Down in Chattanooga

[ellen_datlow]

I'm finished with the three mornings of workshopping and can catch up on my reading of months of The New Yorker plus (I hope) finishing Jack O'Connell's novel, The Resurrectionist and possibly even read Liz Hand's Rimbaud novel mss.
I think/hope that the writers (ten of them) got what they had hoped to out of the critique process.

There have been heavy summer showers on and off --it's lovely sitting on the porch and watching sheets of rain. Or hearing it while inside. It cools off and then is sunny and humid again.

This evening some of the workshoppers are playing word games. I thought I'd catch up here (I hate games) and then skim more New Yorkers. I took a nap this afternoon before helping with dinner. Very relaxing.

There's at least one non-weather storm about to break though, once Dave Truesdale posts his review of The Del Rey Book of SF&F (on SF Site) which will include a rant (he's already provided a foreshadowing on the Asimov's Message Board) about Margo Lanagan's brutal horror story, "The Goosle."

I'll post a link to his rant on my blog. And would be happy to hear other opinions about the story when the time comes. I am fully aware it's not an "enjoyable" story. It's not meant to be, and I certainly don't expect everyone to appreciate it. Perhaps at some point Margo will come by to comment on the comments.

Comments

[nick-kaufmann.livejournal.com]

"The Goosle" was my favorite story from the anthology!

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Good to hear it, Nick.

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

Another person catching up on back issues of The New Yorker!

(We won't even begin to say where I am in catching up with my back reading of anthologies and genre work...)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid so. I don't read my news/non-fiction mags except when on trips. I'm up to February now :-) The good thing, is that I can skip the old political stuff!

[aqeldroma.livejournal.com]

That was one of my favorites, actually... different tastes I suppose :)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Yup.

[amberdine.livejournal.com]

*Squee!* she mentioned us again. :)

You were fabulous, Ellen.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Thank you. You wouldn't believe how insecure I am about certain things.

[nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com]

Wait wait, all of that post was jejune crap except for "Liz Hand Rimbaud mss."

You should only ever blog about that!


*vibrates in glee*

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Yes, Nick....This one's for you: A YA novel called Wonderwall that takes off from a story she published several years ago with the same title.

Firebird will be publishing it...I've only read about 35 pages so far.

[nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com]

YA Rimbaud! Get 'em young, I say.

[voidmonster.livejournal.com]

Liz Hand... Rimbaud... YA... My head just exploded.

If it's just for Nick things could get ugly.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Now now. I'm sure that when the book comes out, you'll be able to buy it too :-) There will be more than enough copies for everyone.

[voidmonster.livejournal.com]

And a good thing, too!

[imago1.livejournal.com]

Dave strikes me as being trapped in a gravity well of nostalgia for cleft-chinned white guys dominating the space lanes. I keep a saltshaker around just for him...especially when he starts talking about women writers. ;)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I'll be very interested in seeing his knives come out for Margo.

[imago1.livejournal.com]

He likes to rant. Unlike professional ranters such as Ellison and Shepard, he isn't very good at the form.

[benpayne.livejournal.com]

I didn't mind it, although it didn't grab me the way some of the other stories in the anthology did. It was a very interesting piece, though.

My personal way of characterising Margo's work is this: I think she's brilliant at imagery, and has a wonderful sense of the grotesque and perverse. Her weaknesses (to me) are that her characters feel distant and her work often feels cold and removed.

Whether a particular reader likes her stories depends on how much they value those particular things; in particular whether they read more for mood and imagery or for emotion.

I could be wrong... that's just the impression I've gotten from talking about her work with people...

Anyway, will be interested to see what Trusdale thinks... I think it's a very good story that I personally didn't get sucked into... if that makes sense... :-)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I have no problem with readers preferring one story or type of story to another type. Or even to not relating to/enjoying a story. But I do have a problem with someone saying that a story should not have been written or published, which is, I suspect, exactly what Dave is going to (has already said)--he said it would make NAMBLA happy. ThAT I find offensive.

[benpayne.livejournal.com]

Well I don't blame you... that's very offensive, and total rubbish into the bargain!

DT would be disgusted to know that this discussion made me go re-read it and I enjoyed it more the second time :-)

I find it difficult to see how he could sustain that argument at all...

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Don't know if you've read the whole review, which apparently was posted today. (I haven't read it yet as of 1:40).

[doortoriver.livejournal.com]

Definitely interested in reading that review!

[pm-again.livejournal.com]

Truesdale, of course, feeds on the controversy he creates.

And he'll continue to get his free pass as a bigot, as some victim of imaginary forces out to do him in...:(

[doortoriver.livejournal.com]

And thus we see the only downside of free speech... idiots do get those free passes. Ah well.

I wonder if there will be a way to respond....

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I don't see anyplace for comments on the sfsite but if they don't have a comment area, I'll be more than happy to do so :-)

[doortoriver.livejournal.com]

I suppose the really encouraging thing is that bad publicity still is publicity. As long as it gets people to look....

[reidwrite.livejournal.com]

Hi Ellen,

I think the critique sessions were everything we could possibly have hoped for; I know mine was tremendously useful. Thanks again for coming down to join us.

Luc

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Oh good. You're very welcome.
I had a great time. I'm leaving in a couple of hours.

[maryrobinette.livejournal.com]

I hope your travels today are safe.

Thanks again for coming. You made the weekend exceptional.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Just got home.
Thank you for making it happen. I had a ball.