Category Archives: Admin

I’ll be dashing off to Bristol for this week’s Ujima Radio show shortly, and I have to stay in the city for an LGBT History Month event tonight. Fortunately I was busy on Sunday and I have a third book … Continue reading →

I’m also delighted to report two new books from Charles Tan and his colleagues at Flipside. The first, The Kite of Stars, is a new collection from the fabulous Filipino author, Dean Francis Alfar. If you enjoyed his How to … Continue reading →

When I wrote my report on Kij Johnson’s fiction masterclass I commented that I expected to start seeing reviews in which the reviewer castigates the novel for not following the “rules” of writing. I didn’t have long to wait. A … Continue reading →

I find writing courses interesting. I somehow doubt that anything other than long practice will turn my own feeble efforts into saleable fiction. However, a writer giving a course will inevitably tell you a lot about how she approaches her … Continue reading →

The NHS is undergoing as major shake-up right now, and as a result is looking closely at various areas of its operations. On the assumption that gender treatments will still be available in future, they have a consultation out concerning … Continue reading →

Yesterday I went up to London to read a book by Michael Dillon. If you’ve not heard of him, Dillon is the first recorded instance of medically-assisted female-to-male gender transition. Dillon, an Irishman, began his treatment in 1939 while living … Continue reading →

The podcast of yesterday’s Outlook show is now available on the Ujima website. If you want to listen to me talking about marriage equality, the Leveson inquiry, the forthcoming LGBT History exhibition and Bristol’s role in the history of transsexuals, … Continue reading →

The papers here in the UK have, as is traditional at this time of year, been full of discussion of the New Year Honours List. Who has been justifiably recognized? Who has been shamefully snubbed? Who turned down an honour? … Continue reading →

A quick follow-up to Friday’s post. Here’s a photo of me with the Olympic Torch. That’s Louise with me, and Ben Bird of Shout Out in the background. My thanks to Karl for the photo and Mary the Producer for … Continue reading →

Late last night I was looking for something to prevaricate about rather than start a new work item. So around 10:00pm I started looking at the Locus All Centuries Poll. I got to bed around 1:00am and finally got to … Continue reading →

I have email from Liza asking me to remind you all about the Locus All-Centuries Poll, in which you,the great science fiction reading public, get to vote on your favorite works of the 20th and (nascent) 21st centuries. I haven’t … Continue reading →

Late last night I spotted press release from Night Shade Books. I was vaguely aware that Jonathan Strahan’s excellent anthology series, Eclipse, would not be producing any new volumes. However, the announcement states that the anthology is going online. Instead … Continue reading →

Well, Gav did anyway. And I like it when people tell me that they are looking forward to buying a book. My own review of Jagannath won’t be out for a few weeks yet. However, I can say that I’m … Continue reading →

Neal Stephenson is touring in support of his new book of essays, Some Remarks. Last night he was in Toppings in Bath, and I managed to get away from work to see him. (I paid for it later by doing … Continue reading →

No, it is not me having a bad hair day. It is the surface of the Sun, taken using a new technique pioneered by Mexican astronomers. Congratulations to César Cantú and his team from the entertainingly named Chilidog Observatory in … Continue reading →

Talking of translation awards, one of the finalists in the long form category is Utopia by Ahmed Khaled Towfik. I reviewed the book here, and also interviewed Mr. Towfik for Locus. I’m delighted to report that the interview is now … Continue reading →

I don’t spend a lot of time watching TV or reading newspapers (except for sport), so I can be a bit out of touch with what’s happening in the UK. This story will probably not be new to many British … Continue reading →

This is what we had to sit on in Zagreb (I used it for that video interview). (And before anyone starts, yes, I know I’m getting fat.)