The Drawing Board

This weekend...

Counting Crows

I'm running a little late this morning (or, rather, hopping-on-one-foot a little late, because I stupidly managed to sprain my ankle over the Thanksgiving weekend), so I'm afraid the promised "Inspiring Women" post will go up tomorrow morning instead. In the meantime:

All readers living here in the south-west of England are cordially invited to gig above. The Nosy Crows consists of song-writer extraordinaire Jenny Dooley (vocals), painter Steve Dooley (on percussion), book illustrator David Wyatt (on lead guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki), and my husband Howard (on vocals, rhythm guitar, and additional percussion), with an occasional surprise guest sitting in.

Perhaps we'll see some of you there on Friday night? I'll be the one with the limp....

Counting Blessings

As I work from the living-room sofa today (with my swollen foot propped up and a little black dog close by, performing her healing magic), I am amazed, moved, honored, and humbled by this, organized by close friends and colleagues who have the biggest hearts in the Whole Wide World. Once again I am reminded of what an extraordinary community we're all a part of (including you, dear Reader) here in the Mythic Arts/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction field. In the middle of what has been, admittedly, a very rough season for me and my family, I feel incredibly blessed today. A heartfelt thank you to all involved.

On the road...

We're off to a celebration of my stepdaughter's 21st birthday in London -- which is where she's working & studying as a chef-in-training, apprenticed to master chef Alyn Williams. (If you're a food lover, then remember that name: he's a rapidly rising star in the London restaurant scene, and currently a finalist in the Craft Guild of Chef's National Chef of the Year competition.)

It has been, as some of you know, a very tough month for me (for reasons too personal to post in an open public space), but that just makes having a cause to celebrate all the sweeter. Tilly, alas, has to stay at home -- but she's got her very own poet for company, the lucky pooch, so she'll be fine. (Congratulations to said poet, by the way, for this new review in The Sunday Guardian.)

And happy birthday this week to another member of my extended family, sister-of-the-heart Ellen Kushner. I wish you were here to go blackberry-picking in the hedgerows, Ellen, (I know how much you love them!), but since you're not: we send you dreams of blackberry crumble and windfall apples and the wood-smoke scents of these crisp autumn days, with love from all of us at Bumblehill.

Have a good weekend, folks. And don't miss the latest from Kath Langrish at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles, and Howard & Rex at John Barleycorn.

A quick announcement for upcoming events

Those of you in or near New York City are invited to two book events happening this week:

* First, there's a Welcome to Bordertown Launch Party/Reading/Signing Extravaganza at Books of Wonder tomorrow night, June 9, with musical guest Joe Kessler, of Boiled in Lead and Klezwoods fame. Editors Holly Black and Ellen Kushner with be there, along with contributing writers Cory Doctorow, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Annette Curtis Klause, and Delia Sherman. More information can be found on the Bordertown blog.

* Second, there's a Teeth reading at the Jefferson Market Library on Saturday, June 11. My co-editor, Ellen Datlow, will be there along with contributing writers Steve Berman, Holly Black, Jeffrey Ford, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, and Genevieve Valentine. More information can be found on the New York Public Library site.

A basket full of wonders:

My friend Charles Vess asked me to post the following information, and I'm very happy to do so. . . .

Charles says: Every year my local library has a fundraiser called A Tisket, A Tasket, A Literary Basket. Hundreds of literary themed baskets are assembled by interested patrons and auctioned off at a live event raising much need funds to purchase books and refurbish the various public library locations around Washington Co. Virginia. This year I thought that I would jump in and help:

A Bit of English Magic

A Susanna Clarke/Charles Vess Literary Basket for a charity auction to benefit The Washington Co. Public Library Foundation.

Bidding will open Monday, April 4 at 12:01 AM EST

Auction closes on Saturday, April 9 at 4:00 PM EST.

Included in the basket is:

• US first edition of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (signed by the author),

• British first edition of The Ladies of Grace Adieu (signed by the artist),

• US first edition of The Ladies of Grace Adieu (signed by the artist),

• One framed original pencil drawing for the title page design of The Ladies of Grace Adieu (signed by the artist),

• Assorted promotional material for The Ladies of Grace Adieu,

• A Fall of Stardust, a benefit portfolio including 30 art plates* and one chapbook written by Neil Gaiman (signed by the artist) and one chapbook written by Susanna Clarke (signed by the artist).

