No Nanobots Required

Imagine re-growing a severed fingertip, or creating an organ in the lab that can be transplanted into a patient without risk of rejection. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s not. It’s the burgeoning field of regenerative medicine, in which scientists are learning to harness the body’s own power to regenerate itself, with astonishing results.

I got a lot more where these came from. I got weeks of catching up to do.

March Scorecard

Yes, I’m behind. No excuses. March has a full slate of family holidays and commitments. Still, I’ve managed to get more done in March of ’08 than I’ve had in any previous March. As measured by numbers, however, well…

Rejections:
Submissions:
Acceptances:
Publications:
Circulating:
1
2 (1 resub/1 new)
0
0
4

In the Zone

Last week, I attended the 2008 Rod Serling Conference at Ithaca College, where Serling taught from 1967-1975. I scored a pass because The Wife was a judge in their scriptwriting competition. I saw a lot and learned a lot that I didn’t know. The best part was a session where the speaker presented video clips of small- and large-group lessons given by Serling himself at various workshops. Here’s one such clip, thanks to the piracy joy of YouTube.

The keynote speech at the conference was given by the past dean of the Park School of Communication who had access to unedited clips from this series, filmed on a soundstage at I.C. after a moment, so the story goes, where they finally realized the need to capture Serling’s teaching on camera. The man who was “the head of the class” in that last clip said a few words, as well.

I’ll post a few more clips later. There’s something about them, but to say they’re “inspirational” doesn’t seem quite right. There isn’t too much that any writer hasn’t heard a thousand times over (Serling himself would probably say that). But maybe it’s the sense of universality and timelessness in these forty year-old clips.

In any case, I’m still reeling.

Unvarnished Reviews

I know you’re thinking, “You’ve only read five stories since your last post?” Not so. I’ve actually read about fifteen additional pieces out of the collection Varieties of Disturbance by Lydia Davis. Anything I’d have to say about some of those pieces would be longer than the pieces themselves. I don’t think an off-the-cuff review is possible, except with terms like “Damn!” and “Oh, snap!”

These on the other hand…

Jeffrey Thomas, “Immolation” – From The New Weird antho. Very nice crime tale. Lots of phrases I liked, like references to “…some world not yet raped, merely groped.” Another excellent example of world-building, too. 5 out of 5.

Angela Carter, “The Snow Child” – From her collection The Bloody Chamber. I’m not sure how much the praise of her work affected my reading. In any case, I did love this short piece, with the way it slowly disturbs you like a creeping vine that you don’t realize has wrapped itself around your leg until it’s too late. 5 out of 5.

Karen Joy Fowler, “Shimabara” – From her collection Black Glass. You’ll think this story is about one thing and Fowler will turn it around on you. Only to then turn it back around, and unsettle you. Brilliantly done! 5 out of 5!

Jay Lake, “The Lizard of Ooze” – (pdf) Also from The New Weird. Intricate, straightforward plotting and execution. Definitely a lesson in worldbuilding. I didn’t feel too invested in this world, though, or its characters. 3 out of 5.

Karen Joy Fowler, “The Elizabeth Complex” – Also from Black Glass. I really get what she was trying to do here. The story’s clearly about multiple Elizabeths in order to make a universal statement. But Elizabeth I figures so prominently that Fowler’s attempts to weave in various anachronisms just doesn’t work as well as in other pieces I’ve read. 3 out of 5.