September debriefing

Greetings, Funkers! I know I say it time and time again, but if you missed this week's Science Fiction Edition of Tuesday Funk, you missed a hell of a good show.

First Gregory A. Wilson kicked things off in grand style with a tale that revealed the humanity at the heart of a mechanical man. Dapper Rajan Khanna then took us for some mind-bending and strangely costly travel through the secret doors that lurk in places we'd rather not look. And Adam Rakunas summoned us to the principal's office for a hilariously profane dressing-down that could only be forestalled by internet porn.

After our intermission break for beer at the bar, co-host William Shunn, in his latest Poem By Bill, brought the house down with his rhyming, rapping tale of a "Grand Motherfucker." Rae Carson followed that up with aplomb, bringing us the story of a girl who awakens after five days into a world that has changed in vivid and terrifying ways. And Daryl Gregory brought us a beautiful story in which the persistence of vision is made heartbreakingly literal.

But if you missed out, don't despair. We'll be bringing you plenty of video from the evening over the next few weeks, and we'll be back on Friday, September 14th, with our Chicago Writers Conference Special Edition, featuring M. Salahuddin Khan, Patricia Skalka, Rachel Wilson, William Shunn, and Mary Robinette Kowal. Be sure to join us!


Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Poem: Grand motherfucker

My apologies if you've already seen this. Months ago—way back in March, as a matter of fact—I conceived of a poem that would incorporate hiphop-style rhymes with science fiction storytelling and would be called (as I knew even then) "Grand Motherfucker." I would write the poem sometime over the spring or summer, then perform it at the September 4th science fiction edition of Tuesday Funk.

I made a few notes, but somehow I managed to not start working on the poem in earnest until late in the morning of, er, September 4th. I worked furiously for the next few hours, finally suturing up the last rhymes at around 5:30 pm. The show began at 7:30.

Better late than never! Here's how the poem went over last Tuesday night. Or perhaps how it went down. I hope you like it.

Crossposted from Inhuman Swill

Meet Our Readers: Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of Shades of Milk and Honey (Tor, 2010) and Glamour in Glass (Tor, 2012). In 2008 she received the Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and in 2011, her short story "For Want of a Nail" won the Hugo Award for Short Story. Her work has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. She served two terms as Vice President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Her stories appear in Asimov's, Clarkesworld, and several Year's Best anthologies. Mary, a professional puppeteer, also performs as a voice actor, recording fiction for authors such as Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi. She lives in Chicago with her husband Rob and over a dozen manual typewriters. Visit MaryRobinetteKowal.com.

Please see Mary and the rest of our accomplished readers at 7:30 pm on Friday, September 14th, for our Chicago Writers Conference Special Edition at Open Books in Chicago!


Crossposted from Tuesday Funk