Miniature Golf Courses of the Gods!

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I was torn between blogging about the illustration art show at the Allentown Museum or maybe about Allentown great Charles Dent or maybe even doing a bit of straightforward reportage about the Dick Awards.

But then, on the way home, I ran across Wood's Golf Center in Norristown, with its Ray Harryhausen themed miniature golf course.  

And it was no contest.

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A Small Room in Koboldtown

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Tachyon Publications, the publisher of my newest collection, The Dog Said Bow-Wow, has posted a pdf of "A Small Room in Koboldtown."  The link can be found at their blog.  Just scroll down the page to the Friday, March 21 entry, "Hugo nominations announced."

In the description of my story, Jill muses, "I wonder where he puts those funny statuettes."  For which reason  I added the above photo of the trophy chimney in my office.

 

If you go down further, to the March 6, "Why you should be careful about asking your authors for help..." entry, wherein Jill opines:

Like any savvy publisher Jacob got on the horn to make sure that his authors actually knew they were nominated . . . and asked them to do what they could to get authors to do what they could to get out the vote for themselves.  Well, authors are funny.  So far there have been posts from Michael Swanwick and Susan Palwick asking for your votes.  They have also had a bit of fun with Jacob for asking them to do so.  Ah, authors, you self-effacing creatures, will you never learn to promote yourselves sans irony?

To which the only possible answer is:  No, of course not.  But Jill also wrote:

Has anyone ever, EVER, described Michael Swanwick as self-effacing?  Okay, it was a stretch.

Which was such an extraordinary statement that I of course had to respond.  You can find out what I said by clicking "1 Comments" immediately under the post.

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Very Slight and Slightly Bawdy

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I'm still in Seattle, but being tended to by my extended network of sisters. The three who deserve shout-outs in particular are Leslie Howle, who is a big mahoff at Clarion West and put me up on Thursday before the con; Nisi Shawl, writer (and another big mahoff at Clarion West), who showed me around Seattle at a great outlay of her time; and Eileen Gunn, the cult author of "Stable Strategies for Middle Management." I'm currently staying at Eileen's and John Berry's house, even though they were at the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts last weekend and aren't due back here for another three hours. I'm extremely grateful to all three women.

I was particularly grateful when Leslie arranged for me to have a front-row seat at the Philip K. Dick Award ceremony. But I really wish she hadn't repeatedly referred to the event as "going to see the Dicks."

It just put the wrong images into my head.

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UBC and ACC

Holy cow! I thought I'd posted this yesterday, but I seem to have hit the wrong button. Anyway, here's Monday's post:

Two quick items today, because I'm on the road and still just a frazz jet-lagged.

First, a reminder that I'll be reading at the University Book Store in Seattle, Washington this Wednesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. This is a good chance for Seattletonians (Seattleites?) to get an autographed book because I don't get out to the West Coast very often.

Also, because this was a last-minute arrangement, I'm not at all sure how many people are even aware I'm going to be there. So it would be a potential kindness if you were to show up.

Also, my Arthur C. Clarke eulogy was just posted by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Writing such things is a saddening chore. But the guy got to team up with Walter Cronkite to comment on the moon landing, was knighted, co-wrote a classic movie, was pals with Prince Charles, and was revered as a living national treasure in Sri Lanka. We can't complain, really.

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I'm Up For a Friggin' HUGO!!!

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Okay, I've known this for a couple of days because they always give you the option of turning down the nomination and then plead with you not to tell anybody before they've confirmed all their nominations. But now it's official and I can tell the world:

"A Small Room in Koboldtown" is on the Hugo ballot for best short story. It originally appeared in Asimov's, and it has the happy distinction of being included in my newest collection, The Dog Said Bow-Wow (Tachyon Publications) as well as being an integral part of my brilliant and entertaining novel, The Dragons of Babel. Promoting which, I don't need to remind you, is the reason for this blog.

So, yes, I am extremely happy. And I hope you're happy for me as well.

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Arthur C. Clarke: A Space Footnote

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I assume that everybody's already heard that Arthur C. Clarke died yesterday.  I think he's the last of the giants from that generation which created modern science fiction.  There will be no lack of overviews and appreciations so in the interest of keeping things light, I thought I'd share my extremely peripheral brush with greatness.  If it were any less significant, there wouldn't be anything to relate.

Back in 2001, my friends Robert Walters and Tess Kissinger curated a show of space art for the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut.  Fabulous stuff.  Marianne and I were invited to the opening and to the party afterwards, held in the house of one of the museum staff.  It was a good party.  At one point, looking for a soda, I wandered into the kitchen and discovered Keir Dullea there, on his cell phone, talking to Sri Lanka.  "Hello, Arthur?" he said.  "Guess where I'm calling from."

Oh, and for a second there, I was standing at the delocalized center of the world!

And, taking care of business . . .

I'll be appearing at the KGB Bar tonight, along with David Keck.  Pleasingly quirky surroundings, two brief readings, and the chance to rub shoulders with the SF glitterati of NYC.  If you live in the city, you should consider it.   A pleasant alternative to a night of television.

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Blue Collar Cool

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They closed off Ridge Avenue, just a block from my house, for the afternoon yesterday, and I spent several hours watching as a crane hoisted four housing modules and stacked them on top of the old farmer's market to make two new condos.  You never saw so much nonchalance in one place in your life.  The guys doing the work knew exactly how cool they were.

Above is the crane operator.  The plastic-wrapped thing behind him is one of the modules.

Roxborough is a blue-collar neighborhood, so I deal with a lot of skilled guys who work very hard.  It's hard not to feel effete in such company.  But when when the subject comes up, I say, "Remember English Comp in high school?  I do that for a living."  That impresses 'em.

Speaking of which, here's my schedule for Norwescon this coming weekend:

Getting the Tale Write . . . Friday 4:00 p.m. Cascade 10

This is a "group-interactive creative writing experiment."  I think we're supposed to make up a story.

Andrew Dolbeck (M), Cymbric Earlysmyth, Spring Schoenhuth, Me

Autograph Session  Saturday 11:00 a.m.  Evergreen 1 & 2

Clarion West -- Why has it worked for 25 years?  Saturday 3:00 p.m.  Cascade 9

This one's pretty self-explanatory.  Mostly, I suspect, we'll sit around telling funny stories, like the "dinosaurs and sodomy" incident.

Leslie Howle (M), Mary Rosenblum, Greg Bear, Dave Williams, Me

Reading  Saturday 4:00 p.m.  Cascade 9

Networking and Self Promotion for New Writers and the Bookstore Dance  Saturday 8:00 p.m.  Cascade 5

My single best piece of advice for new writers is to go to as many signings, readings, and other public appearances by writers you know are good as you possibly can.  That way, when only three people show up for your signing, you won't slit your throat.

Stoney Compton (M), Yasmine Galenorn, Vladimir Verano, Me

Is the Short Story Dead?  How to Write and WHere to Sell Small  Saturday 10:00 p.m  Cascade 8

No question about it, the short story has never been in better shape!  Too bad it doesn't pay much.

M.K. Hobson (M), Patrick Swenson, David Lee Summers, Ted Butler, Me