Galactic Suburbia

In which “best” becomes “superior,” Pottermore is Pottermeh, one of us wins all the awards, and we visit/revisit classic non-hard works of SF and Fantasy by Bujold, Willis and Pratchett (with bonus Russian fairytales by Valente). News Pottermore announcement to be made during our podcast... http://www.youtube.com/JKRowlingAnnounces Theodore Sturgeon finalists: http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=4340 David Gemmell Awards... http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=4358     NatCon professional guests for next year are Kelly Link and Alison Goodman. Chronos Awards  :D  http://continuum.org.au/c7/2011-chronos-award-winners/ Sidewise Awards finalists: http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=4349 Translation Awards winners: http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=4354 Stoker Awards http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/06/winners-2010-bram-stoker-awards/ Coode Street Horror Special with Stoker winners Datlow & Straub http://www.jonathanstrahan.com.au/wp/2011/06/18/episode-56-live-with-gary-k-wolfe-ellen-datlow-and-peter-straub/ Gender Spotting Tool - http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20581-genderspotting-tool-could-have-rumbled-fake-blogger.html Naff. What Culture Have we Consumed? Alisa: Connie Willis’ Passage in progress, the next 3 Twelve Planets. Alex: so much Bujold (Cordelia’s Honor and Young Miles omnibuses... omnibi... whatever http://wp.me/p11HLi-L1, http://wp.me/p11HLi-Ll, http://wp.me/s11HLi-2947), Fly by Night, Frances Hardinge (http://wp.me/p11HLi-Lh), Red Glove, Holly Black. Series 2 of V (reboot) Tansy: Deathless, Catherynne Valente; I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett; Wyrd Sisters audiobook, Terry Pratchett/Celia Imrie. Next Fortnight: Galactic Suburbia’s Spoilerific Book Club Presents: Joanna Russ.  Reading How to Suppress Women’s Writing, The Female Man, “When It Changed.” Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we surf the wave of feminist SF news that has deluged the internet this fortnight, plus Margaret Brundage, why YA books are allowed to be as dark as they want to be, the Tiptree Award, Connie Willis, were-thylacines, Ted Chiang and Alex finally discovers Bujold... News Nicola Griffith on the m/f imbalance in an informal SF favourites poll in the Guardian http://asknicola.blogspot.com/2011/05/shocking-uk-sf-favourites-score-men-500.html The Guardian: Damien Walter, author of the poll & followup articles revises his comments in response to Griffith http://damiengwalter.com/2011/05/28/thoughts-on-500-sf-novels/ Niall Harrison follows up on Strange Horizons: http://www.strangehorizons.com/blog/2011/05/in_search_of_data.shtml Cheryl Morgan on invisibility of women (some really interesting discussion in the comments, too) http://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=10805 The Guardian again, asking with wide innocent eyes if SF is inherently sexist http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/may/31/women-science-fiction-writers Ian Sales announces the SF Mistressworks blog project http://sfmistressworks.wordpress.com/ Nicola Griffith asks you to take the Joanna Russ pledge http://asknicola.blogspot.com/2011/06/taking-russ-pledge.html Gwyneth Jones, Karen Traviss & Farah Mendlesohn talk on radio about the perception of women in British SF http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011c220 Transcript here: http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/womans-hour-women-and-sf/ MK Hobson on the term ‘bustlepunk’ and why there is a place for a domestic sub-genre of steampunk http://www.demimonde.com/2011/05/26/bustlepunk-revisited/ MK Hobson’s follow up post on the assumptions made about works coded ‘female’ http://mkhobson.livejournal.com/723255.html 2011 Chesley Award Finalists http://www.asfa-art.org/pages/06-currentawardspage.html Cheryl Morgan on female & trans artists http://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=10850 Nine Reasons Women Don’t Edit Wikipedia http://suegardner.org/2011/02/19/nine-reasons-why-women-dont-edit-wikipedia-in-their-own-words/ (interesting, I think, in light of the recent spout of incidents we’ve