Religion, SF, and Other Speculative Fictions.


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Entries from August 2010

Vegetarian Update.

August 26th, 2010 · by John · 20 Comments

I’ve gradually reduced my meat consumption over the years through a series of fits and starts, and I thought I’d list some points from the latest phase in my years-long conversion. I started this month with a personal goal to eat vegetarian, but to allow myself one meat-containing Japanese meal each week. I only had [...]

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Tags: Vegetarianism

The Price of Paradise: Why I’m not a gambling man. Or maybe I am.

August 22nd, 2010 · by John · 7 Comments

We each pay a fabulous price For our visions of paradise But a spirit with a vision Is a dream with a mission – Rush, “Mission” from the Hold Your Fire album Las Vegas is one of my least favorite places in the world, probably ranking just under Chernobyl, and maybe rating a bit higher [...]

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Tags: Uncategorized

Clarion West and the Creative Process (First Draft).

August 18th, 2010 · by John · 12 Comments

One of the coolest things about being at Clarion West was being able to go up to someone like Ted Chiang or Ian MacDonald after they had had a drink (Ted) or five (Ian) and ask, what’s your creative process? And because we were Official Workshop Students, and Had Suffered for Our Art, they shared [...]

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Tags: Clarion West

My Clarion West Experience: No Conflict, No Story.

August 9th, 2010 · by John · 9 Comments

No conflict, no story. We learned this lesson within the first day or two of the workshop. We were also taught that the best authors are sadists who delight in tormenting their protagonists, making them suffer, placing them in horrific situations where they have to make heart-wrenching decisions. And this is the problem as I [...]

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Tags: Clarion West

Gender equality and voluntary disempowerment for anarchist men.

August 3rd, 2010 · by John · 15 Comments

I read this recently and plan to spend some time thinking about it. I wanted to run it past you all: If we agree, as anarchist men, that patriarchy exists and therefore that unequal gender-based class relationship exists between men and women, we ought to admit that we are in a privileged position relative to [...]

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Tags: Feminism

Framing the Clarion West Narrative

August 3rd, 2010 · by John · 7 Comments

So, let’s say that you just experienced something life-changing. Maybe you broke your ankle, and it didn’t quite set properly. A series of events spills forth from that moment. Maybe you meet someone at the hospital emergency room, and you start dating, but he turns out to be a total asshole. Maybe while struggling with [...]

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Tags: Clarion West