Also at the Mary Sue, I loved this depiction of women’s work in World War II, one of my favourite eras/topics of social history.

Amanda linked me to this great post about 20′s and 30′s fashion and how they actually worked (and why they so often don’t look right when worn by modern women) – including some gorgeous images of classic dresses as they might be worn.

Bookseller+Publisher have released the statistics of books reviewed in Australian publications, with gender breakdowns. Eye-opening, occasionally pleasing, and mostly depressing.

I also really appreciated receiving this link, about the choice of teaching texts in high schools, and how books by and about women are being left out. Remember this one when the “oh noes all these books for girls are excluding boy readers” discussion gets rolled out again.

Cat Sparks posted her tribute to Paul Haines, from his memorial service. It’s rather wonderful, and conveys his personality as well as that of his writing very well, I think.

Elizabeth L Huede, the tireless campaigner of the Australian Women Writers’ Reading Challenge has written an extraordinary post about the way romance is devalued in our society, and the importance of respecting books by women. She addresses a regular derailment technique, that we should be dealing with ‘important’ women’s issues instead, by looking at domestic abuse, and how the men in our society are still taught to disregard women’s feelings and not look at the world from their point of view. The prioritising of the male gaze in literature is part of this – seriously, just go read it! Stirring stuff.

Slightly adjacent to this topic is Jo Walton talking about learning to love romance fiction, after a childhood of rejecting it because of the way it was gender coded – ie boy stuff is more cool than all that silly pink. It’s a mindset that I think a lot of geek girls/women will find familiar, and Jo’s discussion of becoming more open-minded as she gets older is also very compelling.

Jane Espenson talks about the importance of having female TV writers, not because they bring an especially non-male writing style or talent to the table, but because WHY NOT?

Sean the Blogonaut, fan writer, blogger, podcaster and general book enthusiast, is running for NAFF to get to Continuum this year. Let’s make it happen!

I hadn’t really thought of it before, but this article about the Hunger Games made me think about what a positive thing for young women the current YA dystopia craze could be – apart from the fact that they’re all secretly/accidentally reading science fiction, of course!

Episode 55

In which we honour the memory of Paul Haines by giving ourselves nightmares, and catch up (mostly) on several months of feedback about how Galactic Suburbia is singlehandedly keeping the bookselling business alive.

News
Paul Haines in memoriam.
Death notice and information about memorial service
We discuss posts by Dirk Flinthart and Ben Peek.

If anyone does a round up of memorial posts about Paul, please let us know & we’ll add the link. In the mean time, check out this post about his complete bibliography and how to get hold of his work.

Ladybusiness on coverage of women on SF/F blogs

New Galactic Chat: Claire Corbett

What Culture Have we Consumed?
Alisa: Wives, Paul Haines; The Warrior’s Apprentice, Lois Mcmaster Bujold; Power and Majesty, Tansy Rayner Roberts), Locus Round Table featuring Nalo Hopkinson and Karen Lord
Alex: Solaris Rising (ed Ian Whates); Reign of Beasts (Tansy Rayner Roberts); Pure (Julianna Bagott)
Tansy: Madigan Mine, Kirstyn McDermott, The Opposite of Life by Narrelle M Harris

Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us!

In which we work, play, shake up our format a little (gasp!) and cover the life & death of magazines, the changing face of the industry, respect for non fiction, sexual harassment, rants, reboots and as usual, books, books and more books. Also a few sneaky clues about what Twelfth Planet Press is publishing next year!

News

Realms of Fantasy is back, again…

Escape Pod Expands:
“We have been pushing to expand what Escape Pod does, adding an SF blog and distributing our stories via magazine format. We’re also becoming a pro market, and hope to keep paying our authors pro rates well into 2011 if the donations make it possible.”

Cheryl Morgan talks about paying for reviews as semipro

On the Cooks Source scandal and seeing stuff on the internet as ‘public domain’

Jim C Hines on reporting sexual harassment in SF/F

Old men complaining? When you get older, do you by consequence lose your sense of wonder? Just simply because you’ve read everything? And is/should all SF be aimed/written for the 60 year old man?
Jason Sanford responds

New Buffy Reboot

New Friend of the Podcast: The Writer & the Critic (Mondy & Kirstyn)

Rambly Discussion
Books that aren’t marketed as being a part of a series…
Publishing, deadlines, and attitudes thereto…
Chat, rants and backpedalling…

What Culture have we Consumed?
Alex: Blameless, Gail Carriger; The Devil in Mr Pussy, Paul Haines; Women of Other Worlds, ed. Helen Merrick and Tess Williams; Bold as Love, Gwyneth Jones; Day of the Triffids (2009 BBC production)
Alisa: works too hard, and also FRINGE
Tansy: To Write Like a Woman, Joanna Russ; Marianne, the Magus & the Manticore by Sheri S Tepper; Sourdough & Other Stories, Angela Slatter; China Mountain Zhang, Maureen McHugh, Mists of Avalon movie

Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia on Facebook and don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us!

