Endicott Redux

2007 Spectrum Award

    

Break out the champagne for Chris Barzak, Joy Parks, and David Gerrold, who have just won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Short Fiction, honoring works of speculative fiction that deal positively with gay characters, themes, and issues. The winning stories are: "The Language of Moths" by Christopher Barzak (from Realms of Fantasy magazine), "Instinct" by Joy Parks (from the anthology The Future is Queer), and "In the Quake Zone" by David Gerrold (from the anthology Down These Dark Spaceways). The Future is Queer, edited by Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel, won in the Other Works category, along with the television series Torchwood and the film V for Vendetta. Congratulations to all concerned. More information can be found here.

"Instructions" and more...

Midori has been valiantly covering this blog solo while I've been down with a truly nasty flu -- and as I'm still shaking the last of a rattling cough out of my lungs, my posting may be a bit sporadic over the next week or so.

This post is to let y'all know that there is now an "Endicott Studio Channel" on YouTube, where we'll be putting videos that we think will be of interest to fans of mythic arts -- such as the Mythic Journeys documentary from the good folks at the Mythic Imaginations Institute, Ben Okri discussing his approach to writing, an A&E biography of J.K. Rowling, a little film on artist Paula Rego, the great June Tabor singing Child Ballad #191: "Hughie Graeme,"  and more. (f you come across other good videos on YouTube, send us a note and let us know.)

The video above is of Neil Gaiman reading his fairy tale poem "Instructions" at Cody's Books in Berkeley, California. Considering his voluminous output of work over the last several years, Ellen Datlow and I will forgive him for forgetting that he actually wrote the poem at our request for our children's fairy tale anthology A Wolf at the Door, where it was first published in 2000. It's my favorite of all his poems, and a real treat to hear him read it.

(While you're on YouTube, if you're a martial arts fan, check out this little video that Howard Gayton made of a tournament/demonstration of our Kung Fu teacher's school, The Dragon Temple, in our village hall in rural Devon.)

Nominees for the World Fantasy Award

                                                                                            Wow, the new list of nominees for the World Fantasy Award is up and it is a fabulous list of books, short fiction and anthologies. A special congratulations to Jeff Ford, nominated in three separate categories, Christopher Rowe for his terrific short story "Another Word for Map Is Faith," Catherynne M. Valente for her brilliant Orphan's Tales, Ellen Kushner for The Privilege of the Sword, and Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow for their anthology Salon Fantastique.

Check here to see the full list of nominees in each category.

Americans for the Arts

Please consider adding your voice to the call to urge Congress to pass the Artist Deduction Bill. You'll find more information about the bill on the excellent Americans for the Arts website. (With thanks to Ellen Kushner for the link.)

The art here is by the American illustrator Maxfield Parrish.

Sad News

Our hearts go out to Michael Bishop (author of Brittle Innings and other fine novels) for the tragic loss of his son Jamie in the shootings at Virginia Tech.

Jamie Bishop, who taught German at Virginia Tech, had earned his BA from Georgia University and had been a Fulbright Scholar in Kiel, Germany (studying Early and Ancient History and Archeology). He was also a photographer, digital artist, and a book illustrator for Golden Gryphon Press, Prime Books, and other publishers. The photograph below is from his beautiful "Red, Gold, Blue" series. You can see more of his work on his Memory39 website. There's an article about Jamie in the Roanoke Times ("Jamie Bishop: He Talked About 'Changing the World With Art' "), and Paul Di Fillipo has posted an excerpt from Michael Bishop's essay "A Reverie for Mister Ray," about reading Ray Bradbury to Jamie as a child.

There are simply no words with which to properly express the deep sadness of this senseless death. Our prayers are with Michael & Jeri Bishop and their family, and with Jamie's wife Stephanie. 

Palestinian Folk Tale Update

Here's some good news regarding the banned book of Palestinian women's folk tales that we reported on earlier this week:

From the AP Wire Service / March 10, 2007 / RAMALLAH, West Bank

"The Hamas-run Education Ministry on Saturday rescinded its decision to pull an anthology of Palestinian folk tales from school libraries and destroy copies, reportedly over mild sexual innuendo, following a widespread public outcry.

"Education Minister Nasser Shaer, of Hamas, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he had not been informed of this week's decision to ban the book, Speak Bird, Speak Again. Some 1,500 copies of the book were destroyed -- the most direct attempt by the militant Muslim group to impose its beliefs on Palestinian society. 'I have decided to correct the illegal measures that were taken regarding disposing the book,' Shaer said.

