Outer Alliance Spotlight #58: Delicious Link Soup December 3, 2010
Posted by juliarios in : links, news , 9commentsWelcome to Outer Alliance Spotlight #58. The Spotlight features news about (and sometimes interviews with) allies who are active in supporting and celebrating LGBTQI speculative fiction. It’s chilly in the Northern Hemisphere, so this week, we’ve got delicious link soup to keep you warm.
Wednesday was World AIDS Day
Treatment, awareness, and acceptance have come a long way in the past 25 years, but AIDS is still a major problem worldwide. YA author Libba Bray posted a thoughtful essay about her own experiences losing loved ones to the disease. I’ll warn you right now that it made me tear up in a coffee shop, but it was worth the chagrin.
If you’re unfamiliar with Libba’s work, and are interested in reading YA speculative fiction with queer content, you might check out her short story, “Primate the Prom” in 21 Proms, the Gemma Doyle trilogy (which starts with A Great and Terrible Beauty), or her latest novel, Going Bovine.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Awards Fundraiser
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Awards aim to recognize the hard work and talent of translators who bring us stories we might not otherwise be able to read. They’re hoping to raise $2,000 to use as prize money. Anyone who makes a donation between now and the 14th of January will be entered into a drawing to win books and other exciting prizes.
A Few Exciting New Releases This Week
*Zombiality: a queer bent on the undead is edited by Bill Tucker, and contains a story by Angelia Sparrow.
*Crossed Genres released their first novel this week. R. J. Astruc’s A Festival of Skeletons is available in print and e-book formats.
*Monday was the release day for Aether Age: Helios, edited by Chris Fletcher and Brandon Bell. Chris is also one of the people behind the newly released 2020 Visions anthology.
Awesome Queer Content in Comics
And finally, here’s something to spark some conversation here in the comments, or over dinner tonight with your non-virtual friends. Neo_Prodigy has made a list of 25 awesome queer comics characters, which is great, but non-exhaustive. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Have additional favorites? And can anyone out there think of any trans, intersex, or asexual comic book characters?
Outer Alliance Spotlight #51: We Got Your Back October 8, 2010
Posted by juliarios in : links, publications, queer-friendly publishers, submissions , 2commentsWelcome to Outer Alliance Spotlight #51. The Spotlight features news about (and sometimes interviews with) allies who are active in supporting and celebrating LGBTQI speculative fiction.
We Got your Back:
Another excellent project to give hope and support to LGBTQI teens popped up this week. The We Got Your Back Project wants your written or video stories, whether you are part of the LGBTQI spectrum, or a supportive ally. Their site is full of great resources for people who are considering suicide, or people who know others in that position. If you submit something to this project, please let us know and we’ll link to your story.
New Releases:
Sandra McDonald’s story, “Seven Sexy Robot Cowboys” is up at Strange Horizons. It’s got queer content and there’s a link to a video of sexy ice-skating cowboys at the bottom in case sexy ice-skating cowboys are your thing.
Salon Futura’s latest issue features a podcast discussion in which Nicola Griffith, Hal Duncan, Cheryl Morgan, and Catherynne M. Valente talk about writing LGBTQ characters.
Lee Benoit’s novel, Moonspun is out as part of Loose Id’s special Coming Out Day 2010 collection.
Angelia Sparrow’s erotic steampunk romance novella, Sky Rat is available from Pink Petal Books.
JoSelle Vanderhooft announced the table of contents for an anthology she’s editing, Steam Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories. The book should arrive in January of 2011, but you can pre-order or request review copies now by contacting JoSelle.
Calls for Submissions:
Circlet Press has four anthologies open right now. Like an Iron Fist: Dystopian Erotica and Like a Moonrise (erotic coming of age stories about animal shapeshifters) both close on the 15th of October. Sense and Sensuality (paranormal Jane Austen inspired stories) is open until the 1st of November, and Like a Cunning Plan: Erotic Trickster Tales is open until the 15th of December.
The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival Short Fiction Contest is open until the 1st of November. They’re looking for 5,000-7,000 word LGBT stories in all genres. There’s a $15 entry fee, and the top winners will receive $250 for first place and $50 for second and third place as well as publication in n anthology, which will be launched at the literary festival in May of 2011.
That’s all for this time. Join us again next week, and please share any news you might have (or links to your We Got Your Back Project contributions!) here in the comments, on the Outer Alliance google group, or via Twitter (mention either @omgjulia, or @outeralliance).
Outer Alliance Spotlight #28: Spring Break! April 2, 2010
Posted by juliarios in : links , add a commentWelcome to Outer Alliance Spotlight #28. Normally, the Spotlight features an ally who writes, reviews, publishes, or is in some other way involved with LGBTQI speculative fiction. This Friday, however, marks the first of a two week break from the norm. Spring is here, and your faithful correspondent is overwhelmed with travel plans, so instead of interviews, you’ll get some links to April appropriate content elsewhere on the web.
First, Outer Alliance member Angela Korra’ti is leading a Drollerie Press Blog Tour for the month of April, all about fools and tricksters. One of the other contributors is Angelia Sparrow, too, so it’s awash in OA goodness.
Second, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault affects people of all orientations, and it’s all too common. If you’re interested in learning more, or helping educate others about this, check out some of the resources at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s SAAM site.
Third, to help spread awareness and raise funds for rape crisis centers, Jim C. Hines is giving away a signed advance reader copy of his book, Red Hood’s Revenge. Jim is asking for people to donate to RAINN, or a local rape crisis center, but donations are not required in order to enter his drawing.
Support rape crisis centers and enter to win an Advance Copy of Red Hood’s Revenge, by Jim C. Hines.
That’s all for this week! The Spotlight will return next Friday with more Springtastic links, and then we’ll go back to our usual interview schedule.
Outer Alliance Spotlight #16: Angelia Sparrow January 8, 2010
Posted by juliarios in : interviews , add a commentWelcome to Outer Alliance Spotlight #16. Each Friday (except for last Friday, when your correspondent was busy welcoming the new year), the Spotlight features an ally who writes, reviews, publishes, or is in some other way involved with LGBTQI speculative fiction. Our guest this week is erotic writer, Angelia Sparrow.
Since 2004, Angelia has written seven novels, ten novellas, and many more short stories both on her own and together with her writing partner, Naomi Brooks. Their latest novel, Alive on the Inside, came out in December. An erotic horror novel about a traveling circus, Alive on the Inside has been nominated as a candidate for Best Horror Novel in the Preditors and Editors Readers’ Poll for works published in 2009.
Angelia and Naomi are planning to release a Western in 2010. Showdown at Yellowstone River will feature a drag king gunslinger and a bisexual sheriff. In addition to that novel, a couple of collections of previously published short stories are on the horizon. Angelia will be making appearances at several cons and events including MidSouthCon in March, Southern Delta Church of Wicca‘s Beltane, Hypericon in June, Either Memphit FurMeet or Dragon*Con in September, MidSouth Pride, Summerland Grove‘s Festival of Souls in October, and ConTraception in November.
Angelia is a truck driver and mother of four, who identifies as a bisexual, Butch Earth Mother. She grew up in Peculiar, Missouri, but has lived in the greater Memphis area for the past twelve years. She blogs about her writing at http://angelsparrow.blogspot.com/ (syndicated on LiveJournal here), and maintains a personal blog at http://valarltd.livejournal.com/. Angelia enjoys crochet and old movies, and donates both time and money to Memphis Area Gay Youth.