2010 was a great year for short fiction – a lot more fantasy and slipstream than SF, especially on Australian shores. Plenty of Aussie authors were getting published, both locally and overseas, and there were a few excellent single author collections from Kaaron Warren, Marianne De Pierres and two from Angela Slatter – though with the exception of Sourdough, they were mostly reprints. It’s certainly nice to see more Australian women having their work collected, something that has been a shameful omission in previous years.

My Absolute Favourite Spec Fic stories by Australian Authors in 2010 were:

Margo Lanagan, “The Miracle Aquilina,” Wings of Fire
Thoraiya Dyer, “Yowie,” Sprawl
Elizabeth Carroll, “The Duke of Vertumn’s Fingerling,” Strange Horizons

Also Highly Recommended:

Peter M Ball, Bleed, Twelfth Planet Press
Peter M Ball, “One Saturday Night, With Angel,” Sprawl
Thoraiya Dyer, “The Company Articles of Edward Teach,” The Company Articles of Edward Teach/The Angalien Apocalypse
Dirk Flinthart, “The Best Dog in the World,” Worlds Next Door
Margo Lanagan, “A Thousand Flowers,” Zombies vs. Unicorns
Garth Nix, “To Hold the Bridge,” Legends of Australian Fantasy
Angela Slatter, “Lost Things,” Sourdough and Other Stories
Angela Slatter, “Lavender & Lychgates,” Sourdough and Other Stories
Angela Slatter, “Under the Mountain,” Sourdough and Other Stories
Angela Slatter & LL Hannett, “The February Dragon,” Scary Kisses
Cat Sparks, “All the Love in the World,” Sprawl
Kim Wilkins, “Crown of Rowan,” Legends of Australian Fantasy

Honourable Mentions:

Peter M Ball, “L’esprit de L’escalier,” Apex
Peter M Ball, “The Clockwork Goat and the Smokestack Magi,” Shimmer
Deborah Biancotti, “Never Going Home,” Sprawl
Simon Brown, “Sweep,” Sprawl
Stephanie Burgis,** “Speaking English,” Belong
Stephanie Campisi, “How to Select a Durian at Footscray Market,” Sprawl
Marianne De Pierres, “Mama Ailon,” Glitter Rose
Paul Haines, “Her Gallant Needs,” Sprawl
Jennifer Moore,** “United,” Belong
Angela Slatter, “The Dead Ones Don’t Hurt You,” The Girl With No Hands
Angela Slatter, “Brisneyland By Night,” Sprawl
Angela Slatter, “The Shadow Tree,” Sourdough & Other Stories
Angela Slatter, “Dibblespin,” Sourdough & Other Stories
Angela Slatter, “The Story of Ink,” Sourdough & Other Stories
Angela Slatter, “The Bones Remember Everything,” Sourdough & Other Stories
Anna Tambour, “Dreadnought Neptune,” Asimov’s
Kaaron Warren, “Hive of Glass,” Baggage
Kaaron Warren, “Sins of the Ancestors,” Dead Sea Fruit
Scott Westerfeld, “Innoculata,” Zombies vs. Unicorns

** not actually Australian authors but published in an Australian anthology.

News:

Alisa’s live report from Swancon!

Tiptree winners & Honours List including Wives Wives Wives

Arthur C Clarke shortlist

Hugos – largest number of votes ever received. Shortlist out Easter Sunday, UK time:

Launch of new Asif website

Stephenie Meyer to release a novella for free to fans online followed by the hard copy version from June 5.

Shaun Tan’s Eric

k9 to screen on Australian tv tomorrow on Channel 10! [heh this is officially old news now]

Garth Nix and Sean Williams, teaming up with Troubletwisters

What have we been reading?

Tansy - Lifelode, by Jo Walton & Chicks Dig Time Lords

Alisa – The Women Men Don’t See/ What I Didn’t see and commentary, Alice Sheldon’s Biography

Alex – Lord of the Rings, also “To Write like a Woman,” collected essays by Joanna Russ.

