd1qfPi-qsMBlTtA2oZvSfIEPKyENi5sir2usYtHRy-nBrRTKS/s1600/18432560.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.rosariumpublishing.com/rosarium-books-mothership.html"><b>Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond</b> edited by Bill Campbell and Edward Austin Hall</a> | <a href="http://blackaccountbook.blogspot.com/2013/02/mothership-tales-from-afrofuturism-and.html">Submission Guidelines</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://rosariumpublishing.com/rosarium-the-sea-is-ours.html"><b>THE SEA IS OURS: TALES OF STEAMPUNK SOUTHEAST ASIA</b> edited by Jaymee Goh and Joyce Chng Submission Guidelines </a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UswQoDjJLJMPMAcNrrCg_hoYUVU1wg4H-WIMEXBZfhaEdQogGJ6FBerbzg95X7ThG9WMP1jNVK2y3IW7Idp2KIntOzuop3mzC1lLX8_uajGemO40UIf0L0xcZW3Nylh1NONVhZG2V_3y/s1600/Kaleidoscope-Postcard-1-706x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UswQoDjJLJMPMAcNrrCg_hoYUVU1wg4H-WIMEXBZfhaEdQogGJ6FBerbzg95X7ThG9WMP1jNVK2y3IW7Idp2KIntOzuop3mzC1lLX8_uajGemO40UIf0L0xcZW3Nylh1NONVhZG2V_3y/s1600/Kaleidoscope-Postcard-1-706x1024.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></div>
<a href="http://kaleidoscope.twelfthplanetpress.com/?p=125"><b>Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories</b> edited by Alisa Krasnostein and Julia Rios</a> | <a href="http://kaleidoscope.twelfthplanetpress.com/?page_id=42">Submission Guidelines</a> (<b>disclosure:</b> I work for Twelfth Planet Press)<br />
<br />
With that aside, I want to point out two Guest of Honor speeches from the recently-concluded Wiscon 38. One from <a href="http://www.hiromigoto.com/wiscon38-guest-of-honour-speech/">Hiromi Goto</a> and another from <a href="http://nkjemisin.com/2014/05/wiscon-38-guest-of-honor-speech/">N.K. Jemisin</a>. Here's an excerpt:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"How important, then, that published stories come from diverse sources; from the voices, experiences, subjectivities and realities of many rather than from the imagination of dominant white culture. For even as we’ve been enriched and enlightened by tales from Western tradition, stories are also carriers and vectors for ideologies. And the white literary tradition has a long legacy of silencing, erasing, distorting and misinforming." - Hiromi Goto</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We’ve seen that bigotry directed not just toward black authors but authors of all races other than white; not just along the racial continuum but the axes of gender, sexual orientation, nationality, class, and so on. We’ve seen it aimed by publishers and book buyers and reviewers and con organizers toward readers, in the form of every whitewashed book cover, every “those people don’t matter” statement, and every all-white, mostly-male BookCon presenters’ slate." - N.K. Jemisin</blockquote>
I want to home in on a specific passage from Jemisin's speech:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"A SFWA affiliate member posted a call for civility on his website; in the process he called me “an Omarosa” and a “drama queen”, but of course he didn’t mean those in a racialized or gendered way... And let me emphasize that I am by no means the only woman or person of color who’s been targeted by threats, slurs, and the intentional effort to create a hostile environment in our most public spaces. People notice what happens to me because for better or worse I’ve achieved a high-enough profile to make the attacks more visible. But I suspect every person in this room who isn’t a straight white male has been on the receiving end of something like this — aggressions micro and macro. Concerted campaigns of “you don’t belong here”."</blockquote>
On the very same day Jemisin made her speech, a <a href="http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/call-for-submissions-world-encounters/">call for submissions for an anthology titled <b>World Encounters</b></a> went up (you can find the screenshot from <a href="http://radishreviews.com/2014/05/26/cognitive-dissonance/">The Radish</a> of the <a href="http://radishreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/BTS-Call-for-Subs1.png">edited submission guidelines</a> as of 2014/05/27), from the <a href="http://radishreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bryanthomasschmidt.net-a-week-under-siege-.png">same editor</a> who called Jemisin an "Omarosa" and "drama queen" (the original post has been deleted as of 2014/05/28).<br />
<br />
Now there are two points I want to tackle: the submission guidelines itself, for the Formalists out there, and the editor. Why does the latter matter? Because as someone whose culture has been marginalized, to quote Hiromi Goto, I don't want to be part of "a long legacy of silencing, erasing, distorting and misinforming." And when you're a writer, your immediate gatekeeper is your editor. You want your editor to be someone informed, someone you can trust. Imagine, for example, if the editor of an LGBT anthology was <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/05/07/sci_fi_icon_orson_scott_card_hates_fan_fiction_the_homosexual_agenda_partner/">Orson Scott Card</a>. Wouldn't you, either as a writer or a reader, find that problematic?<br />
<br />
Also, to clarify, I don't think there will be a "perfect" editor or anthology. There will always be something that people will complain about, or find problematic. But on the other, that's no excuse for cultural appropriation (especially from people of privilege), and it's easy to screw things up. Case in point, <a href="http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/76188837092/hi-wil-im-not-trying-to-be-antagonizing-you-seem-to">Wil Wheaton's non-apology</a> when using the term "spirit animals," even when it's explained to him why it's wrong.<br />
<br />
<b>I. The Submission Guidelines</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What if aliens landed on Earth right next door? How would your neighbors react? What about you? What if they landed all over the world? How would people of different cultures respond? What about Earth explorers encountering aliens on their own planets far from home?</i><b><i> </i></b></blockquote>
The premise is fine. It sounds generic, but nothing problematic yet.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<i>Submissions outside these dates and parameters will be summarily rejected and cannot be resubmitted. I reserve the right to close submissions at any time if the slush pile is too big and I have what I need. No money is promised or contracts offered until the Kickstarter funds. No simultaneous submissions.<br /><br /><b>Also, people who are living or have lived in NonWestern cultures, especially the ones they write about, will absolutely have a leg up as authenticity is really important to me.</b></i></blockquote>
<br />
Here, there is an attempt to reach out to marginalized groups, although this would immediately be contradicted by the editor's succeeding paragraph (see below). Also, it assumes that:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>The authors will actually write about the culture they've interacted with ("especially the ones they write about") because there's always a possibility that I, a Filipino, might write about Japan, and what do I really know about Japan?</li>
<li>That the authors will automatically be familiar and understand the culture, because the possibility that they are "cultural tourists" couldn't possibly happen, and</li>
<li>As a reader, the authenticity that I care about is what's written on the page, not the author's biography; a knowledgeable person might not necessarily be able to adeptly convey their experiences for example.</li>
</ol>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Multi-award winner Mike Resnick will be writing a new Africa story for this, and there will be other headliners with reserved slots, including Kay Kenyon and Jack McDevitt</b>, but I will be looking for 10-15 stories from the open call.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Wait, wait, a privileged Western white writer writing about Africa? This hasn't been done before!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYcqKdfKroEm27wkFoRmItvM05Rpg0_tQfSnypkw07O_gY3OhIU5UZnxRzqcTwjeEvcgnPmfoU-RnNhxlx6MbUE7voRD_0h4Q_eptiecoOXPrqtiD38qlqONsiONzaPWEq_gNmolhk8vg/s1600/840632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYcqKdfKroEm27wkFoRmItvM05Rpg0_tQfSnypkw07O_gY3OhIU5UZnxRzqcTwjeEvcgnPmfoU-RnNhxlx6MbUE7voRD_0h4Q_eptiecoOXPrqtiD38qlqONsiONzaPWEq_gNmolhk8vg/s1600/840632.jpg" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
And Mike Resnick has written about Africa before. <a href="https://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/old-men-yelling-at-clouds-sfwa-lunacy/">He must get it right</a>, <a href="http://www.haikasoru.com/tag/mike-resnick/">right</a>?<br />
<br />
In many ways, the editor's oversight of this fact is part of a larger, arguably unconscious, racism on his part. Take for example his blog entry titled <a href="http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/broadening-the-toolbox-through-cross-cultural-encounters-on-resnick-africa-opportunity/">Broadening The Toolbox Through Cross Cultural Encounters: On Resnick, Africa & Opportunity</a>. Instead of talking about writers from the continent of Africa (and it's a large continent, so there's a large pool of writers like Chinua Achebe, Lauren Beukes, and Joan De La Haye), we get Mike Resnick. Nnedi Okorafor gets mentioned but only as an off-hand comment, rather than the focus of the article.<br />
<br />
So when talking about an anthology that's diverse and inclusive, neither Mike Resnick, Kay Kenyon, or Jack McDevitt are what I'd consider the examples you should be touting as a contributors. Because to many, it appears that you are favoring the already privileged writers instead of those marginalized.<br />
<br />
I won't even comment that an author that was touted in the <a href="http://radishreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/BTS-Call-for-Subs-Google-Cache.png">original version</a> was eventually rescinded in the edited version, after it was brought up to the said author's attention.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>The goal is to have stories by a few known and upcoming Western writers but also include some up and coming foreign natives writing from their own cultural view as well to give exposure to SF from outside the Western world as long as it matches the theme.</b> I will be limiting the number of Western writers included to be sure we get those outside voices. </i></blockquote>
Words matter. Here, we have a contradictory paragraph. On one hand, it claims that it wants to give "foreign natives" a chance. First off, you don't call writers of other cultures foreign natives. It's foreign <i>to you</i> and they are natives <i>to you</i> (when was the last time people referred to themselves as natives?). It already tips the editor's hand that the book is from a Western paradigm. On the other hand, it's also the Western writers that seem prioritized here. I mean that's why we have guaranteed authors like Mike Resnick, Kay Kenyon, and Jack McDevitt (none of which are, ahem, "foreign natives").<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Stories can be Past, Future, Present, on Earth or off, let your imagination run. But I don’t want a bunch of alien POV stories.<br /><br />I’d like varied POV from different cultures, so I want 1 or 2 from alien POV but not half the anthology or a third. I want some set on Earth and some off. Some could be on starships, too. But I don’t want all. So if you are setting them on Earth and if you are using American POV or Alien POV, please let me know so I can encourage balance.<br /><br />I would accept a really good story longer than 7 k, but contact me and it will be under much more scrutiny. 3-5k is my sweet spot, honestly. 5-7 is okay but, again, not ideal because I have so many great people wanting in and I’d love to have as many stories, authors and cultures represented as possible. Of course I will take the best stories. If it works out at 12 instead of 20, so be it. But I’m just telling you what I’m shooting for.</i></blockquote>
<br />
This is just horrible writing. This can be summed up "I want X, but not too much of X, or too little of X." That's not to say you won't be making these decisions as an editor, but it's usually made <i>after</i> you've received all the submissions, not before.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I want this to reach a broad audience, including education uses, so if you use foul language, humorous setting is going to be easier sell than serious and if you drop more than two F-bombs in a story, you are lessening your chances. Same goes for “goddammits,” “shit,” “asshole,””mf,” and you get the picture. I am not trying to be a prude or force my beliefs on you. I just want to balance an audience because people need to learn about cultures and perspectives and that has educational value. To quote the description at the top: “we’d like this to be a collection parents and kids can read and discuss to learn and encourage interest in SF and other cultures.”<br /><br /><b>This means I also don’t want political stories.</b> No bashing other people groups, cultures or belief systems/parties. <b>This is not to be divisive but uniting, because my experience has taught me there are a lot of other viewpoints in the world we Westerners can learn from, but hearing them won’t happen if we turn people away.</b></i></blockquote>
<br />
First, all stories are political. In fact, the paragraph banning "goddammits," "shit," "asshole," etc. is a political decision. When someone says they're not political, what they really mean is that their politics belongs to the status quo, and they don't want to challenge that. One example is Nintendo's recent statement regarding same-sex marriage in a their video game, <b>Tomodachi Life</b>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/05/08/nintendos_anti_gay_cop_out_why_its_demented_same_sex_ban_is_no_game/"><i>“Nintendo never intended to make any form of social commentary with the launch of ‘<b>Tomodachi Life</b>,”</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
What they really mean by "no social commentary" is "we are against homosexual partnerships."<br />
<br />
Second, we go back to the dominance of the Western paradigm in the anthology. That's why words like "we Westerners" are used. What is the point of soliciting stories from Non-Western writers, if inevitably, their stories will be Westernized to cater to a a perceived Western audience?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I love action but I’d also like a bit of levity so humor is good. I don’t want all humor. And I don’t want all action but I do need some of both. (How’s that for being specific.) That being said, sex and graphic violence also should be kept out. Pretty obvious. Enough said. <b>Smatterings of foreign words for flavor are fine, but we should be able to interpret it in context. You can play with (translations in parenthesis too) but too much of that just increases word count and makes it harder to read.</b></i></blockquote>
Again, more bad writing (I want X, but not too much...). With the bolded part, the editor betrays their lack of understanding of other cultures and the craft of writing.<br />
<br />
