#Melanie Whyte

[bookclub4m]

Episode 194 - Indie Publishers

This episode we’re discussing the topic(?) of Indie Publishers! We talk about how to define an indie publisher, weirdo metro stories, song lyrics, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray 🦇 | Jam Edwards

Join our Discord Server!

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Trial of the Clone: An Interactive Adventure! by Zach Weinersmith and Chris Jones

Any Other City by Hazel Jane Plante

Songs of Love, Death and Pleasure by Hazel Jane Plante

Video of the reading that Jam bought their books at last year!

A Short Journey by Car by Liam Durcan

Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli

Hope in the Dark: The Untold History of People Power by Rebecca Solnit

Of Thunder & Lightning by Kimberly Wang

Other Media We Mentioned

What About Crowdfunded Comics? by Matthew Murray 🦇 and Mara L. Thacker

Podcast version

How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler's Memoir by Amber Dawn

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal by Zach Weinersmith

The Platform Edge: Uncanny Tales of the Railways edited by Mike Ashley

When I Arrived at the Castle by E. M. Carroll

Boy Island by Leo Fox

Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy from Transgender Writers edited by Cat Fitzpatrick and Casey Plett

Links, Articles, and Things

Image Comics (Wikipedia)

Creative Commons

SkyTrain (Vancouver) (Wikipedia)

Oulipo (Wikipedia)

Podcast episode where one host tries not to say the letter “e”

Denver Small Press Fest

Spaghettieis (Wikipedia)

“spaghetti ice cream”

45 New & Forthcoming Indie Press Books by BIPOC Authors 

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Fiction

Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman (AK Press)

False Idols: A Reluctant King Novel by K’Wan (Akashic Books)

Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti (Archipelago Books)

Bad Land by Corinna Chong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Catapult)

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Catapult)

Cecilia by K-Ming Chang (Coffee House Press)

Fog & Car by Eugene Lim (Coffee House Press)

We’re Safe When We’re Alone by Nghiem Tran (Coffee House Press)

A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (Counterpoint Press)

Bad Seed by Gabriel Carle, translated by Heather Houde (Feminist Press)

The Default World by Naomi Kanakia (Feminist Press)

The Singularity by Balsam Karam, translated by Saskia Vogel (Feminist Press)

I'll Give You a Reason by Annell López (Feminist Press)

Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa, translated by Jennifer Feeley (Feminist Press)

Outcaste by Sheila James (Goose Lane Editions)

Silken Gazelles by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth (House of Anansi Press)

Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park (Inhabit Media)

Secrets of the Snakestone by Pia DasGupta (Nosy Crow)

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng (Tin House)

Masquerade by Mike Fu (Tin House)

The World With Its Mouth Open: Stories by Zahid Rafiq (Tin House)

I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall (Soft Skull Press)

Non-Fiction

RAPilates: Body and Mind Conditioning in the Digital Age by Chuck D and Kathy Lopez (Akashic Books)

All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey by Teresa Wong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee (Catapult)

My Pisces Heart: A Black Immigrant's Search for Home Across Four Continents by Jennifer Neal  (Catapult)

Beyond the Mountains: An Immigrant's Inspiring Journey of Healing and Learning to Dance with the Universe by Deja Vu Prem (Catapult)

Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco (Coffee House Press)

Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe (Counterpoint Press)

Born to Walk: My Journey of Trials and Resilience by Alpha Nkuranga (Goose Lane Editions)

Jinny Yu (At Once/À La Fois) by Jinny Yu (Goose Lane Editions)

Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix by Katherine Cross (LittlePuss Press)

Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray (Milkweed Editions)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments  by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life by Sofia Samatar (Soft Skull Press)

The Story Game by Shze-Hui Tjoa (Tin House)

Black Meme: The History of the Images That Make Us by Legacy Russell (Verso Books)

Poetry

i heard a crow before i was born by Jules Delorme (Goose Lane Editions)

We the Gathered Heat: Asian American and Pacific Islander Poetry, Performance, and Spoken Word edited by Franny Choi, Bao Phi, Noʻu Revilla, and Terisa Siagatonu (Haymarket Books)

A Map of My Want by Faylita Hicks (Haymarket Books)

[...] by Fady Joudah (Milkweed Editions)

Comics

A Witch’s Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)

Oba Electroplating Factory by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn & Quarterly)

Lost at Windy River by  Jillian Dolan, Trina Rathgeber and Alina Pete (Orca Books)

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

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Join us again on Tuesday, June 4th we’ll be discussing non-fiction Pop Culture!

Then on Tuesday, June 18th it’s time once again for One Book One Podcast as we each pitch a book we think we should read and you (the listeners) get to vote!

