My Ideal Halloween/Day of the Dead Film Fest

Last day, final two movies:

Let the Right One In and Onmyoji

When I saw Let the Right One In with friends we had a lot of discussion as to whether it was really a horror movie (of course many of the movies in my ideal fest here have not technically been horror movies--but it's my ideal fest for the spooky time, not a horror film fest). I think it is, by the definition that what's implicit by the end of the movie is quite a horrible, chilling prospect. The Swedish are very good at well constructed narrative, pacing, and matter-of-fact-dread coupled with everyday life and haunting beauty. Many people have praised Let the Right One In and it deserves the praise.

Onmyoji tells the story of a court Onmyoji--which translates as the 'Yin Yang Master,' an occult master and fortune teller--in the Heian period, who safeguards the kingdom in a time when the land is plagued by evil forces. It's a costume epic full of the supernatural, sorcery, demons, ghosts, heroes, servant gods, metamorphic creatures, political intrigue, and betrayal. In short, awesome. 

Thanks for coming to my film fest. Please put your liquor bottles in the recylcing and your popcorn tubs and candy wrappers in the trash.  And leave a tip for the help.

The Habitation of the Blessed

Catherynne M. Valente's The Habitation of the Blessed went out into the wide world in its print edition today.

She talks about the book, and links to an action figure explanation vid of the Prester John story she made, and a spiffy contest, on her live journal here.

You can read a nice long excerpt from the beginning here. That first paragraph, after the quotations? That's gold. I heart this writing so much. It really fulfills my own particular edict/gospel of fiction, that it should feed both the body and the spirit. Looking forward to having the book in hands and savoring the whole thing.

Orycon!

(yes, I'm spammy today--but I probably won't post again for a few days)

I'm going to Orycon! I get to see a bunch of my best beloveds and go to a con I've never gone to in a city I really like!

Things I'll be doing:

 

Sat Nov 13 2:00:pm - 3:00:pm -- Theme
What is theme? How do you develop theme in your writing, or should you even try? For the sake of future graduate students studying your brilliant prose, learn about this often-neglected aspect of storytelling.
Jessica Reisman, Grá Linnaea, Sara A. Mueller, (*)Mary Rosenblum/Mary Freeman, Bill Johnson

Sat Nov 13 4:00:pm - 5:00:pm -- Revision: Path to better writing or slog into mud?
Endless revisions can kill good writing, but everyone says polish your work. Besides, the first draft is usually bad, right? How to navigate through the apparent contradictions without going crazy.
Steve Perry, Jessica Reisman, (*)Lori Ann White, Grá Linnaea, S.D. Perry

Sat Nov 13 5:30:pm - 6:00:pm -- Reading
Lincoln - Not sure what I'll read from yet, feel free to place a request. I'll try to have a fun giveaway of some sort.

 

Sun Nov 14 2:00:pm - 3:00:pm -- 1 cup F, 2 cups SF, 1 tsp H in blender ...
Combining genres--What readers want from blended genre stories, and why some editors and agents have trouble with them.
Jessica Reisman, (*)J. Steven York, P.N. Elrod, Seanan McGuire

 

If you're gonna be there and want to, please find me and say hello.