NYRSF readings - May 5

Last night I attended the New York Review of Science Fiction (NYRSF) readings, held on the first Tuesday of each month at the South Street Seaport Museum. Reading were three members of the Tabula Rasa writers' group, and attending were a good mix of New York area writers, editors and genre fans. As described in an earlier post, my first NYRSF reading was actually in April, but this time I took some pictures, so you get more of the story.

Saladin Ahmed tells of a dervish dressed in blue

First up was Saladin Ahmed, who read from his first published tale "Where Virtue Lives", currently up at Beneath Ceaseless Skies. BCS tales tend toward the colorful and adventurous, and this story is no exception. A narrative of ghul-hunting, magic and much belching set in a quasi-Islamic setting, "Virtue" is an engaging and at times thought-provoking piece. I'd already read the story, but Saladin's lively performance made for good listening even so -- hopefully NYRSF-reading-mastermind Jim Freund will broadcast this on Hour of the Wolf and/or post it on his website.

Andrea Kail describes a furry creature in French

The second author of the night was Andrea Kail, reading from a work in progress the title of which I didn't catch (in my defense, I believe it was in French). Although I didn't realize this at first, I was already familiar with Andrea's fiction from the XXIII volume of the Writers of the Future anthology -- her piece "The Sun God at Dawn, Rising from a Lotus Blossom" struck me as one of the most accomplished in that year's book. The tale she read last night plays with the King Kong story from the perspective of one of the "savages" who lived on Kong's island and appeased Kong by worship and sacrifice. In an amusing twist, the "savage" has been brought to France and schooled in the mannerisms of that country, so that the story is told complete with Ouis and Nons and disdain for all things American. A promising beginning -- I'd like to read the rest.

Robert J. Howe looking down to make sure his nose isn't getting longer

Wrapping up was Robert J. Howe, who read from a novella-length retelling of Pinocchio, addressing, in particular, the trials and travails of the little wooden boy as he tries to fit in at school (he's compelled to go by the truancy police), deal with the privations of poverty and understand the scorn of his quasi-peers. An interesting beginning to a tale with the potential to charm. Again, I'd like to read more.

Rick Bowes curating away

This month's readings were guest-curated by World Fantasy Award-winning author Rick Bowes, an amusing fellow whom I got a chance to chat with at some length when we all headed over to a nearby pub afterward. Chatting with people at the readings and later at the pub was actually one of the best parts of the evening; the density of people professionally involved in the genre must be higher in New York than anywhere else in the world. Among others, spotted at the event were Mercurio D. Rivera, Chris Cevasco, Kelly Green, Matt Kressel, David B. Kirtley, and Kris Dikeman (whom I was particularly delighted to meet, as she's the author of "Nine Sundays in a Row", my favorite Strange Horizons story to date).

If you're in the city, drop by next month's reading -- you'll have fun (as an extra, Jim Freund mentioned that next month's event might take place onboard a ship).

Jim Freund opens the event with his customary style and panache

Attendance at the readings was good. . .

. . .as was attendance at the pub