MABFAN NEWSLETTER # 38 (November 2003)
Michael A. Burstein's "Friends Across the Net" Newsletter
Welcome to the latest issue of my newsletter. In this issue, I've got reports of two new stories, plus a few upcoming public appearances, including a local one that has me rather excited.
OUT RIGHT NOW
Two stories are appearing this month:
- "The New Breed." This story has just been published by DAW Books in Mike Resnick's anthology MEN WRITING SCIENCE FICTION AS WOMEN. Mike had this idea of having women writers write first-person stories from a male point of view, and then having men writers do the opposite. I wasn't in the first book, of course, but I am delighted to be in the second. Find out what the world has become when an alien race is encouraging human women to breed alien-human hybrids, and what one woman chooses to do about it...
- "Decisions." Why is a deep-space astronaut locked away in a plain room and allowed no contact with anyone as soon as he returns from his mission? By the strange vagaries of publishing schedules, although this is still only the year 2003, the story is already available in the January/February 2004 double issue of ANALOG, which is hitting subscriber mailboxes now and should be at your local bookstore or newsstand very soon. I've been told that the story has an Asimovian feel to it, but I'll let others judge.
COMING SOON
- "Lifeblood." What happens when a vampire threatens a Jewish family? This story will appear in the DAW Books anthology NEW VOICES IN SCIENCE FICTION edited by Mike Resnick, scheduled to be published in December 2003.
- "Pedagogy." How does an alien fare as a teacher of human children when the Interspecies Teacher Training recruits him to teach Science? This story will appear in the DAW Books anthology I, ALIEN edited by Mike Resnick, scheduled for early 2004.
FAR HORIZONS
Occasionally, folks ask me what stories I'm working on right now. Since publication is usually the better part of a year off, and since there's never any guarantee that a story will be published, I'm mostly reluctant to share titles. However, I have high hopes for this one, so let's just say that come the middle of 2004, I hope to tell you to be on the lookout for my new story, "Time Ablaze."
UPCOMING APPEARANCES
There are two new upcoming appearances to share:
- Capclave (Silver Spring, Maryland; November 21-23, 2003). Nomi and I had such a good time at this local science fiction convention last year, that we decided to return again this year. More information can be found at http://www.capclave.org.
- Cafe Scientifique - "Turning Science into Science Fiction" with Tom Easton (Cambridge, MA; Monday, December 15, 2003, at 6 PM). For the past year or so, the British magazine NEW SCIENTIST has been sponsoring informal Science talks in the evenings, usually in some local bar. To quote from their webpage, "The meetings are entirely different from the usual talks and seminars given at universities and institutions around the world. Instead of one person lecturing others, Cafe Scientifique is designed to promote group discussion. The evening is usually lead by an invited speaker who talks briefly and without visual aids, the topic is then thrown open to debate and everyone is encouraged to join in." By a happy coincidence, their American office is located in Newton, MA, so Nomi and I have been able to attend most of their American events. I am honored to have been asked to speak at the December event along with ANALOG reviewer Tom Easton. More information can be found at http://www.cafescientifique.com.
- And, of course, I'll be at Arisia (Boston, MA; January 16-18, 2004; more information at http://www.arisia.org), Boskone (Boston, MA; February 13-15, 2004; more information at http://www.boskone.org), and Noreascon 4 (Boston, MA; September 2-6, 2004; more information at http://www.noreascon.org; join now to nominate and vote in the Hugo Awards).
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-- Michael A. Burstein