| Mary Soon Lee | Wed, Jul 22, 12:05 PM |
Hello,
The last few months have been hard on almost everyone, and I find myself more grateful than ever for pieces of good news. So it makes me very happy to report that “Elemental Haiku,” my book of haiku for the elements of the periodic table, has been nominated for the Elgin Award, and that I also have two poems in this year’s Dwarf Stars anthology.
In a similar vein, it was lovely to read Ann K. Schwader’s review of “The Sign of the Dragon.” Ann is a SFPA Grand Master for her contributions to speculative poetry, so it meant a great deal to me that she described the book as “… an utterly beautiful, impressive, & occasionally heartbreaking reading experience!” Her full review can be read at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3312504890
N.B. The ebook of “The Sign of the Dragon” is available from Apple Books, Google Play, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and I’m donating any money I get from 2020 sales to Doctors Without Borders, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and the Trevor Project.
Since last month’s update, I’ve had poems in F&SF, Star*Line (three poems), and Eye to the Telescope. One of the poems in Star*Line is an Editor’s Choice selection and so may be read online: http://sfpoetry.com/sl/edchoice/43.3-5.html. And the whole issue of Eye to the Telescope, my poem included, is online at http://www.eyetothetelescope.com/.
Unusually for me, I also had two short stories published. “Redemption” is in the Summer 2020 issue of Fireside, and my short-short story “Catastrophe” is in Frozen Wavelets: https://frozenwavelets.com/issue-2-2/catastrophe-by-mary-soon-lee/.
I’ve been reading compulsively and have several recommendations. On the non-fiction front, I found Adam Becker’s “What Is Real?” to be excellent (it’s about quantum physics and the controversy over its interpretation). On the poetry front, I loved one new book, “The Alpaca Cantos” by Jenny Blackford, and two older ones, “The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou” and Alice Walker’s “Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful.” On the fiction front, I loved Martha Well’s latest Murderbot book, “Network Effect.”
But the book that I liked best is “Mindtouch” by M. C. A. Hogarth, the first in her Dreamhealers series. It’s a science fiction novel devoid of space battles, malevolent AIs, and visions of apocalypse. Instead cookies are baked, friendships formed. I feel oddly defensive toward it, as I imagine other people scorning it as pedestrian or slow-paced, but it captivated and delighted me. I can’t remember the last time I’ve found a book so softly moving. My reviews of this and many other books may be unearthed at Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6731291.
Sending good thoughts: may you be safe and well,
Mary