[themomsandthecity]

The 22 Best YouTube Channels For Kids

As any parent can attest to, videos for kids to watch on YouTube that are fun, educational, and don't drive you up a wall can be a challenge. That's why it's nice to have a heavy rotation of kids YouTube channels in your back pocket - so when the idea of listening to the kid from "Johny Johny Yes Papa" lie to his dad about eating sugar one more time has you gritting your teeth, you can suggest another kids channel instead. If, on the other hand, you aren't yet wise to the magical world of YouTube channels for kids, it may be time to dip your toe into the waters. YouTube is the internet's most popular video sharing platform, and because kids are more tech-savvy than ever, there's a good chance they're accessing the site on a regular basis. There are so many videos for kids to watch on YouTube, and it's always best to be in control of what they're being exposed to. Related: 15 Movement YouTube Channels That Will Get Your Kid Tired For Nap Time YouTube has a channel for just about everything, so it can be tough to narrow down kid-friendly YouTube videos that are educational and entertaining. Luckily, we're here to help you find the best YouTube channels for kids that are appropriate and fun, and brain-building to boot. This list of kids YouTube channels covers everything from nursery rhymes to STEM learning and will make sure your kiddo's screen time counts. - Additional reporting by Melanie Whyte and Alexis Jones https://www.popsugar.com/family/best-youtube-channels-for-kids-46790896?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[melanie-moreland-author]

🧁Happy Book Birthday!🧁🎂

Two neighbors—strangers—with one thing in common—they share a fence. But is that the only thing they share? Nathan Fraser lives a solitary life, never letting anyone get too close. It’s safer that way. Kourtney Whyte hides from the world and behind her work, too afraid to really live her life to the fullest. Rejection is what she knows best. But one night, the sound of her soft voice and the tantalizing aroma of her evening meal, prove too enticing for Nathan to ignore. So begins their unconventional relationship—talking, learning, texting, and gradually opening up to one another, all over the fence. That is, until the day Nathan braves the high fence to protect Kourtney from her past, and changes everything forever. Can they move forward together, without the buffer of the fence? Or will their pasts prove to be too much of a barrier?

[grrrlmusic]

I Saw The Light | Whyte Horses feat. Melanie Pain

[ndtcjamaica]

Part 2: In Tribute to Reggae Month

1988 saw the creation of Rex Nettleford's Dis Poem resorting to the dub poetry of Mutabaruka. The programme note read:

Of life and living and the efforts to deny its essence. “Dis Poem is to be continued in your mind, in your mind, in your mind...”

Original Dancers (Dis Poem): Judith Wedderburn, Andrea Douglas, Sita Littlewood, Nadia Williams, Charmaine Warren, Glen Brown, Wayne Daniels, John Hunt/Mark Ramsay, Eisenhower Williams, Milton Sterling

The reggae-Rasta-riddim complex expanded to full-blown dub poetry, which inspired Tony Wilson's to create a sequence to Mikey Smith's "Roots” for his dance-work Dance Jamaica (1988).

Original Dancers (Dance Jamaica): Arlene Richards, Carol Murdock, Jacquie Smith, Alaine Grant, Monica Lawrence, Andrea Douglas, Delroy Rose, Wayne Daniels, Glen Brown, Adrian Fletcher, Milton Sterling, Mark Ramsay, John Hunt

The NDTC Cuban-Connection continued with the creation of Eduardo Rivero-Walker's Tribute (1995) to music of reggae icons Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. The programme note read:

Reggae is a music of profound significance to Caribbean peoples. In particular, it is the youth of the Caribbean who see in reggae their reason for living, their happiness and their frustrations. Born in Jamaica, this rhythm is an element of cohesion and cultural identification between the peoples of the English-speaking Caribbean. The most representative author and singer was Bob Marley who is seen as the most prestigious in the Caribbean, Africa and Europe.

Original Dancers (Tribute): Melanie Graham Arlene Richards, Denise Robinson, Alaine Grant, Alison Symes, Carole Orane, Monica Lawrence, Staci-Lee Hassan, Karyn Johnson, Natalie Chung, Andrea Lloyd, Kerry-Ann Henry, Atiye Stewart, Kayla Scrivener, Delroy Rose, Milton Sterling, Gene Carson, Eisenhower Williams, David Browne, Arsenio Andrade, Abeldo Gonzalez, Franklyn Bryson

NDTC kept abreast with the ever-changing landscape of Jamaican contemporary popular music, which led to the making of Bujurama (1996). This was a natural occurrence for Nettleford, who pioneered works to reggae music from the 70s inspired by Jimmy Cliff (Tribute to Cliff), Bob Marley (Court of Jah) and Toots Hibbert (Backlash). In Bujurama, he revisited his contemporary ‘roots’ being inspired by the conscious lyrics of reggae/dancehall frontliner Buju Banton. The work made use of Banton's “Untold Stories”, “Not An Easy Road” and “Champion". Jamaica Gleaner writer Justin Whyte wrote:

It was not a transformation of the dancehall, instead it was a skillful re-enactment of the beauty there is in our music and carefully contrived movements. Therefore, it was of little wonder that the audience interrupted intermittently with wild applause, suggesting satisfaction and approval.  

Original Dancers (Bujurama): Melanie Graham, Arlene Richards, Denise Robinson, Alaine Grant, Alison Symes, Carole Orane, Monica Lawrence, Karyn Johnson, Staci-Lee Hassan, Natalie Chung, Andrea Lloyd, Kerry-Ann Henry, Rolande Pryce, Delroy Rose, Milton Sterling, Gene Carson, Arsenio Andrade, Abeldo Gonzalez, Franklyn Bryson, Keith Fagan

[petersasteria]

hi ate! 💌 - dollhouse with Tom Holland. Thank you in advance!

Hi!