Pet Subject: Media Tie-Ins

Kristine Kathryn Rusch, talking about Star Wars – initially in Star Wars on Trial, a BenBella collection

See also http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2010/03/guest-blogger-ari-marmell-on-writing.html

===

If you have any feedback or comments for us, please email galacticsuburbia@gmail.com

2 April 2010

It really is an honour to be shortlisted, you know.

Jonathan Strahan’s well received anthology Eclipse 3, which is full of awesome stories, many of them by women, had two individual stories honoured by this year’s Tiptree, which is pretty extraordinary. Congratulations to Caitlin Kiernan & Maureen McHugh. McHugh’s story in particular was one of my favourites last year.

The other super supremely exciting news for Australians is that Paul Haines’ extraordinary novella “Wives” is on the honour list. It’s really rare for Australians to be noticed in awards like this – and it’s wonderful that this brilliant story about grotesque gender politics has been recognised internationally for what it is.

EDIT: Quote from the judge’s report grabbed from  papersky‘s LJ – “Wives” by Paul Haines (in X6 edited by Keith Stevenson, coeur de lion 2009) —A sharp and powerful but deeply ugly look at white working class Australian masculinity in a world where women are scarce.

SECOND EDIT: Finally found a link to the real judge’s report/press release!

This is a very big deal.

What this means is nothing that gives me the ‘hit’ that comes from purchasing a book – which includes clicking pre-order buttons. So far what I have learned from the exercise is that yes, I am an addict.

I thought I would track the experiment (and keep myself from clicking ‘buy’ buttons) by keeping track of all the books I had more than a fleeting impulse to buy – ones that I definitely wanted for at least three moments. I should add that it is unlikely I would have bought all the books on the list without the pledge holding me back – at least, I really hope not.

So far I’m ten days in and I have 17 books on the list.

For interest’s sake:

2 Feb – Zombies v. Unicorns by Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier
The cover art for this one was doing the rounds and as I’ve been hearing about it around the traps for some time, and the list is awesome, I was keen enough to sign up for a pre-order. If not for this pesky exercise! Still, I have until September to get my pre-order on.
2 Feb – X6, by Keith Stevenson (ed)
I read this as an electronic review copy, but I really want my own copy so I can lend it out to people. Particularly for “Wives” by Paul Haines – my dad asked if he could read it!
2 Feb – Soulless, Gail Carriger
Norse Code, Greg van Eekhout
Imagination/Space: Essays and Talks on Fiction, Feminism, Technology and Politics, Gwyneth Jones (Aqueduct Press)
Spotted all three of these on the Locus Recommended Reading List. Soulless is one I’ve been thinking about buying for some time – the cover is striking and I’ve heard it talked about lots. Norse Code I heard about on Adventures in SciFi Publishing and promptly forgot about. The Jones I hadn’t heard about until I saw it on the list omg want!

3 Feb – Cheek by Jowl: Essays, Ursula K. Le Guin (Aqueduct Press)
The Women of Nell Gwynne’s, Kage Baker (Subterranean)
Looked at the Locus Recommended Reading List again.

4 Feb – Steamed by Katie McAlister
Read interview with author via Bibliophile Stalker
4 Feb – BLACKOUT & ALL CLEAR by Connie Willis
I have e-copy of the former but totally want it in hard copy too and then I found out about the gorgeous Subterranean editions for $75 each… gah, want want want.
4 Feb – Kate Constable – Cicada Summer
This one has been on my to read/to buy list as well as my Fishpond wishlist forever (ha, several months) I love Constable’s work in the A&U Girlfriend series, the cover is nice, I’ve seen it in the shop at least once, I think today’s impulse was mainly because I saw a reference to it and went *want* all over again.

5 Feb – Boy Meets Boy David Levithan
This is another that has been on my Fishpond wishlist for ages, but it came up again in the context of the #genderinYA discussion on Twitter.

6 Feb – High Wages, by Dorothy Whipple
I’ve wanted this since I read about it on Jane Brocket’s blog, and today’s impulse was because I saw the email from Book Depository letting me know it’s back in stock (it’s probably out of stock again now, damn it)

7 Feb – Madam Bovary, Popular Penguin Classics
Can I just say, sticking a dump bin of these shiny orange suckers in my post office is like chocolate bars at a supermarket checkout only MORE EXPENSIVE. (only $9.99, it’s a bargain, how can you possibly resist?)

