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“Raw Honey” in the SH poetry podcast

Published on by Sara Norja

Merry Christmas/Winter Holiday of Your Choice, all! I’ve had a lovely two days of delicious food and family hangout, and am now nudging myself into the writing groove again. I have a first draft of a story to write…

While I was engaged in Christmas preparations, Strange Horizons released the podcast of December’s poetry. Listen to it here at SH!

In addition to my poem “Raw Honey”, the podcast includes “Rust” by Kythryne Aisling; “Warriors” by Thato Angela Chuma; and “Letters to S. From Poet-Build Beta-3” by A.E. Ash. Great poems all – I’m happy to be amongst such lovely work.

Sunday recs: The Dishonesty of Dreams

Published on by Sara Norja

Today’s reading recommendation is a poetry collection: The Dishonesty of Dreams by Adrienne J. Odasso.

I’ve been reading Adrienne’s poetry for a long time; I really admire her work so I’d love for other people to find her stuff, too. Here’s my review of The Dishonesty of Dreams (copied from Amazon.com):

The Dishonesty of Dreams is a haunting collection filled with lingering sadness and a strange, aching beauty. The cover works really well with the dreamlike, blue feeling of the poems. The poems flow well from one to another, and this collection was really enjoyable to read in a few longer sessions. Some especially amazing poems (that I keep returning to) include “The Still Point of the Turning World”, “Carnal Knowledge”, “Five Times I Lived by Water”, and “Cry Wolf”. Many of the poems in The Dishonesty of Dreams live in the liminal spaces between real life and the imagined – a wonderful place for poetry to exist.

Some of the poems in the collection are also available to read online. Here are some of my favourites, all very different but with Adrienne’s words shining bright:

Sunday recs: Long time no rec

Published on by Sara Norja

Sooo it’s been quite a while since I last posted any Sunday recs. I’ll try to get back into the game again – I’ve been reading lots, as always, but have neglected to recommend my favourites.

Here’s a few poems I’ve enjoyed over the past few weeks:

“The Glass Men” by Alexandra Seidel (in Ideomancer). Haunting, the repetition of “these are the men of glass” makes me think of T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men”.

“The Cultivation of Beauty” by Sara Cleto (also in Ideomancer). As I think I’ve mentioned before, I have a weakness for all things related to Beauty and the Beast. This is a strange, rather dark but interesting take on it.

“Artemis Speaks to Aphrodite” by Alicia Cole (also in Ideomancer). Such achingly beautiful words. Artemis is my favourite Greek goddess, too.

“The rivers, the birchgroves, all the receding earth” by Rose Lemberg (in Strange Horizons). This is incredibly gorgeous. I am utterly in love with the language in this, and the atmosphere of hope tinged with sadness.

Sunday recs: Two stories from DSF

Published on by Sara Norja

My PhD studies have kept me busy, but I’ve still made time for reading and writing fiction, too. For what is life without writing and reading? No, seriously, I don’t quite understand people who don’t read for fun. It’s just SO AWESOME.

Anyway, here’s two short stories that I’ve enjoyed during the past week, both from Daily Science Fiction:

Thrash by Deborah Walker. I really liked the twist in this flash story. The ending left me hankering for the story to continue, though. Intriguing world.

When it Ends, He Catches Her by Eugie Foster. A haunting, beautiful story with delicious descriptions of dance. (I just found out that Eugie Foster recently passed away. I figure reading her stories is a good way of keeping her memory alive. So do go and read.)

Sunday recs: Fairytale, memory loss, alien chess

Published on by Sara Norja

Three awesome stories for you this Sunday.

How the Milkmaid Struck a Bargain With the Crooked One by C.S.E. Cooney (in Giganotosaurus). Gaaaah, this story made me have all the feelings. It’s long, but it’s SO worth it – what a treat to sink into a world like this. (Incidentally, it’s a sequel of sorts to The Last Sophia, which I believe I’ve recced here previously.) A gorgeous, detailed fairytale retelling with cool worldbuilding, a great first-person narrator, and gorgeous language. And rhymes! Basically: everything about this story is amazing.

Icarus Falls by Alex Shvartsman (in Daily Science Fiction). An aging protagonist suffering from memory loss – this story of space travel and a mother-daughter relationship is sad but in a very beautiful way.

Zugzwang by Curtis C. Chen (also in DSF). A middle-aged woman is challenged to a game of alien chess to save the crew of a spaceship. This story could’ve been bleak, but instead it made me happy and hopeful.

Sunday recs: Strange stuff

Published on by Sara Norja

Three strange stories for you this Sunday.

Seven Commentaries on an Imperfect Land by Ruthanna Emrys (at Tor.com). A haunting, weird story about a magic land that exists in the interstices of life, and the people who live in it. Gorgeous illustrations too.

Speaking to Skull Kings by Emily B. Cataneo (at Betwixt Magazine). The world of this story is bleak and bizarre but fascinating, with strange skull kings rattling in a forest.

Observations About Eggs from the Man Sitting Next to Me on a Flight from Chicago, Illinois to Cedar Rapids, Iowa by Carmen Maria Machado (at Lightspeed). Eggs and parallel universes. Weird but intriguing.

Sunday recs: Two poems

Published on by Sara Norja

Two poems for this sun-warm Sunday.

‘Song for an Ancient City’ by Amal El-Mohtar (in Mythic Delirium): gorgeous, makes me feel the sand and spices, the heat of the sun.

‘The Sea King’s Second Bride’ by C.S.E. Cooney (in a 2010 issue of Goblin Fruit). For me, the poem works more magic as a performance: here is a video where Claire Cooney brings it to life with such vigour, such amazing acting-magic. I was totally bowled over by her performance – I was just watching and listening with my mouth open. Do watch. It’s breathtaking.

Sunday recs: Happy-making stuff

Published on by Sara Norja

It’s still Sunday even though it’s past midnight, since I haven’t gone to bed yet, right?

Here’s three recs that I hope will make you feel as fuzzy inside as they made me:

Turnover by Jo Walton (at Lightspeed Magazine): beautiful, optimistic SF set in a spaceship called Speranza (the name isn’t subtle and I don’t even care).

Witch, Beast, Saint: an Erotic Fairy Tale by C.S.E. Cooney (at Strange Horizons): a strange and beautiful love story with a great narrator. (Note: it is indeed erotica and thus fairly explicit.)

Freyja by Nina Pelaez (at Goblin Fruit – vintage GF from 2011): a golden poem filled with summer-happiness.

Sunday recs: Diversity in SFF

Published on by Sara Norja

I just listened to a great episode of Tor.com’s Rocket Talk, with Kate Elliott and N.K. Jemisin discussing reader, writer, and publisher bias. So great to hear two intelligent writers talking about this stuff! Kate Elliott is one of my absolute favourite writers these days, and I also admire and agree with her thoughts about the importance of representation and diversity. I’ve only read one of N.K. Jemisin’s books, but this was a good reminder that I should read more (yay for libraries and online book reservations).

Listen to the podcast here at Tor.com.

Relatedly, this essay about myths by N.K. Jemisin is important and wonderful: Dreaming Awake –

Myths tell us what those like us have done, can do, should do. Without myths to lead the way, we hesitate to leap forward. Listen to the wrong myths, and we might even go back a few steps. – See more at: http://nkjemisin.com/2012/02/dreaming-awake/#sthash.FjyVgNe8.dpuf