First, for great writers, foreign words are included in the text not necessarily because they're flavor, but because they're essential to the story. Second, if an author chooses (or does not choose to) translate a word and place it in parenthesis, there's a reason for it, and it's not due to extending the word count. Third, if it's harder to read, that's because the author doesn't condescend to the reader.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As I am expecting an Africa story from Mike Resnick, seek authenticity. <b>He’s famous for his Africa stories and I have no doubt whatever he does will be brilliant.</b> After all, he’s got Nebula and Hugo nominations and awards for these stories. <b>Which means, if you write Africa, expect to be compared.</b></i></blockquote>
First, writers are only as good as the work they submit. No competent editor would blindly accept a story that hasn't been written yet. Because it could be crap, and that's regardless of your politics.<br />
<br />
Second, some would argue Resnick's stories are inauthentic. And it doesn't also mean that another writer, say one hailing from South Africa, will write an inferior South African story.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>This editor has been to Africa, Mexico and Brazil and studied the cultures, countries and religions extensively, for example, so please research any culture you choose.</b> Do not write what you think they are. Do not write stereotypes. </i></blockquote>
Africa is a continent. Mexico and Brazil are countries. To equate the two is an inability to understand their cultural nuance, especially from someone who proclaims they have studied the culture, countries, and religions extensively.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I am inviting a few Western writers whom I know have traveled and have strong cultural knowledge, sensitivity and passion for places they visited.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Translation: because despite my previous claims that this anthology is for writers outside of the Western world, this is really for my Western writer friends (because we don't have enough of those!).<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Not every Mexican is the same, for example, but please have it so your Mexicans are real enough my actual Mexican friends would tell me you got it right.</b> (I do have friends around the world who will read for cultural authenticity before I make final selections, so I want authentic.) </i></blockquote>
<br />
Here we have a contradiction. On one hand, the editor is making a claim that Mexicans are diverse. On the other hand, he also wants a Mexican archetype that will ring true to every Mexican (or at least his friends, because his friends represents Mexico). Which is faulty because you can't please everyone in a culture, because that's the definition of diversity. I can write about my own Filipino experience, and it might ring true to some Filipinos, but will sound faulty for others.<br />
<br />
Also, it seems the barometer for cultural expertise is "they are my friends from around the world," which honestly isn't very methodical.<br />
<br />
Here's a Bingo card from <a href="http://theangryblackwoman.com/2009/09/22/the-bingo-project/">The Angry Black Woman</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFiEYjtIE2ZAABrpQcYXF3drxUnQiZWe_RxZ4z6CQvqWzma27YC4f2QCvcRtpfetxUHFZdwGTdVNB3JL6bcYHFqKmmok5tJIWyg6LjIIBWf5JFX04EjnKFXkEkTmRL6KWvkjucWofduFz/s1600/3185596402_18d49d5f62_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFiEYjtIE2ZAABrpQcYXF3drxUnQiZWe_RxZ4z6CQvqWzma27YC4f2QCvcRtpfetxUHFZdwGTdVNB3JL6bcYHFqKmmok5tJIWyg6LjIIBWf5JFX04EjnKFXkEkTmRL6KWvkjucWofduFz/s1600/3185596402_18d49d5f62_o.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAcTL8E75iEAGWp3A-e9EmVUC3TWCWfvSUrcwncOMN5X88m8islOtsSPidVuBHpkD1nHSBhFqGmR1ReL3a1BiTm6UaDJzAZuHB1KhPcG-ZhUAepAdERsEox1XbWeLjE9YLamJi6idyaKj/s1600/bingo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAcTL8E75iEAGWp3A-e9EmVUC3TWCWfvSUrcwncOMN5X88m8islOtsSPidVuBHpkD1nHSBhFqGmR1ReL3a1BiTm6UaDJzAZuHB1KhPcG-ZhUAepAdERsEox1XbWeLjE9YLamJi6idyaKj/s1600/bingo.jpg" height="122" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What are the odd little cultural quirks people exhibit which would strike outsiders as odd but insiders as perfectly normal? Use those in your story for humor, confusion, etc. </i></blockquote>
Yes, because we should pander to our Western audience. And not because cultural quirks are essential to the story.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Must be willing to respect the editor’s editing requests. No assholes allowed. Seriously. Also, if you have slandered my name or resent me for not sharing your views, don’t bother. I guarantee I won’t.</i></blockquote>
To borrow an image from The Radish:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5kBEUIZ6MJXW_Sz5RI9ppfrggg2soy2neARow8l_TMGTOT2jqe2F96Ad-bf-Ybe9yvhYaTWdRMhTAenu5MTbHMdMrq1FxThPuBXCCZQ7Nly7lmgtw9fJ5KCxcLexp9kuKW9JGBNEil_5/s1600/BTS-Rotting-Meat1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5kBEUIZ6MJXW_Sz5RI9ppfrggg2soy2neARow8l_TMGTOT2jqe2F96Ad-bf-Ybe9yvhYaTWdRMhTAenu5MTbHMdMrq1FxThPuBXCCZQ7Nly7lmgtw9fJ5KCxcLexp9kuKW9JGBNEil_5/s1600/BTS-Rotting-Meat1.png" height="115" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I guess the editor can slander and resent other people, but not the other way around.<br />
<br />
<b>II. The Editor</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcBr14YK-un3KxIq9FYNL8Jfdw_QbF5LkUbWXOWEEWcuUQlUFgGK66QIizuEauLGU9tGPN7NSagOJWDRt92WK9MvR_0Om9yaInV7J7N-sCKm8wJS4Zdfra91Z-ETZHIR-OPvb3LEMINcI/s1600/sexist-racist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcBr14YK-un3KxIq9FYNL8Jfdw_QbF5LkUbWXOWEEWcuUQlUFgGK66QIizuEauLGU9tGPN7NSagOJWDRt92WK9MvR_0Om9yaInV7J7N-sCKm8wJS4Zdfra91Z-ETZHIR-OPvb3LEMINcI/s1600/sexist-racist.png" height="265" width="640" /></a></div>
<b> </b> <br />
So Thomas Bryan Schmidt claims that "[he] has not said or done anything racist or sexist in his entire life" (<a href="http://radishreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bryanthomasschmidt.net-a-week-under-siege-.png">source</a>). Despite in the same blog post, he labels N.K. Jemisin as an Omarosa. Or, you know, <a href="http://radishreviews.com/2013/06/19/how-not-to-have-a-conversation/">his history of name calling, whether it's due to a person's gender or race</a>.<br />
<br />
Look, full disclosure. I've said lots of racist and sexist things in my life. <a href="http://deepad.dreamwidth.org/50595.html">I've screwed up, horribly</a>. So I wouldn't make any attempt to claim that I'm not racist or sexist. But I'm willing to tackle, to change, and to correct myself. I don't always succeed.<br />
<br />
Bryan Thomas Schmidt isn't that person. He has two main problems:<br />
<br />
1. He never blames his own writing for conveying the wrong message. For example: <a href="http://radishreviews.com/2013/06/24/update-on-the-recent-unpleasantness/">"I should apologize to them that THEY misconstrued and misinterpreted my words?"</a> Or statements<a href="https://twitter.com/BryanThomasS/status/470752347724206081"> like this</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSTXE2qwZx2sNVA_AOUTuvXvfTqmu-Gn8cAqtxJjlYBXy_8NZdwUBtMoGmQqg7ZZI00ZEFoeDEYlDVhlwI60jz4DqRPwUX8VILEq3aNLzkg13Iwi9qCKavMUlxlDch0v1j0cz17WtnUqn/s1600/bts-tweet01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSTXE2qwZx2sNVA_AOUTuvXvfTqmu-Gn8cAqtxJjlYBXy_8NZdwUBtMoGmQqg7ZZI00ZEFoeDEYlDVhlwI60jz4DqRPwUX8VILEq3aNLzkg13Iwi9qCKavMUlxlDch0v1j0cz17WtnUqn/s1600/bts-tweet01.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Regardless of your politics, that's just a bad policy for someone whose profession is writing and editing. People don't need to <i>know</i> you. They can only read the words you use.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzK13cmITtGA_-g2afhEgQO5sWMxvxLjOrZHmVkoKwPsjtI_KDkb8uqBl6hQmrsIXMV2pV4dn8UMd8MVWUu4rrW01pv11gcRNIYLQ4-x-pBARHQy2MH_Ng8O7L94IlYThQt7c7IMrHCmX/s1600/bts-tweet03.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzK13cmITtGA_-g2afhEgQO5sWMxvxLjOrZHmVkoKwPsjtI_KDkb8uqBl6hQmrsIXMV2pV4dn8UMd8MVWUu4rrW01pv11gcRNIYLQ4-x-pBARHQy2MH_Ng8O7L94IlYThQt7c7IMrHCmX/s1600/bts-tweet03.png" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzK13cmITtGA_-g2afhEgQO5sWMxvxLjOrZHmVkoKwPsjtI_KDkb8uqBl6hQmrsIXMV2pV4dn8UMd8MVWUu4rrW01pv11gcRNIYLQ4-x-pBARHQy2MH_Ng8O7L94IlYThQt7c7IMrHCmX/s1600/bts-tweet03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rJw0_BDr7ohUu88svD04O1kNMo9tcNYBh2zYOJdMrpcRzhSjYRZv3CUPGw9MtQaZDDn8P1cyvZ8L45qzwawYf0zamnhI9r7S4zV-feTfPGUJWvEVg1rHWLvQsAO_PNWSLVGIV1aO_ARu/s1600/sexist-racist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rJw0_BDr7ohUu88svD04O1kNMo9tcNYBh2zYOJdMrpcRzhSjYRZv3CUPGw9MtQaZDDn8P1cyvZ8L45qzwawYf0zamnhI9r7S4zV-feTfPGUJWvEVg1rHWLvQsAO_PNWSLVGIV1aO_ARu/s1600/sexist-racist.png" height="166" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVEKG_Bsyfjs8BWrqNnjbkY9H3-dfSmAY7ln9tdaIQ0wPaFDdZYkzaM7Gjj41C1gmcG_aAP2Ia_pwavZvbX0Evus2BRfskeTYlOOBxqExLBh69E6EPR5YPWOl8NoWVNWsF0cuO9GG8zPK/s1600/bts-tweet02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVEKG_Bsyfjs8BWrqNnjbkY9H3-dfSmAY7ln9tdaIQ0wPaFDdZYkzaM7Gjj41C1gmcG_aAP2Ia_pwavZvbX0Evus2BRfskeTYlOOBxqExLBh69E6EPR5YPWOl8NoWVNWsF0cuO9GG8zPK/s1600/bts-tweet02.png" height="186" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
2. When people try to explain, educate, or address his points, he ignores them. If he hasn't heard of you, you get banned. If he has and you're famous, he'll try to placate you.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpKpPvsr0j6X9WztwyYyZP2nZaBHgTjaJklTP5QMoHv7x6ZLjbzK-gmeCYavzUQa4-7iNyp2WwmvRBfxeSQ6aMS9jL0NJoNANQoyUlj1kGQEi-C5H8F7Hu46lU1EpDP-CKQ5mlsjrpkrv/s1600/bts-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpKpPvsr0j6X9WztwyYyZP2nZaBHgTjaJklTP5QMoHv7x6ZLjbzK-gmeCYavzUQa4-7iNyp2WwmvRBfxeSQ6aMS9jL0NJoNANQoyUlj1kGQEi-C5H8F7Hu46lU1EpDP-CKQ5mlsjrpkrv/s1600/bts-04.png" height="640" width="403" /></a></div>
<br />
Disregard, disregard, disregard, ban.<br />
<br />
<b>III. My Experience</b><br />
<br />
As far back as 2012, I witnessed an <a href="https://storify.com/charlesatan/101-and-importance-of-being-clear">exchange between Bryan Thomas Schmidt and a friend</a>. The former had an ambiguously-worded tweet that could be interpreted as defending <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/21/racism-row-novel-coals-pearls">Save the Pearls</a>. Bryan then wrote a blog post condemning my friend. I replied, in private and politely, why I thought his blog post was wrong, and informed him that I would be posting a rebuttal on my blog. He then took down the post, called me a bully, and banned/blocked me.<br />
<br />
I told this and showed the transcripts to an author/editor friend of mine, and he told me neither he nor his wife would support bullies. So back in 2012, I shut up.<br />
<br />
Maybe posting this account makes me a bully. But by not speaking out back then, it's paving the way for injustice. In 2013, Bryan posted about <a href="http://radishreviews.com/2013/06/24/update-on-the-recent-unpleasantness/">#SFFCivility</a>. In 2014, it's the Submission Guidelines mentioned above. Because I have no doubt, some people will submit.<br />
<br />
And it goes beyond those projects.<br />
<br />
I love <a href="http://sfsignal.com/">SF Signal</a>. I was a contributor. I stopped contributing after 2012. It's not because Bryan Thomas Schmidt was also a contributor to the site, but that fact wasn't encouraging either. I don't know how the current members of SF Signal feel about him. [<b>2014/05/30 Edit:</b> He was <a href="http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/for-immediate-release-sffwrtcht-on-twitter-will-end-in-2014/">no longer a contributor to SF Signal</a> since the last quarter of 2013.]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/">Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing</a> produced interesting podcasts before 2012. After that year? I wouldn't know. I stopped listening by then. Bryan Thomas Schmidt was a sponsor of the show, and guested a few times.<br />
<br />
#sffwrtcht is also run by Bryan Thomas Schmidt. It's been consistent and a valuable venue for authors or publishers looking for some publicity. Bryan claims that it's inclusive, but how can it be inclusive when the owner calls people names like <a href="http://radishreviews.com/2014/05/27/flapping-my-rotting-meat/">rotting meat</a>, deletes tweets/comments/posts, and immediately bans people unless they're famous? So yeah, it's not a venue for me. [<b>2014/05/30 Edit:</b> The hashtag was apparently <a href="http://www.associatedgeekery.com/2014/05/29/associated-geekery-episode-51/">appropriated by Bryan from a female creative</a> and was never acknowledged.]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1XK7UynYo-BInpZ6lrl0Ypaeo4F28U8JPfhRYQxQpYaDO48YmQH1uYao1GYiCr3Kshj8HfPcVjkHN2yRRgR08k-sFd1n8Jyfkz9tmlbcN_HzD1lbiJyfq8Fx_BueU4dPHCTksk-TJxfn/s1600/sffwrtcht-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1XK7UynYo-BInpZ6lrl0Ypaeo4F28U8JPfhRYQxQpYaDO48YmQH1uYao1GYiCr3Kshj8HfPcVjkHN2yRRgR08k-sFd1n8Jyfkz9tmlbcN_HzD1lbiJyfq8Fx_BueU4dPHCTksk-TJxfn/s1600/sffwrtcht-02.png" height="640" width="179" /></a></div>
I'll just be here, with the rest of #TeamRottenMeat.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RY-imNvdGZTPhE6tI_Nlqlhfm0nDrg0Ho2kAfTKNsU02qY1YdqsRLKlueKJ9csfyAHRWC_uFXPOiRgg1VQv8xZBatH3su3g8TEAgtB18mVAMbyrnNwNY3SwUTQBAwagp0SjO0YXoWDl3/s1600/sloth-lo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RY-imNvdGZTPhE6tI_Nlqlhfm0nDrg0Ho2kAfTKNsU02qY1YdqsRLKlueKJ9csfyAHRWC_uFXPOiRgg1VQv8xZBatH3su3g8TEAgtB18mVAMbyrnNwNY3SwUTQBAwagp0SjO0YXoWDl3/s1600/sloth-lo.jpg" height="250" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-5449355366375495362014-04-16T06:04:00.000+08:002014-04-16T06:08:26.205+08:00Comic Reviews: And Comics by Mr. and Mrs. Yumul, Dirty Laundry 2 and Other Stories by danielle riña, Minkowski Space Opera Chapter One by Aaron Felizmenio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfeRRPA71wVNkQwp609p1dzyoXHW8HBUCbnavSsSeFZ43rMDrgvd-sAKBVEYNBTqz9ld2BSgngchYwf2ITY-FUiKO66QE4JvhJsSixJFtrpCAkSgGL_NuWEBY-vUe3W6Z3utp1cdNZesP/s1600/AndComics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfeRRPA71wVNkQwp609p1dzyoXHW8HBUCbnavSsSeFZ43rMDrgvd-sAKBVEYNBTqz9ld2BSgngchYwf2ITY-FUiKO66QE4JvhJsSixJFtrpCAkSgGL_NuWEBY-vUe3W6Z3utp1cdNZesP/s1600/AndComics.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>And Comics by Mr. and Mrs. Yumul</b><br />
<br />
Mr. Yumul has gorgeous stylized art; Mrs. Yumul has powerful prose. Unfortunately, comics is about the synthesis between the two, and most of <b>And Comics</b> simply lack synergy. The end of the comic explains the rationale for this--Mrs. Yumul crafting the narrative after Mr. Yumul had drawn the panels--and while it's an interesting creative exercise, it can be a frustrating reading experience for the discerning reader. Occasionally, you end up with profound gems like "The Box" which resonate even once you've put down the comic, but there are a lot more misses than hits. Which is a shame because <b>And Comics</b> is ripe with potential, and if the two creators had coordinated, they could have produced memorable comics.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCagocN7kuzyZHhhZ4z0aAR48UCSzC70nD0v9mZhU66Y2ymh1ofAbudpqeuPln-zx2fGAym7WIWNkH6WipP-N7-s2I0B_n8qLD87OI8vT-mRB9DinRRYETjsml_hvBcbac3iv-m8hTZcK/s1600/dirty+laundry+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCagocN7kuzyZHhhZ4z0aAR48UCSzC70nD0v9mZhU66Y2ymh1ofAbudpqeuPln-zx2fGAym7WIWNkH6WipP-N7-s2I0B_n8qLD87OI8vT-mRB9DinRRYETjsml_hvBcbac3iv-m8hTZcK/s1600/dirty+laundry+2.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Dirty Laundry 2 and Other Stories by danielle riña</b><br />
<br />
