Margaret Fieland: Poetry and Prose

Silly rhymes, or how I spent my journal time

Administrator — Sat, 05 May 2012 23:17:42 +0000

Painted with Pixels

I am apparently on a silly rhyme kick.

As you may recall, I started going “Morning Pages,” though mostly in the afternoon, about two months ago. A couple of times recently I have found my head filled with rhyme. Today is one of those days.

So here, folks, are some really silly rhymes:

Cabin Fever

cabin fever, got it bad
cabin fever burns me
cabin fever, flaring up
because my honey spurns me.

cabin fever, raging fire
fire will consume me
fire’s burning me to ash
fever’s going to doom me

cabin fever
cabin fever
cabin fever

Cat and Mice

scittter, scatter, little mice
the cat is going to get you
crawl into the holes tonight
if that cat will let you

kitty, kitty, come away
you would be a damper
round the table as they play
leave the mice to scamper

Dog Digger
;
the dog’s in the yard
she’s digging a hole
she hopes will go
right down to China

she pushes the dirt
and the grass clumps away
no digging do
could do finer

Tree, Wind

the tree is growing by the pond
the branches hanging over
a breeze is blowing hard today
a ripple in the clover

breeze blows columns
through the grass
on the pond,
see ripples

hawks are circling
overhead
as the wind’s strength
triples

wonder when we’ll
go to sleep
wonder when the
wind will

as I lay here,
counting sheep
waiting for it
to still.

hear the air,
it’s whooshing past
listen to its whistle
marigolds will bow
their heads
to the lowly
thistle

Editing
i’m off to cut and paste to my blog
i’m off to thundering edits
hear the clatter of words
as they race down the page
eager to earn some more credits.

Interview with L.M. Davis. author of the Shifter series.

Administrator — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:13:17 +0000

Tell us something about yourself. What is there to tell…I am a mystery, wrapped in an enigma…or maybe I am just a gal that loves a good story, whether I am writing it or reading it.

How long have you wanted to be a writer? For me, it’s more of a question of when did I stop running from the fact that I was a writer. I am of the mind that a writer is not something you want to be, it’s something that you are. I have been writing all my life (I even chose a career where writing was central), but only recently did I embrace the fact that writing is my calling.

What prompted you to write the Shifter Series? I first started writing the Shifters Novel Series with my cousin in mind. He, along with many of his friends, loves to read fantasy, and I wanted to create a fantasy series where he and others like him could see reflections of themselves. I think that there is something affirming about that. Also, I write fantasy because I love to read fantasy. I cut my readerly teeth on tales about vampires, dragons, shapeshifters, tesseracts etc… Almost all of the fiction that I write has a fantasy component.

The second book in the series is about to come out. How much plotting of the entire series did you do in the beginning/have you done subsequently? Before I started, I had the major arcs of each novel and the major arc of the series. That was about as much as I planned in advance because you know what they say about the best laid plans… When I first started writing the series, I thought that it would be three books. But as I was writing the first book, I realized that it was going to be four books. The major story arcs are still the same, I just realized that it was going to take longer to tell the story.

“Interlopers,” the first book, deals with secrets and the parent’s desire to keep their children safe, a theme that resonates with me. Any particular reason you chose this theme? Well, I knew that I wanted to tell a story where families were important. In so much YA these days, the parents and the family are nonexistent, but that is not my experience. My family and extended family are so important to me, so I wanted to write a story that would honor that. Also, I wanted to tell a story that was about people (not just kids but adults too) who try their best but sometimes made mistakes–and who get back up and keep trying, even after they get knocked down. Finally, I think that the notion of secrets is something that everyone understands. There is always some part of ourselves and our stories that we hold back from the world and sometimes from the people that care about us, for whatever reason. I think that many readers will connect with that idea.

“Interlopers” is written from multiple points of view, including that of the parents, Why did you feel it was important to do this? I could not tell the story that I needed to tell in any other perspective. Though a first person perspective does lend a kind of urgency, immediacy, and strength of voice to the narrative, there are also certain limitations. To tell this story, I needed to be able to see things that no single character would be privy to. Furthermore, if I can be a little academic, though it is the twins coming of age story, all of the different perspectives, which make up the series, are also a part of the twins’ story. So it’s important for me to include those voices and those experiences.