💌 - Pick a boy and a Melanie Martinez song and I'll write a short lil blurb.

𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 - "𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲"

Dark!Mob!Tom 940 words

You couldn’t remember anything when you woke up. You did, but your last memory was from the day before and you were out shopping and then the rest was blank. You look around the room you woke up in and you didn’t recognize anything. In fact, you knew something was off. You had a lot of questions and you didn’t know who to ask because you woke up alone and cold.

The door opened to reveal a man with brown hair and a dashing smile that seemed to lure you in. You were done for as soon as you saw him enter the room. It’s as if he knew his effect on you because he smirked when he closed the door behind him.

“Hello, darling.” He smiled. “You’re probably wondering why you’re here.”

You could only nod.

“You’re here because you belong here, darling. You’re meant to be with me and only me.” He said.

“I-I don’t even know you... sir.” You stuttered. You were nervous after all. You never met this man in your life and despite his handsome face, you knew you had a family to go home to.

He clenched his jaw and his demeanor changed. He watched as you got out of bed and grabbed your things by the side of the nightstand. “I have to go home now. Thank you for letting me sleep here.” You said politely before walking towards the door. You didn’t make it, though. He grabbed your wrist tightly and said through gritted teeth, “You’re not going anywhere.”

“B-But-”

“You’re. Not. Going. Anywhere.” He said sternly and pushed you back causing you to stumble a bit. You sat on the bed not knowing what to do.

“You want to go back to your family?”

“Ye-”

“They’re not your family. Or at least, you never acted like a family. Your family’s perfect for the people, but in reality it’s all scripted because you’re hiding the truth.” He laughed bitterly. “I see everything, my dear. I have eyes everywhere. I watch your family’s every move. Even behind closed doors.”

“Your father’s a man-whore; always having a young lady on his lap at bars. He spends his money on his side hoes more than he spends money on his wife; your mum.”

“Speaking of your mum, she’s a depressed alcoholic who can’t get her shit together. She smokes a lot and she puts on very heavy make-up to hide the bags under her eyes caused by staying up all night, waiting for your man-whore father to come home. The reason why she hasn’t left him yet? He has money and he has a job. She doesn’t. She’s a housewife and that’s all she wanted to be.”

You looked at him with a surprised expression because of all the information he knows. At the same time, you were scared of how he got those information. No one knew about it except him.

“Who are you?” You asked in fear, eyes glassy with tears.

“Next is your older brother; the druggie. Always high and always hanging out with the potheads in that sketchy alley at 6th street. Sometimes he injects the drugs in him and one day you found him unconscious on his bedroom floor. You and your mum took him to rehab and he’s been there since. You visit him sometimes, but it seems like he doesn’t change.” He continued.

You let your tears stream down your face and you wiped them away.

“And then there’s you: the forgotten child. Your father stopped acknowledging you as his daughter when you were 15 because you told your mum about his affairs. Your mum hated you for telling her the truth she already knew. Your mum’s motto is ‘ignorance is bliss’ and you ruined it for her. You never spoke to your brother because he was always high. The last decent conversation you had with him was that time when you were 12 and he was 15. After that, his life went downhill.”

“You tried your best to be the perfect daughter that can do no wrong but they failed to notice you. They only gave you money to shut up. If you think about going back there, here’s a little news for you, darling: they don’t care about you. Do you know who cares about you? Me. I care about you. That’s why you’ll stay here with me.” He finished.

“Who are you and how did you know all that?” You cried.

“Like I said, I have eyes everywhere.” He answered shortly. “Your family was never a family to begin with. Your father married your mother because she was his one night stand and was pregnant with your brother. Your father wouldn’t get his generous inheritance if he’s not married and if he doesn’t have a son as a first born. Your mother was his saving grace in terms of inheritance. You were an accident, my love. They hated you and you don’t deserve that.”

He walked towards you and kneeled in front of you. He took your hands in his and kissed your knuckles.

“I can give you the family you’ve always dreamed of; a family that didn’t pretend to be perfect because it’ll be perfect to begin with. We already live in a mansion with ridiculous wealth and superior security protection. The only thing missing is the family you deserve. But that’ll only happen if you stay here with me. I promise you, you won’t regret it.”

“I don’t even know who you are.” You said softly as you looked into his chocolate brown eyes.

He smirked, “Tom Holland, darling. I’m your family now.”

* * * *

𝐓𝐎𝐌 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @abrielleholland @poguesholland @superheroesaremytea @marshxx @buckys-little-hoe @harryismysunflower @ella-whyte @buckys-little-hoe @harryismysunflower @hollandsrecs @slytherin-chaser @quaksonhehe @lil-mellow-bunbun @turtoix @badreputationlove @swiftmind @sovereignparker @nerdyandproudofitsstuff @pearce14 @xfirstfemale-marauderx @cherthegoddess @justanamesstuff @chewymoustachio @cocoamoonmalfoy @peterspidey @givebuckyhisplumsnow

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @marvelousell @justasmisunderstoodasloki @rubberducky-jrr @allyz @osterfieldnholland @miraclesoflove @god-knows-what-am-i-doing @drie-the-derp @hollands-weasley @itstaskeen @call-me-baby-gir1 @the-panwitch @iamaunicorn4704 @geminiparkers @holland-styles @calltothewild​ @fancyxparker @herbatkazmiloscia @whatthefuckimbisexual @justanothermarvelmaniac @unsaidholland @musicalkeys @lost-in-the-stars03 @hufflepuffprincess24 @hollanddolanfangirl @parkerpeter24 @bellelittleoff @agentnataliahofferson @aqiise @lexirv @blairscott @pearly-pisces​ @theonly1outof-a-billion @u-rrose​ @speedymaximoff​ @theliterarymess @beequeen8020 @justafangirlduh

ADD YOURSELF TO MY TAGLIST IF YOU’RE COOL X

[books-in-a-storm]

Snowflake Book Review’s

Title: Over the Fence

Author: Melanie Moreland

Pages:352

Snowflake Rating:❄❄❄❄❄(5/5)

Synopsis: Two neighbors—strangers—with one thing in common—they share a fence. But is that the only thing they share? Nathan Fraser lives a solitary life, never letting anyone get too close. It’s safer that way. Kourtney Whyte hides from the world and behind her work, too afraid to really live her life to the fullest. Rejection is what she knows best. But one night, the sound of her soft voice and the tantalizing aroma of her evening meal, prove too enticing for Nathan to ignore. So begins their unconventional relationship—talking, learning, texting, and gradually opening up to one another, all over the fence. That is, until the day Nathan braves the high fence to protect Kourtney from her past, and changes everything forever. Can they move forward together, without the buffer of the fence? Or will their pasts prove to be too much of a barrier?

[lightgreyartgallery]

Worldbuilding Compendium

Hi Everyone!

We’ve recently reached our goal on Kickstarter, on getting our goal of getting our Worldbuidling Compendium funded to be added to the back of the book!

Here’s a couple of professional creators that will be sharing their advice on worldbuilding, along with other pro-tips in regards to creating in the artistic field!

First, we have Emily Abeydeera @memydraws , freelance senior concept artist & illustrator who's worked for companies like King, Activision and Blizzard. Their piece, and tips for narrative storytelling through color & emotion will be in our compendium! http://emilyabeydeera.com

Next, we have Steven Sugar @SteSug , lead background designer at Disney's The Owl House and Cartoon Network's Steven Universe, who will share their insights on designing a surprising place: worldbuilding narratives to reject the world we live in! https://stevensugar.art

Next, we have Claire Hummel @shoomlah , an LA-based Art Director & Concept Artist at Valve who's been in the games industry for over a decade. They will be sharing on the topic of Redefining Mundanity: compelling design for everyday items! http://clairehummel.com

Next, we have Devon Bragg, @DevonBragg Character Designer, Prop Designer and Background Painter who's worked with Warner Bros. Animation, Nickelodeon, and Disney Animation! Sharing their own experience working with smaller town gigs, to bigger gigs! https://devonbraggart.myportfolio.com

Next, we have Mélanie Daigle @asteur Animator, Director & Budding Author, and Illustrator who has 10 years of digital 2D animation experience, currently working at WildBrain Studios. Sharing insight on the benefits from studying design philosophies! https://melanie-daigle.com

Next, we have Chelsea Harper @Etherelle , Freelance Illustrator, Character Designer, Storyboard Artist & Nanowrimo Veteran. Their art piece, as well as their tips on: Backwards Engineering for Conflict, the World, and Other Ideas will be in the book! https://chelseaharperart.portfoliobox.io

Next, we have Joe Wright @boatofbees Vagabond Craftsperson who is an illustrator, designer, writer and webcomic artist based in Manchester. They will be sharing their wisdom on the pros of asking yourself questions, and how to use them in your story! http://boatofbees.com

Next, we have J.M. Lee @joeyverse ,a Minnesotan born staff writer & creative consultant of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix. They will be sharing their thoughts on the topic of: Speak the Words: world building with language! https://joeyverse.com

Next, we have Grace Fong @fictograph , Narrative Designer on Magic: The Gathering, Cover Artist and Illustrator who's worked with Neversoft and DreamWorks Animation! They will be sharing their thoughts on using architecture in your work! https://artstation.com/fictograph/albums/2158666

Next, we have Daron Nefcy @DaronNefcy , EP of development at Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Creator of Star vs. The Forces of Evil for Disney Television, sharing tips on creating rules for your lands and the characters you build with them! https://daronnefcy.com

Next, we have Monica Davila, a Storyboard Director who's worked with Paramount Animation, DreamWorks Television, Walt Disney Television Animation, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio! They will be sharing how a story is a "character out of balance"! https://monicadavila.com

Next, we have Faith Schaffer @faith_schaffer , a Background Designer and Visual Development artist for animation who's worked for Disney TV, Cartoon Network and Warner Brothers. They will be sharing their insights on designing fantasy characters! http://faithschaffer.com

Next, we have Stu Livingston @stulivingston , an Emmy award winning Director, Storyboard Artist and Cartoonist with 12 years of experience in TV animation! Stu will be sharing his experience and pro-tips on stories, writing, and directing! : http://stuartlivingston.com

Meet Campbell Whyte @campbellwhyte , Australian-based comic artist and Co-Founder of Milktooth School of Art and Stories. Campbell will be sharing tips on drawing inspiration and imagining the fantastical! : http://campbellwhyte.com

Next, we have Izzy Burton @izzyburtonart ,an incredibly talented Director, Author and new Lead  Background Artist at  Netflix who will be sharing information about tools, resources, finding ways to handle problems in art-making, and chasing good ideas! https://izzyburton.co.uk

and many more! Stay tuned for us to share some more tomorrow!

Our Kickstarter will end on October 1st, 2:00pm CST so back now before it ends soon! :o)

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worldroulette/world-roulette-150-worlds-art-book-and-worldbuilding-guide?ref=ksr_email_user_watched_project_launched

[fatehbaz]

Compilation of thoughts on apocalypse; dystopia; better futures; resurgence; contemplated during first week of pandemic quarantine.

-------------------------------------------------------

Johnnie Jae, with Rebecca Roanhorse, Elizabeth LaPensee, and Darcie Little Badger. “Decolonizing Science Fiction and Imagining Futures: An Indigenous Futures Roundtable.” Strange Horizons. January 2017.

We have survived an apocalypse and with every generation our future continues to grow more hopeful. As we continue to preserve and reclaim our identities, traditions, languages, lands, water, resources, and values in the face of every new threat, the future looks more and more beautiful. As for what that actually looks like, […] I would like to add that I imagine that those future generations are no longer living in survival mode the way that we are now. I like to imagine that we have done our job, that we have sacrificed and done everything in our power to keep the wheels of healing turning that our future generations are well. I like to imagine that they are living without the feeling of urgency that we feel in every decision and move we make, that they are thriving and moving forward with calm deliberation.

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Ursula K. Le Guin. No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters. 2017.

These are some thoughts about utopia and dystopia. The old, crude Good Places were compensatory visions of controlling what you couldn’t control and having what you didn’t have here and now  –  an orderly, peaceful heaven; a paradise of hours; pie in the sky. The way to them was clear, but drastic. You died. Ever since, utopia has been located not in the afterlife but just off the map, across the ocean, over the mountains, in the future, on another planet, a livable yet unattainable elsewhere. […] [L]ong-term survival [...] involves acceptance of impermanence and imperfection, a patience with uncertainty and the makeshift, a friendship with water, darkness, and the earth.

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Hugo Reinert. “The Haunting Cliffs: Some Notes on Silence.” Parallax. 2018.

On the neighbouring island group of Rost, for example, the nesting population of Atlantic Puffins has plunged from some 1.5 million pairs in 1979 to around 300,000 in 2017 [...]. What did the colonies here sound like, in their day? [...] The absence of birds becomes something spectral. [...] Mark Fisher analysed the uncanny affect of eeriness as the effect of a ‘crisis of presence’ […]. It could also arise from a failure of presence – in the experience of an unexplained nothing where there should be something: a ship at sea without its crew, say; an abandoned city, streets unexpectedly empty; a coastline without birds, perhaps, or a cliff-face full of abandoned nests. […]

The silence is real, the populations plunge and the colonies are collapsing – but its absoluteness was a trick of the light […]. I nearly convinced myself that this was the silence I had come for: an absolute silence, echoing with the absence of dead birds in the aftermath of some all-encompassing catastrophe; a simplified caricature, terminal and abstract. […] One trap among many – mistaking one silence for another, yielding to apocalyptic fantasy. The cataclysm may be unfolding but the silences that threaded this space were more complex, richer […]. They issued from a place that was reduced but not destroyed – impoverished, perhaps, but also still alive, neither lifeless nor (yet) fully devastated. They opened, in other words, on the myriad entangled possibilities of damage and survival, partial loss, recuperation, mutation, and resurgence; of life continuing but in other forms, under other circumstances.

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Melanie K. Yazzie. “Decolonizing Development in Dine Bikeyah: Resource Extraction, Anti-Capitalism, and Relational Futures.” Environment and Society. September 2018.

Indigenous feminist and Dine land defenders […] draw connections between the everyday lived material realities of environmental violence and larger structures of colonialism [and] capitalism […]. These connections are key for understanding the politics of life espoused by Big Mountain matriarchs like Whitesinger and Ruth Benally that emerged to contest these material realities of environmental violence and death […]. The land-based paradigm that emerged from the context of these women’s resistance to forced removal had, at its center […] both an unwavering critique of the almost totalizing death that extractive practices represented […] and a framework for Dine conceptions of life rooted in one’s relationships with the land and responsibilities to life-giving forces and beings like sheep, corn, family […] an entire web of relations that have specific connections to specific places.

In other words, through the act of resisting forced removal, these women enacted a politics of life that was both defensive (as in to defend life against the destruction of extraction) and generative (as in to caretake life through an ethos and practice of kinship obligation).

This dual move of defending and caretaking relational life is at the heart of the Dine concept of k’e, which is still widely practiced[…] Our decolonial aspirations are not just about sovereignty and exerting independence over energy development […]. Our politics of […] decolonization must thus not only act as a form of resistance to the death drive of capitalism and settler colonialism, but also function as a vehicle for imagining a politics of life that will refuse death and instead secure a future for all our relations.

----------------------------

Kyle Whyte. “Indigenous science (fiction) for the Anthropocene: Ancestral dystopias and fantasies of climate change crises.” May 2018.

