Stars Fell On Alabama Out Now…

Well, it seems like people are starting to receive copies of the October/November double issue of Asimov’s SF, which contains my newest story, “Stars Fell on Alabama.” (Living on the other side of the ocean, I never know when to post notices like this.) I’ve got a complete set of notes about the story in my story notes section, for those who’ve read it and are hungry to know more, because, believe it or not, there’s a ton of historical material in here… plus some thoughts about what I was attempting to do in the story, and why. But if you haven’t …

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Stars Fell on Alabama

This story appeared in the October/November 2014 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction. It was written through the end of June into the second week of July 2013 (with a break during which I finished another jazz-centric SF story, which isn’t yet published); that is, I wrote this a few months after I started living in Saigon. If you enjoyed this novella, I hope the story notes below only add to that enjoyment.  And if you haven’t checked it out already, you may also enjoy my previous jazz-SF novella from Asimov’s, “Lester Young and the Jupiter’s Moons’ Blues.” Reviews: “For fans …

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Monk, Amblyopia & All

Wanting to check one detail about Monk’s life, I picked up my copy of Straight, No Chaser: The Life and Genius of Thelonious Monk by Leslie Gourse, and searched… and an hour later, I discovered I’d happily read a big chunk of the book. So far it’s a very balanced treatment, from what I can tell: Gourse doesn’t shy away from the few unpleasant things that come up, but doesn’t dwell on the either. It’s not a particularly musical biography, so far: no analysis of Monk’s music. (There’s more of that in Gabriel Solis’ Monk’s Music, which I’d dive into next if it weren’t …

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Bizarre Stuff Korean Parents Say To English Tutors (ie. Us)

The following is a translation of a post my wife, Mrs. Jiwaku, made to Facebook. It was just too priceless not to translate and share in English. A word about the contents of the list: These aren’t things that one mom once said: they’re things we’ve heard time and again, and which, when we hear them, always cause us to flinch a little… to the complete bafflement of the people–mostly moms–saying them. So, no, we’re not cherry-picking the really crazy stuff… all the below is from the solidly average, not-extreme-by-general-standards parents. (Yes, mostly moms, because that’s who mostly manages the day-to-day stuff related to their …

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More on Dr. John Perkins, Yes, Of THAT Perkins Family

This has nothing to do with beer itself, but is an interesting footnote to brewing history. A while back, I mentioned a tantalizing rumour that the son of the brewer John Perkins (of Barclay Perkins fame) had led a life of adventure, ultimately fighting under Simón Bolívar in the Venezuelan War of Independence, but noting there was no more information than that about his fate. Well, today I heard back from the source of that information, Nicholas Harding (who sprouts from the same family tree, apparently?) with more information, in the form of an obituary confirming that indeed, a Dr. John Perkins …

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