Ariel Cinii's Chapbook

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The War with the Zylv, Marianne Porter's latest Dragonstairs Press chapbook, goes on sale this Saturday at noon, Philadelphia time, and since it is printed in an edition of 100 (numbered, signed, and hand-stitched) chapbooks, could take hours to sell out.

The story itself is a science fiction tale of first contact, invasion, and war with an alien species. It was inspired by a piece of artwork by Ariel Cinii, which is reproduced on its cover.

But who was Ariel Cinii?

Good question. Ms. Cinii, who also used the names Abra Cinii, Sodyera, and Winterbrucke, but was known to her friends as Abby, was an active member of science fiction fandom as a filk singer-songwriter, artist, and all-around fan. She was also the first openly trans individual in fandom.

If I ever met her, it was one of those myriad acquaintances where you chat amiably on occasion and after a couple of years realize that it's too late to politely ask for a name without giving offense. But at Boskone, a month short of three years after her death, her friends had a table at which they were cheerily giving away her art to whoever wanted it. How could they possibly bring themselves to do this? Well... it turns out that she left behind some 1,300 works of art. Giving it to the community she loved seemed to them the best way they could keep her memory alive.

These are, yes, fan art in their themes—spaceships, aliens, futuristic cars, fantastic cities, and the like. But the skill and care that went into the art and its preservation indicate a high seriousness on Ms. Cinii's part. Which combined with elaborate symbols with which she labeled her pictures in her invented language Sartine, puts her in a nebulous space somewhere between “fan art” and “high art.” Let's just call it art.

I picked up three 17” x 14” images and over the following months would look at them and think about what stories they might tell. When one came to me that I felt would make a good story, I pitched it to Marianne. She agreed that it would be an appropriate way to pay back Ms. Cinii (and her friends) for the artwork.

And, you may ask, did we . . . ?

Yes, of course. Marianne and I paid Ariel Cinii's estate for the use of her artwork.

This is a motto and a matter of honor in our household: The Artist Always Get Paid. I've known artists to break out in laughter when I say that. But we're sticking to it. Because it's how one shows respect for the artist.

This was the other way we paid back Ms. Cinii for her work.

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