Jōi said: “Because imperial anthologies are used to flatter those of high rank and to grant favor to their lackeys, true skill in composition, elegant taste, and practice have become of secondary importance.”
Tonna, From a Frog at the Bottom of the Well, translated by Steven Carter (source link)
Welcome
This month I’m sharing some recently released stories I’ve enjoyed and some medieval-inspired synth. And (since those awards reading periods are in full swing) a tongue in cheek look at poets with very strong opinions about their peers.
Shitposting Poets
It’s probably no surprise that many poets have strong opinions about poetry. Sometimes, though, those opinions cross the line to straight-up disdain.
Okay. Sometimes they don’t “cross” it so much as “light it on fire and stomp on the ashes.”
That earlier quote is a great example.
Imperial anthologies were compiled at the order of the reigning Japanese emperor from the 10th to 14th centuries, and were intended to showcase poetic excellence and mastery. In reality, of course, influence and personal taste played just as much a role, as Tonna points out by including this anecdote in his advice book for younger waka poets.
Poetic shitposting is by no means restrained to early medieval Japan. Admittedly, it is often not very poetic.
- In a letter to a friend, Lord Byron called John Keats “trash” and urged that he be “flayed alive”
- Alice B. Toklas, in her autobiography, describes Gertrude Stein calling Ezra Pound a “village explainer, excellent if you were a village, but if you were not, not.”
- Oscar Wilde (who I think everyone can agree was a fantastic shitposter) once said that “There are two ways of disliking poetry; one way is to dislike it, the other is to read Alexander Pope.” (source obscure, as with many things Oscar Wilde said or supposedly said)
Music to Listen to: Tales Under the Oak
Stressed out by the very idea of poets making snarky comments about each other’s work?
Take a breather with the soothing sounds of The Toad Alchemy by German dungeonsynth group Tales Under the Oak. (With bonus hour-long audiobook about the toad kingdom included!)
You can listen to the album for free on YouTube courtesy of the artist, or buy a high-quality digital album on Bandcamp.
Recommended Reading
We’re only a couple of months into the new year, but there’s already an embarrassment of riches when it comes to great SFF stories to read.
I particularly enjoyed Isabel J Kim’s “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” in the February edition of Clarkesworld. LeGuin’s “Those Who Walk Away from Omelas” is one of those stories that I’m always down to engage with, and I thought the way Isabel approaches it was razor-sharp and timely (up to and including the digs at social media discourse). This one will definitely give you something to think about!
Speaking of razor-sharp and timely, vampire fans and people with an interest in equity work will love N. Romaine White’s “D.E.I. (Death, Eternity, and Inclusion)” in the winter edition of Fiyah Magazine.
If you’re in the mood for something short and funny, how about Aidan Doyle’s “The Royal Wizard’s Apprentice Explains the Prophecy of the Return of the Sorcerer King in Varying Levels of Complexity,” from Small Wonders? Aidan’s title game is clearly top notch, and the story it describes is just as excellent. (My cats are in no way responsible for this suggestion.)
Writing Update
I have two short fiction releases this month, if you’re into that sort of thing!
- “Companion Animals in Mahō Shōjo Kira Kira Sunlight” (original, 1484 words) – Out in this month’s Lightspeed Magazine, this story describes the thematic use of companion animals in a fictional animated series. Free to read or listen to online, this story is an homage to Sailor Moon and other magical girl anime that’s filled with subtle references. I had a blast writing this one, and I’m excited it’s out in the world at such a great market! (Content notes: violence against animals, abduction, suicidal ideation, grief)
- “A Difference of Opinion” (reprint, 4100 words) – First published in Kaleidotrope a couple of years back, this far-future space opera story about diplomacy and artificial intelligences is getting a print appearance in Flame Tree Publishing’s latest anthology, Learning to Be Human, where I’m sharing a ToC with P.A. Cornell, Yelena Crane, Nemma Wollenfang, Franz Kafka, Mary Shelley, and H.G. Wells (just to name a few).
I’m still hard at work on my next full-length text game, and I’ve also being doing some scholarly research and writing related to libraries. Finally, I’ve had a couple of other stories accepted for publication, with both likely coming out sometime this year.