• Drawing Down the Moon, The Art of Charles Vess with foreword by Susanna Clarke, signed by the artist with a remarque.

Any of the books illustrated by the artist can be personalized on request.

To view details of all books and the original art, and for how-to-bid information, please go here.

* One of those art plates is by me. - TW

Everyone is invited to...

The Nosy Crows: tunes ranging from folk and bluegrass to rock and blues, performed in the unique Crows style. (Band members: Jenny Dooley, Steve Dooley, Howard Gayton, David Wyatt)

The Wild Violets: All girl acapella group, great tunes with a folky heart.

Next Friday, April 1st. It's going to be a great night....

Faerie Escape

The good folks who produced the Mythic Journeys conferences asked me to post the following information:

Mythic Imagination Sponsors First Faerie Escape

Mythic Journeys guests Charles Vess, Ari Berk, Honora Foah, Kristen McDermott, Bill Bridges and others plan to reunite August 14 - 15, 2010 in Atlanta for the first Faerie Escape in the United States. The faerie-themed convention brings together conversations on faeries, fairy tales and their psychological and ecological themes. It also includes workshops on costuming, writing, faerie house construction and more; children's programming; and celebrations of all things faerie-related.    "Faeries symbolize far more than just the mischievous, irrepressible side of human nature. Fairy tales have always taught lessons of importance to all people, be it respect for our environment, secrets of our psyches, or even not to travel alone into dark woods," said Andrew Greenberg, director of Faerie Escape: Atlanta and co-director of Mythic Journeys. "The lessons apply as well now as they did 1000 years ago."   The Escape's theme, "Into the Woods, into the Alleys," reflects both traditional thoughts on faeries as well as more modern interpretations presented in Vess's work in "Stardust" and Berk's in "Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters." It also examines how ideas about faeries and fairy tales now encompass both rural and urban settings. More information can be found at www.faeatlanta.com.

It sounds terrific, doesn't it? I won't be there myself, alas. My only trip to the U.S. this year is for the Sirens conference, where I'm a Guest of Honor along with Holly Black and Marie Brennan, and where the focus is on faeries in fantasy literature. Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman have promised to come along too. Sirens takes place in Vail, Colorado in October. Perhaps I'll see some of you there?

The art at the top of the post is one of my favorite paintings by Golden Age illustrator Arthur Rackham. The little bird critters are by Alan Lee, and come from Faeries, the now-classic volume by Alan and Brian Froud.

Sir Lanval update

The Chagford Filmmaking Group is wrapping up the filming of Sir Lanval here in Devon this weekend. The film has been shot in both Devon and France as part of the Shared Legend project created in collaboration with the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurienne in Brittany. Sir Lanval is based, appropriately enough, on a story by Marie de France (a French poet who lived in England in the late 12th century), directed by Elizabeth-Jane Baldry, with a script by Elizabeth-Jane and Ari Berk. Good luck to everyone involved -- including my stepdaughter, who is catering the film (as well as acting in it), and my mother-in-law, who's working on the costumes. May your energies, and the weather, hold out for two more days!

For more information, visit the CFG's website, or follow the progress of the film on Facebook, here. The CFG is a nonprofit group that was created to support fairy tale films and involve local kids in the filmaking process. They are always in need of funds, so if you can donate to their Feed a Fairy campaign, the fairies would be grateful indeed.

The Tilly Report

She's eight months old now, and starting to look more like the dog she'll be than the pup she's been. Above, a picture taken this week. Below, Tilly at eight weeks old, back in September when we first brought her home.

Bits & Pieces of News

 * My latest anthology is now out on the bookstore shelves. Called The Beastly Bride, and co-edited with Ellen Datlow (as usual), it's the fourth and final volume in the "YA mythic fiction" series we've been editing for Viking (following The Green Man: Tales of the Mythic Forest, The Faery Reel: Tales of the Twilight Realm, and The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales). This time, we're looking at animal-human transformation myths from cultures around the world. The book contains new stories inspired by such myths from Christopher Barzak, Peter Beagle, Steve Berman, Richard Bowes, Carol Emshwiller, Jeffrey Ford, Gregory Frost, Terra Gearheart, Hiromi Gotto, Ellen Kushner, Tanith Lee, Stewart Moore, Shetwa Narayan, Lucius Shepard, Midori Snyder, E. Catherine Tobler,  and Marly Youmans; and new mythic poems by Nan Fry, Jeanette Hall Gaily, Delia Sherman, and Jane Yolen. The cover art, once again, is by Charles Vess.