watched, notably the one with Nick Mamatas where winning World Fantasy Award was considered too regional to be significant) Wall Street Journal on YA fiction: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter Change to the Norma eligibility guidelines Why Galactic Suburbia T-shirts are no longer available through RedBubble. Con Quilt http://continuum.org.au/conquilt/ What Culture Have we Consumed? Tansy: Thyla, Kate Gordon; Will Supervillains Be on the Final? Naomi Novik Alisa: Coode St Podcast with Ellen Klages, Eileen Gunn and Geoff Ryman; Connie Willis - Even the Queen; Octavia Butler - Bloodchild Alex: Chill (http://randomalex.net/2011/06/01/chill-by-elizabeth-bear/), and Grail, Elizabeth Bear; The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang (http://randomalex.net/2011/05/28/the-lifecycle-of-software-objects/); Welcome to the Greenhouse, Gordon van Gelder (http://lastshortstory.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/welcome-to-the-greenhouse/); Steampunk! Kelly Link and Gavin Grant (http://lastshortstory.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/wild-about-steampunk/). Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we wax lyrical about awards, short stories and the love of reading.  Because it’s that time of year! News Aurealis Awards http://www.aurealisawards.com/winners2010.pdf and Ceremony! Nebula Awards http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/05/2011-nebula-award-winners Translation Awards  http://www.sfftawards.org/?p=412 Aqueduct links to 25 commemorations of Joanna Russ http://aqueduct-amble.livejournal.com/271345.html New podcast - http://wolverina.net/2011/05/16/first-podcast/ How I got my Boyfriend to Read Comics Last Short Story is on Twitter @lastshortstory New Galactic Chat: Kirstyn McDermott http://galactichat.podbean.com/2011/05/24/galactic-chat-04-kirstyn-mcdermott/ What Culture Have we Consumed? Tansy: The Shattering, Karen Healey Alex: The Wise Man’s Fear, Patrick Rothfuss (http://randomalex.net/2011/05/16/the-wise-man/); How to Suppress Women’s Writing, Joanna Russ; Welcome to Bordertown, Ellen Kushner and Terri Windling (http://lastshortstory.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/how-do-i-get-to-bordertown/); finished Stargate SG1 for the second time. Alisa: Ken Liu's Paper Menagerie (F&SF March/April), Joanna Russ’s We Who Are About To Pet Subject: Last Short Story 2011 Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

New episode up! Grab it from iTunes, by direct download or stream it on the site. EPISODE 32 In which we bid farewell to Joanna Russ, talk e-publishing (again) and Alisa reads a real live actual book. With bonus raving about Doctor Who and Alistair Reynolds - in other words, another episode of Galactic Suburbia. News On Joanna Russ: Making Light Broad Universe Samuel Delaney interviews Joanna Russ Aqueduct Press Barb & Jenny on e-publishing Part 1 Part 2 Book Country launched by Penguin USA Jim Hines on Book Country Ellen Datlow on the role of the short story editor, at Book Country Brimstone Press closing Shaun Tan named judge for Illustrators of the Future What Culture Have we Consumed? Alisa: Madigan Mine, Kirstyn McDermott, Fringe Season 3 Alex: Deep State, Walter Jon Williams; Shattered City, and Love and Romanpunk, Tansy Rayner Roberts; Pushing Ice, Alastair Reynolds; Troubletwisters, Garth Nix and Sean Williams. Tansy: Doctor Who & Big Finish audio plays. The Eighth Doctor Adventures. ============ Announcing upcoming Spoilerific Book Club on Joanna Russ with particular focus on The Female Man, How To Suppress Women’s Writing and short story “When it Changed.” Read along with us! Galactic Chat interviews Glenda Larke Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we do a quick (ha) awards round up and squee about the Swancon that was. News We wanted you to read this review and be appalled http://www3.chizine.com/engines_of_desire.htm An issue to be addressed that we want more women reviewed … but not like that. (but then they edited the review out from under us, so you can be appalled by that instead) Hugo nominees -http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/04/2011-hugo-and-campbell-awards-nominees/ Ditmar winners - http://www.jonathanstrahan.com.au/wp/2011/04/27/ditmars-and-ducks/ Wanted to draw attention to when Tansy won the Atheling and Grant Stone as MC said she was the first woman (invisibility of women) 1979 - Susan Wood, "Women and Science Fiction", Algol 33, 1978 2007 - Justine Larbalestier for Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century 2009 - Kim Wilkins, for “Popular genres and the Australian literary community: the case of fantasy fiction” 2010 - Helen Merrick for The Secret Feminist Cabal: a cultural history of science fiction feminisms (Aqueduct Press) Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we talk convention gossip, awards, go through piles and piles of reading for Tansy and Alex, while Alisa patiently explains her position on ebooks. =========== Recorded Live from Swancon! http://2011.swancon.com.au/about/ News Shirley Jackson nominees http://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/sja_2010_nominees.php PK Dick http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/04/2010pkd/ BSFA http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/23/bsfa-winners-2/ SF Hall of Fame http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/04/2011-sf-hall-of-fame-inductees/ What Culture Have we Consumed? Alex: Kraken, China Mieville (http://randomalex.net/2011/03/29/wave-your-tentacles-in-the-air/); Doomsday Book, Connie Willis (http://randomalex.net/2011/04/02/doomsday-book-the-sf-and-the-medieval/); Contact (the movie), Mappa Mundi, Justina Robson; Brasyl, Ian McDonald (http://randomalex.net/2011/04/15/this-time-its-brasyl/) ; Nightsiders, Sue Isle (http://aussiespecficinfocus.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/nightsiders/) Tansy: The Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare, The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke, Fun Home & Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel, [http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/clockwork-rocks-and-a-tragicomic/] Tales of the Tower: the Wilful Eye edited by Isobelle Carmody & Nan McNab, especially “Catastrophic Disruption of the Head” by Margo Lanagan, Nightsiders (twelve planets 1) by Sue Isle. Pet Subject: Indie Press: Alisa talks Ebooks! Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we rant about feminist issues and gender disparity (are you shocked?), Alisa proclaims the death of bookstores and publishing, we look at branding and internet dramah, plus a million zillion award shortlists, TANSY BEING A TIPTREE JUDGE, a Swancon preview, and... um.  It’s a bit long. But full of crunchy Galactic Suburbian goodness. News Diana Wynne Jones passed away http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/diana-wynne-jones-tributes-and-memories/ Shaun Tan wins the Astrid Lindgren Award http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2011/mar/29/shaun-tan-astrid-lindgren-prize?CMP=twt_gu http://www.shauntan.net/news1.html Carol Emshwiller’s 90th birthday celebrations http://carolemshwillerproject.blogspot.com/ 25 A&R franchises in Australia go indie http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2011/04/19359/ Strange Horizons - dealing with the low numbers of female reviewers http://www.strangehorizons.com/blog/2011/03/a_few_good_women_a_call_for_re.shtml The Age on the poor numbers of women’s work being reviewed (in the literary “mainstream”) http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/womens-writing--fights-for-attention-20110401-1cpjg.html and coverage of a panel on the gender disparity, again in literary mainstream http://blogs.radionational.net.au/bookshow/?p=1275 Prometheus Awards nominees, from the Libertarian Futurist Society: http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=4065 Running Press, Tricia Telep and Jessica Verday http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/2011/04/essay-clarifying-issue-of-wicked-pretty.html http://blog.outeralliance.org/archives/791 http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20110404/46703-the-misinformation-age-what-happens-when-a-headline-goes-viral.html TANSY BECOMES A TIPTREE JUDGE!! http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/tiptree/ Aurealis Awards: www.aurealisawards.com/finalists2010.pdf Ditmars: http://2011.swancon.com.au/2011/03/natcon-fifty-ditmar-awards/ Tin Ducks: http://2011.swancon.com.au/tin-duck-awards/ Chronos Awards: http://arcadiagt5.livejournal.com/362522.html Livejournal not so live this week - AK has existential crisis about blogging & identity. Feedback Aishwarya, Kaia, Adam Competition winners! Swancon Preview Maybe each of us could pick some things off the program we’re excited about? http://2011.swancon.com.au/swancon-thirty-six-natcon-fifty-full-program