I’m working on an adult sci fi novel now with four main characters and an antagonist, and I’m struggling with balancing them. How did you find this played out in “Interlopers?” In “Posers?” In Interlopers the villain remained somewhat abstract until the end, and that was purposeful. I think that whichever choice you make, you have to be deliberate. I wanted to use the first book of the series to introduce the twins and really create a sense of who they are as characters. In Posers, I really flesh out villains. We get to know James, Blanche, and Hawk much better and to understand their motivations and their choices more. I hope I have created villains who are complex and will turn my readers expectations on their ears. By the end of this book, we have the entire Shifters Novels pantheon completely fleshed out.

Are you a plotter or a pantser, and has this changed or not as you continue to work on your series? I guess I am about half and half. As I said, I already know the major arcs for the rest of the series, and I have a general sense on where each book begins and ends. That’s about all I carry in to the writing process, and even that is subject to change. As I write, part of the work is to figure out how to get from the beginning that I envision to the end. For me, things change so much as I write, that even if I outlined the story before hand, the final product would not look anything like that outline–so, at that point, outlining is almost an exercise in futility.

Do you have a writing routine? I am not one of those writers that writes everyday (at least not on the same project). Though I am always thinking about my stories, I will only sit down to write when I have a sense of where I am going. One thing that is a always a part of my routine is writing by hand. The first draft of every book, every story, every poem that I have ever produced was hand written. People find that strange, but for me, it is much easier to face and conquer a blank piece of paper than it is to begin with a blank screen.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten? The worst? One of the best pieces of advice that I know, which I kind of figured out for myself and then saw in a lot of different places, is to write the complete draft before revising. This is the TRUTH. If you start revising before you finish writing the first draft, you may never finish. Sure, you will end up with a really good introduction, but if that is all you have, what’s the point? So that is definitely advice that I write to live by. I can not think of any bad advice that I have received. There is so much good advice out there, that I really just try to focus on that.

I understand there will be two more books in the Shifters series. Any idea when we can expect them? The plan is to release Book 3 in 2013 and Book 4 in 2014.

I’ve been to my local Barnes and Noble many times, and I have yet to find a single Octavia Butler book in stock, and only one by Samuel Delany. What can we do to increase awareness of Black writer of speculative fiction, and any ideas for prodding bookstore owners to carry more of them? I am of two minds about this. First, I think that authors need to raise awareness about the long, rich tradition of Black speculative fiction. We are not newcomers to this genre, some of the earliest texts that I have found so far date back to the nineteenth century. Beyond that, African American folk and oral traditions are ripe with speculative elements (if you read Morrison, Naylor, Walker, Hurston, etc…you are reading fiction with speculative element). These kinds of narratives have always been a part of the way that we tell stories. So the first part is to really get black folks to reclaim this genre. To this end, I have actually started publishing a Black Sci-Fi Primer weekly on my blog. The second part is we really have to get past this idea that only black people want to read stories by Black authors. I think that this cycle of literary segregation is perpetuated by the both availability and location. People are not aware of the depth of Black speculative fiction because it is not stocked in stores and thus they are not exposed to the rich and vibrant tradition of speculative fiction. On the other hand, if people are not buying these books, store owners don’t stock them. It really is a pernicious cycle.

What do you hope readers take away from your books? First and foremost, I want them to take away a wonderful reading experience. Beyond that, I don’t really like to define my books for my readers. I like to let them bring their own experiences and ideas to the reading experience and I get a real kick out of talking to them afterwards and hearing about which parts and aspects of the story resonated most with them (like for you with the parents/secrets/safety theme). Sometimes, they mention things that I wasn’t even aware of, which tickles me.

Where can readers purchase your books, and where can they find you on the web? Both books are available on Amazon and Interlopers is available on Barnes and Noble (Posers, hopefully, will be available soon). Both are on sale until the 30th. Also, they can check out my website (www.shiftersnovelseries.com) for excerpts from both.

Any last words? Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog!

Five Ways to Cut the Distractions and Start Writing Now.

