Inhuman Swill

Just a quick reminder about tonight's Boundless Tales reading in Queens. The listed time is 7:30 pm, but if you're making the trip out I happen to know that the event won't actually start until 8:00 pm, and that I'm the last of the five readers in the lineup. That's not to give you an excuse for showing up late, but, you know, it's a bit of a trek from the city so you don't have to kill yourself to make it there on the dot.

Thursday, April 17th, 7:30pm
Boundless Tales
@ Waltz-Astoria
23-14 Ditmars Blvd.
Astoria, Queens, NY 11105
(N/Q train at Astoria-Ditmars Blvd)

Boundless Tales features themed personal essays, the theme this month being "I Dominated/I Was Dominated." My fellow readers include Michelle Augello-Page, Sarah Bonifacio, Danny Herrera and Joan Willette. See you there!


Crossposted from Inhuman Swill

According to John Klima, he and I first met at the SFWA Authors & Editors Reception in 2001, perhaps introduced by Cory Doctorow. I have no memory of that. The first time I remember meeting John was at a party at a convention around that same time (I forget which one) where he was handing out free copies of his new zine, Electric Velocipede. I was dubious, eyeing the cheap, stapled covers, but everyone else around was acting like they'd just been given a gift of gold.

Before I started reading that first issue, I had never given much thought to sending any of my stories to fanzine markets, or even really to the semipros. Electric Velocipede changed my mind. The fiction was good, really good, and John had a keen, idiosyncratic editorial eye. And an air of unlikely coolness somehow clung to the roster of names on the cover. I wanted to be a part of it.

And by Issue 4, I was, with a weird little horror story called "Mrs. Janokowski Hits One out of the Park," a story I believed in but that no pro editor seemed interested in. That was the first of five EV stories over the years (including one under my Perry Slaughter byline). Along the way another story appeared on the EV blog, and John also published my chapbook An Alternate History of the 21st Century, which contained two more original stories that no one else seemed to want to touch. (One of those, "Objective Impermeability in a Closed System," ended up reprinted in Hartwell & Cramer's Year's Best SF 13.)

All this is by way of saying that Electric Velocipede has played a crucial role in my short fiction career, and I owe John Klima a deep debt of gratitude. Now, after a Hugo Award win and something like four World Fantasy Award nominations, EV is publishing its 27th and final issue. It's a sad occasion, but I hope you'll join me and a boatload of other contributors on Friday, February 28th, at Bluestockings Bookstore, for a reading, release party, and memorial service. It'll be great fun, and besides me you'll get to hear from writers like Robert J. Howe, K. Tempest Bradford, Nancy Hightower, Matthew Kressel, Barbara Krasnoff, Richard Bowes, Mercurio D. Rivera, Jonathan Wood, and Sam J. Miller. There'll be raffles and snacks, and a chance to purchase an EV sampler with stories by all the participants.

Please join us in sending a great magazine off in a big way!

Electric Velocipede Issue 27 Release Party & Memorial Service
hosted by Sam J. Miller & Nancy Hightower
Friday, February 28, 2014, 7:00 pm
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen Street
New York, NY 10002
facebook event listing | more info




Crossposted from Inhuman Swill

For November's Tuesday Funk, we've put together an all-star lineup so fabulous it just might pop your dome. The roster will feature Paul McComas & Greg Starrett, Vojislav Pejović, J.H. Palmer, John Rich, and Rosamund Lannin. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill and a fistful of Haiku by Andrew, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and you've got all the ingredients for a classic evening of Chicago entertainment.

The evening gets underway with your hosts William Shunn and Andrew Huff on Tuesday, November 5th, 2013, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar (where credit cards are now accepted!). We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!



Due to a scheduling conflict, J.H. Palmer will appear in place of Joseph O'Sullivan on November 5th. This post has been edited to reflect the change. Joseph O'Sullivan will appear at a future episode of Tuesday Funk.


Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Brace yourself, because do we have an amazing Tuesday Funk lined up for you! For our 61st episode, we've put together a roster that includes MacArthur Fellowship winner Aleksandar Hemon, whose recent The Book of My Lives has been garnering acclaim around the world.

As if that's not enough, we'll also have Virginia Konchan, Lania Knight, Norman Doucet, and another missionary story from co-host William Shunn. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill and a fistful of Haiku by Andrew, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and you've got all the ingredients for a legendary late-summer evening.

The evening gets underway with your hosts William Shunn and Andrew Huff on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar (where credit cards are now accepted!). We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Tuesday Funk invites you to walk with us into a deep, dark literary forest this July. The roster will feature Daniel Kraus, Bill Breedlove, Kendra Stevens, Eden M. Robins, and our own Andrew Huff. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill and some Haiku by Andrew, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and you've got all the ingredients for an excursion you won't soon forget.

The evening gets underway with your hosts William Shunn and Andrew Huff on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2012, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar (where credit cards are now accepted!). We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Late yesterday I received an email rejection in response to my recent audition for a popular Chicago-area reading/performance series.

This is the second year in a row I've applied. Last year my submission showed "a lot of hard work and potential" but wasn't right for the series. I would not have bothered applying again this year except that one of the directors of the series saw me read one of my personal essays at Tuesday Funk and urged me to submit it.

Well, I did get the audition this time, but while my piece was "engaging" with "funny moments" and "strong" writing, there were doubts about my ability to "command the entire room." ("Think of how you might tell this story to a group of friends in a bar.") Which is potentially fixable, of course. All I need to do is pay for one of their workshops.

You know, I think I'd rather spend the money on beer, telling the story to a group of friends in a bar.


Crossposted from Inhuman Swill

We've put together a leafy, green lineup for Tuesday Funk fit to feed a small village. The roster will feature Suzanne Clores, Mary Beth Hoerner, Robert McDonald, Dion Walton, and former co-host Sara Ross Witt. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill and some Haiku by Andrew, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and you've got all the ingredients for the most pleasant of spring evenings.

The festivities get underway with your hosts William Shunn and Andrew Huff on Tuesday, May 7th, 2013, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar (where credit cards are now accepted!). We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

We've put together an April lineup for Tuesday Funk fit to melt your cold heart at the end of this long winter. The roster will feature Mary Robinette Kowal, Jeremy Jasper, Wesley Chu, Regan Keeter, and Tuesday Funk co-founder Reinhardt Suarez. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and you've got all the ingredients for the perfect spring thaw. We'll also be welcoming our new host, Gapers Block's Andrew Huff, so you won't want to miss it!

The evening gets underway with your hosts William Shunn and Andrew Huff on Tuesday, February 5th, 2012, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar (where credit cards are now accepted!). We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Just a reminder that I'll be hosting a special evening of speculative fiction readings tonight at Open Books in Chicago. It's the first in the Chicago Writers Conference's new quarterly readings series, and it's free. Arrive early if you want a cupcake. I hope to see you there!

Chicago Writers Conference Presents
An Evening of Speculative Fiction

Date: Thursday, February 28, 2013

Time: 6:30 - 9:00 pm

Place: Open Books Bookstore
213 W. Institute Place
Chicago, IL 60610
(1 block north of Chicago & Franklin el stop.)

Featuring:

Jody Lynn Nye
Mary Anne Mohanraj
Matt Darst
Holly McDowell
Wesley Chu
Richard Chwedyk
William Shunn




Crossposted from Inhuman Swill

Our March lineup at Tuesday Funk is fit to make every other reading series green with envy. The roster will feature Mairead Case, Lania Knight, and Dana Norris, not to mention The Beautiful Anthology's Zoe Zolbrod and 2nd Story's CP Chang. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and you've got all the ingredients for a late-winter warm-up of epic proportions. We'll also be debuting our post-reading Q&A, which you won't want to miss!

The evening gets underway with your co-hosts Sara Ross Witt and William Shunn on Tuesday, February 5th, 2012, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar (where credit cards are now accepted!). We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk