Guest Post: The Importance of Words by Jeffery Viles
Words are not just important, they are the key invention of Homo sapiens, which separates us by miles from the other animals here on planet earth. With our complex languages and hundreds of thousands of words, we describe things we can see and touch and things we only imagine. What is in front of us and what is not. The trick is to string words together in clear sentences that tell a story, an imaginative vision, or a descriptive picture. For me, the challenge is to use surprising and creative language within those sentences to catch the reader’s attention — to make the effort an entertainment for both writer and reader. Lots of species communicate non-verbally. Humpback whales sing to each other, lions roar meaningfully, gorillas thump their chests, birds trill away. But these and other animal communications are only basic modes of signaling. No other species is equipped to form words which can describe, hurt, make pictures, elate, curse, relay emotions, instruct, excite, and all the other things that words can do. “But,” you ask, “aren’t we the only species that has sex just for fun and not necessarily to procreate? Doesn’t that also distinguish us from the other animals?” Tell that to the Bonobo monkeys. “But we use tools and have an opposable thumb.” Yes, we do. And so do Chimpanzees, our nearest relative.
Signal Boost #28: Claudie Arseneault (City of Spires Trilogy) and Brandon O’Brien
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost28ArseneaultOBrien/Sandf–SignalBoost28–ArseneaultObrien.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIn today’s episode of Signal Boost, Jen talks to Claudie Arseneault about her work, including the recently released second book of the City of Spires trilogy, City of Betrayal. They discuss the mosaic narrative of City of Spires, found families, the solar punk genre and her first book, Viral Airwaves, and what inspired Claudie to create the Aromantic and Asexual Speculative Fiction Database. Then Brandon O’Brien, speculative poet and poetry editor, joins Shaun to talk about what draws him to poetry as a medium, his classical and local influences, how he explores the African diaspora from a Caribbean perspective in his work, and about FIYAH Magazine and what he looks for in a good speculative fiction poem. We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):
341. NaNoWriMo — A Discussion w/ Cat Rambo, Nicky Drayden, and C.B. Lee
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode341NaNoWriMo/Sandf–Episode341–Nanowrimo.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSChaos, crap, and community, oh my! Paul is joined by Elizabeth Fitzgerald, the newest member of the Skiffy and Fanty Team, to talk to the wonderful Cat Rambo, Nicky Drayden, and C.B. Lee about National Novel Writing Month! The group discuss their experiences with NaNoWriMo, including how they first got involved, what processes they use to stay focused on the goal, and how accessible NaNoWriMo is for diverse communities. Make sure you stay to the end for their pep talks! You can do this! We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):
Signal Boost #25: Mike Brooks (Dark Deeds) and S.A. Chakraborty (City of Brass)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost25MikeBrooksS.A.Chakraborty/Sandf–SignalBoost25–MikeBrooksS.a.Chakraborty.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIn today’s episode of Signal Boost, Jen talks to Mike Brooks about the third installment of his Keiko series, Dark Deeds. Mike gives us a recap of the the first two books, which he calls dirty space opera, and sets us up for the crew’s shenanigans as they try to pull off a heist and save a crew-member. He also discusses how he worked to make this series his own given its Firefly inspired origins. Then S.A. Chakraborty, debut author of The City of Brass, joins Jen to tell us about the medieval middle eastern inspirations of her novel, how it started out as historical fan fic, how a djinn (not the Disney version) might be influenced by a long-view of human history, and how Nahri is forced to make her way in Daevabad, the City of Brass. We also get a glimpse into how The City of Brass found a home through the #DVPit pitch process! (Apologies for the audio; sometimes the internet just doesn’t want to cooperate!) We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):
#PollMondays: What is the best writing companion?
Dogs, cats, elephants, oh my! Everyone has a slightly different opinion on which animal companion is best for the writing environment, so we decided to create a totally scientific poll to find out which animal the majority prefer. So have at it. Vote.
Signal Boost #24: Ian Muneshwar and Zin E. Rocklyn
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost24IanMuneshwarAndZinE.Rocklyn/Sandf–SignalBoost24–IanMuneshwarAndZinE.Rocklyn.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSThis is the final episode of our month of focusing on horror writers, and it has been so much fun that we’ll be sure to do it again next year! Each of our guests had different reasons for why they write horror and how they use the conventions of horror to explore themes that are important and interesting to them, so make sure you listen to all of them! In today’s episode of Signal Boost, Jen talks to Ian Muneshwar, a queer writer of Indo-Guyanese descent, about how he uses his work to explore his cultural history of forced diaspora, how he works with language in his stories, and how his queer identity influences his writing. Then Zin E. Rocklyn, a writer of Trinidadian descent, talks to Jen about the childhood stories (CW: Gore) that inspired her love of horror, how she juxtaposes the sacred and the profane, and how important it was to her to be included alongside other black women in the horror anthology Sycorax’s Daughters. We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):