Administrator — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:19:48 +0000

Five Ways to Cut the Distractions and Start Writing Now, guest post by Alexis MacDonald

Anyone who has ever written anything significant, whether a term paper, a blog or the Great American Novel, has had to deal, now and again, with some of the usual writers’ bugaboos, like having one’s brain turn from a rich pasture of literary abundance to a whiteboard without a second’s notice. Right up there with the empty brain issue would be the wandering mind; one minute racing along on a shiny, well-organized train of thought and then floating aimlessly like a leaf on the wind the very next, or, suddenly mesmerized by one of the gadgets on your tool bar that you had somehow never noticed until this very second.

These things happen to just about everyone, and usually aren’t totally disastrous, unless you’re on deadline, in which case they can definitely throw a huge monkey wrench into the wheels of progress. So taking the distraction issue as a start, and beginning with the assumption that there is no such thing as a totally distraction-free working environment, how can a writer control and at least minimize distractions when work is where your wandering mind needs to be at that very moment?

Some would definitely argue that it is not only possible, but mandatory to create a distraction-free writing environment. Look, if you have the kind of creative mind we’re discussing here, and there are no distractions in the environment, your brain will create some for you, so whether they’re external or internal, distractions will happen, but they can be dealt with. Here are a few things that may be helpful in keeping some measure of focus when you need to get something coherent down on paper.

1. Try to pick topics that really interest you. If the material is interesting to you, then there is a greater likelihood that you will be able to maintain your attention span on point and organize your material in a sufficiently logical progression to make it interesting to your reader.

2. Do your homework and work from notes, especially if it’s a topic on which you aren’t naturally well-informed. You can get a lot of the mind-wandering out of your system while you’re putting together your notes and doing your research, so when it’s time to put the actual piece together, the material is familiar to you and you’re not as likely to be tempted to Google yourself off a cliff.

3. Closely related to this is organization. Do not write notes on scraps of paper, folded up dinner napkins or post-its strewn across your monitor and wall. When you’re doing research for an article create a folder in your computer and put everything there. If you absolutely must write something on the back of your day-timer while you’re thinking of it, then transfer it to your computer immediately when you get home, otherwise, distractions will be the least of your worries as you’re digging for critical pieces of information that have fallen into a black hole of post-it hell.

4. If you find yourself starting to wander, stop right there and take a break. Walk around, get a cold drink, stretch a little and then come back to the issue at hand with a refreshed perspective. Sometimes the best way to save time is to take a couple of minutes away from what you’re doing. This puts up a roadblock on that winding little path your mind was about to start heading down and brings you back to the place you need to be.

5. Finally, while there are applications out there that offer a variety of ways to get you to focus on the writing task at hand, if you really need to get an app to do this you may be beyond hope. You’re a writer. You are creative. You can do this.

Alexis is a freelance writer who specializes in pregnancy topics. She is currently writing on pregnancy symptoms and putting together a period calculator that she hopes will be useful to moms-to-be!

TRAVYON 17: A creative Science Fiction Response

Administrator — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:18:17 +0000

A Black Teen, Alan, and a White Bigot, Arthur, arrived at the Pearly Gates.

“Why are you here?” the Gattekeeper asked Alan.

“I was guilty of wearing a hoody.”

“What’s a hoody?” asked the Gatekeeper.

“Man, where are you from?” Alan asked, showing him the hooded sweatshirt he wore.

“What a fine garment,” the Gatekeeper said. “In my day, you stayed cold and wet. Go on in.” And he waved Alan through the Pearly Gates.

“How about you?” the Gatekeeper asked Arthur.

“I died of a heart attack after shooting my assailant. The stress was too much for me,” Arthur said.

“Who attacked you?” the Gatekeeper asked.

“A Black teen. He wore a hoody, so in spite of his being unarmed, going about his lawful business, and not messing with me, I shot him dead.”

“I have a far warmer spot for you than this one, the Gatekeeper said, and he waved to two small demons lounging to the left of the gate. “Take him away.”

Check out
http://www.aliciamccalla.com/blog/87-trayvon-20-a-creative-science-fiction-response

Interview with Balogun Ojetade

Administrator — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:01:26 +0000

Oyabode Abeegunde

You write steampunk. For readers unfamiliar with the genre, can you tell us a little about it?