In which we keep celebrating our birthday, take in the Lambdas and the Tiptree, and did we mention there are Galactic Suburbia T-SHIRTS now??? News Lambda Shortlists released http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/2011-finalists/ Female gamers hollerback against the hate messages they receive http://io9.com/#!5783056/im-an-anonymous-woman-gamer Kristine Kathryn Rusch on the ways publishing is changing http://kriswrites.com/2011/03/16/the-business-rusch-trust-me/ Woman writer wins award; is still ignored http://mhpbooks.com/mobylives/?p=29483 Ian Sales’ SF Mistressworks http://iansales.com/2011/03/15/science-fiction-mistressworks/ & the SF Mistressworks meme http://iansales.com/2011/03/17/the-sf-mistressworks-meme/ Hugo reminder: get your nominations in! http://bit.ly/dPQbvC Galactic Chat http://galactichat.podbean.com/ T SHIRTS http://www.redbubble.com/people/tansyrr/t-shirts/6904445-1-galactic-suburbia-pink Tiptree shortlist released http://tiptree.org/ Feedback Competition open for another fortnight - keep sending in entries! Email us with fave GS moment and what cake you ate. What Culture Have we Consumed? Tansy: Burn Bright, by Marianne de Pierres; Laid (ABC TV) Alisa: Star Trek Enterprise Season 4, Fringe eps 11 -13, Alex: Genesis, by Bernard Beckett (http://randomalex.net/2011/02/27/genesis-by-bernard-beckett/); Redemption Ark, Alastair Reynolds; Version 43, Philip Palmer (abandoned)... Battlestar Galactica (http://randomalex.net/tag/bsg-rewatch/) Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which there is cake, cake and more cake - we discuss the year that was Galactic Suburbia One, authorial in crowds, gender bias, and announce our exciting new project. CAKE http://www.flickr.com/photos/13670975@N05/5511834096/ (http://kaelajael.livejournal.com/92618.html for the ingredients) News The First Rule about the YA Mafia is that you don’t talk about the YA Mafia http://blackholly.livejournal.com/148264.html http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2011/03/03/ya-mafias-other-things-you-dont-need-to-worry-about/ http://gwendabond.typepad.com/bondgirl/2011/03/secret-cabals-are-overrated.html http://karenhealey.livejournal.com/925514.html http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/03/04/dear-new-writer-im-sorry-i-dont-have-time-to-crush-you http://allycarter.abeedoo.com/blog/cliques-and-cabals The conversation is starting to turn into something else, which is more about the power writers do/do not have to help or hinder each other’s careers. http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/182357.html Discussion on gender bias at Midnight Echo. Tiptree Book Club begins with Maureen McHugh’s “Useless Things” http://tiptree.org/?p=181 Announcing Galactic Chat. Competition: tell us your favourite moment of GS from the last year and win a book. Do they get to nominate which one they want to win?? Glitter Rose - signed by Marianne de Pierres, limited print run hard copy Bold as Love, Gwyneth Jones Siren Beat/Roadkill by Tansy!! What Culture Have we Consumed? Alex: Darkship Thieves, Sarah Hoyt; Betrayer of Worlds, Larry Niven and Edward M Lerner (to be reviewed at Dreams and Speculation, http://dreamsandspeculation.com/) Tansy: Running Through Corridors, Robert Shearman & Toby Hadoke Alisa: TED Talks and general update and Pet Subject What has been a highlight of the year for us? Has it been what we expected? Have we achieved what we wanted to achieve? (What did we want to achieve?) Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which Tansy and Alex soldier on womanfully without their lost comrade, to catch up on three weeks of publishing news, the Nebulas, books, books, and more books, and tackle the crunchy pet subject of Australian SFF Publishing in its entirety: how do Australian specfic readers get their books?  