8 Feb – Several Big Finish plays
It could be argued that these are not books. I found this a very persuasive argument. I then told myself that even if they’re not books, they would most definitely be purchased as a substitute for book buying, and I stopped myself before I went too far. (but my, these are more affordable than they used to be, especially now they sell them as downloads) Instead, I ordered all the Big Finish plays in my local library. (have not included these in my count of books Not Bought)

9 Feb – Persuasion, Jane Austen, Popular Penguin Classics
Damned post office. Seriously. Also, this is the only Austen I have never read and I hear it’s quite good.
9 Feb – Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman audio book (read by Lenny Henry)
This is Alan Davies’ fault. He and his dratted It’s Up For Grabs Now promotional deal sent me in the direction of Audible. (Yes even podcasts about Arsenal lead me towards bookbuyage) I have always wanted this audio book. But I didn’t acquire it even by means of signing up for 14 days free trial and getting it as my free gift. That’s how committed to Not Buying Books I am!

10 Feb – How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff & The Harp in the South, Ruth Park
FUCKING post office.

Possibly at this point, I should admit that, thanks to my dreadful pre-ordering and other online bookshopping habit, I have in fact had books mysteriously posted to me which are most awesome and excellent, but which do not count as this month’s purchases. Because the hit I had from purchasing them is lost in the mists of time. These books include Dear Swoosie by Penni Russon and Kate Constable, Fathom by Cherie Priest, Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson (omg I got this today, are you jealous, are you jealous?) and the new edition of The Writer’s Tale by Russell T Davies.

Ahem. But they do not count.

What books have you been buying? Let me live vicariously through you! What books have you Not Been Buying?

Wives isn’t just a great piece of fiction, it’s an important piece of fiction.

Here is what I said about it in Last Short Story last year:

For me, the brilliance of Paul Haines is that he writes stories I hate, about people I hate (and I don’t mean mild revulsion, I mean actual HATE), and yet I can’t pull my eyes away. “Wives” is his best work to date, an utterly hideous vision of the near future, exploring issues that are already very relevant to many people – the lack of women sticking around in country Australia, the sociological effect of preferring male children to female and, oh yes, the ingrained misogyny that hovers just out of sight in our culture. Haines exposes the ugliest sides of human nature in this epic story of “Bridal Services,” rape and slavery, told through the eyes of a narrator so utterly screwed up by his circumstances that it’s hard to blame him for the despicable, thoughtless way that he speaks, lives and acts. This is post-apocalyptic fiction at its best and worse, because there is no apocalypse. There’s just us.

(in discussion with my fellow LSSers about “Wives,” I said “I don’t know whether I want to nominate it for the Tiptree or BURN IT TO THE GROUND.” Yeah, that. Just that.)

I’d love to see Australian representation in all the categories of the Hugos – Peter M Ball’s Horn alongside “Wives” in the novella category, Kaaron Warren’s Slights as novel, Jonathan Strahan and Alisa Krasnostein as Best Editor (short form), Robert Hood as best fan writer for Undead Backbrain… Peter M Ball for the John W Campbell (Robert Hoge suggested Lezli Robyn for this category too, great idea)… My favourite Margo Lanagan story of the year was “Ferryman” in Firebirds Soaring, though her novella “Sea-Hearts” (in X6, the same antho as the Haines novella) was also excellent. I also loved “Seventeen,” by Cat Sparks, which won the Aurealis for YA short story.

If you’re Australian and want to see some Aussie works on the ballot, or if you’re from overseas and are coming out here for Aussiecon or otherwise eligible to vote for the Hugos (or just you know, interested in what the best Australian spec fic is right now), it would definitely be worth your while to check out some of the above people/works. But, you know. Start with Wives.

I haven’t decided all the novels, short stories and novelettes I want to nominate myself, but there will certainly be some Australian names alongside some internationally brilliant pieces like Kij Johnson’s “Spar,” Holly Black’s “The Coldest Girl in Coldtown,” (available free online), Karen Joy Fowler’s “The Pelican Bar” and Sara Genge’s “As Women Fight.”

For ‘best related book’ I will be nominating: On Joanna Russ by Farah Mendelsohn, The Secret Feminist Cabal by Helen Merrick and The Wiscon Chronicles 3 by Liz Henry.

(meanwhile my honey has recommended both Logicomix and Pluto in the graphic novel section, and I plan to catch up with both of these before the time comes to nominate)

About Aussiecon 4 and nominating: www.aussiecon4.org.au
About the Hugo Awards: www.thehugoawards.org