Steampunk is a literary genre – a marriage of science fiction and fantasy that features the technological and social aspects of an Age of Steam. In the world of Steampunk, steam is the “nuclear power” of an industrial era – whether that era takes place during the Victorian Period of the 1800s, in ancient Egypt, or in a future in which electricity and steam takes the place of fusion power.

How did you get started writing, and why steampunk?

Growing up, my siblings were avid readers and incredible writers. Wanting to encourage me to read, they bought me comic books from a neighborhood corner store. At three years old, I wasn’t just interested in the illustrations of the Hulk, Thor, Archie, Beetle Bailey and the Avengers, I was also fascinated by the strange symbols on the page that my sisters called “words”. I would bug them, asking “What’s that word?” “What about this word?” “And that word says what?”

They were very patient with me and taught me to sound out the words myself. Soon, I was reading without their assistance, but my pestering didn’t cease because I now wanted to know what every word meant. This fascination with words grew and I decided I wanted to share my love of words with others, so at four, I started writing (and illustrating) my own comic books and selling them – for a nickel – to my friends. The greatest compliment I received back then was from a girl who said “If you could draw better, I’d buy your books even if they cost a dime.”

As far as writing steampunk, I write it because – since the old Wild, Wild West television show, I have loved the genre. Of course, we didn’t call it steampunk back then. I also write sword and soul, horror and science fiction. I like a challenge, so I don’t limit myself to any specific genre.

You’ve also written a non-fiction book on Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within. Do you practice any martial arts, and if so, which ones?
I am a master instructor of traditional, indigenous West African martial arts. Traditionally we call African martial arts “wrestling”, because the object is to put your opponent on his back, belly or side by any means, thus – unlike western wrestling – African wrestling utilizes strikes, kicks and weapons as well as throws and grappling. This is my fortieth year of training.

Why did you decide to write about martial arts?
The African martial arts are a family legacy. I was taught by my father as I am passing the knowledge on to my children. During my travels, I realized that most people of African descent – outside of the African continent – did not know African martial arts even existed, let alone were the oldest martial arts on the planet and that, in fact, many Asian martial arts came directly from us. Thus, I decided that people of African descent – and indeed the world – needed to know the truth. They needed to be educated. I felt a book was the best way to reach the masses.

If you could meet with any writer, living or dead, who would you pick, and why?

Living – Charles R. Saunders; transitioned – Octavia Butler. Charles, because he is a living legend, the founder of my favorite genre of fiction – Sword and Soul – an outstanding writer and an all around good brother who is very supportive of other authors – established and upcoming. Octavia Butler, because she has been an inspiration to so many writers of speculative fiction, including me.

We recently participated in a seven week blog tour about Black Sci Fi. Can you tell us why you think this was important, and how you came to be involved in this tour?
The blog tour was entitled ‘The State of Black Science Fiction 2012’. It was – and is – important because – like the African martial arts – most people of African descent do not know there are stories in the genres of speculative fiction by – and about – people who look like them; who think like them; who are them. Wonderful stories, just as good as anything by Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert and Mary Shelley.

I came to be involved in the blog tour when I answered the call of Alicia McCalla who created the concept. Alicia is a really ingenious woman and a great writer of an awesome book – Breaking Free – who also happens to be a librarian, so she has her finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the literary world. She also challenged me to write a novel for middle grade boys, which – at present – I am doing and enjoying immensely, so thanks, again, Alicia!

What would you say to young Black writers, or Black youth who are contemplating careers as writers?
I would first shout, “Go for it!” Then, I would tell them to study the craft. Read all the good science fiction and fantasy they can get their hands on; take writing classes and join a writers’ workshop if possible. I would warn them that it is not enough to be Black. Be good! We need more good stories by people of African descent, not just something we are expected to support solely because it was written by a black person. Finally, I would tell them that if they work hard and produce good work, they can make a good living at what they love.