<b>Dirty Laundry 2 and Other Stories</b> is one of those comics that really comes together: rough stylized art that's appropriate to the creator's narrative, a personal story that's compelling, and a tight theme. <b>Dirty Laundry 2</b> does feel like danielle riña's dirty laundry, whether on the literal or metaphorical level, and it's peppered with telling details and intimate scenes that tug at your emotions. The only complaint I have is how the lettering could use some improvement, although the fact that it's handwritten also adds to the charm.<br />
<br />
<b></b>
<b></b>
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrG8fhcKXfXLJ9uQ_A6Me_T7Yo1QX8Zfve_ADvKxTZzlVRiH1fLNhutU25qnM-Z61ywQJJDEy3CD23dVg37Nwjw75Je-shZCHumFG72rVOgu6vt-5riThUcbeo2fH8ztf1t3EqSpudre1/s1600/000-MSO-Chapter-001-Final_Cover_120dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrG8fhcKXfXLJ9uQ_A6Me_T7Yo1QX8Zfve_ADvKxTZzlVRiH1fLNhutU25qnM-Z61ywQJJDEy3CD23dVg37Nwjw75Je-shZCHumFG72rVOgu6vt-5riThUcbeo2fH8ztf1t3EqSpudre1/s1600/000-MSO-Chapter-001-Final_Cover_120dpi.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<b><br />Minkowski Space Opera Chapter One by Aaron Felizmenio</b><br />
<br />
I'm still hesitating when it comes to <b>Minkowski Space Opera Chapter One</b>. It has potential, but there's also room for improvement. The weakest element of the comic is the art for while it's passable and has its fair share of stunning panels, there are scenes where the lack of polish detracts from the story. In panels that feature several characters, it's difficult to distinguish who is who. Or in one instance, a character suddenly pops out of nowhere. But the good news is that the story has legs. Aaron Felizmenio is fusing sensibilities of Western fantasy with Filipino myth, and while it's too soon to tell whether the payoff is worth it or whether the combination is handled with finesse, there's enough substance to provide readers with hope.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-74265627983143980242014-04-15T06:57:00.001+08:002014-04-15T06:57:40.565+08:00Comic Review: Sad Comics for Dirty Lovers edited by Rob Cham<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOStpFhJfXSoxNi5AOoW4f3P0Roi472Oah01KTP0frWxRqBQTNAZIBxTI8299oeoVi1LSBJji5uxnjGuczYQi44Iy5JqzR3xdeGv_JKJJp7XJ0e1sAu3mmcPIVCmyeUbuOVzhnFSVFFQ0/s1600/tumblr_n3pia3COYn1qzbasvo1_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOStpFhJfXSoxNi5AOoW4f3P0Roi472Oah01KTP0frWxRqBQTNAZIBxTI8299oeoVi1LSBJji5uxnjGuczYQi44Iy5JqzR3xdeGv_JKJJp7XJ0e1sAu3mmcPIVCmyeUbuOVzhnFSVFFQ0/s1600/tumblr_n3pia3COYn1qzbasvo1_1280.png" height="320" width="263" /></a></div>
<b>Sad Comics for Dirty Lovers </b>is one of those anthologies that's raw, unfiltered, and born from passion. It lacks a certain polish, not in terms of art or design, but in terms of editorial direction that can leave the reader baffled. But one could argue this lack of polish is what gives some of the stories their edge, the courage to experiment and fail if need be.<br /><br />Thematically, <b>Sad Comics for Dirty Lovers</b> is Rob Cham's breakup anthology. Or at least that's the expectation established by the title, the opening comic, and the epilogue. Where it starts to stray are Cham's collaborations with Petra Magno ("Spooky Tales of the Here and Now") and Auti Nones ("Comics for Millenials"), which are actually quite entertaining and witty, but don't seem to fit with the larger arc that Cham initially pitches to the reader. It might have been an attempt to break the monotony of heartbreak-after-heartbreak, but that's what the single-page strips of Apol Sta. Maria already accomplishes with its insertion before each piece.<br /><br />The challenge of any anthologist working with a theme is to make sure not every story reads the same. And in many ways, Cham's selections fail in that accord, as what we often end up are literal heartbreak stories juxtaposed with images. At its worst, we have "Untitled" by Carljoe Javier, which simply does not work on several levels: the lack of a title is undeserving, and there's no build up for the narrator we're supposed to feel empathy with. Thankfully, the other contributions make better attempts. "Un-You" by Petra Magno tries to engage with the concept of heartbreak via metaphor, and it barely works. What salvages it are the telling details that convey Magno's personal investment in the narrative. "My Favorite Christmas" by Mihk Vergara plays with two different stories, one told by the text, and the other by the images. They're supposed to converge and be related, but it's an all-too transparent ploy.<br /><br />What follows suit is either intentional genius on Cham's part or serendipity borne from modesty. In many ways, I think one of the stronger comics in the anthology are Cham's, especially the opening comic "Break Up 2013". It doesn't pretend to be anything else other than Cham's state of mind, sprinkled with the occasional conflict of how he says one thing but feels something else. Then compare that to what should have been Cham's epilogue, "How I Live Now," which provides perfect closure for the comic. It's also interesting how there's a subtle change in the art between "Break Up 2013" and "How I Live Now," showcasing the transition from one state to another. The last story is what everyone should read read read and buy buy buy: "Beehive Heart" by Petra Magno. Magno employs the best tools of metaphor--or even speculative fiction for that matter--to convey the turmoil of experiencing relationships. I spent P250.00 on <b>Sad Comics for Dirty Lovers</b> and "Beehive Heart" makes it a bargain. What makes this the genius part is that if this was intentional, what seems like Rob's story (his character opens and "ends" it after all) is actually giving way for Magno's, which is the superior story. From a structure perspective though, "How I Live Now" provides better closure and should have ended the comic (with "Beehive Heart" somewhere in the middle of the book), but it's the rawness of publications like these that highlight the gems.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-57136924750848709582014-04-14T21:55:00.000+08:002014-04-14T21:55:08.123+08:00Comic Review: Tabi Po Isyu 1 by Mervin Malonzo<i><b>Disclosure: The company I work for is the eBook publisher of the English translation of </b>Tabi Po<b>.</b></i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMByZTYOFdJ7El8WgEnW50PPYboyV9q0WtFYeGiJnU4XECFPx4Tenk6vPxYd32WwM3DxoVJzKemDUos5612yV2Xf5WCvqzQcUe6XxuU1zwE9brct2oNwJ69VNHvhysPrn-1OpLccbUGsX/s1600/frontcover_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMByZTYOFdJ7El8WgEnW50PPYboyV9q0WtFYeGiJnU4XECFPx4Tenk6vPxYd32WwM3DxoVJzKemDUos5612yV2Xf5WCvqzQcUe6XxuU1zwE9brct2oNwJ69VNHvhysPrn-1OpLccbUGsX/s1600/frontcover_final.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />If we want to talk about the best that Philippine comics has to offer, then we need to discuss the symbiosis between independent publishers and major publishers (and I use the word "major" loosely because a major publisher in Manila doesn't produce a print run comparable to a major publisher in the US). While there have been some competent and good comics published by mainstream publishers, if we want to discover the stories that are exciting, innovative, or simply excellent, then we need to look for them from independent creators. Sometimes, those with merit never gain acclaim or an additional print run. But occasionally, an indie comic is picked up by a publisher who then introduces it to a wider audience and keeps the title in circulation. That was the case with Carlo Vergara's <b>Zsazsa Zaturnnah</b> and Gerry Alanguilan's <b>Elmer</b>. Success builds upon success. Even this early on, <b>Tabi Po Isyu 1</b> by Mervin Malonzo feels like one of the most important Filipino comics in the past few years.<br /><br />The last statement is a pretty bold claim to make, but <b>Tabi Po</b> is a rare work that arrives at an ideal time and makes a commentary on the industry, in addition to its value as a text.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K83DhqKLnGZXM0k_iXduU7V0BEhwIQVmrPh_2SYQMmDMwh_K7dliR7NJI-p02rqSwxzPODNgK4kr34QJxyV-kUQKxR0jzk9tWCTePIYjJNdZWaU6Cm3jAmqYcr5ubtkAI61hBynGGDos/s1600/tabipo_117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K83DhqKLnGZXM0k_iXduU7V0BEhwIQVmrPh_2SYQMmDMwh_K7dliR7NJI-p02rqSwxzPODNgK4kr34QJxyV-kUQKxR0jzk9tWCTePIYjJNdZWaU6Cm3jAmqYcr5ubtkAI61hBynGGDos/s1600/tabipo_117.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />From the perspective of craft, <b>Tabi Po</b> hits all the right beats. Let's take the art for example. It's gorgeous and visceral, evoking primal emotions while still maintaining a unique style that's identifiable. My problem with some art is that it can become too stylistic that it is difficult to distinguish one character from another; that's not the case here. And when we talk about Filipino comic art, a common failing or absence is color: either creators eschew the medium because it's outside the means of Risograph and photocopier production, or its usage is superficial and shallow once it moves beyond covers and pin-ups. Malonzo employs color here to its full potential, not by using the entire palette he has access to, but keeping it thematic and appropriate for the mood--and does so consistently.<br /><br />Another pitfall of local comic creators is the integration of the Filipino language with their art. The usage of Filipino in comics can be challenging because the language is polysyllabic and can lead to reader exhaustion or take up a lot of physical space. At its worst, you have a title like the first issue of <b>Bayan Knights</b>, where captions and text boxes cover the artwork. On the other hand, if pulled off correctly, you have something that sounds organic and smooth, which is the case with <b>Zsazsa Zaturnnah</b>. Where I've seen it succeed is in Aaron Felizmenio's <b>Gwapoman 2000</b>, which sounds lyrical at times despite the verbosity of the author. <b>Tabi Po</b> feels just right, giving enough room for readers to digest the text, while still showcasing Malonzo's art. And language in <b>Tabi Po</b> matters, having read both the original and translated versions of the comic. Just look at how Malonzo navigates through the etymology of the word <i>aswang </i>and incorporates it into the narrative, creating this dialogue between the comic and the reader.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispXfaQG0coIFiQmC1dvFWoQ9x6sOHaHgyHtoSHITaNBhYXwjeHE7zfQR0Xv5RDrgUD7vEx7jmh0cOebyuv4hvxN1RYut6VwlwnS9Ozykb16RNN8q_qU8pv0GscQU4Mz0VhoPtpDZQgdJV/s1600/tabipo_099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispXfaQG0coIFiQmC1dvFWoQ9x6sOHaHgyHtoSHITaNBhYXwjeHE7zfQR0Xv5RDrgUD7vEx7jmh0cOebyuv4hvxN1RYut6VwlwnS9Ozykb16RNN8q_qU8pv0GscQU4Mz0VhoPtpDZQgdJV/s1600/tabipo_099.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />Then there's the story and lore of <b>Tabi Po</b>. When we talk about mythology, there are typically three kinds of storytellers. There are those that simply retell them, employing tools like characterization to make the story compelling and interesting. Then there are those that adapt it for a modern setting, appropriating what they see fit and infusing it with sensibilities from modern pop culture. If we talk about Filipino artists and myth, the two (well, three) popular creators people will mention will be Arnold Arre (for <b>Mythology Class</b>) and Budjette Tan & Kajo Baldisimo (for <b>Trese</b>). My problem with these two works is that they're divorced from the source material and employed with different aesthetics in mind. Not that it's wrong per se, but there's a significant lack of literature, let alone comics, that deals with Filipino folklore outside of the context of urban fantasy. The <b>Trese </b>series for example simply treats our bestiary as either tools useful for the protagonist, or enemies that are easily dispatched in a panel or two--sensibilities that have more in common with today's Western TV shows where monsters are simply executed instead of being appeased, respected, or competed against. Then there is the third kind, where a creator produces a myth that sounds plausible and real, despite being fictional. And <b>Tabi Po</b> belongs to that category: the story of Malonzo's aswangs sounds like a folk tale we might hear during a visit to the provinces. This is myth building at its finest, employing the most potent of storytelling tools. You have characters that are literally The Other and embracing that concept. You have origin stories that combine not just the modern renditions of the monsters we know, but incorporating elements of our colonial past and making them integral parts of the story. Malonzo doesn't need to explicitly mention when and where the story takes place: readers glimpse it through the art, via the environment, or the language the characters uses.<br /><br />When it comes to the industry, <b>Tabi Po</b> feels like the future. As previously mentioned, we don't get a lot of colored comics because most comic creators prioritize print publication and for independent creators, that usually means photocopiers. <b>Tabi Po</b> circumvents that limitation by publishing it as a web comic. While Malonzo isn't the first comic creator to be picked up by a print publisher after a successful online run, it's the serial I know that wouldn't otherwise have been possible elsewhere, especially due to the graphic content of the work.<br /><br />There's a lot to parse when it comes to <b>Tabi Po</b>, whether on the fiction itself, or the cultural level it finds itself interacting with. The asset of <b>Tabi Po Isyu 1</b> and Mervin Malonzo is that while they reflect and respect what came before, they continue to evolve and innovate.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-56615431989179588082014-04-13T16:06:00.001+08:002014-04-13T16:06:48.168+08:00Comic Review: Abangan: The Best Philippine Komiks 2014 edited by Rob Cham, Adam David, Carljoe Javier, & Elbert Or<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmIbByAD3ktXizDhogNXleQEJt2dj9qHcDkCFtnUudzEHbNA9SAIfO13lp_1QuWRXskDB9JfVYwhpGQLqEnSvNO9bDyTJn27tx3TryE1gtqjS_cJCIpT7W3Wa35iWybKMyL05B62OLk4M/s1600/abangan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmIbByAD3ktXizDhogNXleQEJt2dj9qHcDkCFtnUudzEHbNA9SAIfO13lp_1QuWRXskDB9JfVYwhpGQLqEnSvNO9bDyTJn27tx3TryE1gtqjS_cJCIpT7W3Wa35iWybKMyL05B62OLk4M/s1600/abangan.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
How important is context? On one hand, Formalism values independence, self-sufficiency, and personal interpretation. On the other hand, some of the most potent art is its interaction with the zeitgeist, at how it builds on what came before it, and how its contribution causes ripples.<br />
<br />
It would be insufficient to gauge <b>Abangan: The Best Philippine Komiks 2014</b> based on the former; that's not to say it wouldn't pass with flying colors--there are several outstanding, standalone comics in this anthology including the excerpt from <b>Windmills V</b> by Josel Nicolas or <b>Blue Dusk</b> by Mica Agregado--but when we talk about a retrospective anthology, a "best-of" at that, what should be at the heart of the discussion is its dialog with the rest of the field. And at the very least, whether you agree with the editor's choices or not, <b>Abangan </b>creates this standard for talking about local comics. One tragedy of the Philippine comics scene is that often, unless your work is published by a major publisher (in the case of this anthology, Visprint), your work will eventually be forgotten and unarchived. The strongest benefit of <b>Abangan </b>is how it leaves a recorded footprint (and admittedly, in the case of some, getting reprinted results in better print quality compared to the original publication venue, just as some lose out in its transition from full-color to black and white).<br />