Danika Medak-Saltzman writes, in her analysis of Indigenous science fiction, gender and futurism, that “Indigenous futurist work can and does also explore a variety of dystopian possibilities, which [...] aid us in our efforts to imagine our way out of our present dystopic moment to call forth better futures” […]. Consider the work of Salma Monani in her analysis of Danis Goulet’s science fiction movie Wakening. […] Goulet sets this story in the dystopian times of the occupiers. In the film, the protagonists are women and nonhumans who have to figure out how to relate to each other again […]. Both protagonists occupy social identities that are disrespected or villainized in Canadian or U.S. settler colonialism, whether owing to gender, Indigeneity or being nonhuman. […] Of course, the solution to surviving the dystopia lies in the reciprocal responsibility of both protagonists to work together in ways that honor each other. [W]hat becomes apparent is the importance of reestablishing a relationship of reciprocal responsibility between the two protagonists, and emphasizing diverse gendered and nonhuman agencies […].

--------------------------------

[urbanchristiannews]

THERE IS A DEVIL LOOSE: Some people, and amazingly including her husband Artemio Juarez, are rallying to the side of and raising money for the church-going woman Celina Juarez, who suffocated and murdered her 8-month-old little cherubic baby on her breast while feeding the baby, and who was getting ready to kill her other baby, saying, "She needs help, not jail." Family and friends say she is a devoted parent who became overwhelmed when infant twins would not latch on to her breast. Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, says, he will say this as kindly as he can knowing full well that this breaks the pro-women, feminist, evangelical, charismatic, Baptist, and WOKE rules: Even though this is a beautiful woman, she is a cold-blooded murderer of her own innocent, beautiful, cherubic infant, and could be easily charged with attempted murder of her other innocent, beautiful, cherubic infant that God blessed her with.

THERE IS A DEVIL LOOSE: Some people, and amazingly including her husband Artemio Juarez, are rallying to the side of and raising money for the church-going woman Celina Juarez, who suffocated and murdered her 8-month-old little cherubic baby on her breast while feeding the baby, and who was getting ready to kill her other baby, saying, “She needs help, not jail.” Family and friends say she is a devoted parent who became overwhelmed when infant twins would not latch on to her breast. Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, says, he will say this as kindly as he can knowing full well that this breaks the pro-women, feminist, evangelical, charismatic, Baptist, and WOKE rules: Even though this is a beautiful woman, she is a cold-blooded murderer of her own innocent, beautiful, cherubic infant, and could be easily charged with attempted murder of her other innocent, beautiful, cherubic infant that God blessed her with.

Celina Juarez, 29, is in custody in San Jose accused of murdering her eight-month-old daughter Melani. Melani and her twin sister Zari are shown along with their two-year-old brother. Celina’s husband Artemio is now fundraising for her legal defense THERE IS A DEVIL LOOSE: Some people, and amazingly including her husband Artemio Juarez, are rallying to the side of and raising money for the…

[movingshelves]

Tracking my “series to read one day, just not today”

Authors who have written a lot (as in “I do want to read them but where do I even start ? Should I read them in a row ?”)

Lois McMaster BUJOLD

Vorkosigan Saga (7/31)

I feel like I need to reread from the start to be able to continue.

Bothari is something. Miles is one of the few disabled characters I’ve read and it was really upbeating to have him. Pure enjoyment.

C. J. Cherryh

I wanted some old science-fiction by female writers (thanks to The Left Hand of Darkness)

Anything by her is fine.

Glenn COOK

The Black Company (0/10)

I like my fantasy to be gritty. With adult protagonists.

Steven ERIKSON

Malazan Book of the Fallen (1/10)

Read and liked Gardens of the Moon. I wanted to read all of them before leaving some place, turns out that I really overestimated my ability to read. Furthermore, I would need to reread this volume and it is long. Postponing and postponing until I have both the time and a lasting ability to read. Requires a lot of commitment and raises the question of “how do you read a long series without forgetting anything in-between two volumes ?”.

Robin HOBB

What is happening with the Fool ?!

The Realm of the Elderlings (read the first few chapters long ago)

The Farseer Trilogy (0/3)

Liveship Traders Trilogy (0/3)

The Tawny Man Trilogy (0/3)

The Rain Wild Chronicles (0/4)

The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy (0/3)

Katharine KERR

Deverry Cycle (0/15)

Dunno. She appears too often in my brain for me to let her go.

Katherine KURTZ

Fantasy from the 70s ? By a female writer ? Checked ! Classical fantasy without it being a young girl bullied, I am in.

The Chronicles of the Deryni (0/3)

The Legends of Camber of Culdi (0/3)

The Histories of King Kelson (0/3)

The Heirs of Saint Camber (0/3)

King Kelson's Bride (0/3)

The Childe Morgan Trilogy (0/3)

Marcel PROUST

In Search of Lost Time (0/15)

For reasons I’ve since quite forgotten.

Rick RIORDAN

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (at least two volumes read) (2 ? /5)

The Heroes of Olympus (0/5)

The Kane Chronicles (0/3)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (0/3)

Somehow, it seems possible to read all of their series ... but I can wait

C. S. FORESTER

Horation Hornblower (0/15)

Watched one movie. Historical and maritime. Not something I am used to : “let’s try it”.

