Shore Leave 40

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I am pleased to be returning to Shore Leave sci-fi convention this year in Baltimore, MD. Here is my panel and workshop schedule for the weekend and a the link to my author guest page on the SL website.

End at the Beginning (Fri 5-6pm):
Our panel will talk about non-linear approaches to narrative structure, and will discuss stories in which it worked, and not.
Heather E. Hutsell (M), Kelli Fitzpatrick, David Mack, Joshua Palmatier, Stephen Kozeniewski

Science Fact (Sat 9-10am):
What really cool recent technologies and scientific breakthroughs or discoveries will shape our near future reality, as well as the way we tell genre stories?
Kelli Fitzpatrick (M), Phil Giunta, Christopher L. Bennett, Glenn Hauman, Mary Louise Davie

Outside In by ATB Publishing (Sat 2-3pm):
Meet the contributors to these essay collections on the likes of Doctor Who, Star Trek, Buffy, and more.
Laura Ware (M), Bob Greenberger, Amy Imhoff, Derek Attico, Lorraine Anderson, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Joseph F. Bernato

Character Creation Workshop (Sun 11am):
by Kelli Fitzpatrick, Aaron Rosenberg, Russ Colchamiro

 

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

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Words that Move

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Books are the best surprises. And the most interesting mysteries.

This book recently showed up at my local library, held in my name. I didn’t request it (at least, not that I recall–I request a lot of books).

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Since I know all the library staff very well, and they all know me and my writerly inclinations, I’m fairly certain one of them saw the book and set it aside for me, knowing I would appreciate it. (I haven’t asked who yet–that’s part of the fun).

This book is a collection of short “stories” by Colum McCann, MFA professor at Hunter College in New York. Each entry, only a couple of pages, is comprised of cuttingly real and relevant writing advice for emerging creatives. I can’t put it down.

One day you might find yourself hating writing precisely because you want to make it so good. Yet this awful truth is just another form of joy. Get used to it. The sun also sets in order to rise. — from Letters to a Young Writer

I am not even a quarter of the way into this book and I already can’t live without it. Pick up a copy for yourself. And support your local library. They are the keepers of words that move.

Story Game – “Without Borders”

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beautiful-earth-107499_beautiful-earthHere’s a story game called “Without Borders” I wrote and coded a couple years ago about a doctor who becomes an astronaut rather unwillingly. “Story game” means that it is a choose-your-own-adventure style story where you play as a character and have choices and different possible endings.

There’s a link at the end of the game to give me feedback on what you thought, as well as links to get you started creating games of your own if you are so inclined.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Mild language in a couple spots. No endorsements given or received. All photos my own or public domain.

Photo above from NASA, public domain.

Officially a SFWA Member

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“We are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both those facts is that the universe is in us.”

—Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Just received the confirmation email that I’ve been accepted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as an Associate Member! SFWA is an organization for published authors and industry professionals in the scifi/spec fiction world. I could not be more proud to join the ranks of such an amazing group of writers and look forward to meeting many more of them.

Interview in Women at Warp

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The title and beginning of the article written by Rich Schepis for Women at Warp.

Writer and journalist Rich Schepis interviewed me about my recent Strange New Worlds story “The Sunwalkers.” His full article, “Teacher Takes Lessons from Star Trek to Enter new Frontier,” discusses the impact Star Trek has had on both my writing and teaching, and is published on the Women at Warp website.

Huge thanks to Rich for his adept communication and professionalism, and to Women at Warp for celebrating women in Star Trek and scifi everywhere.

 

Shortlisted!

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The An Cathach manuscript. Photo by Annie Gormlie, used under Creative Commons license. 

Just found out my poem “The Battler” made the shortlist for the “Lining our Thoughts” poetry competition from Anam Cara retreat in Ireland. The poem compares my experience advising my teen writing group to an old Irish legend of a holy book with special powers.

While winning an award (or in this case, a free stay at the retreat) would have been exciting, I find it equally valuable to know my work was viewed as quality.

I will eventually–somehow–make it back to Ireland to stay at this lovely writers retreat.

Moments of Light

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My Moments of Light jar with the first three entries for January, backdropped by a conveniently appropriate path into the unknown. Photo by Kelli Fitzpatrick. 

My first year of teaching, a student gave me a Christmas gift–a Mason jar filled with homemade hot cocoa mix. If you exist in near proximity to me for any length of time, you will deduce–as this astute 11th grader did–that I love chocolate, probably more than I should. So I was understandably excited about receiving an entire quart of it. But that’s not the most memorable part of the experience.  Continue reading →

Scripting a Dream: Authorship as Language

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yuri

“Are you dreaming in their language?”

A line from the recent science fiction film Arrival, starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner who play a linguist and a mathematician tasked with communicating with alien visitors. The two discuss how dreaming in a language denotes that a special line of language acquisition has been crossed–the subconscious is now expressing itself in this new mode of meaning.  Continue reading →