<br />
<b>Abangan </b>addresses this much-needed gap in Philippine history, and in the context of frequent discussions in the local industry, hopefully puts an end to the thesis that Philippine comics is (un)dead, or that the golden age is past. There's a plethora of work that's been published in 2013, and here's the evidence.<br />
<br />
But for anyone who doesn't want to talk about the larger implications, let's borrow the perspective of the Formalist and look at some of the comics in the anthology, much like any of the reviews that came before this. There's lots of impressive comics here, as well as problematic ones. On one end of the spectrum, you have the selected cartoons from <b>Dead Balagtas</b> by Emiliana Kampilan: four-to-five panel strips that hit the humorous beats while tackling issues like colonialism and imperialism. Or a title like excerpts from "Diwata" by Manix Abrera (and to a lesser extent, the excerpts from <b>Wignaut </b>by K.A. Montinola and Martha Maramara), which showcases how effective silent comics can be. On the other end of the spectrum is the excerpt from <b>Filipino Heroes League Volume 2</b> by Paolo Fabregas, and I'm both impressed and disappointed at the scene selected for this anthology. In the context of the <b>Filipino Heroes League</b> series, it works; here, while I congratulate the editors in selecting a scene that stands on its own, the statement I'm getting from this comic is the subversion of the Edsa Revolution, at how a significant turning point in our history by the masses was retconned to be the machinations of a few, despite the best intentions underneath that gesture. And then you have the works that are somewhere in between--at the very least fun and entertaining and referential--like the excerpt from <b>Darwin's Association of Delicious Evilness</b> by Carlorozy and "Trese: Thirteen Stations" by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo.<br />
<br />
That <b>Abangan </b>stands well on its own is deserving of praise and why it's been positively reviewed. But if we dig deeper, the anthology has several shortcomings, and it's perhaps indicative of the biases, whether conscious or unconscious, of its editors that also happens to be representative of the strengths and weaknesses of the local comic industry. To be fair, these are flaws that some readers will not notice, dismiss, or perhaps even afraid to point out. But this is where the value of dialog comes in.<br />
<br />
While I'm not looking for objectivity--that is the point of editors after all, to provide a subjective vision or direction for the text--I do look for consistency. One complaint that can be levied against the local publishing scene for example is favoritism, and one example of this is how an anthology was reviewed in a broadsheet without the reviewer disclosing that they were a contributor to the said anthology. While that's not the case in <b>Abangan</b>, there are several instances here which defy standard expectation.<br />
<br />
For example, my expectations for <b>Abangan </b>is that it compiles the best comics of 2013. It doesn't bother me that comics published in 2014 were included (the time frame of the anthology could easily be set to Feburary 2013 ~ January 2014), but work that hasn't been published yet does, which is the case with the comics of Manix Abrera, and Noel Pascual and AJ Bernardo. That's not to say that their work isn't deserving, but why is there this kind of exception, or at the very least, is not addressed in the introduction? These are also the first two comics featured in the book, so what kind of message does that convey? Related to this are the submission guidelines (or lack thereof) for the sequel: does it include comics published from April 2014 ~ March 2015, or can comic creators submit original work directly to the editors without needing previous publication? It also begs the question, maybe the comics on <b>Abangan </b>isn't based on previously published work, but based on the comic creators the editors judged to have stood out the most in 2013, which drives the discussion in a different direction.<br />
<br />
Then there is the case of the four series editors, and while I can't begrudge having numerous editors working on the same book, this choice affects my other problems with the anthology. When we talk about the series editors in this anthology, namely Rob Cham, Adam David, Carljoe Javier, and Elbert Or, it's not quite clear what their role is. Not that the reader needs to know this, but when discussing the other implications of the book, it starts to matter. Typically, when running a series <i>ala </i><b>The Best American Series</b>, there are typically series editors guiding and overseeing the work of the guest editors. In this case, do all four series editors take on the duties of the guest editors? If so, here are some points I want to discuss.<br />
<br />
First, there's the bias of the local industry towards the interests of the Catholic cis-male based in Metro Manila. The introduction to <b>Abangan</b> admits that, but just because it's admitted doesn't give them a free pass. When you have four editors working on an anthology, you couldn't make the selection of editors more diverse (since a more diverse set of editors can theoretically lead to more diverse selections)? And looking at the anthology, it's not really diverse, whether you're looking at it from a gender parity perspective (and also makes you wonder, whether intentionally or unintentionally, why Martha Maramara is the only contributor to have an omitted bio), or the fact that majority of the reprints were from print-based sources.<br />
<br />
Second, the issue of favoritism can be raised. Typically, an editor refrains from selecting their own work as it can be interpreted by some as a conflict of interest. <b>Abangan</b> includes not just one, but two, works from Rob Cham. Now there are several valid reasons for doing so. It could be the editors wanted to showcase the talent of Cham's collaborators. Or it could simply have been chosen by Cham's co-editors, because Cham <i>is</i> a talented comic creator. But having a clear distinction on the editorial process (whether the traditional roles of a series editor or guest editor) could clear up this possible controversy, or at the very least, tackle it head on.<br />
<br />
With regards to the editorial, there are also some choices that while it isn't erroneous per se, makes you wonder. The excerpt from the previously-unpublished <b>Crime Fighting Call Center Agents</b> by Noel Pascual and AJ Bernardo interests me because of the language chosen for this strip. While their series has previously been translated into English, <b>Crime Fighting Call Center Agents</b> is usually released in Filipino, and then translated at a later date. That English is the language of choice here defies expectations for their work, and makes you wonder at the choice.<br />
<br />
And since this is the de-facto record of comics published in 2013--whether the editors wanted this burden or not--it's important to get the details right. While most of the copyright page is correct, I wish it was more comprehensive in the case of some of the works featured (a "previously published" or "originally published" here notice would work for example). There's also the previously mentioned lack of a biography for Martha Maramara (if the creator declined to have a bio included, it could simply have been stated). One could argue these are just nitpicks, but they go a long way when it comes to the academe or simply recounting our history.<br />
<br />
For the most part, <b>Abangan: The Best Philippine Komiks 2014</b> captures the macrocosm of the Philippine comic industry, including both its praise-worthy aspects and flaws. At certain points, it also captures the <i>chopsuey </i>nature of the industry, but it needs to be worthy of the conceit of its title: it needs to move the field forward as much as it looks back on what came before.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-49285097559867098692014-04-13T07:39:00.003+08:002014-04-13T07:41:07.312+08:00Not A Review: April 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWT0fNlc6VRKcj4NAH6qdi_SKznT2ujVZCdaNOacBeKj1-YSTFJpUYnMeZUklvmss6ueXhLFCSJg-s6kPCx8LMuX_-3tk1GWM4Mz_P3CH9DhPrWMPyz03MpTb1odft7GUaUKtb_AiEPXDL/s1600/TWAIN-PB-COVER-300rgb-722x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWT0fNlc6VRKcj4NAH6qdi_SKznT2ujVZCdaNOacBeKj1-YSTFJpUYnMeZUklvmss6ueXhLFCSJg-s6kPCx8LMuX_-3tk1GWM4Mz_P3CH9DhPrWMPyz03MpTb1odft7GUaUKtb_AiEPXDL/s1600/TWAIN-PB-COVER-300rgb-722x1024.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson by Mark Siegel</b><br />
<br />
<b>Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson</b> is a meaty, plotted graphic novel with a distinct art style and ominous atmosphere. What initially stands out is the art--and I'll admit, I wasn't impressed at first--but it fits the setting and the entire point of the graphic novel was that it was illustrated via charcoal. It takes its time to set the story, and the payoff is worth it. One complaint I was going to levy against this graphic novel is the lack of female characters--and it doesn't really pass the Beschel test--but there's a scene in <b>Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson</b> that tackles the patriarchy of the setting in an interesting manner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRBUAeoEZqqYDlmCSH8MQiKgg3-Xxv83Td0VnuKjs83uqcxmPbfREV5SZV32bWMxaTcIrx5VyFz2rrVa7mp51RG1unuW4ULH8dcBC0yJ_CWOx3AZwbJ-nLHdFADrAGBKc1NJjNqskYFT_/s1600/BEAUT_DARK_cover-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRBUAeoEZqqYDlmCSH8MQiKgg3-Xxv83Td0VnuKjs83uqcxmPbfREV5SZV32bWMxaTcIrx5VyFz2rrVa7mp51RG1unuW4ULH8dcBC0yJ_CWOx3AZwbJ-nLHdFADrAGBKc1NJjNqskYFT_/s1600/BEAUT_DARK_cover-full.jpg" height="320" width="235" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet, translated by Helge Dascher</b><br />
<br />
If <b>Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson</b> relies on being literal to convey its horror, <b>Beautiful Darkness</b> does so with subtlety and finesse. It utilizes what seems like a simple premise--miniature people living inside a dead girl struggle to survive--but every element in the comic is carefully chosen and serves the overall theme. Reading <b>Beautiful Darkness</b> is a haunting experience, but it's not readily apparent how dark the story can get, mainly because we're shown bits and pieces here, but never enough to jolt us or to make us quit. And that's what impressive with Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet, for as powerful as the explicit scenes, it's what's implicit the carries the reader.<br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7USXL7vRss0xR2gYwOxqis9kWHznDE0O9rPb4_uxBlcWuhcrqv7PsvyYzRnPJ8gHLeSJ7Cle-MCqMEKKtOBg-KXLK036ah8YKsYn_5L0Cm-1CYPBAPi488-em3xj2l2NKXdBVTOrC9aR/s1600/Mad-Scientist-Cvr_091312-199x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7USXL7vRss0xR2gYwOxqis9kWHznDE0O9rPb4_uxBlcWuhcrqv7PsvyYzRnPJ8gHLeSJ7Cle-MCqMEKKtOBg-KXLK036ah8YKsYn_5L0Cm-1CYPBAPi488-em3xj2l2NKXdBVTOrC9aR/s1600/Mad-Scientist-Cvr_091312-199x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><br />The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination edited by John Joseph Adams</b><br />
<br />
The title captures the mood for this anthology: fun, fun, fun. While the initial set of stories could be jolting as the authors unaninmously use the word "mad scientist," this feeling eventually goes away as it makes room for less-obvious narratives. Also helpful in the anthology are the introductions by the editor, which provides insight into the story without spoiling it. <b>The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination</b> is a refreshing break from tedium.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNlzUlzmSi62DwpEYsbbTj0JcgSeYDJnO4IIGuhch8AifTWXs-be4vGfu2tXXpldmVlHXctC_Oklo_lZbEp8mylaHKqcRJTJaAi0evVpSxjjIkDJG5NTLp2tJUxQofPzB_Dm85kYh6IfW/s1600/Mr-Fox-Helen-Oyeyemi-Penguin.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNlzUlzmSi62DwpEYsbbTj0JcgSeYDJnO4IIGuhch8AifTWXs-be4vGfu2tXXpldmVlHXctC_Oklo_lZbEp8mylaHKqcRJTJaAi0evVpSxjjIkDJG5NTLp2tJUxQofPzB_Dm85kYh6IfW/s1600/Mr-Fox-Helen-Oyeyemi-Penguin.jpeg" height="320" width="203" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi</b><br />
<br />
There's a lot to unpack with <b>Mr. Fox</b>, and that's part of the fun reading Helen Oyeyemi's fiction. Suffice to say, the author successfully juggles various elements like elegant language, holistic characters, and an entertaining narrative with the desconstruction of a popular fairy tale, the life of an author, and the mosaic novel.<br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OjDA2inFYo1uYloJDC-fjp-9WNB-QhOEcGnHFBvYsiDccSmoZBZLCab3lVRl-jg4_bW9hn0TAXPZLa43TRHrrJUdxU-R48oW9RF6jqUwWC0g4VDwUGNkghu8Wn1SNP50qObL_4rwTWMS/s1600/for-web-MAXIMUM-VOLUME-cover-spread-300x442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OjDA2inFYo1uYloJDC-fjp-9WNB-QhOEcGnHFBvYsiDccSmoZBZLCab3lVRl-jg4_bW9hn0TAXPZLa43TRHrrJUdxU-R48oW9RF6jqUwWC0g4VDwUGNkghu8Wn1SNP50qObL_4rwTWMS/s1600/for-web-MAXIMUM-VOLUME-cover-spread-300x442.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
<b><br />Maximum Volume: Best New Philippine Fiction 2014 edited by Angelo R. Lacuesta & Dean Francis Alfar</b><br />
<b><br />Maximum Volume: Best New Philippine Fiction 2014</b> feels like an inverted pyramid, with the lengthier stories frontloaded, yet this setup works. It's actually a rarity in the local publishing scene to find entertaining stories that manage to sustain their momentum past the 2,000-word mark, and several of the stories in the book successfully do so.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-80622188815263578332014-04-10T21:29:00.004+08:002014-04-10T21:29:59.174+08:00Studio Salimbal Comic Writers PanelLast April 6, 2014, Studio Salimbal held a forum for comic creators at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street.<br />
<br />
Here's the recording of the first panel, which featured various comic writers. |<a href="https://app.box.com/s/4w9smsjz6wrk2y7sdsmk">MP3</a>| (35 MB)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-15921173678597875332014-01-05T21:46:00.001+08:002014-01-05T21:46:06.757+08:00Book Log: Locke & Key by Joe Hlil & Gabriel Rodriguez<b>Title:</b> Locke & Key<br />
<b>Authors:</b> Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez<br />
<b>Publisher:</b> IDW<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyG6zwHb3cxTvY3qmMqDKJXhR5fTShOT9Wws9WQLVusVWjbZOr8HCqP1MQe07oBtakmDaURkk0NAMJdGdSj2nmzrXFqXntZxp7D4mkBMzGmQWZ-VjUV4jV066bk7OU7jPULRuet26_NgC/s1600/LockeAndKey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyG6zwHb3cxTvY3qmMqDKJXhR5fTShOT9Wws9WQLVusVWjbZOr8HCqP1MQe07oBtakmDaURkk0NAMJdGdSj2nmzrXFqXntZxp7D4mkBMzGmQWZ-VjUV4jV066bk7OU7jPULRuet26_NgC/s320/LockeAndKey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I read the first volume of <b>Locke & Key</b> back in 2008, when a friend gave it as a Christmas present. It was a satisfying start to a comic series, but I also knew I did not want to get invested until the series was done. Flash forward to 2013 when IDW released the last issue of the series (and the fifth volume has yet to be compiled) and creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez did not disappoint. There's several reasons why the comic works, including a smart and compelling villain, a diverse and multiracial cast (although sadly this does not extend to the main characters), and all-too-human tragedy that rings true.<br />
