In this podcast writer/editor Paul Jessup, Michael Matheson, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Ann VanderMeer join Scott Nicolay for a roundtable discussion of the State of the Weird at the beginning of 2017. Then in a special bonus interview, Kristi DeMeester reveals exciting upcoming book news and more.
ALSO we welcome our first show sponsor, Tanis Podcast (0:0:20 and 2:02:22). Thank you, Bob Pastorella!
Show Notes
(0:01:37) Paul Jessup (editor, Grendelsong, author, Open Your Eyes), Michael Matheson (editor, Anathema: Spec from the Margins), Silvia Moreno-Garcia (editor, World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows, author, Certain Dark Things) and Ann VanderMeer (editor at Tor.com and co-editor of The Big Book of Science Fiction) join host Scott Nicolay for the most epic episode of The Outer Dark since last year’s State of the Weird. The conversation starts with the panelists’ observations on where the Weird comes from including whether Weird fiction has to be horror, its nebulous nature and shifting shape in different cultural traditions, and its potential for beauty. Discussion then turns to the current state of the Weird, how its discreet qualities are attracting new audiences, its brush with the mainstream via not only prose but film, television and comics, when science fiction and the Weird cross, its flexibility compared to other literary categories, Ann’s comparison of the role of the Weird Tale to that which folk tales played in earlier times, the close relationship between the Weird and magical realism, content vs structural strangeness, the Weird hidden in literary fiction, translations to look out for including works that are not obviously Weird, opening readers to discomfort, and how upcoming films Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer) and They Remain (Laird Barron) could impact book sales. The panelists then anticipate the future of their own literary endeavors in 2017, including a sneak peek at what’s coming up on Tor.com from Ann, the VanderMeers-edited The Big Book of Classic Fantasy, a preview and submissions call for Anathema from Michael, and Silvia’s current projects such as co-editing The Jewish Mexican Literary Review and The Dark, her next novel The Beautiful Ones and more. Plus Weird spillage into videogames, Chuck Tingle, and a special The Outer Dark convention announcement!
Be sure to scroll down to the Additional Links to find out more about the authors, books and free online versions of stories mentioned in this discussion.
Bonus News from the Weird Interview: Kristi DeMeester
(1:45:05) Two-Gun Kristi DeMeester joins Scott to preview her highly anticipated first collection, Everything That’s Underneath, from Apex Publications and Beneath, her first novel from Word Horde, both landing in spring 2017. Also a fond farewell to her original publisher Shock Totem and major admiration for Christopher Slatsky, Matthew M. Bartlett, and fellow ATLWeird writer Michael Wehunt.
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Additional Links
Paul Gauguin: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
“Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza” by Gloria Anzaldúa
Scott Nicolay: Stories from the Borderland
“The Night Wire” by H.L. Arnold
“Sandkings” by George R.R. Martin
“The Secret History of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez”
“The Cares of a Family Man” by Franz Kafka
The Guardian Review: Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
“The Babysitter” by Robert Coover
NPR Review: Revenge by Yoko Ogawa
“Solid Objects” by Virginia Woolf
The Twenty Days of Turin by Giorgio De Maria
NYTimes Book Review: The Vegetarian by Han King
Kai Ashante Wilson: previous Tor fiction
The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge
Robert Barlow and Charles Olson
High End Customizable Sauna Experience
Show Credits
Host/Executive Producer: Scott Nicolay
Co-Host, News From the Weird: Justin Steele
Associate Producer/Show Notes: Anya Martin
Logo Design: Nick “The Hat” Gucker
Music: Michael Griffin
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