A Few Of My Favorite Things (Part 1)

This is the first of a two-part list of my favorite things happening in the world of science fiction. In part two, I'll be posting a list of some of my favorite fiction from last year written by other people. This post is ALL ABOUT ME!

(Kidding...mostly.)

Okay, it's not all about *my* fiction, but it is about projects that I was lucky to be involved with in various ways, and that I'm really excited about.

1. First up, Artemis Rising 2, a showcase of short fiction authored by women and non-binary gendered persons. This was a joint effort across the Escape Artists podcasts (Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Pseuodpod). I was lucky to be the primary submissions reader for this special month of Escape Pod. We had lots of fantastic entries, and the first one is available now. We also have a gorgeous piece of artwork to go with it by the inimitable Galen Dara. 

2. Lightspeed Magazine's People of Color Destroy Science Fiction! This is the third in line of Lightspeed's excellent special issues, the first two highlighting, respectively, women and queers. The "destroy" is, of course, being used tongue in cheek to highlight certain negative attitudes that still linger in genre fiction. I wrote a personal essay for the kickstarter effort that will be appearing in the special issue, and I'll have a piece of flash fiction in there as well. I hope you'll consider supporting this project. The previous issues this series have featured some amazing writing and editing, and I'm sure this one will live up to the same high standards.

3. My first standalone book (a novella - aka a short novel) will be appearing from Tor.com Publishing in May of this year. Runtime is a near-future science fiction story, but the imprint covers a range of sub-genres from epic fantasy to steampunk to alternate history and more. I encourage you to check out some of the other books from this line - I am humbled and honored to be included in such great company!

4. My awards eligibility for 2015. For completeness: 2015 is my second year of eligibility for the John Campbell new writer award. My publications over the past two years total three pieces of fiction, two in Daily Science Fiction, and one in Nature. Two of those are from 2015 and are eligible for the Nebula and Hugo awards (you can find links here). I'm throwing this in here for completeness, and while I would love be nominated for anything (who wouldn't?), I can think of quite a few of my peers who are way more deserving, especially for the Campbell. Stay tuned for that in Part 2!

 

 

Intersections: "Ex Machina" and #iLookLikeAnEngineer

'EX MACHINA' SPOILERS AHEAD: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

 

I had a couple of spare hours the other night and decided to indulge by watching "Ex Machina" for the first time (yes, I'm behind on movies). Critical acclaim for this was through the roof, and I hoped for the next Gattaca. Instead, I got badly stereotyped characters, exploitative female nudity, sexual moralizing, and a throwback "evil A.I." plot.

I want my spare hours back.

When the #iLookLikeAnEngineer meme took the internet by firestorm, it provided the perfect real-life counterfactual for "Ex Machina."

If you are writing fiction - especially science fiction! - you have a wealth of possibilities to play with. That reclusive internet billionaire genius? Doesn't have to be a hipster-beard-sporting dudebro. The awkward and sweet software engineer? Doesn't have to look like he lives deprived of sunshine and nutrition.

Gag me with a spoon, Silicon Valley people, because this casting lacks in imagination AND reality. As the #iLookLikeAnEngineer tag demonstrates, waifish pixie girls are also brilliant engineers. So are people who aren't white or thin or young or straight or able-bodied.

The double whammy is a bunch of naked lady sex robots and how they stick it to the horn-dog man at the end. So, basically, we know the bad guy's evil because he's turned his AI robots into sex slaves. This insults men, sex, and AIs. They make the point earlier in the movie that he's coded pleasure into the robots' sexual organs. Methinks they forgot about Pavlov: people die for cocaine. Pleasure is one of the strongest motivators around. WHY would his robots hate him for that?

Also, was it necessary to slow-pan over Every. Single. Naked. Robot? All female, of course. Hello, Hollywood double standards!

Last but not least, we have the plot. Oh me, oh my, why are the Hollywood A.I. robots such assholes? To be fair, there is an exception: kids' movies. Did you see "Big Hero 6?" Now that is a great example of imaginative characterization, a clever science-fiction plot, and - oh, wow! - a reasonably "intelligent" robot that isn't a sociopath.

The real tragedy illustrated by "Ex Machina" and #iLookLikeAnEngineer is lack of imagination. Critics of this movie seemed were so overwhelmed by style that they failed to notice the boring substance. Meanwhile, in reality, people were calling out Isis Wegner (the source of #iLookLikeAnEngineer) for being a recruiting-tool actress rather than a programmer. "Ex Machina" had an opportunity to change the narrative, to challenge people's assumptions, but they squandered it in the worst way.

Forget artificial intelligence. Let's work on improving our natural version first!

A Little Story by Yours Truly

My third fiction publication is up today at Daily Science Fiction!

Topically, this is a departure from my other stories. It's not science fiction by any definition. It's fantasy - or magical realism or slipstream - whatever subgenre label you'd like to apply is welcome. Sometimes it's fun to let my imagination run wild, free of natural science constraints. This one defies any known physics or biology, but it explores related themes that fascinate me.

Immortality. Knowledge. Free will. 

These ideas are pertinent to our future, especially as data and analysis at high levels (World of Watson) becomes prevalent and accessible by a majority of people, and of course, if the singularity takes us all into the cloud. When death isn't on the line, and every detail of your life is perfectly known and recorded, what will you do to make your future interesting?