<br />
I've given away the original volume I got as a present, and this isn't the first time I bought copies of the series (I've given away them too). My personal copies were bought from <a href="http://www.comixology.com/">Comixology</a>, but I continue to buy these physical copies since it's the best way to foist them on people (the same goes for Jeff VanderMeer's <b>Wonderbook</b>, which I've given as gifts multiple times).<br />
<br />
Here's the Head Key from <a href="http://www.skeltoncrewstudio.bigcartel.com/product/legacy-edition-head-key-ii">Skeleton Crew Studio</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM39prknWBvKjlTpDBTqKc6kLvrQVQP5FsJP0o9IV6dDDvvOFu0qLYjCMuJvx9xJdYltDVdkBE_cWO7LEEYfo7OUpp_P6q_RcaDXsiZkrt9ebFH-EGLT5oKdJtEsLYldtsZnYjOS57AcFx/s1600/Head_II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM39prknWBvKjlTpDBTqKc6kLvrQVQP5FsJP0o9IV6dDDvvOFu0qLYjCMuJvx9xJdYltDVdkBE_cWO7LEEYfo7OUpp_P6q_RcaDXsiZkrt9ebFH-EGLT5oKdJtEsLYldtsZnYjOS57AcFx/s1600/Head_II.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-62515896736010775292014-01-05T21:24:00.001+08:002014-01-05T21:24:49.796+08:00Book Log: Wakefield by Nathaniel Hawthorne<b>Title:</b> Wakefield<br />
<b>Author:</b> Nathaniel Hawthorne<br />
<b>Art:</b> Ana Juan<br />
<b>Spanish Translation:</b> Maria Jose Chulia Garcia <br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Nordica Libros<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6VZB8JOnvdxMWR1EWn3UlcEfpJthDVowscWM8vxVgRABJz9nPZP9N14YQeGWP3h6vqpy8BtJ2R90322i7z6OAilnNRaALRLvfDd41hoGDTuJKqSwByTLe3x5etRK2cZz3-lzHqKxq5pV/s1600/wakefield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6VZB8JOnvdxMWR1EWn3UlcEfpJthDVowscWM8vxVgRABJz9nPZP9N14YQeGWP3h6vqpy8BtJ2R90322i7z6OAilnNRaALRLvfDd41hoGDTuJKqSwByTLe3x5etRK2cZz3-lzHqKxq5pV/s320/wakefield.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Wakefield</b> is the first book I managed to read in 2014, although this is really more of a chapbook, with only one story (albeit with a Spanish translation included) in it. I've never heard of the "Wakefield" story before until this particular edition was recommended by <a href="http://www.well-builtcity.com/">Jeffrey Ford</a>. It's a quaint piece, and it's a perfect example of a story that feels like it's speculative fiction without containing fantasy or science fiction elements per se. This particular edition has art by Ana Juan, which accompanies the Spanish text. The original English version is at the end, although it misses out on most of the artwork.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-67698372266422420552014-01-02T21:39:00.001+08:002014-01-02T21:39:11.397+08:00Still Alive... and Picking Up the PiecesI had plans for 2013...<br />
<br />
... but they all went down the drain.<br />
<br />
If you're still reading this blog, thanks for staying for the entire year that it's been inactive.<br />
<br />
I was planning to "leave" the Internet--away from Livejournal, away from various news websites (the death of Google Reader helped speed this up), away from any controversies (and there's a lot in 2013, just like any other year)--and that worked to a certain extent. And if you "turn off" the Internet, life still goes on.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I wasn't really able to accomplish any goals I had set. I only managed to read a measly six books in 2013 for example (although they were all fantastic books and could easily have been my top ten). I didn't get any writing done.<br />
<br />
But I did get to discover a lot about myself. My weaknesses. My flaws. My desires. And I'm genuinely surprised at everyone who's been supportive, the new friends that I've made, and the people who've stuck around even if I'm undeserving.<br />
<br />
So if you're still reading this, thanks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-32282778504849712112013-07-29T21:08:00.000+08:002013-07-29T21:15:00.772+08:00Not-About-Writing Interview: John Joseph AdamsI've been gone for the past few months, but to tide you over, here's an interview with <a href="http://www.johnjosephadams.com/">John Joseph Adams</a>, editor of various <a href="http://www.johnjosephadams.com/magazines/">magazines</a> and <a href="http://www.johnjosephadams.com/books/">anthologies</a>. The point of this interview though is to not talk about writing! So without further ado...
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Hi John! I know you're a fan of metal, so what music are you currently listening to?</b><br />
<br />
At any given time, I typically have a group of several albums that functions as my "current listening" playlist; usually, these are the last several albums I've acquired, and thus they're all new to me.<br /><br />Currently, it contains the latest albums by Baroness, Killswitch Engage, Holy Grail, Mutiny Within, Ensiferum, Epica, Firewind, Soilwork, and others. I've also got a singular non-metal entry on the list: Muse's latest. Here's a link to the whole thing: <a href="http://goo.gl/7aQWz">http://goo.gl/7aQWz</a>.<br /><br />The latest Baroness album -- the double album Yellow/Green -- is one of my favorite records...I was going to say in recent memory, but given the number of times I've listened to it I would have to say calling it an "all-time favorite" would be more accurate. I just love the hell out of that album. Their first two albums -- The Red Album and Blue Record -- were both amazing too, but it feels to me like they really elevated their game to another level with Yellow/Green. Arguably Yellow/Green isn't even metal. Red and Blue certainly are -- and probably not particularly accessible metal either -- but Yellow/Green is much more mellow, which doesn't at all detract from how awesome it is, even as a metal fan. <br />
<br />
<b>Could you elaborate on what's the appeal of In Flames for you? How did you first hear about them and what made you listen to them again recently?</b><br /><br />I think I first heard of In Flames courtesy of an MTV2 Headbanger’s Ball compilation CD. I’m pretty sure it was <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMTV2_Headbangers_Ball&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEzIv-HdMxuUtdKCDAX7jbiFVZjxw">this one</a>. Actually, though, now that I think about it, I may have first heard them on a different compilation -- I know I had bought some metal movie soundtracks around then. Looking at this track list for the <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFreddy_vs._Jason_(soundtrack)&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEhxLOP-Xi2UQ8o2F9ON1bAdlJ9lA">soundtrack for Freddy vs. Jason</a> (which I never even saw or had any interest in seeing), I think this must have been where I first heard them. Because before I looked I would have thought that the first In Flames song I heard was either “Trigger” or “Minus.” I’m now pretty sure it was “Trigger,” so I must have discovered them on that Freddy vs. Jason CD. It might have been encountering them subsequently on the Headbanger’s Ball CD that made me decide to check out one of their albums.<br /><br />Those Headbanger’s Ball CDs (there were a couple compilations) really helped me expand my metal horizons. They were all double albums, with the first one being sort of more familiar metal bands (i.e., more commercially successful ones), and the second disc was full of bands that were more underground types, on smaller labels. I ended up discovering a ton of bands because of those CDs, including several bands that are now among my favorites: Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Lamb of God, Arch Enemy...<br /><br />Although I usually only have recent additions to my library on my playlist, occasionally I'll rotate older material back into my playlist; for instance, I went to an In Flames concert a couple of months ago -- which was awesome, by the way -- and prior to that I sort of binged on In Flames for the weeks leading up to it, and added their most recent albums to my regular playlist for a while. When I go to see a concert, I like to be really familiar with the band’s material ahead of time. And of course I’ve listened to all of In Flames’s discography a ton, but I hadn’t in a while, so I wanted to make sure they were all fresh in my mind.<br /><br />As for what I like about In Flames, I’m not really sure how to answer the question, largely because I never did quite figure out how to write or even talk about music. I tried taking a music review class once in an effort to figure it out (since I seem inclined to turn my hobbies and interests into work), but I couldn’t quite get the hang of it. It probably doesn’t help that when I read reviews of music they almost never actually give me much of a sense what the band is like, unless they compare them to some other band I already know. If I were to take a stab at trying to explain, though, I guess I would say that what I like about In Flames--and more generally what I tend to like about the metal that I like--is the blistering guitarwork and the dynamic ebb and flow of the melody and the vocals as they alternate between harsh and mellow. Lyrics are kind of an afterthought for me when it comes to music, which is probably one of the reasons I connect to metal so much since it’s often so hard to understand what they’re saying. I may just be musically or tonally impaired, but I have a terrible time actually understanding the lyrics in MOST songs, even pop songs where they’re just singing, so not being able to understand the shouting and screaming vox in metal isn’t a big deal to me. Sometimes I seek out the lyrics so I can read along as I listen, when I have a band or album that I really like, and it’s cool to discover that the songs I like so much actually have cool lyrical content too. But I’m just as often disappointed to discover that the songs I like are either vapid or just don’t make much sense. So it’s not something I indulge in often. It’s usually better to just think I know what the song’s about based on the limited amount of the lyrics I can decipher on my own. <br />
<br />
<b>And speaking of the Baroness, not a lot of musicians (especially in these post-iTunes era) release double albums. In what situations do you think are they apt, especially when it comes to the packaging, the track sequence, etc.?</b><br /><br />I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. In the case of Baroness, I can’t really tell the difference between Yellow and Green stylistically or musically--the songs all sound like they’re part of the same album to me. Actually it’s funny, because I mentioned how Yellow/Green is so mellow it’s barely even metal at this point, so it occurred to me that one use of a double album could be if, as a band, you wanted to experiment with some wildly different direction (say a metal band doing an album that was much less heavy), they could do one part as a regular album and have the other part be the experimental album.<br /><br />I have another double album, from Dark Tranquillity, that is one part a B-side compilation and one part a live album, so that’s another way to do it. I’m actually really glad they did that as it kind of opened me up to buying live albums more often, as I previously hadn’t liked a whole lot of them. That one, though, is amazing, and I actually prefer listening to those versions of the songs to the studio versions in some cases. (Pantera’s live album is a similar case; that version of “Cemetery Gates” is hands down the definitive version of the song in my mind.)<br /><br />All this talk of double albums kind of makes me want to do a series of “double anthos.” They could be done up Ace Doubles-style, and one side would be original stories, and the other side would be reprints. Although actually I guess that’s almost what I do in every issue of <i>Lightspeed </i>(minus the double-sided aspect). Whoa. I just blew my own mind.<br />
<br />
<b>Speaking of Ace Double-styles, I hear some editors talk about them (never saw them on my end because genre books were scarce here back then). Did you read a lot of them? Were they books your sister passed on to you? Why do you think they're gone now (with the exception of independent publishers who employ that format)?</b><br /><br />I actually never encountered them until I started working in the industry. Without cheating and googling to find out, I couldn’t tell you when they stopped doing those, but it must have been before I started seriously reading SF/F. I expect had I identified as a genre reader earlier, I might have encountered them, as I do think they were around in the ‘80s. Though I--and a lot of people--often refer to them as “Ace Doubles” some other publishers did them too; Tor, for instance. And the format actually does have a name: it’s called “dos-a-dos binding” or “tête-bêche.” <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDos-%25C3%25A0-dos_binding&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZslmHYlpy7BzVdlGdTOzzgZpqhw">Wikipedia</a> has an article about the format that explains it all pretty well.<br /><br />I don’t really know why they’re gone now. I assume it’s just because that format stopped being successful commercially. It seems like it’s such a great idea, though, because it allows authors to write shorter novels and have them still be marketable, and also allows you to pair up a more well-known author and a lesser-known author, to help expose that newer author to a wider audience. I guess there are some issues with shelving such things though; where do you shelve it, and how does anyone looking for the “B Side” know how to find it in the store? That kind of problem would probably be irrelevant with online bookshopping, though, so, who knows? Maybe we’ll see them become popular again some time soon.<br />
<br />
<b>You recently moved from New Jersey to California. How is it going for you so far? What's the biggest adjustment you had to make?</b><br /><br />It’s going great. I moved to the Central Coast of California because I met and fell in love with the lovely and talented Christie Yant. Location-wise, I guess the biggest adjustment has just been the lack of local culture that I had ready access to when I lived so close to Manhattan. But overall it’s been a definite upgrade; where I live, there’s just basically nice weather all the time; it never snows here, and I really hate snow so that’s a real plus for me.<br /><br />And we’re not THAT far from culture if I really want it; we live about two and a half hours from Los Angeles by car, and an hour away from Santa Barbara. Plus there’s always conventions to help fill that socialization void, and of course since Christie is also immersed in genre publishing, I can also talk with her whenever I want and so that also basically negates that loss. And earlier this year Christie’s sister Kate moved in with us (after Christie’s eldest, Danni--now an adult--moved up to San Francisco). Like Christie and I, Kate’s also a huge geek and into genre publishing (she’s an aspiring writer). Heck, even the little one, Grace (who is almost eleven), is a big geek, and as I sit here answering this question, she’s working on her Harry Potter fan-fic story. So we basically have a little convention right here in our house whenever we want one<br /><br />Otherwise, the biggest adjustment has been that I went from being single to having not just a girlfriend but a whole family, since Christie has two kids. So that was kind of a big deal, but it’s all gone really well, largely I think because we’re all awesome people. And then, of course, Christie and I got married--at the same place in Reno where George R. R. Martin got married!--and so now I’m a stepdad, though honestly that transition seemed even easier just because it seemed so natural.<br />