"A group of prominent intellectuals planned to protest the book ban in Ramallah on Saturday. They said they intended to proceed with the march, even after Shaer's announcement. The 400-page anthology of folk tales narrated by Palestinian women was first published in English in 1989 by the University of California at Berkeley. It was put together by Sharif Kanaana, a novelist and anthropology professor at the West Bank's Bir Zeit University, and by Ibrahim Muhawi, a teacher of Arabic literature and the theory of translation. At the time of the first publication in Arabic, in 2001, the Palestinian Culture Ministry requested 3,000 copies and had them distributed in schools, Kanaana said last week. Kanaana said that two of the 45 tales contained what some might consider vague sexual innuendo, referring to body parts in colloquial Arabic."

For my own part, I've ordered an English-language copy of Speak Bird, Speak Again as my way of supporting the editors' efforts to preserve the folk tales told by Palestinian women.

Women's Folk Tales Banned

This was reported today by the Associated Press: "The Hamas-run Education Ministry has ordered an anthology of Palestinian folk tales pulled from school libraries, reportedly over mild sexual innuendo, the most direct attempt by the Islamic militants to impose their beliefs on Palestinian society. The book ban angered and worried many Palestinians, who have feared that Hamas would use last year's election victory to remake the Palestinian territories according to its hard-line interpretation of Islam.

"The 400-page anthology of 45 folk tales narrated by Palestinian women was first published in English in 1989 by the University of California at Berkeley. It was put together by Sharif Kanaana, a novelist and anthropology professor at the West Bank's Bir Zeit University, and by Ibrahim Muhawi, a teacher of Arabic literature and the theory of translation. Kanaana said Monday he believes 'The Little Bird,' a story in a chapter titled 'Sexual Awakening and Courtship,' was among the reasons the book was banned because it mentions private parts. In their notes, the authors say the bird in the story is a symbol of femininity and that sexual subjects are a principal source of humor in Palestinian folklore.

"West Bank novelist Zakariya Mohammed said he feared Hamas' decision to ban the book Speak Bird, Speak Again was only the beginning and urged intellectuals to act. 'If we don't stand up to the Islamists now, they won't stop confiscating books, songs and folklore,' he said."

Read the full article by Mohammed Daraghmeh and Dalia Nammari here.

World Book Day

   

Today is World Book Day 2007, designated by UNESCO as "a worldwide celebration of books and reading, marked in over 100 countries around the globe. The origins of the day come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St. George’s Day –- a tradition started over 80 years ago."

In the UK and Ireland, a World Book Day survey was conducted to find the ten books (or book series) that people cannot live without. Over 2000 readers voted online, resulting in the following list:

1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2) Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
3) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4) The Harry Potter Books by JK Rowling
5) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6) The Bible
7) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8) 1984 by George Orwell
9) The "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman
10) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

They're still seeking votes for "the ten books you can't live without" on the World Book Day website. Let's try to get some more mythic fiction on their longer list of nominees! Here's a direct link to the voting page. (You don't have to live in the UK to vote.)

   

And the Winners Are....

The World Fantasy Awards for 2006 have been posted and they are as follows:

Life Achievement: John Crowley and Stephen Fabian
Novel: Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore (Harvill, Knopf)
Novella: Joe Hill, Voluntary Committal (Subterranean Press)
Short Fiction: George Saunders, "CommComm" (The New Yorker, 08/01, 2005)
Anthology: The Fair Folk, ed Marvin Kaye (Science Fiction Book CLub)
Collection: Bruce Holland Rogers, The Keyhole Opera (Wheatland Press)
Artist: James Jean
Special Award Professional: Sean Wallace (for Prime Books)
Special Award, Non-Professional: David Howe and Stephen Walker (for Telos Books).

Check here to see the full list of nominees for 2006.

House-trained Goblins Seek Room-mate

Want to own a 16th century fairy tale cottage in England, complete with goblins on the kitchen walls painted by Brian Froud, Alan Lee, Charles Vess and other artists? Here's an extremely rare opportunity to do so. The cottage is located in the middle of a small, bucolic country village at the edge of Dartmoor...perfect for a writer, painter, or dreamer seeking inspiration in the countryside. More information is available on Phillip Fowler's website.

           

John M. Ford

It is with sadness that we learned of the sudden death of John (Mike) Ford, the award-winning author of The Last Hot Time, The Dragon Waiting, and other books. Since yesterday, the internet has become a  community of mourners. Everywhere there have appeared poignant and bittersweet memories of an extraordinary and singular author. I didn't know him well enough to have a story of my own, but after reading reflections by others yesterday and today, I wish, like many of his friends, that I had had more time to do so.

If you are unfamiliar with Mike's work, start here with an Introduction by Will Shetterly. Jane Yolen recalls Mike's incredible (and charming) talent as an author {scroll to the Sept. 25th entry]; Ellen Kushner talks about his famous handwritten letters [scroll down to the Sept. 25th entry]; Neil Gaiman shares Mike's wonderful emails; Kathryn Cramer shares her memories of Mike in those early years in NY; and at Making Light, Teresa and Patrick Nielsen Hayden provide a comprehensive list of recollections by friends, fellow authors, and artists [in various posts from Sept. 25th onward].

Author! Author!

