Ellen Datlow's Blog, page 27

Here's my schedule in Australia pre-and during Swancon. I'll be visiting friends in Melbourne for a few days before I get to Canberra and touring a bit of the west coast with Kaaron Warren and her family after Swancon and then hanging out in Perth for a few days before flying home May 4th

Thursday 21 April-Canberra University (University Drive, Bruce)
Interview with short fiction editor Ellen Datlow

Place: Teaching Commons, Building 1, above the UC Refectory
Time: 12-30 to 1-30
Date: Wednesday, April 20



Midday - Guest luncheon (details for booking available to members soon)
7.00pm - Opening Ceremony
8.30pm - Writer/Editor/Reader Relationship Jonathan Strahan with Ellen Datlow, hosted by Robert Hoge


Friday 22 April

2.00pm - Kaffeeklatsche
3.00pm - Darkness Beyond Borders with Kaaron Warren, Kirstyn McDermott, Ellen Datlow and Paul Haines


Saturday 23 April

8.30am - Breakfast with the editors, hosted by Ellen Datlow and Jonathan Strahan
2.00pm - Ellen Datlow Interviewed by Kaaron Warren
7.30pm - Masquerade


Sunday 24 April

3.00pm - Fairytales in Today's World with Angela Slatter, Ellen Datlow, Jenny Blackford, Richard Harland, Amanda Pillar

7.30pm - Orbit Gollancz Natcon Fifty Awards Ceremony (I along with the other GOH, will be handing out the awards)


Monday 25 April

3.00pm - Clarion Call. Moderator: Kate Eltham. With Ellen Datlow, Robert Hoge, Cat Sparks, Justina Robson
4.00pm - Closing Ceremony

Check out this Colbert report segment Pap Smears at Walgreens

thanks to Anne Bobby

I had a lovely time in Toronto's Ad Astra convention this past weekend. Although I've been in a soft boot only temporarily, it certainly opens ones eyes to accessibility for those who can't walk or who have trouble walking. Not very wheelchair friends--there are lots of staircases, with occasional ramp, the occasional special ride thingie for wheelchairs, and the occasional elevator for which one has to make a special call. Luckily, I was able to walk up and down stairs (down, not very easily). The Concom and everyone else was very nice. Guest liaisons Heather (didn't get her last name) and Roxane Learn were wonderful.

My panels were fun, informative, and I hope, entertaining to the audiences. I ate really good dim sum in Chinatown Friday with Shawna McCarthy and Scott Edelman.
A mediocre dinner that evening at a very nice looking restaurant named the David Duncan House with excellent company: Shawna, Rodger Turner, Steve Jones, and Mandy Slater. And Saturday night we had a fabulous dinner dinner at Cafe California recommended by Michael Rowe. I ordered the Chicken Malibu. Yum.

I met some new people and was happy to hang out with old friends--and see Ben Bova, the man who hired me at OMNI Magazine. It was wonderful to see him.

So now I'm busy prepping for my next trip: Australia, leaving Thursday. I'll be posting my schedule for my professional schedule shortly.

MRI of my left foot reveals that pain has been caused by a 6mm Morton's neuroma in second web space. No evidence of avascular necrosis. My doc says that usually MN doesn't show up on an MRI so this one's relatively large.


The doc (he gave me a steroid shot today), told me I don't need the boot unless I'm in pain but that I need to take it to oz –so I'll wear it to the airport—easier than packing the thing) and said there are two options:

A series of some kind of shots that of course I don't know anything about but they're meant to shrink the neuroma. He says it'll take one a week for eighteen weeks, which would cost me $75 a visit (my co-pay) --$1350 for a 50-50 chance of it working is in my opinion, no option at all.

Or surgery which would be outpatient, go through the top of the foot and have stitches that would dissolve. Takes about 20 minutes or less and just sedation and local anesthesia. I'd be walking right after.

To me this is a no brainer but I will of course get a second opinion before I return to the doc May 16th.

I did my errands today (in very warm, brightly sunny weather) in shoes and because of the steroid shot --which hurts the entire foot, I can't really tell if the bottom of my foot hurt. But I wasn't limping, so that's good.

Excellent professional news I can't share but which will be made public as I fly to oz ;-).

But I can confirm (now that the check has been received by my agent) that The Dark was sold to the Czech Republic. Plus there's a small royalty check for the B&N A Whisper of Blood--this will pay my taxes. And yes, all you contributors will get some $$$ but not till I return from Oz, after May 4th.

So this is what I'm doing instead of working--going through my jezebel posts and getting depressed by things like this Massive Penguin Rescue Operation on a remote archipelago that up till now was pollution free.

These past few days, since I returned from LA, have been busy as I've run around to do errands, socialize, gone to docs (re-do regular blood tests that were inconclusive and have the MRI on my left foot), read manuscripts and edit, all before leaving for Ad Astra tomorrow morning.
I saw a new play last night that I wasn't fond of: High, with Kathleen Turner and two other cast members (all were ok, not great) about a Catholic rehab center that against the rules takes in a 19 year old male junkie who was found in a hotel room with a dead, male 14 year old. Very much about religion (and not vis a vis addiction) which is so not my cup of tea. Perhaps Christians would appreciate it better, but to me the whole exercise, although it had wonderful moments, was a failure. Not boring though.

Here's the great part of my post though, abandoned bear cubs cuddle with baby tiger

via jezebel
Maybe this time LJ will be working!@

Photos of me and Bruce McAllister, Jim and Viki Blaylock, and Tim and Serena Powers at dinner and roaming around. Dark Delicacies signing with Nancy Holder. A trip to a very small zoo, and to a park.
http://tinyurl.com/3hsql3w

I've been so busy today, running around doing errands, and other stuff that I completely forgot that today (April 5th) is the publication day of TEETH

After six days in sunny warm L.A. I had a lovely time. Yesterday was very busy. I met two elementary school through high school friends for lunch (met a third from our group the afternoon before for coffee), signed many copies of Teeth and other books at Dark Delicacies, then, with fourteen friends/writers/writing students from my Clarion West class (and a couple of kids) headed to Bob's Big Boy for whatever. It was wonderful to see everyone, especially Maureen McHugh who I've not seen in ages and has relocated from Austin to LA just a few months ago.

Then, I had dinner with Jim and Viki Blaylock and a couple of young people they know at Eclectic and finally, finished off the day with a marvelous production of Pinocchio done with a combination of signing and voice from the theater company of Deaf West.

A few very nice stray emails came in while I was out there--about stories in books I and Terri and I have edited:
Telling the Flip Side of the Tale

and Attention Ellen Kushner fans

Here's a preview of TEETH coming out in a few days: Genevieve Valentine's "Things to Know About Being Dead and Steve Berman's "All Smiles"

Enjoy.

I've been in Orange, CA since Monday and the temperature has gone up daily. Today it's really pretty warm.
I spent the first two days antiquing and hanging out with Bruce McAllister and his lovely wife Amalie. Then yesterday I spoke to a few of Jim Blaylock's classes at Chapman U (where he just got tenure!) and afterward had a wonderful dinner at the Cuban restaurant, Felix with Jim and Viki, Bruce and Amalie, and Tim and Serena Powers. A wonderful time was had by all.

Today I had lunch with Jim and then met with an elementary/HS friend for coffee.

I've received my schedule for Book Expo in mid-May (I'll post later)both manning the HWA booth and several autographings of forthcoming/recently published books at the HWA booth, at the Tor booth, and the BIG autographing area.

This came in from the Sleeping Hedgehog today:


"The Duke of Riverside"