<br />
<b>Is there anything you miss from New Jersey? How about something that you really look forward to in California (aside from your new family)?</b><br /><br />There’s nothing really I miss from New Jersey specifically, except that my mom still lives there, so I miss her. Otherwise, though, there’s nothing really about New Jersey I miss except its proximity to Manhattan and all its culture.<br /><br />Here in California, I’m mostly just looking forward to never having to shovel snow again, and maybe a periodic trip or two down to Disneyland and Universal Studios with the family.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-33748332816516314942013-06-25T07:21:00.000+08:002013-06-25T07:21:26.914+08:00Blogs of Note<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.genevievevalentine.com/2013/06/dealing-with-it/">Dealing With It</a></li>
<li><a href="http://storify.com/charlesatan/kate-elliott-on-sf-civility">Kate Elliott on SF Civility</a></li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-35259746155619195652013-06-20T07:38:00.000+08:002013-06-20T07:38:23.010+08:00Call for Submissions: Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.9<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BQ_51el_wU5cPU3I-wAW_-iGiT-v7bb1k5llNkNJKoTa_3DDjaIKFtnrHEifFePrp0b-N5CpKqY8maNHrV6e8Me2xrHHAE4ayQfmyGRFlthrWjdyAx13coEIOUWuoBqvUU4752cNkYqR/s1600/PSF+9+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BQ_51el_wU5cPU3I-wAW_-iGiT-v7bb1k5llNkNJKoTa_3DDjaIKFtnrHEifFePrp0b-N5CpKqY8maNHrV6e8Me2xrHHAE4ayQfmyGRFlthrWjdyAx13coEIOUWuoBqvUU4752cNkYqR/s320/PSF+9+Image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
Editors Andrew Drilon and Charles Tan invite you to submit short fiction for consideration for Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 9.<br /><br />Philippine Speculative Fiction is a yearly anthology series, which collects a wide range of stories that define, explore, and sometimes blur the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all things in between. The anthology has been shortlisted for the Manila Critics’ Circle National Book Award, and multiple stories from each volume have been cited in roundups of the year’s best speculative fiction across the globe.<br /><br />First-time authors are more than welcome to submit; good stories trump literary credentials any time.<br /><br />Submissions must be:<br />1. speculative fiction—i.e., they must contain strong elements and/or sensibilities of science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism, alternate history, folklore, superheroes, and/or related ‘nonrealist’ genres and subgenres<br />2. written in English<br />3. authored by persons of Philippine ethnicity and/or nationality<br /><br />Submissions are preferred to be:<br />1. original and unpublished<br />2. no shorter than 1,000 words and no longer than 7,500<br />3. written for an adult audience<br />4. featuring a strong Filipino element (a character, setting, theme, plot, etcetera.)<br />In all cases, these preferences can be easily overturned by exceptionally well-written pieces. In the case of previously-published work, if accepted, the author will be expected to secure permission to reprint, if necessary, from the original publishing entity, and to provide relevant publication information.<br /><br />Submission details:<br />1. No multiple or simultaneous submissions—i.e., submit only one story, and do not submit that story to any other publishing market until you have received a letter of regret from us. But we don’t mind if you submit to contests.<br />2. All submissions should be in Rich Text Format (saved under the file extension ‘.rtf’), and emailed to philspecfic9@gmail.com, with the subject line ‘PSF9 submission’.<br />3. The deadline for submissions is 11 pm, Manila time, October 26, 2013. Letters of acceptance or regret will be sent out no later than one month after the deadline.<br /><br />Editors’ notes:<br />1. Please don’t forget to indicate your real name in the submission email! If you want to write under a pseudonym, that’s fine, but this can be discussed upon story acceptance. Initially, we just need to know who we’re talking to.<br />2. If you’d like to write a cover letter with your brief bio and publishing history (if applicable), do feel free to introduce yourself—but not your story, please. If it needs to be explained, it’s probably not ready to be published.<br />3. We advise authors to avoid fancy formatting—this will just be a waste of your time and ours, since we will, eventually, standardize fonts and everything else to fit our established house style.<br /><br />Authors of selected stories will receive Php500 pesos in compensation, as well as digital copies of the book.<br /><br />Please help spread the word! Feel free to copy this and paste it anywhere you see fit that happens to be legal.<br /><br /><br />Thanks,<br />Andrew Drilon and Charles Tan, co-editorsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-7943240014966091312013-05-26T09:27:00.000+08:002013-05-26T09:27:23.313+08:00Why I Stopped Choosing with My Heart<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-PH</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You meet
someone new. You get along.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Somewhere
along the way, you fall in love. You don’t always know what triggers it: a
favorite song, a poem they share, a book they like.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You think
it’s too good to be true. And it is. They get mad at you, even if you don’t immediately
know what caused it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you’re
lucky, they talk to you again. You get to know them more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You start
seeing the cracks. You have a list of people you’ll never date. You make an
exception.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
They get angry,
again. You’re both too different:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You’re
brutally honest, logical, persistent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
They’re
sensitive, moody, evasive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
They hurt
you, because you care. You hurt them, because your words strike true.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You want to
solve the problem. They don’t want to talk about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You learn
patience, when you yearn for compromise. They learn forgiveness, when they
yearn for acceptance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You cope by
crying yourself to sleep, writing letters that never get read, and rereading
the scant words they left.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You get more
chances than you deserve but you squander it by conveying how much you’ve been
hurt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You realize too
late that to save the friendship, you need to shut up, swallow your pride, and
sacrifice your heart.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-88843290384136456262013-05-26T07:13:00.002+08:002013-05-26T07:13:29.404+08:00Call for Submissions - VOLUME: An Anthology of Contemporary Fiction Edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Angelo R. Lacuesta<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">VOLUME
holds several meanings. First, that there is an abundant amount of
excellent fiction in English currently being written by the younger
generations. Second, that these stories must be read and shared. And
third, that they deserve a place in bookcases and classrooms all ov<span class="text_exposed_show">er the country. <br /> <br />
VOLUME 1 will be the first book in an anthology series that will
showcase fiction by Filipino writers, age 45 and under, selected without
regard for boundaries or genres. VOLUME 1 will be launched in September
2013.<br /> <br /> Submission Guidelines<br /> <br /> 1. Submissions are open to all Filipino citizens 45 years and younger as of the end of 2013.<br />
2. Submit only original unpublished short fiction written in English.
‘Unpublished’ is defined as not having previously appeared in part or in
full in any print or digital media (including online refereed markets,
blogs or any social media).<br /> 3. No multiple submissions. Submit only one piece of fiction for consideration.<br /> 4. Short stories only. Open theme, any genre. <br /> 5. Story word count cannot exceed 7500 words. Our preferred word count is in the range of 3500 to 5000 words.<br /> 6. Submissions should be formatted as Word Document files (.doc, .docx) or in Rich Text Format (.rtf) in simple fonts.<br /> 7. Submissions must be accompanied by a cover letter that includes your name, your preferred byline and contact information.<br /> 8. Send your submissions to dean@kestrel.ph or sargelacuesta@gmail.com. We will confirm receipt of your work within 24 hours.<br />
9. Deadline for submissions is midnight of June 30, 2013. Our reading
period begins immediately afterwards. Letters of acceptance or regret
will follow.<br /> 10. Contributors will be paid Php5000.00, as well as 2
copies of the book, for the exclusive first print rights to their story,
as part of the anthology. <br /> <br /> We look forward to your stories and appreciate your help in spreading the word.<br /> <br /> Dean Francis Alfar & Angelo R. Lacuesta<br /> Editors</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-85785975098195244412013-05-10T08:01:00.000+08:002013-05-10T08:01:17.392+08:0010 Stories for My Future LoverDear future crush/girlfriend/fiance/wife,<br />
<br />
I love science fiction. I believe in time travel. This is my past self sending you a missive into the future. <br />
<br />
By this time, you'll know that I'm horrible with words. But I do love stories, and if there's anything you can take away from our relationship, hopefully it's these:<br />
<br />
<b>Who I Was Missing Before I Met You</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://dailysciencefiction.com/hither-and-yon/slipstream/peter-m-ball/say-zucchini-and-mean-it">"Say Zucchini, and Mean It"</a> by Peter M. Ball<br />
<br />
<b>Why I Never Gave Up </b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://youmightfindyourself.com/post/22131227213/on-seeing-the-100-perfect-girl-one-beautiful-april">"On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning"</a> by Haruki Murakami<br />
<br />
<b>Is it Too Good to be True?</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.starshipsofa.com/anthology/">"The Empire of Ice Cream"</a> by Jeffrey Ford<br />
<br />
<b>For The Days When We Drift Apart</b> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.apex-magazine.com/the-rapid-advance-of-sorrow/">"The Rapid Advance of Sorrow" by Theodora Goss</a> by Theodora Goss<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>When You Leave Me for the First Time</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://philippinespeculativefiction.com/casocot.html">"The Sugilanon of Epefania's Heartbreak"</a> by Ian Rosales Casocot<br />
<br />
<b>I'll Support You</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/science-fiction/for-solo-cello-op12/">"For Solo Cello, op.12"</a> by Mary Robinette Kowal <br />
<br />
<b>Making Sense of It All</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.kijjohnson.com/26_monkeys.htm">"26 Monkeys and the Abyss"</a> by Kij Johnson<br />
<br />
<b>Hopefully It Never Comes to This</b> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/johnson_10_09/">"Spar"</a> by Kij Johnson<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Read In Case of Emergency</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/20020204/little_gods.shtml">"Little Gods"</a> by Tim Pratt<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>All of This is an Illusion</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030106/estrellas.shtml">"L'Aquilone du Estrellas (The Kite of Stars)"</a> by Dean Francis Alfar<br />
<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
The Butcher Boy<br />
<b> </b> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-29078391077424224712013-05-02T08:09:00.000+08:002013-05-02T08:11:00.116+08:00Essay: Teaching Science FictionJulia Rios posed a question the other day: <i>What would you consider the most important texts to teach in a class about SF/F?</i> (Strangely enough, I didn't see the fantasy part, and interpreted it as limited to just science fiction.) <i>Assume the reader is unfamiliar, and that you are limited to 5 novels/novellas and 5 novelettes/short stories.</i><br />
<br />
There
were, of course, the standard disclaimers (scope, audience, agenda,
etc.), but what Julia was asking was really a person question: if you
were given a chance to create a curriculum, without limits aside from
the parameters above, what texts would you select? It's your choice on
which particular topic to select, whether it's the classics, gender,
colonialism, etc.<br />
<br />
Again, I neglected to notice the
fantasy part, so as I pondered the question, I limited myself to science
fiction (despite the fact that I believe fantasy and science fiction
aren't that different from each other).<br />
<br />
What appeals to
me are stories that tackle human nature so if there's an agenda behind
my selection, is that. And since we're given limitations of 5
novels/novellas and 5 novelettes/short stories, I want to juxtapose them
and show readers how the form of one interacts, and how different (or
similar) it is to the other.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJONRnvw4QW26IKP8f-KMdrQWMRF1UHz98sZaTuG_n6yQZ6cR1EteD2lLEn2UKfmiuEojE036qshitoJHVvHXIIiTNX0Pwhh1auy8Xoa5ixYz9De7B348ADQve1x-BdJwP3uDsnToXnQ_/s1600/dispossessed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJONRnvw4QW26IKP8f-KMdrQWMRF1UHz98sZaTuG_n6yQZ6cR1EteD2lLEn2UKfmiuEojE036qshitoJHVvHXIIiTNX0Pwhh1auy8Xoa5ixYz9De7B348ADQve1x-BdJwP3uDsnToXnQ_/s1600/dispossessed.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin and <i>The Dispossessed</i> by Ursula K. Le Guin</b><br />
<br />
I'd
start with Le Guin's short story: it's brief, concise, and there's lots
of elements for the reader to parse out. It's a dystopian story but
that's left for readers to decide (and an important question is whether
they would want to live in such a world). <i>The Dispossessed</i>, on the other hand,<b> </b>is
its opposite: it's probably a more difficult read but Le Guin is more
direct here. You have two supposedly utopian/dystopian societies, but is
that really the case?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0tKeIb7GKBn9a6GUTDr-JzSrfy1CWMfgbHf6ExjT-cv7IBYvlNKF6MH1wXB2blKfgcR3W5CemdM7jP6qDFU04CwN3j6eB8xSBifVoMgkZEe4_zegRNRcA537eGK58GFXmNIR69MvmqX8/s1600/20100907-enders-game.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0tKeIb7GKBn9a6GUTDr-JzSrfy1CWMfgbHf6ExjT-cv7IBYvlNKF6MH1wXB2blKfgcR3W5CemdM7jP6qDFU04CwN3j6eB8xSBifVoMgkZEe4_zegRNRcA537eGK58GFXmNIR69MvmqX8/s320/20100907-enders-game.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>"Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and <i>Ender's Game</i> by Orson Scott Card</b><br />
<br />
There's
three points I want to highlight by this selection. The first is the
story itself: do the ends justify the means? Is ignorance truly an
excuse? Is there such a thing as an <a href="http://www4.ncsu.edu/%7Etenshi/Killer_000.htm">innocent killer</a>?