Cornelia FUNKE

Inkheart trilogy (0/3)

I swear I do read more “recent” books.

Ursula K. LE GUIN

Earthsea (0/6)

I’ve discovered Le Guin with her science-fiction. I like the idea of a young Ged wandering around, though.

Karin LOWACHEE

Warchild, Burndive, Cagebird (1/3)

I unexpectedly found Warchild at the library. I didn’t remember why I wanted to read it (surprising ?) but borrowed it nonetheless. To this day, I still don’t know how to feel about it but this one made me sad.

Angie SAGE

Septimus Heap (0/7)

One of those series I missed when I was younger. (Before Twilight took over).

Jonathan STROUD

Bartimaeus Sequence (0/3 + 0/1)

Had to return the first volume before completing it.

Lockwood & Co. (2/5)

Nice likeable characters. Really enjoyable but not enough for me to actively search for the following books, and even more so when I am down.

J. R. R. TOLKIEN

The Lord of the Rings (something like 5/1000+ pages ?)

Technically not a trilogy but long enough to know that I might struggle to get through it.

May finish The Silmarillion way before tackling the series.

Tad WILLIAMS

Memory, Sorrow & Thorn (0/3)

I like to read some “old” finished stuff, what can I say more ?

Roger ZELAZNY

Chronicles of Amber (0/10)

Doesn’t seem that long. Old series, as usual, there is a chance I might be in.

I am on my way (like possibly reading it in the next ten years)

Lynn FLEWELLING

Tamír Triad

The Nightrunner Series 

Both of them.

Diana Wynne JONES

Howl's Moving Castle series (1/3)

A pain to find her books in libraries and bookshops unless I buy them on the net. I do have two out of the three books in this series. And Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the few books I’ve reread and plan to reread again.

Ursula K. LE GUIN

Hainish Cycle (1/8)

I used to be less interested in science-fiction before but The Left Hand of Darkness was a slap in the face to say the least. Still not over it, it has been too long, already. A bit afraid to be disappointed in her other works (but I won’t, right ?).

Mary RENAULT

Alexander novels (0/3)

It’s either that or her Arthurian novels. I have a (weird ?) interest in Alexander the Great. This guy thought on a grand scale. Died young. Truly sad.

Dan SIMMONS

Hyperion Cantos (0/4)

I stop everytime after the priest story. Every single time.

Rosemary SUTCLIFF

The Eagle of the Ninth (1/8)

Read The Eagle of the Ninth a year ago, perhaps more, and I regularly crave for a reread.

Other series worth mentioning (quite often those ones from the 1980s-1990s, r/fantasy is often to be blamed)

Bernard CORNWELL,  Stephen R. LAWHEAD, Mary STEWART and Jack WHYTE

King Arthur.

Dorothy DUNNET

Lymond Chronicles (0/6)

I do like historical novels, even though I rarely read them. Perhaps was recommended because of Guy Gavriel Kay and prose ?

Jennifer FALLON

The Wolfblade Trilogy (0/3)

I have no idea why. Perhaps romance (?) and politics ?

Robert JORDAN (0/15)

The Wheel of Time series (0/15)

Once saw a fanart of Rand. It’s enough for me to begin a series. However, I am afraid that the depiction of women will leave me with a sour taste. Also, I don’t really like Brandon Sanderson (Way of Kings was just a nightmare to finish).

Juliet MARILLIER

The Sevenwaters Trilogy (0/6)

Yep, right, trilogy. Retelling of a tale. Why not.

 Sarah MONETTE

Doctrine of Labyrinths series (0/4)

???

Michael NAVA

Henry Rios novels (0/8)

I rarely read crime novels. I did found about these books at a specific time so I am very fond of these novels.

Melanie RAWN

Dragon Prince (0/3)

I don’t even know. Female author. Forgotten one ? Old one that nobody around me knows about.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 098 - Historical Fiction

This episode we’re talking about Historical Fiction! We discuss how far in the past something has to be before it counts as historical fiction, whether reading fiction is supposed to be enjoyable, anachronisms and inaccuracies (both purposeful and accidental), and historical pandemics. Plus: Someone’s power goes out half way through the recording!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards

Things We Read

The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Review in The Guardian

Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

Cut to the Quick by Kate Ross

Tom Thomson, esquisses du printemps by Sandrine Revel

Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter

A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

Lavinia (Wikipedia)

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Other Media We Mention

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Fire in the Streets by Kekla Magoon

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Yes, Roya by C. Spike Trotman and Emilee Denich

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (Wikipedia)

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

The Sky Is Falling by Kit Pearson

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

The Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game) (Wikipedia)

Sally Heathcote: Suffragette by Mary M. Talbot, Bryan Talbot, and Kate Charlesworth

The Witches of New York by Ami McKay 

HHhH by Laurent Binet

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen

Links, Articles, and Things

Why people are turning to pandemic fiction to help process the Covid-19 crisis

Crash Course in Historical Fiction (Webinar)

Webinar Slides

Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction (Coursera course)

Historical Novel Society - Defining the Genre

COVID-19 Myths, Debunked (comics!) by Whit Taylor and Allyson Shwed

Why historians should write fiction

Suggest new genres or titles!

