Received the very pleasant news this morning that my story "The Artists Pentaptych" has been nominated for the Speculative Literature Foundation 2004 Fountain Award! Woo! I'm sure that I'll be up against hundreds of other stories, so I have no idea what my chances actually are, but, as they say, it's an honor to be nominated. Thanks, Eric.

And so, because Scattered, Covered, Smothered was published in 2004 (just barely squeaking in), I also get to do some nominating of mine own. All the stories we published showed literary merit just to be included in the anthology, but there were some that I feel show, in my humble opinion, exceptional literary quality. Unfortunately, I'm only allowed to choose three, and there were a few that I'd like to have chosen but they didn't have a speculative element (which is one of the rules). So after many hours of painful deliberations, here are the stories I nominated:

1. "The Cockaigne Poet Speaks of the Lackey King" by Toiya Kristen Finley
2. "L'Alchimista" by N.K. Jemisin
3. "The Night-Soil Boys" by Barth Anderson

It was a hard decision to narrow it down to these three, but I think they best fit the criteria of the award, and I wish Toiya, Nora and Barth all the best of luck.

***

In a tangentially related topic, at Quail Ridge last week, I came across a couple copies of McSweeney's issue 11, in leatherbound hardcover, still shrinkwrapped. Here's the info from Timothy McSweeney's Purchasing Harangue:

Issue 11 features contributions by many of your favorite McSweeney's writers, as well as a chorus of new voices. Contributors include: Tom Bissell, Sean Warren, Samantha Hunt, Robert Olmstead, T.C. Boyle, David Means, Doug Dorst, Joyce Carol Oates, A.G. Pasquella, Brent Hoff, Stephen Elliott, Daphne Beal, Denis Johnson, and many others.

This issue comes complete with a letters section and an interview with prominent scientists, in this case with those investigating the recently found colossal squid, the largest known to man.

Issue 11 also comes with a FREE DVD featuring readings by most of the contributors, a "Literary Cribs" episode starring Jonathan Ames, Eggers interviewing Denis Johnson, Daphne Beal singing in Nepali, and an intern talking about how writers like their coffee. An instant classic of the DVDs-attached-to-literary-quarterlies genre.

The issue also includes last year's Fountain Award winner, "The Specialist" by Alison Smith.

On both the McSweeney's site and on Amazon.com, the book is being offered for $28. But the first person to email me and ask for the book will get it for $20. That's right, an $8 savings, 29% off. Why am I doing this? Because everyone should be exposed to this wonderful literary journal, and the 19th Century quirkiness of Dave Eggers' editorial style.

***

In a non-tangentially related topic, asymptotic really, Catherynne M. Valente, author of the gorgeously surreal novel The Labyrinth, is now writing an online serial novel called The Ice Puzzle, a modern retelling of The Snow Queen, accessed through subscription. She's trying to raise enough money to move back to the US from Japan, since the Navy (which employs her husband) is being rather unhelpful regarding moving expenses. She's also doing it so that she'll be able to bring her dog Sage over as well, which will be fairly expensive by itself. And she's donating 10% of the proceeds to tsunami relief.

All she's asking for is a $10 donation (you can give more if you want), and in return you'll get to read a novel over six months, with a new instalment (illustrated by Aaron Acevedo) going up each Monday night. The first chapter went up today, and it's a fantastic example of what's to come. The prose is not so frantically image-heavy as The Labyrinth, but it still sings with melody. You really should join in the fun.

Now Reading:
The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
and Howard C. Cutler

Stories Out to Publishers:
9

Books Read This Year:
2

Zines/Graphic Novels/Fiction Mags Read This Year:
1