The second is the format: in the transition from novelette to novel,
what were the elements that were added? Does this enhance the story or
detract from it? And then there's my third point: knowing Card's
homophobia, how does this change the way you react to the text or shape
the way you read it?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmauB2Kx-z9z587kDRFAWlWTJK-pJ7-FfVJIagkELzPStzWs1LPraah_QLPgNma8I9zr11xEnYxzMAhE7DQztwLS7aaLjAE7UgDPKDsx6bySUbgnuCTIRwSBS4leGsUwMfwBqwKKDIUw5q/s1600/Isaac-Asimovs-Foundation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmauB2Kx-z9z587kDRFAWlWTJK-pJ7-FfVJIagkELzPStzWs1LPraah_QLPgNma8I9zr11xEnYxzMAhE7DQztwLS7aaLjAE7UgDPKDsx6bySUbgnuCTIRwSBS4leGsUwMfwBqwKKDIUw5q/s320/Isaac-Asimovs-Foundation.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i>Foundation</i> by Isaac Asimov and "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang</b><br />
<br />
In
the first pair of texts, what's discussed is society; in the second,
the individual, and how they are manipulated into their role. For this
choice, I wanted to transition to determinism. <i>Foundation</i> is an
interesting choice for me because it's really a bunch of short stories
rebranded as a novel. Would the readers consider them as short stories
or novels? The way society is manipulated in the stories is also an
interesting talking point. "Story of Your Life," on the other hand,
shifts from the larger society to the individual (and it's a stark
contrast from the detached point of view of Asimov to the very personal
story that Chiang chooses to employ). And Chiang brings up several
important points, especially language.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://kenliu.name/binary/liu_the_man_who_ended_history.pdf">"The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary" by Ken Liu</a> and <a href="http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/johnson_10_09/">"Spar"</a> by Kij Johnson</b><br />
<br />
What
I like about these stories is that they're modern and they're very
personal. Liu's protagonist rebels against prevalent society, and the narrative is told in such a way that it's viewed from different perspectives. Which is apt given the omniscient, single view a lot of stories have. And it's a story that revolves around society. "Spar" also requires reading the text beyond the surface, and digging deep into it. It's also a story where there's an implied society (whether the protagonist or the alien), as opposed to being at the forefront. And in both pieces, there's a return to the individual, although the choice of perspective differs.<br />
<br />
<div class="post-header">
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-9176102810634591982" itemprop="description articleBody">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKTqzyC2zgdmqBxB_OuY4J_Sp0yZtKt9RuswESLchyAozmpDcp7CBw6EGIU-WI3U5WrI_QVLBTG-_wmfguV7sz0RyMK4ZZ09OTvlT17VIWvMusS_MygH1yhebCDS6gRxaijyZycI-rfw/s1600/nextcont_250x396.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475346034011579282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKTqzyC2zgdmqBxB_OuY4J_Sp0yZtKt9RuswESLchyAozmpDcp7CBw6EGIU-WI3U5WrI_QVLBTG-_wmfguV7sz0RyMK4ZZ09OTvlT17VIWvMusS_MygH1yhebCDS6gRxaijyZycI-rfw/s400/nextcont_250x396.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 396px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i>The Next Continent</i> by Issui Ogawa and "The Pelican Bar" by Karen Joy Fowler</b><br />
<br />
I chose <i>The Next Continent</i> because it's society viewed from the lens of the Japanese, and makes different assumptions while still retaining the sensibilities of utopian science fiction. On the other end of the spectrum is "The Pelican Bar," and it's a story that some might question whether it's science fiction, but also why for me genre boundaries are more interstitial than set in stone.<br />
<br />
What would your curriculum look like? And perhaps more interesting is to ruminate this question with fantasy in mind as well (maybe a future blog post?). Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-38944940351038882472013-05-01T18:45:00.004+08:002013-05-01T18:45:35.223+08:00Promoting Filipino ComicsI've been disheartened lately when it comes to promoting Filipino comics due to a series of unfortunate incidents: a Fed-Ex package sent to a friend abroad encountered a mishap (and it's a tragedy not because of the financial costs, but rather because those were two dozen comics that's difficult to obtain due to the nature of indie comics), the company website's database goes down on the day I started plugging a comic I enjoyed (I suggest Registering first, filling out all the forms, then Logging in before checking out your order), and despite my best attempts to get more female comic creators (you can hear my rant about the lack of female name recognition in <a href="http://flipsidepublishing.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/flipside-podcast-episode-15-komiks-moar-komiks/">this podcast</a>) to participate in the day job's Free Comic Book Day, a lot declined.<br />
<br />
But feeling sorry for myself gets no one anywhere, so here's my last ditch effort. I think there's a lot of interesting, diverse work being done in local comics, but due to small print runs, lack of distribution, and absence of digital copies, it's a huge hurdle to spread awareness of Philippine comics outside of Metro Manila. So it dawned on me to get various comic creators to distribute their work at the <a href="https://www.flipreads.com/">day job's eBookstore</a> for Free Comic Book Day. You can read more about it at the <a href="http://flipreads.blogspot.com/2013/04/free-comic-book-day-at-flipreads.html">company blog</a>, but I wanted to highlight some comics that I think will be of interest to my readers (and what I'll be picking are in English, so you don't have to worry about the translation hurdle):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjogDmYy1pBxaKUPzAv6FpbAzH-U0eY0Ky_sebop0UTQCiDrOl0TBFk9lHKhnIk9q380zI_2E0AVBHugnlSRCcxpvbx5qqyYa7HSsfip4c8r9X5TwZBvqbAyqbhxKWlsayHbAKaoKnAJ2q/s1600/kuting-259x388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjogDmYy1pBxaKUPzAv6FpbAzH-U0eY0Ky_sebop0UTQCiDrOl0TBFk9lHKhnIk9q380zI_2E0AVBHugnlSRCcxpvbx5qqyYa7HSsfip4c8r9X5TwZBvqbAyqbhxKWlsayHbAKaoKnAJ2q/s320/kuting-259x388.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://flipreads.com/kuting-magiting-1"><b>Kuting Magiting</b></a> by Robert Magnuson</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Despite the title, this is mostly a wordless, all-ages comic in English and highlights the strengths of the comics medium, whether it's the beats, the panels, or the effective use of imagery. If there's one comic I want you to try out, it's this one.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-z2xSHYlVIIR0My8_HSxHv8K3FHutKKCM_0A5p2Hv0Uso01wYkiU6DfsRe08on3buogoHc6iwUxoURrDiH91PVfmxZRQTh1Higya65WSu_6Vn-GdQTZVhUl1yWvpC33AhX207XMlDr_6L/s1600/confused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-z2xSHYlVIIR0My8_HSxHv8K3FHutKKCM_0A5p2Hv0Uso01wYkiU6DfsRe08on3buogoHc6iwUxoURrDiH91PVfmxZRQTh1Higya65WSu_6Vn-GdQTZVhUl1yWvpC33AhX207XMlDr_6L/s320/confused.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://flipreads.com/confused-1">Confused Volume 1</a></b> by Trizha Ko</div>
While admittedly not the most polished work in terms of visuals, there's a rawness and willingness to tackle taboo subjects in this comic. It has a solid feminist bent that's lacking in the local comics scene, and hopefully others will give it a chance.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOyY7flkfHfG5HgbB3C7fX00z9VZTRmXO3P9q40DO4T6DtLGP3AClrDk5Z6DPgtjNOOi-9X3SiNaKwQKkemZt5DdCDvgACEeLOBf0InGBWmxFCZ-NHSn49WpDo4F0xZ2801zI5OtYs9lR/s1600/bakemonohigh_recess-259x388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOyY7flkfHfG5HgbB3C7fX00z9VZTRmXO3P9q40DO4T6DtLGP3AClrDk5Z6DPgtjNOOi-9X3SiNaKwQKkemZt5DdCDvgACEeLOBf0InGBWmxFCZ-NHSn49WpDo4F0xZ2801zI5OtYs9lR/s320/bakemonohigh_recess-259x388.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://flipreads.com/bakemono-high-recess">Bakemono High: Recess</a></b> by Elbert Or</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This one's an all-ages comic from my best friend. I wouldn't say it's high art, but definitely one that features amusing, self-contained strips.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2F7C97KPPoO78n8YbXjKpnkIIizCMkdAmlIFmpjw7_RX2ZAioShI8c6LqQXikN9_0ZZu4J67qGoqR1miviVX4W0PKhsrRPzgSY2jga7lI6ZRSv30npcaJzAmFkMyr1OV0_IPjSF1ovSq/s1600/sky+gypsies-259x388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2F7C97KPPoO78n8YbXjKpnkIIizCMkdAmlIFmpjw7_RX2ZAioShI8c6LqQXikN9_0ZZu4J67qGoqR1miviVX4W0PKhsrRPzgSY2jga7lI6ZRSv30npcaJzAmFkMyr1OV0_IPjSF1ovSq/s320/sky+gypsies-259x388.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://flipreads.com/Skygypsies">Skygypsies</a> </b>by John Raymond Bumanglag & TJ Dimacali</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's not often that I encounter Filipino science fiction stories, so here's a comic that's just that.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljlNwOKBEwuSxxoBZMjBxGH5HBoq510g_Kjr7_CGSscJxZvHpJBQiCPtAONWPRp0XozpeO6fzm4g5R3rMRs5H7-IufKRdSItBYk11QiNyqh2wLAPANjGGS8DlQLtTsUlV46LNsd8O8yqI/s1600/mythspace-259x388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljlNwOKBEwuSxxoBZMjBxGH5HBoq510g_Kjr7_CGSscJxZvHpJBQiCPtAONWPRp0XozpeO6fzm4g5R3rMRs5H7-IufKRdSItBYk11QiNyqh2wLAPANjGGS8DlQLtTsUlV46LNsd8O8yqI/s320/mythspace-259x388.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://flipreads.com/Mythspace-Sampler"><b>Mythspace: Free Comic Book Day Sampler 2013</b></a> by Paolo Chikiamco, Koi Carreon, Cristina Rose Chua, Jules Gregorio, Paul Quiroga, Borg Sinaban, Mico Dimagiba</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My main problem with this is that it's a sampler (rather than a self-contained comic), but if you're interested in a Filipino folklore-inspired science fiction comic, here's a preview of what we're capable of. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-87947093823692795672013-04-21T20:44:00.000+08:002013-04-21T20:44:04.216+08:00Not a Review: Summer Komikon 2013 Stash (Part 1)Not to be confused with a review, here's my initial thoughts on some comics I got during the recent Summer Komikon:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMhYz1PtJ-uAvBIaycRbaQtGK2e5Z_Dbv8DLipYbrUxePw425MuFznhgoVueNgmGhb8RW4CoosgN6X7lVb4atgjLwXqc2VrbUZm8VuwEwbWV2bWSjCdcGr25ISkn_ViXXIAkAD64Xq4j8/s1600/kuting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMhYz1PtJ-uAvBIaycRbaQtGK2e5Z_Dbv8DLipYbrUxePw425MuFznhgoVueNgmGhb8RW4CoosgN6X7lVb4atgjLwXqc2VrbUZm8VuwEwbWV2bWSjCdcGr25ISkn_ViXXIAkAD64Xq4j8/s320/kuting.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Hero Kitten: Kuting Magiting by Robert Magnuson</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It's simple and straight-forward in terms of plot, but <i><b>Kuting Magiting</b></i> is nonetheless heartwarming. Don't let the simplicity fool you, however, as this elegance is proof of how meticulous and skillful Magnuson is when it comes to the comics format, best illustrated by this panel:</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgidx3JgIHOURYKzY4qdzB9YTQFdekEumGOZP55WsWYKR8jCBOCTggLC19LTGxu5yyB-uxT9fzcNWxJF7K7hLr9Cs9ePfuK6-tGEstHyHhl1TxjtUKqCrGo0565lSt8nQhiKkDRjx1NOu/s1600/kuting_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgidx3JgIHOURYKzY4qdzB9YTQFdekEumGOZP55WsWYKR8jCBOCTggLC19LTGxu5yyB-uxT9fzcNWxJF7K7hLr9Cs9ePfuK6-tGEstHyHhl1TxjtUKqCrGo0565lSt8nQhiKkDRjx1NOu/s320/kuting_09.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzImIHvSAoSAGdg-IRpgOAVaAI-m6BywtR-sKsHi0fqhfgPVf8On_xkaXm8MzKW-_7szJpRDLIJi_CzMfGIEsGYzS4DJehd3efeGTtl7rdW3Ck1NnKFd_jqxwgbzm-lYgOabgp4bG2H9JZ/s1600/whoisac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzImIHvSAoSAGdg-IRpgOAVaAI-m6BywtR-sKsHi0fqhfgPVf8On_xkaXm8MzKW-_7szJpRDLIJi_CzMfGIEsGYzS4DJehd3efeGTtl7rdW3Ck1NnKFd_jqxwgbzm-lYgOabgp4bG2H9JZ/s320/whoisac.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<b>Who is AC? by Hope Larson (writer) and Tintin Pantoja (illustrator)</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Black-and-white with a touch of pink is a nice touch, but what caught my attention is how modern and apt <i><b>Who is AC?</b></i> feels. While there's lots of formulaic elements, what turns it around is Larson's mastery of characterization and voice of her teen characters.<b> </b>This graphic novel however is a setup for a series, and I hope it gets continued. Besides, where else do we get to read an American comic that a) is targeted at teens, b) prominently features a female person-of-color as a protagonist, c) written and drawn by female comic creators.</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2S6uvFOUbSIL_poDi7gIVqc4GzBMwABechyphenhyphennXfjAp9QXY6pipwAx4lV7KiMy9mDWbPT6jcEwETRyJ-qF1Z7jgSmZZ7dpVWvrf9WM0t_WOh_XAL_udCXpKFQ5OeoRQ_GWNeTkZUkaPcn_/s1600/maskot_cover_by_mac0y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2S6uvFOUbSIL_poDi7gIVqc4GzBMwABechyphenhyphennXfjAp9QXY6pipwAx4lV7KiMy9mDWbPT6jcEwETRyJ-qF1Z7jgSmZZ7dpVWvrf9WM0t_WOh_XAL_udCXpKFQ5OeoRQ_GWNeTkZUkaPcn_/s320/maskot_cover_by_mac0y.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Ang Maskot by Macoy</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Snappy and upbeat, <b><i>Ang Maskot</i></b> captures an element of the Filipino zeitgeist and weaves an adult narrative around it without falling into the temptation of cynicism. While it doesn't have as much depth as <i><b>School Run</b></i> (and appropriately so since this is a self-contained story), it highlights many of the strenghts of Macoy's comics.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYn9CHUBYhkVpiFh1w6CDS7bK2PcMEcvFUnqQQdeq1q34lvqt1_lJey0s1hgiwmD8S2EmFKelElYZJQXaTw127BKQgE6v42PxETtiKSKKB3wiksE2SIZTPddHCCSE6Cksiikg6ZFVH1S2q/s1600/maskot_sample_page_1_by_mac0y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYn9CHUBYhkVpiFh1w6CDS7bK2PcMEcvFUnqQQdeq1q34lvqt1_lJey0s1hgiwmD8S2EmFKelElYZJQXaTw127BKQgE6v42PxETtiKSKKB3wiksE2SIZTPddHCCSE6Cksiikg6ZFVH1S2q/s320/maskot_sample_page_1_by_mac0y.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