* For those of you in New York City, there will be a reading from The Beastly Bride on Monday, June 7 (7:00 - 8:30 pm) at McNally Jackson at 52 Prince Street. Ellen Datlow will be there, and the reading authors will be Jeffrey Ford, Richard Bowes, Carol Emshwiller, Gregory Frost, Nan Fry, Steve Berman and Marly Youmans. (If you're a Facebook user, Ellen has set up a page for the event here.)

* There's a terrific new issue of Goblin Fruit online. You'll find it here. Enjoy!

The Solstice Award

I'm pretty flabbergasted by this, and honored indeed to be listed in the company of Tom Doherty (creator and publishers of Tor Books) and Don Wollheim (creator and publisher of DAW Books), two giants of the American publishing field. Thank you, SFWA.

Many thanks also to the Endicott Mythic Fiction Reading Group, for inviting me to do a Question & Answer session on The Wood Wife this past week. It was interesting and fun. The group is reading The Coyote Road in May, and these other fine books thereafter:

June: The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson
July: The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford
August: The Tree Bride by Bharati Mukherjee
September: Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
October: The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich

All are welcome, and you can join the group here.

The Wood Wife on Goodreads....

I'm still off dealing with health issues as the moment (and may continue to be for awhile), but I'm popping in quickly just to say that there's a Question and Answer session about The Wood Wife this week over on the Endicott Mythic Fiction Group's pages at Goodreads, if you're interested.

 While you're there, take a look at their previous Q&A with Christopher Barzak, on Chris's terrific novel One For Sorrow, which is eloquent and fascinating.

(The drawing to the left is of "Thumper," from The Wood Wife, by Brian Froud. The other sketches are by me, of course. And you'll find an article on hare and rabbit lore here if, like me, you're partial to the critters.)

Thank you for all your kind "get well" messages on my last post.

Bear Update

                                                                                                      illustration by Edmund Dulac

The Ice Bear is up in London now. Go here to see it live....

Ice Bear Update

Back in July I posted on the Ice Bear project...and today, at last, is the day that the Ice Bear finally makes his world debut. Here's the latest news from Mark,Todd, Nick, and the rest of the Ice Bear team:

The Bear is going up in Copenhagen today, timed to coincide with the big UN Conference on Climate Change; the Bear's next appearance will be in London's Trafalgar Square on Friday, December 11th.

And after that? No plans are confirmed just yet, but it's hoped that the Bear will tour around the world. This depends on finding more funding, of course -- both organizational sponsorships and private donations, large or small. If you or your organization can help, go here to learn more about the project, and here to become a Friend of the Bear.

As we speak, four of my Chagford friends -- Roger & Claire Ash-Wheeler, Yuli Somme, and Yuli's daughter Kesella (who has been working with Todd as part of the Ice Bear support team) -- are traveling by bicycle all the way from Chagford to London in order to raise money for the Bear, and to join The Wave (the big climate change march). You can read Kesella's blog about the journey here, and sponsor them (it's not too late!) by dropping a line to: kesella@icebearproject.org.

In the video above, Mark Coreth and his team begin the creation of the Ice Bear Skeleton. Eventually this turns into a life-size polar bear skeleton in bronze, which in turn is surrounded by a life-size carving of a polar bear in ice. "Anyone who comes to see the Ice Bear will be able to touch it," Mark explains. "And then they too will become sculptors as they shape the melting ice - symbolic of how we all have the power to affect our delicate environment." 

Updated to add: You can watch a live stream of the Copenhagen Ice Bear here.

