Gathering, surrounded by, story writers, story tellers and story readers is like bathing in lavender salts — lingering into contentment, absorbing a lifestyle, humming.
Apr 232013
Mar 302013
“Our little house is a wonderful, quiet place to work. Also a very good house for dreams, many people who’ve slept there have told me that. Dreams and the kind of writing I do have some connection. One morning when I was waking up in our Cannon Beach bedroom, the whole idea of one of the “Earthsea” books came to me as the light grew. When I got up, it was daylight and I had a novel to write.” — Ursula K. Le Guin
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Feb 162013
The era of the brilliant Nabokovs is over. Dmitri died 22 February 2012. He was my age, born in Berlin in 1934 half a year before me. One day when I asked his father about his taste in music, he said he had none; all the musical talents went to his son, Dmitri. The father was very proud of his son and justifiably so.
Jun 022012
De Lint’s storytelling draws mastfully from both folklore and scientific truth. When I worked as a field biologist, fresh out of college, my mentors informed me that ornithologists who study the crow family quickly learn that the birds are also studying them. These creatures are among the most intelligent of all animals, having demonstrated self-awareness in mirror tests, tool-making abilities, and a total brain-to-body mass that is close to that of humans.
Apr 222012
On the morning of the first Earth Day a seven-year-old boy seached for salamanders in a creek. He didn’t know adults were launching a new holiday to encourage care for creation. His heart and mind were filled with amazement at the critters who lived under the damp mossy rocks. After lunch he climbed one of his favorite trees.
Mar 202012
“Having visited the Fairy Glen in Betws-y-Coed, Wales, I can tell you that places which claim fairies and their kin don’t seem out of the question. Certain places have that magical feel, as if they transcend what we know of life and reach beyond it into other realms. As for fantasy reaching nonfiction best-seller lists, I always tell attendees at conventions and festivals that I write nonfiction about elves.”