</blockquote>
<b> </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPE7AJ6DAX6dkPk0bD72ySnKlVfikuVYLAPMwoCLg184UuHMy0F9wRpbc2bbz4OxWKcqQ-m91ywcS441lZZMEzB-32yZEAvWRGtY2evC8lZMSLlYA2DsxdIAUPIgdEylfIBVqJfePyWUH/s1600/school_run_working_cover_by_mac0y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPE7AJ6DAX6dkPk0bD72ySnKlVfikuVYLAPMwoCLg184UuHMy0F9wRpbc2bbz4OxWKcqQ-m91ywcS441lZZMEzB-32yZEAvWRGtY2evC8lZMSLlYA2DsxdIAUPIgdEylfIBVqJfePyWUH/s320/school_run_working_cover_by_mac0y.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<b> </b><br />
<b>School Run (Part 1 ~ 5) by Macoy</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There's a lot to love about Macoy's <b><i>School Run</i></b>. The art alone is an interesting juxtaposition between the bleak setting and iconic characters. But don't let the simplicity fool you: over the course of each issue, Macoy packs depth into his characters, at the same time imagining a setting that organically resonates with Philippine pop culture, such as the parallelism between the zombie outbreak and typhoons (<i>"Signal #1 Laaang? Sayang!"</i>). Or something as simple as naming a cat as Catniss.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8R1jhsVq1OzcbM-LBCVjFjzgKiIVzJ4BzWIG0_5VsUXom4bcgo9G4fPXqGuqSeZprMoi2hhkEcPYj_hjWMVLJZC9zX_Z6KGPYQ7EHjgu7JxLaMv79T0kphD9Kio4FBO7jDO-3jmlYR2U/s1600/school_run_1__page_3_by_mac0y.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8R1jhsVq1OzcbM-LBCVjFjzgKiIVzJ4BzWIG0_5VsUXom4bcgo9G4fPXqGuqSeZprMoi2hhkEcPYj_hjWMVLJZC9zX_Z6KGPYQ7EHjgu7JxLaMv79T0kphD9Kio4FBO7jDO-3jmlYR2U/s320/school_run_1__page_3_by_mac0y.png" width="207" /></a></div>
</blockquote>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM7i0Vib35RnX5mRZHeQ7eppDFBZi43zD7BgX0RJgH8AZEQ8LJKfChhc_msLZoeloGZX4vZEjHXc6cJR53bwJdscxjUKuCtSLVJ9iw1hFbvtBsFBrcC0HoQss5YVzN4cfNkMrnI6u7jPd/s1600/DARK+COLONY+BOOK+1-+FRONT+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM7i0Vib35RnX5mRZHeQ7eppDFBZi43zD7BgX0RJgH8AZEQ8LJKfChhc_msLZoeloGZX4vZEjHXc6cJR53bwJdscxjUKuCtSLVJ9iw1hFbvtBsFBrcC0HoQss5YVzN4cfNkMrnI6u7jPd/s320/DARK+COLONY+BOOK+1-+FRONT+COVER.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b> </b><br />
<b>Mikey Recio & The Secret of The Demon Dungeon by Budjette Tan, Bow Guerrero, J.B. Tapia</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The art is undeniably gorgeous and the setting makes great use of the Philippines, but ultimately, this IS a prologue, so the question is whether the team of Tan, Guerrero, and Tapia can sustain the momentum and flesh out the narrative before George R. R. Martin releases the last novel of <b>A Song of Ice and Fire</b>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nK-r48Gvs7cCGYLbW6ZLpMQlsNzI5NQT7vrd4Yil1BQYokT_kRZHIIxdar6A26uYsWxcEaQBAgAzX8Pai-D9AxdSs1OEGsKjMMa6RLPf0orLfR4Wl0rLFfYxfHYu1a666ZydSYnOF1nR/s1600/DARK+COLONY+BOOK+I0075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nK-r48Gvs7cCGYLbW6ZLpMQlsNzI5NQT7vrd4Yil1BQYokT_kRZHIIxdar6A26uYsWxcEaQBAgAzX8Pai-D9AxdSs1OEGsKjMMa6RLPf0orLfR4Wl0rLFfYxfHYu1a666ZydSYnOF1nR/s320/DARK+COLONY+BOOK+I0075.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
</blockquote>
<b> </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTbR2T7PPTgRhhG6bFxpJ9_ourJGvOlfBq_Y-EugbEH-sFafTAYntb3MWRXu95fhbduKUg9SuY4-17MPg6A2q7ZTpHJDui7LjteLejtwvyMepNmIsARQ14O9WOJZ4F7P9HPOEEDxCsGYr/s1600/fhl_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTbR2T7PPTgRhhG6bFxpJ9_ourJGvOlfBq_Y-EugbEH-sFafTAYntb3MWRXu95fhbduKUg9SuY4-17MPg6A2q7ZTpHJDui7LjteLejtwvyMepNmIsARQ14O9WOJZ4F7P9HPOEEDxCsGYr/s320/fhl_02.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<b>The Filipino Heroes League Book Two: The Sword by Paolo Fabregas</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The previous volume was honestly problematic and this book still has its flaws, such as its indulgence when it comes to the wish-fulfillment aspect. But that aside, there's a significant improvement in terms of the art (and consistency), and with secret origins done away with, Fabregas keeps the ball rolling and creates an atmosphere similar to a thriller novel. What's interesting for me is how the focus on the political is amped up, and is quite appropriate since this is an election year.<b> </b></blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-8596149018162120642013-04-11T07:08:00.002+08:002013-04-11T07:08:56.974+08:00Why the Bibliophile Stalker is Away<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq80MsnlkDw9hZLcji5aQ-feDsJGaZJv0jzIO5mNGk6MiWEQoHk5264aUBWQ9iSrAQZ_pGXXm594lU9-FzXvOofnv8SeP0s4nRE-zfoyc3J7DLzvtYI88r1IPUV3W9q0Gp6zrNh-pMH_WO/s1600/dota0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq80MsnlkDw9hZLcji5aQ-feDsJGaZJv0jzIO5mNGk6MiWEQoHk5264aUBWQ9iSrAQZ_pGXXm594lU9-FzXvOofnv8SeP0s4nRE-zfoyc3J7DLzvtYI88r1IPUV3W9q0Gp6zrNh-pMH_WO/s320/dota0000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There are two Charles. One reads a lot and writes. The other plays all sorts of games. Both are contemplative and love to strategize. They seldom exist in the same space however. The first Charles could spend years devoting himself to fiction with nary a thought when it comes to games. When the latter emerges, however, there is this overwhelming desire to be the best: why bother pursuing something if you're not going to excel in it?<br /><br />Writing and reading scratches a different itch: the more I write, the more I become aware that I'm lacking in a lot of areas. And that's not necessarily a bad thing: I think style and voice is important for writers, and if you compensate for your weaknesses too much, you might end up with a diluted narrative. Which isn't to say we can't evolve or become better as writers; but the more you develop as a writer, the more evident your shortcomings become.<br /><br />Gaming is different. I love games which have a high skill ceiling and there's much room for growth. In recent years, games that I've become obsessed with include <i>Starcraft II</i>, <i>Dota 2</i>, <i>Eclipse</i>, and <i>Mage Wars</i>. While I may never completely master these games, there's an immediate payoff after a short amount of research, training, and practice: you objectively become better playing these games. While writing and critical reading can be subjective (and some writers are plagued with the inability to judge their own writing: what others consider as their talent is crap to them and vice versa), there are definite goals and rewards in games.<br /><br />Both endeavors, however, require time and effort. It's why I seldom manage to juggle both at any one time (and why extra-curricular activities are sacrificed for the sake of your corresponding passions).<br /><br />For the past few months, the aspect of myself obsessed with games is what's surfaced. In many ways, it's the me that looks for escape, a distraction from everything else. I have my feedback loop: I'm getting better at this, and other people should acknowledge me for my skill.<br /><br />Recently though, I've been facing an emotional slump, and reading-writing is what I eventually fall back upon. It's art, and all the complexity that entails: art can be touching, gripping, and relevant to the challenges I face. But on the other hand, it can also be elusive, abstract, and shrouded in Mystery. There are no fixed rules, roles, or goals in life and fiction for me mimics that. I dislike the statement that writers are liars: for me, they articulate truth, even if it's not necessarily what we immediately perceive as reality.<br /><br />This is me picking up the pieces, rediscovering who I am, rekindling my passion for stories, and coming back to what's meaningful.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
(And on a side note, you should read Theodora Goss's <a href="http://theodoragoss.com/2013/04/09/going-for-real/">Going for Real</a>.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tWYuskbV1-VVkKqJkrRC6ZbZ3yeqVR9xsrAfILY7SVL7MiFyYRGzE9ESbH-oKWDi1lq-c8WtdTo9Wjjqe7mYVQcan5NKqCa1ennGvPpy7EouzwCBZXUzYUezCKmxXbtolusKn0DhU3u8/s1600/queenvictoria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tWYuskbV1-VVkKqJkrRC6ZbZ3yeqVR9xsrAfILY7SVL7MiFyYRGzE9ESbH-oKWDi1lq-c8WtdTo9Wjjqe7mYVQcan5NKqCa1ennGvPpy7EouzwCBZXUzYUezCKmxXbtolusKn0DhU3u8/s320/queenvictoria.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8903848080840259127.post-49179494097122866202013-04-02T06:27:00.000+08:002013-04-02T06:37:31.227+08:00Guest Blog: Architects of Abandoned Cities by Chandler Klang SmithSteven Millhauser’s novella “August Eschenburg” concerns itself with an inventor of performing automatons – a groundbreaking forefather in a field of entertainment that was in short time surpassed by animation and the movies. Historically, Eschenburg’s art form represents the road not taken by popular culture, but for Eschenburg himself, clockwork is the lens through which he sees the world, the only means of communication that can convey his secret heart. A life in which he ceases to build automatons is without meaning or passion. I find figures like this character fascinating, poignant, even haunting. What happens to a person who thinks in a dead language? What happens to an artist whose art form goes out of style?<br />
<br />
In a way, my novel poses this same question about the American circus. Set in the 1960’s, when traveling shows of this kind had long since seen the heyday of its relevance, <i>Goldenland Past Dark</i> concerns itself with two characters for whom the big top is the essential forum for personal expression. The first, Dr. Show, is an impresario past his prime, driven on by ego and delusion even when it becomes clear that the public will never resuscitate the corpse of his career. The second, Webern Bell, is his protégé, a talented and damaged young man with a questionable grip on reality, who finds the emotional landscape of his life only navigable through the surreal clown acts that come to him in dreams. Both characters find peace only in the center ring, but tastes and trends leave them alone in its spotlight, performing for no one. The title of the novel comes from both men’s spiritual home, an abandoned amusement park called Goldenland that they visit one dark and lonely night – a place of faded laughter, long forgotten by most, created decades earlier by a famed toymaker named Kingsley Golden. Walking among its dilapidated rides is like entering the ruined civilization of another man’s mind.<br />
<br />
As a fiction writer in the era of glimmering tablets and effortlessly streaming virtual immersion, I wonder if I too am the tyrannosaur offspring of an extinct world. I suppose only time will tell.<br />
<br />
Chandler Klang Smith is a graduate of Bennington College and the Creative Writing MFA Program at Columbia University, where she received a Writing Fellowship. She lives in New York City. <i>Goldenland Past Dark</i> (ChiZine Publications, March 2013) is her first novel. Learn more about her at <a href="http://www.chandlerklangsmith.com/">www.chandlerklangsmith.com</a>, or find her on Goodreads at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/Chandler_Klang_Smith">www.goodreads.com/Chandler_Klang_Smith</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0