Who publishes them and how do we buy them? (Realised too late this is a pretty massive topic - please email us to tell us what we got wrong and what we left out!) News Bitchgate round up http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/strong-books-make-strong-girls/ Scott Westerfeld interview http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/136748-scott-westerfeld LJ Smith, author of bestselling 20 year book series The Vampire Diaries fired by her publisher, who will hire new writer to continue the books. http://io9.com/#!5756378/the-author-of-the-vampire-diaries-has-been-fired-from-her-own-book-series Interesting post by Tobias Buckell on ebooks http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/2011/02/14/ebook-sales-fun/ (love the bit where he zooms out on the graph) Borders and Angus and Robertson go into receivership. http://www.smh.com.au/business/dont-discount-onlines-threat-to-retailers-20110223-1b51c.html Nebula shortlist http://www.sfwa.org/2011/02/2010-nebula-nominees/ RIP Nicholas Courtney http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/remembering-the-brigadier/ What Culture Have we Consumed? Alex: Life, Gwyneth Jones; The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin; Revelation Space, and Chasm City, Alastair Reynolds Tansy: Debris (due Autumn (?) 2011) by Jo Anderton; The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club, Kim Newman (http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/the-secret-files-of-the-diogenes-club-by-kim-newman/); Across the Universe, by Beth Revis (http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/girls-in-spaceships-with-a-side-order-of-robots-please/) Pet Subject: How do Australians Buy SpecFic Books? This comes from a request by Niall Harrison to learn about the other side of Aussie specfic - the mainstream/Big Name Publishers, how Australians buy books, etc. Big Name Australian Publishers (who handle SFF) HarperCollins Voyager Hachette Livre/Orbit (incl Gollancz, Picador, Little Brown etc) Allen & Unwin Random House Pan Macmillan The Cost of Australian Books/Australian editions - GST, the fight against parallel importation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/24/2551487.htm Chain Stores - Borders, Big W, Collins, ABC, Dymocks, Angus & Robertson (Borders & A&R now in receivership but not all shops company owned - many will close) Online Shopping - local and overseas (Amazon, Book Depository, Fishpond, BetterWorldBooks) Indie/SFF Specialist Bookshops Hobart: Ellison Hawker Melbourne: Minotaur and Swords and Sorcery (Reader’s Feast also has a well-picked if smallish selection). Perth: Planet and Fantastic Planet, White Dwarf and a few more new and not so new Sydney: Galaxy, Infinitas Brisbane: Pulp Fiction Books (who did we forget? Tell us!) Feedback: Tehani from Perth, Cat from Wollongong & Shane from Redfern. Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we hit and run the Locus Recommended Reading List, tackle e-books and piracy, and delve into the knotty issue of religion in science fiction. News Locus Recommended Reading List - hot off the press! Philip K Dick shortlist: http://www.sfawardswatch.com/?p=3857 First annual Geek Girl Con in Seattle http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/01/first-annual-geek-girl-con-coming-in-october Cloud-delivered ebooks from Readings/SPUNC http://spunc.com.au/splog/post/readings-and-spunc-launch-new-ebookstore/#comments Comments: http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog/?p=3012 Response to comments on the internet about the Cloud Publishing http://blog.booki.sh/blog/post/it-s-nice-of-you-to-say-but-we-re-probably-not-the-horsemen-of-the-apocalypse “we proudly declare that we stream your ebooks — you don’t have to download them. You can of course download your Booki.sh books for offline access on most devices — you just can’t read them in anything other than Booki.sh.” SPUNC Response: “Digital publishing presents us with a massive opportunity that has heretofore been unavailable. Namely this: that a publisher can have a book distributed wherever they want, at the click of a button” Discussion