What are you working on now?
At present, I am working on a few projects. I have been busily promoting my novel, Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman (Book 1: Kings) (Mocha Memoirs Press), a steampunk novel, which released in January. I am also preparing for the release of my sword and soul novel, Once Upon A Time In Afrika (MVmedia) in May of this year and Ki-Khanga: The Sword and Soul Role-Playing Game (MVmedia), which will premiere this August at OnyxCon. My science fiction gangster epic, Redeemer, will release later this year through Mocha Memoirs Press.
As I mentioned earlier, I am also writing a middle grade novel entitled The Adventures of Makola Jones (Book 1: Grave Dirt) and I am gearing up for the world premiere of a film I wrote, co-produced and directed, entitled A Single Link, which is the story of a woman who is raped by a professional fighter and for empowerment, she decides to fight him. With the help of her husband and coach, she gains entry into the world of professional sport martial arts, thus becoming the first woman to fight professionally against men.

Where can readers buy your books?
Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman is available for kindle and nook at http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Chronicles-Harriet-Tubman-ebook/dp/B006UOAZJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330438719&sr=8-1 and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moses-balogun-balogun/1108162154?ean=2940013727045&itm=1&usri=moses+the+chronicles+of+harriet+tubman+book+1, respectively. The hardcopy will be available soon. Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within is also available for kindle and nook and can also be ordered directly from www.bossupbu.com.

Where can they find you on the net?
You can reach me on my website at http://chroniclesofharriet.wordpress.com/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Afrikan.Martial.Arts and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/Baba_Balogun.

Any last words?
Thank you all for reading this interview and thank you, Margaret, for this wonderful opportunity! I look forward to working with you again, soon.

Poetic forms: Sestina

Administrator — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:34:54 +0000

I’m blogging today on the Poetic Muselings blog about Sestinas. Check it out.

http://poetic-muselings.net/2012/03/07/poetic-forms-sestina/

Guest post: Bridget Sandorford: Life of a Food Writer

Administrator — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:22:54 +0000

Download Squeezers by Carlos Porto

Life as a Food Writer

Perhaps you are an aspiring food writer who imagines that tasting exotic foods sounds like an amazing career. Maybe you envy the food critics you see getting free food and special treatment at upscale restaurants. If you’re like most people, you imagine that a food writer’s life is one of incredible foods and great service at restaurants. The truth, as is often the case, is much more complex.

Food writers have to try out a range of dishes even if they are not particularly fond of those dishes. Some foods, such as tofu, are difficult to eat if you do not enjoy the texture. This dislike happens regardless of how deftly a chef may prepare the ingredient. Overlooking these personal preferences is a big part of learning to be an effective food writer. The question becomes “how would this dish taste if I enjoyed eating tofu” rather than the simple “how was this dish” question that most people consider when they try a new food.

For food writers who eat specialty diets, the willingness to try out new and exciting foods is even more important. Gluten-free and non-allergen dishes often have some type of attempt at duplicating the offending foods. Something that is casein-free, for example, will eliminate all dairy but also other foods with milk proteins. These chefs may try to make a flavorful cream sauce without any actual cream. Being able to try these foods and give an honest review of them for other people can be challenging, especially if the taste is good but not similar to the replaced ingredient.

Beyond just eating and evaluating food differently, writers who cover food also must expand their food vocabulary. When people eat an enjoyable meal, they often repeatedly use words like “delicious” or “amazing” or simply “wow.” Those words won’t cut it for a food writer. Instead, she needs to be able to explain the slightly sweet, nutty flavor of a specialty cheese or explain the burst of flavor from eating a well-made soup. Food writers learn over time to process food differently while they eat it.

One learns to taste the individual ingredients, rather than the whole of the food, which requires a change in the way that one eats. When eating something like a sizzling Cantonese side dish, the food writer will try to evaluate the strength of the flavor of the cabbage, the texture of the noodles, and the crunchiness of the steamed veggies added to the dish. This variety of tastes and textures requires slower eating. Taking smaller bites and savoring them helps the food writer to make a clearer evaluation of the food.

Though it requires changing how one experiences a fundamental life tasks to write about food, the rewards are indeed worth it. Food writers do get to try out fun foods, learn more about how their food got to their plate, and talk to chefs about their food preparation. These benefits make any challenges about food writing worth it for avowed foodies.

About the Author:

Bridget Sandorford is a grant researcher and writer for CulinarySchools.org. Along with her passion for whipping up recipes that incorporate “superfoods”, she recently finished research on .

