Friday Links is Recovering Slowly
Originally published at tansyrr.com. You can comment here or there.
I’ve been flattened by a cold this week, which has been no fun for anyone. Still, the one thing I have managed to keep up with (not the writing or the housework, obviously) is my RSS feed.
The Orange Prize in Britain, which has built such a prestigious reputation as a literary prize for women, has lost its sponsorship and is undergoing a rebranding. Luckily, its supporters are not letting that stop them - roll on the Women’s Fiction Prize.
Closer to home, the Stella is being launched in Australia as an equivalent prize to the Formerly-Orange. The first Stella Prize, for a book of fiction or non fiction by an Australian woman writer published in 2012, will be presented next year and you can enter your books now.
Karen Healey takes on the Sleeping Beauty myths, beginning with the story of Brynhildr.
Marvel Now is going back to the beginning with their original X-Men team, and writer Brian Michael Bendis talks about the challenges a teenage Jean Grey will face when she arrives in her own future.
5 Things The Republican Party can learn about Health Policy From Call the Midwife. Actually, this show is useful for anyone who thinks that things were in any way better in ‘the old days.’ It’s a love letter to the NHS to be sure, but also a stark reminder of a world without contraception. (not that contraception is in any way ‘sorted’ in modern day, unless you can afford it, of course)
Sarah Rees Brennan brought attention to this post by Cassandra Clare about the kind of horrific online bullying she and those around her receive on a regular basis. It’s a brave and powerful piece of writing, and I think shows why it is so important to acknowledge online abuse rather than going with the ‘don’t feed the trolls’ mentality which requires the victim to try to make themselves as small a target as possible.
The Mary Sue looks at the interesting use of gender roles to tell a story in computer game “Dishonoured”.
Mary Beard is on a quest to learn whether Roman girls ‘giggled.’
A couple of self-indulgences: the Love and Romanpunk page has been updated on the TPP website to reflect its various awards & nominations, and Narrelle M Harris has written a simply splendid review of Power and Majesty which made me very happy.
Haven’t seen this confirmed by Big Finish on their site, but apparently there will be a series of audio short stories featuring each of the Eleven Doctors to commemorate the 50th Doctor Who anniversary next year. Everyone excited about a new Ninth Doctor adventure should calm down, though, no one mentioned Christopher Eccleston!
Nothing terribly original here but it’s sensible stuff - what writers should know before they go to conferences or conventions.
Apex Magazine are having a subscription drive. I have donated a signed copy of Love and Romanpunk as a prize, though it doesn’t seem to have been included in the list of prizes yet.
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