Back in August we reported that Turkish author Elif Shafak had been charged by the Turkish authorities with "offending Turkishness" because of remarks made by a fictional character in her most recent novel, The Bastard of Istanbul (due to be published in the US in 2007). Pregnant with her first child, Elif faced up to three years in prison if convicted. We learned today that she has been cleared of all charges, just a week after the arrival of her new baby girl. Many thanks to all who sent letters on her behalf.

   For those of you in the Michigan area, consider stopping on the campus of Central Michigan University (in the town of Mount Pleasant, about an hour's drive north of Lansing, Michigan) to hear a reading by Ari Berk, co-conspirator and co-creator with Brian Froud of the hilarious and wonderful Goblins! and Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters. Ari will be reading:

"from his curious body of work while perhaps alluding to the Perils and Delights of the commercial writing market. New evidence recently discovered in the damp sub-basement of the Cottington Archive will be exhibited."

It ought to be a hoot! The event is scheduled for Thursday, September 28, at 8pm at the Park Library Auditorium on campus.

Support for Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak is a novelist who divides her time between Tucson (where she teaches at the University of Arizona) and her native Turkey. She is the author of several extraordinary novels including The Gaze, The Flea Palace, and The Saint of Incipient Insanities.  Elif has just been charged by the Turkish authorities with "offending Turkishness" because of remarks made by a fictional character in her most recent work, The Bastard of Istanbul (a best-seller in Turkey, due to be published in the U.S. in 2007). If convicted, she could face up to three years in prison -- a particularly horrifying prospect as the writer is about to give birth to her first child. Elif is clearly being used as a pawn by right-wing extremists with a political agenda of their own, and it is probably no accident that the writer they've chosen to target is an outspoken Turkish feminist. PEN International has pointed out that this indictment violates international laws on freedom of expression to which Turkey is a signatory, and is urging people to write to the Turkish Prime Minister to insist that charges against Elif be dropped. Elif is a wonderful woman as well as a wonderful writer, and the case against her is as appalling as it is bogus. We urge Endicott readers to please add your voices to PEN International's appeal. More information on the case, and where to write, can be found here. An article on Elif published in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper can be found here.

A Literary Era Passing

I've long been fascinated by the life and writings of Anais Nin, who packed more living into her span of years that any ten other people put together. Like her most famous lover, Henry Miller, she was a complex mixture of admirable qualities and regrettable ones, all chronicled for posterity in her famous diaries. She spent the last stretch of her life as a bigamist, marrying a handsome, much-younger man named Rupert Pole in California while still married to her life-long partner Hugh Guilier in New York City. (She went back and forth between them every few weeks, and for many years neither man knew about the other.) Rupert, the last surviving member of the trio, and the executor of Nin's literary estate, died recently in the same California home he shared for many years with Anais. Other Nin fans out there may be interested in this obituary, published in the L.A. Times.    

One of the loveliest things about growing older is watching a next generation emerge which is going to knock us all out of the water. This week, Toby Froud (son of artists Brian & Wendy Froud) graduated with a First from the Wimbledon School of Art in London,  captivating viewers of their year-end exhibition with his extraordinary sculpture of Lucifer falling from heaven. He also recently performed at Mythic Journeys in Atlanta as one of the "Dancing Faery Trollops" pictured here with film puppeteer William Todd-Jones -- whose own two children Lillian and David make an appearance in the forthcoming Harry Potter movie.  Virginia Lee (daughter of artists Alan Lee and Marja Lee Kruyt) has recently completed a gorgeous children's book for the U.K. publisher Frances Lincoln, and is now embarking on a second book for the same publisher. Taiko Haessler (the daughter of writer Midori Snyder) is writing wonderful poetry and astonishing audiences from the midwest to Costa Rica with her violin and songs in Spanish and Portuguese. And Bellaes (the 8-year-old daughter of writer Heinz Insu Fenkl and artist Anne B. Dalton) is publishing a terrific blog featuring her delightful cartoons, with no less of a mission than to change the world. "When dreams take flight," says Bellaes, "you never know where you'll be whisked off to." Amen.

In remembrance

I just learned that Jim Baen passed away on Wednesday, having been in a coma since June 12, after suffering a stroke. Jim was an sf/fantasy editor for many years, at Galaxy Magazine and Ace Books before becoming publisher of his own company, Baen Books, in New York. He gave me my first job in publishing, despite my ridiculously young age, my complete lack of experience, my incompleted degree, my left-wing politics (he was a Heinlein-style libertarian), my staunch feminism (he was prone to sexist pronouncements of the most outrageous sorts), and my love of the kind of mythic fantasy that he found wifty and overly literary. (He preferred a genre of his own devising he called "fantasy with rivets," written by the likes of Larry Niven.) We disagreed on everything, but he took a chance on me nonetheless. Thanks for that, Jim. I've owed you all these years, and you will be missed.