Black Sci Fi, week 7: The Grand finale

Administrator — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:35:24 +0000

So, it’s been a great six weeks. Thanks to Alicia McCalla for organizing this amazing event. I hope y’all have added to your reading list. If anyone still needs suggestions, check out last week’s posts — or any of the weeks before that. As for me, I still have a stack of five books waiting to be read.

And now for a short — or not so short — poem, art work, or whatever, in which we all respond to the prompt, “bracelet,” and announce the grand prize winners, and in which I search the dictionary, read the definitions, and, swept by an impulse, pen a very silly poem in which a bracelet plays but a small part, and a collar a larger one. I have no excuse, except that “bracelet” had only three entries, and “collar” had ten.

Neck Less

An ornament, band for the arm
intended to adorn or charm,
made out of silver, gold, or wood,
that hopefully looks really good.

A pair of handcuffs for attaching
a thief whom I am bent on catching.
Clamp them on, take him to jail
where someone listens to his tale.

Perhaps a collar on a dress
to fold or roll or sometimes press,
sometimes too loose, sometimes too tight.
It’s rarely that they get it right.

A band, a necklace, garland too,
in pink or purple, green or blue,
that you may hate or may adore.
seen in the window of a store.

A band around a horse’s neck
meant to restrain, retain, or check,
so that they cannot run away,
or bite or nip, or nibble hay.

A piece of hardware, shaft or rod.
I found the definition odd,
involving sizing of a band
that I did not quite understand

A cut of meat, a piece of bacon
at present in the frig, forsaken,
meant to go into some penne,
a piece or too or maybe many..

To seize, arrest, perhaps detain
some person whom you must restrain,
reach out and grab them by the collar
and listen to them yell and holler.

There are no words that rhyme with bracelet,
not even one that sounds like facelet,
and definitions, but a few,
That’s why I wrote of collars, too.

.. And now — drum roll — the grand prize winner, the winner of another copy of the Poetic Muselings’ poetry anthology, “Lifelines.”

Chris Burton.

Check out the other members of this Online Black History Month Event:

Check out my awesome fellow members of this Online Black History Month Event:

Winston Blakely, Artist/Writer– Fine Arts/Comic Book artist, having a career spanning 20 years, whose achievements have included working for Valiant Comics and Rich Buckler’s Visage Studios. He is also the creator of Little Miss Strange, the world’s first black alien sorceress and the all- genre anthology entitled – Immortal Fantasy. Both graphic albums are available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other online book store outlets. Visit him: http://blakelyworks.blogspot.com/
or http://blakelyworkstudio.weebly.com/

L. M. Davis, Author–began her love affair with fantasy in the second grade. Her first novel, Interlopers: A Shifters Novel, was released in 2010, and the follow-up Posers: A Shifters Novel will be released this spring. For more information visit her blog http://shiftersseries.wordpress.com/ or her website www.shiftersnovelseries.com.
Milton Davis, Author – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com and www.wagadu.ning.com.

Ja Ja (DjaDja) N Medjay , Author—DjaDja Medjay is the author of The Renpet Sci-Fi Series. Shiatsu Practitioner. Holistic AfroFuturistic Rising in Excellence. Transmissions from The Future Earth can be found at: www.renpetscifi.com or on Facebook – www.facebook.com/RenpetSciFiNovel or on Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/Khonsugo .

Margaret Fieland, Author– lives and writes in the suburbs west of Boston, MA
with her partner and five dogs. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, Lifelines http://tinyurl.com/LifelinesPoetry/ is available from Amazon.com Her book, “Relocated,” will be available from MuseItUp Publishing in July, 2012. The Angry Little Boy,” will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2013. You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com.