Events, events, events

I've been scolded before for not letting people know about public events I'm participating in -- but in truth, there aren't very many these days, for I've too much work to catch up on to allow myself to be lured out of my studio very often. But if you live in the south-west of England, here are events where you can catch me in the coming weeks:

* Kelly Martinez (Laughing Magpie Productions) has organized a Faery weekend in Dartmouth, consisting of a Winter Faerie Ball on Saturday night (November 28th), and a day of demos, talks, art displays and other events dedicated to Faerie, Fantasy & Mythology on Sunday (the 29th). Howard and I will be there on Sunday, giving a talk on the history of Women and Fairy Tales. Several of our friends and neighbors are going too: Brian and Wendy Froud will be speaking about their work as artists and filmmakers; Elizabeth-Jane Baldry will be performing on the harp and presenting one of the fairy tale films created by the Chagford Filmmaking Group; Katy Marchant's Daughters of Elvin will be performing for the Faery Ball on Saturday night, and she'll discuss her experiences with medieval music and dance on Sunday. There will be many other artists on hand as well, with programming geared to both adults and children.

If dressing up in fairy wings ain't your thing, then on Saturday December 5th come to the Chagford Christmas Art Market for a bit of mulled wine, home-made cakes, and art. The event will feature work by an ecclectic range of Dartmoor-based artists -- including painters, illustrators, jewelry makers, fabric artists, and ceramicists -- as well as an art raffle in aid of the Devon Air Ambulance and Chagford Primary School. It all takes place in Chagford's Jubilee Hall from 9 am to 1 pm. (Please note that it's a morning event only.) I'll have prints for sale, and maybe some cards too...if I can get them done in time....

I don't have any public gigs coming up in the U.S. this year, but for those of you who like to plan way ahead: next year I've agreed to be a Guest of Honor (with Holly Black and Marie Brennan) at Sirens, an annual conference dedicated to women in fantasy literature, taking place from October 7th to 10th in Vail, Colorado. I'll also be the Keynote Critic at the Fantasy Matters conference at the University of Minnesota, which will be sometime later that same month. I don't have much information about the Minnesota conference yet (though I know that Jane Yolen is a Guest of Honor this time, which is reason enough to attend), but as soon as they have their dates set and the website up, I'll post the info here.

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Art above: Faery Ball banner art by Linda Ravenscroft. Drawing of Christmas bunnies by me. The other little drawing is the Fantasy Matters logo; I'm afraid I don't know who it's by.  

The Ice Bear Project

One more brief hiatus from my hiatus to pass on some very good news: The Ice Bear Project -- created by sculptor Mark Coreth, assisted by my friends & neighbors Nick Baker and William-Todd Jones (and a host of other good people) -- has received the endorsement and sponsorship of the prestigious World Wildlife Fund. As Homer Simpson would say: woo hoo!

Here is a brief description of the project: "Mark Coreth is creating a life-sized sculpture of a polar bear out of ice for London's Trafalgar Square this December, and then for major cities across four continents. As each Ice Bear melts it will leave a skeleton, a pool of water and a powerful environmental message about climate change. The Bear will be exhibited at ground level, so that everyone can reach out and touch this inspirational and iconic symbol of the Arctic."

For more information, visit the project's website, or watch the short video above. They're still in need of more donations, sponsors, and host cities in order to spread the project as widely as possible. Become a Friend of the Ice Bear by donating here. No amount is too small. Please spread the word!

...On the subject of animals, briefly, before I go back offline to confront my Impending Deadline: I've just received the beautiful picture on the left below, which is Charles Vess' enchanting cover illlustration for The Beastly Bride -- volume 4 in the "mythic fiction" anthology series (for young adult readers) that I edit with Ellen Datlow for Viking. The picture on the right is "The Heron Girl" by my neighbor Danielle Barlow, whose charming blog about country life and art, Notes from the Rookery, I recommend. And just to tie this whole post together, the young girl who posed for Danielle's painting is William Todd-Jones' youngest daughter.

More summer events here in Devon...

My friends Annabel Allison and Ceri Baker just made this little video for Casitas (a band of awesomely talented young local lads), shot down at the recycling centre just outside our village.
If you're in southwest England, come support Casitas at Chagstock this weekend -- where you can also see The Squeeze (still around after all these years) and the divine Seth Lakeman.

'Busy getting ready for Open Studio tomorrow...

More info (and maps for the Open Studios Art Trail) are available from the Chagford Arts Festival box office in the village square.