Fill out the form to suggest genres!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, April 21st when we’ll let you know about Other Media We’ve Been Enjoying!

Then on Tuesday, May 5th it’s our 100th episode and we’ll be discussing the non-fiction genre of Libraries and Information!

[themomsandthecity]

The 17 Best Halloween Movies For Kids on Netflix That the Whole Family Will Enjoy

When it comes to Halloween movies, there's no shortage of spooky entertainment that's been made over the years. There are popular films and obscure ones; movies that make you laugh and gore that turns your stomach into knots. But when you add kids to the mix, your roster of choices gets a lot smaller. While films like "Scream" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" are go-to classics, they're not the best options for Halloween movies for kids. If you want something the whole family can enjoy, check out these family Halloween movies on Netflix. The platform has a vast array of kid-friendly films that are not too scary but will still get the whole family in the Halloween spirit. So if you're looking for an eerie flick to watch with your family leading up to the spooky holiday that's tame enough for even your 4-year-old to feel included or spooky enough to entertain your 14-year-old, we've rounded up a list of the best family Halloween movies on Netflix for kids of every age. Check out these Halloween specials and movies - plus a few flicks that have Halloween vibes in general - that are streaming now. (And if you're daring, click here to see the gory horror movies you can watch after your little ones have gone to sleep.) - Additional reporting by Lauren Harano, Naomi Parris, and Melanie Whyte Related: These Are the 12 Movies From the '90s That You Should Watch With Your Kids https://www.popsugar.com/family/Halloween-Movies-Kids-Netflix-45110049?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[melanie-moreland-author]

Fan made = best made #Repost @it.sgottabethebooks with @get_repost ・・・ 💫Cover Re-Reveal💫 OVER THE FENCE By Melanie Moreland 3.5 ⭐️ Release Date August 4, 2015 ——————————————————— Review posted on my blog. Link in bio. 📷 by me. ——————————————————— Available on Kindle Unlimited! Genre: Contemporary Romance Two neighbors—strangers—with one thing in common—they share a fence. But is that the only thing they share? Nathan Fraser lives a solitary life, never letting anyone get too close. It’s safer that way. Kourtney Whyte hides from the world and behind her work, too afraid to really live her life to the fullest. Rejection is what she knows best. But one night, the sound of her soft voice and the tantalizing aroma of her evening meal, prove too enticing for Nathan to ignore. So begins their unconventional relationship—talking, learning, texting, and gradually opening up to one another, all over the fence. That is, until the day Nathan braves the high fence to protect Kourtney from her past, and changes everything forever. Can they move forward together, without the buffer of the fence? Or will their pasts prove to be too much of a barrier? ——————————————————— #FenceFriends #BlindDate #overthefence #MelanieMoreland #coverreveal #books #coverrereveal #bookish #reading #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookworm #booksofinstagram #FriendsToLovers#Contemporary #Romance #books #Bookphotography #booklover#reading #booklove #reader #nowreading #itsgottabethebooks https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt7TREbA-vZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1sxlbb13b4dye

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

“This is a wonderfully romantic, original, sweet tale of two people with pasts that have led them to lonely lives, connecting in the only way they would allow, and slowly falling in love.”. ~ Goodreads review

 OVER THE FENCE by Melanie Moreland is 1.99 for a Limited Time!

Two neighbors—strangers—with one thing in common—they share a fence.

But is that the only thing they share?

 Nathan Fraser lives a solitary life, never letting anyone get too close. It’s safer that way.

 Kourtney Whyte hides from the world and behind her work, too afraid to really live her life to the fullest. Rejection is what she knows best.

 But one night, the sound of her soft voice and the tantalizing aroma of her evening meal, prove too enticing for Nathan to ignore.

 So begins their unconventional relationship—talking, learning, texting, and gradually opening up to one another, all over the fence.

 That is, until the day Nathan braves the high fence to protect Kourtney from her past, and changes everything forever.

 Can they move forward together, without the buffer of the fence?

 Or will their pasts prove to be too much of a barrier?

 🏘 1.99 FOR A LIMITED TIME! 🏘

Amazon: http://getbook.at/OverTheFence

Apple Books, Kobo and Nook: http://books2read.com/overthefence

Add to your Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/GROTF

  #melaniemoreland #sale #romance #fallinlove #standalone #oneclick #TBR #mustread #bookshelf

[books-in-a-storm]

Book Of The Week

Title: Over the Fence

Author: Melanie Moreland

Pages:352

Synopsis: Two neighbors—strangers—with one thing in common—they share a fence. But is that the only thing they share? Nathan Fraser lives a solitary life, never letting anyone get too close. It’s safer that way. Kourtney Whyte hides from the world and behind her work, too afraid to really live her life to the fullest. Rejection is what she knows best. But one night, the sound of her soft voice and the tantalizing aroma of her evening meal, prove too enticing for Nathan to ignore. So begins their unconventional relationship—talking, learning, texting, and gradually opening up to one another, all over the fence. That is, until the day Nathan braves the high fence to protect Kourtney from her past, and changes everything forever. Can they move forward together, without the buffer of the fence? Or will their pasts prove to be too much of a barrier?

Goodreads: (Here)