Valjeanne Jeffers, Author — is an editor and the author of the SF/fantasy novels: Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend and Immortal III: Stealer of Souls. Her fourth and fifth novels: Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds and The Switch: Clockwork will be released this spring. Visit her at: http://valjeanne.wordpress.com and http://qandvaffordableediting.blogspot.com/

Thaddeus Howze, Author-- is a veteran of the Information Technology and Communications industry with over twenty-six years of experience. His expertise is in re-engineering IT environments using process-oriented management techniques. In English, that means he studies the needs of his clients and configures their offices to optimize the use of information technology in their environment. Visit him: http://ebonstorm.wordpress.com or http://ebonstorm.weebly.com

Alicia McCalla, Author—writes for both young adults and adults with her brand of multicultural science fiction, urban fantasy, and futurism. Her debut novel, Breaking Free will be available February 1, 2012. The Breaking Free theme song created by Asante McCalla is available for immediate download on itunes and Amazon. Visit her at: www.aliciamccalla.com

Carole McDonnell, Author–She writes Christian, speculative fiction, and multicultural stories. Her first novel is Wind Follower. Her short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and have been collected in an ebook, Spirit Fruit: Collected Speculative Fiction. Visit Carole: http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/ or http://writersofcolorblogtour.blogspot.com/

Balogun Ojetade, Author—of the bestselling “Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” (non-fiction), “Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman” (Steampunk) and the feature film, “A Single Link”. Visit him: http://chroniclesofharriet.wordpress.com/

Rasheedah Phillips, Author–is the creator of The AfroFuturist Affair in Philly. She plans to debut her first spec/sci-fic novel Recurrence Plot in Spring 2012. You may catch her ruminating from time to time on her blog, AstroMythoLosophy.com.

Nicole Sconiers, Author-is also a screenwriter living in the sunny jungle of L.A. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, and she recently published Escape from Beckyville: Tales of Race, Hair and Rage. Visit her: http://nicolesconiers.com/index.html

Jarvis Sheffield, M.Ed. is owner & operator of TheDigitalBrothers.com, BlackScienceFictionSociety.com & BlackCommunityEntertainment.com. Visit him: http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/profiles/blog/list?user=2stjwb1h216fd

The state of Black sci fi, week 6: Samuel Delaney

Administrator — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:50:04 +0000

I read Delaney’s trilogy, “The Fall of the Towers,” in the first omnibus edition, which was published in 1970. I was twenty-two years old, and I still remember the cover, which you can view in the Wikipedia article on the book here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_of_the_Towers I found the novel both completely entrancing and completely confusing, a not uncommon state, I suspect, for readers of Delaney’s early work. The epic plot, the three races of man – men like modern-day humans, futuristic, telepathic forest giants and the small neanderthal-like race, hooked me from the start. The extravagant language, which I did not completely follow, swept me away, as did the multiple voices in which the story is told and the sweep of the plot. It impressed with the myriad possibilities the future may hold in a way that no work before or since has quite managed to do.

I have read a fair amount of Delaney, including his autobiography, “The Motion of Light in Water,” which I highly recommend, and a number of less confusing science fiction novels. But this work has a special place both in my heart and in my imagination.
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The state of Black Sci Fi, week 5: Cons

Administrator — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:49:45 +0000

I’ve never been to a sci fi con of any kind, or indeed, any in-person writer’s convention, but I’d love to go. I never even made it to last year’s Mass Poetry event in Lowell – some family thing came up. I’m a sucker for workshops, though, so an event or a con with lots of books I haven’t read, authors I might want to read, forums, and discussions sounds terrific.

Last year Alicia McCalla posted about OnyxCon. This is a relatively small con, and it takes place in Atlanta, which, I’m told, is a great city to visit. The con itself seems to be a manageable size. http://www.aliciamccalla.com/blog/44-onyxcon-fills-the-gap-in-speculative-fiction-in-color

Other Conventions: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention http://ecbacc.com/wordpress3/
Here’s what they have to say about themselves: America’s premiere Black comic book convention encouraging youth literacy and expression through reading, writing and drawing comic books. They have workshops — no need to register, simply show up — and other events. It takes place in August in Philadelphia. My middle son, who as a teen ager enjoyed drawing comics, would have loved this. Maybe he still would.

If you’ve been following this blog tour, you’ll know I’ve expressed my frustration on the dearth of sci fi and fantasy books available in my local bookstores or on the shelves of my local library. Yes, they’re out there. But why should there be only one — yes, only one — book by Samuel Delany in my local Barnes and Noble, nothing by Octavia Butler, Tananarive Due, or the many other fine Black writers of speculative fiction? There’s strength in numbers, and cons give writers and readers the chance to come together and encourage each other.

Check out the other members of this Online Black History Month Event:

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