If you're here for the weekend, be sure not to miss the showing of "Cherry of Zennor: A Cornish Fairy Tale" by Elizabeth-Jane Baldry and the Chagford Filmmaking Group. Established by Elizabeth-Jane (who is a professional harpist in her other life), the CFG is dedicated to filming the magical folk tales of the British Isles, while involving as many local kids as possible in the film-making process. The film is on at 10:40 Sunday morning at the Jubilee Hall -- but come at 10:30 and catch the premier of "Heist," a short film by two young Chagford animators, Diggery North and Freddie Crowley.

Also of interest: A rare showing of the silent film "Sunrise," a 1927 cinematic masterpiece, with an introduction and live harp music soundtrack by Elizabeth-Jane. That's on at the Jubilee Hall at 7:00 on Saturday night.

2009 has been a strange year thus far. Not a bad one (despite some serious trials there have been many blessings and lovely suprises too), but a wildly unpredictable one. And that makes blogging unpredictable, for every time life seems to quiet down a bit, a new challenge comes out of the blue.

Case in point: Each time I've announced that I'm back at my desk and back to a regular work schedule, the Trickster Gods can be heard snickering and plotting:

    "What shall we send her this time?" they say.
    "Illness?" suggests a red-eyed Coyote, his own pointed nose stuffed with a cold.
    "Nah, we've over-used that trick," says Hermes. "Think of something else." 
    Pan smiles wickedly. "Let's send her immigration paperwork. Dealing with the British Home Office is guaranteed to drive any mortal insane."
    Hermes shakes his head and sighs. "We've done that already too."
    "How 'bout a house move?" Anansi pipes up. "That's good for weeks, maybe even months, of chaos."
    The Lord of Misrule scowls at the spider. "Surely you recall that we've used the Moving Trick four times in the last two years alone! No, gentlemen, let's go for a classic. A good old Family Emergency. We haven't done that one for awhile."
     "Okay," Coyote agrees, sneezing. "But I'm giving her my cold for good measure...."

 Now I'm home after a week away, my cold seems to be on the wane, and I'm back in the office again today. I'm hoping that life will now quiet down, but I'm making no predictions!  And I plan to be very, very, very nice to any hares, spiders, foxes, coyotes, goat-legged men or fleet-footed gods who happen to cross my path....

A few of pieces of good news crossed my desk while I was away: First, The Coyote Road (an anthology of original tales inspired by world-wide trickster myths, co-edited with Ellen Datlow, illustrated by Charles Vess) is finally out in paperback. It's Book 3 in our Mythic Fiction anthology series for young adult readers (following The Green Man and The Faery Reel), and was a World Fantasy Award nominee, a Locus Recommended Reading Selection, an Amazon Best Book of Year, and contains two Nebula-Award-nominated stories: Kij Johnson's "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" and Delia Sherman's "The Fiddler of Bayou Tech."

Second, Troll's Eye View --  our latest anthology -- has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection; and Ellen and I are thrilled. Following The Wolf at the Door and Swan Sister, Troll's Eye View contains original fairy-tale-inspired stories and poems for middle-grade readers -- focused on the fairy tale villains this time. The book comes out in April, and Books of Wonder in New York will host a publication event in June. I don't yet know whether I'll be there, but Ellen Datlow, Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, Holly Black, and Catherynne Valente will be.

Third, Ravens in the Library (the S.J. Tucker benefit anthology) is now out and available for purchase here. I haven't actually seen it yet, but the contributor's list looks enticing indeed. The beautiful pen-and-ink drawing you see here is Jenny Anckorn's illustration for my Ravens story, "The Color of Angels." Midori has also contributed to the book, as have several other Endicott Studio folks: Ari Berk, Holly & Theo Black, Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, and Catherynne Valente.

  

My partner Howard and I recently did a reading together in New York City as part of the KGB Fantastic Fiction series.  Here's a photograph from the night, taken by Ellen Datlow.

Many thanks to everyone who turned up for it; to the series hosts, Ellen Datlow and Matt Kressel; and to our NYC hosts Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman. It was very nice to see some of the Endicott and mythic arts community  there too. (And to everyone we didn't get to see while we were in NY, our apologies. The trip was way too short.)

Speaking of friends, I ran into Toby Froud yesterday, working across the hall from my office here in Devon with film-maker Billy O'Brien. I learned that Toby has a brand new website now: the Toby Froud Studio, featuring his short films, puppetry, and art.  Great stuff.