of ebook piracy As Jim Hines found out http://jimhines.livejournal.com/551156.html the world is not the USA and the rest of the world does not experience publishing nor this ebook revolution apace with the USA. (Hines’ original post http://www.jimchines.com/2011/01/arguing-book-piracy/) Charles Tan http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/2011/01/essay-ebook-piracy-and-copyright-in.html Karen Healey: I was wrong and I’m sorry http://karenhealey.livejournal.com/918268.html Weird Tales revamp http://weirdtalesmagazine.com/ Launching new website; editor-in-chief Ann VanderMeer and publisher John Betancourt have raised the pay rate to 5 cents per word; and implemented a new submissions portal for potential contributors. In addition to the announcement late last year of the all female editorial team, for the first time in 88 years of Ann VanderMeer, Paula Guran and Mary Robinette Kowal. Feedback Sean, Thoraiya, Niall Pet Subject The place of religion in science fiction. Modern religions, made up religions, machine religions... or no religions? What place can/does/should religion play in sf? Jo Walton on religion in SF! http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/01/religious-science-fiction Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we flit over the first shortlist of the year and some charitable links, sweep though a fortnight of culture consumed, and then leap with both feet into the pet subject of Inside Indie Press.   News BSFA Awards Shortlists http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/2010-bsfa-awards-shortlists-2/ QLD Flood fundraisers for writers & readers: After the Rain: http://bit.ly/AtRFloods Authors for Queensland auction http://authorsforqueensland.wordpress.com QWC appeal launches Saturday, on Twitter at @writersonrafts What Culture Have we Consumed? Tansy: no books for me, shockingly! More Big Finish audio plays. (http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/no-end-in-sight-for-big-finish/ http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/science-fiction-on-the-radio/) Alex: Agatha H and the Airship City, Phil and Kaja Foglio (http://randomalex.net/2011/01/14/smellink-verra-nize-indeed/); Transformation Space, Marianne de Pierres; Dust, Elizabeth Bear (http://randomalex.net/2011/01/18/dust-by-elizabeth-bear/); two stories from James Tiptree’s Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (spoilery discussion at http://dreamsandspeculation.com/2011/01/15/january-tiptree-discussion/); The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (http://randomalex.net/2011/01/19/the-name-of-the-wind/). Also begun a rewatch of BSG... Alisa: No Ordinary Family, Dexter season 5 (diversion on the subject of Whether Alisa Should Watch Doctor Who) Pet Subject: Inside Indie Press Big news in TPP space is the closure of Speakeasy. Is there an obvious point at which a project becomes a non-viable project? How do you know that you're ditching a project just because the stories don't fit your particular idea/viewpoint? The older books are harder to use as examples because lots of things about them were learning. Horn - first to break even BUT i got caught on the selling to bookstores so i ended up having to sell 80% of the print run after review and buzz copies (1/4 of the print run) to break even. Pay scales, writing contracts, competing with the US indies... Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we greet a brand new year with discussion about digital media, awards, books, feminism, feedback, more books, anti-heroes, gender roles and take a look at what to look forward to in 2011. News Follow up on the Jewish fantasy discussion by Rachel Swirsky: http://blog.42scifi-fantasy.com/2010/12/chanukah-day-7-guest-post-by-rachel.html Locus to go digital with issue #600 http://www.locusmag.com/Magazine/Digital.html Launch of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, new critical zine with focus on women’s work http://www.thecsz.com/ The i09 Power List: 20 people who rocked SF & Fantasy in 2010 http://io9.com/5719944/ Carl Brandon Awards: Hiromi Goto and Justine Larbalestier http://www.carlbrandon.org/awards.html Hugo nominations open - last year’s members of Aussiecon 4, don’t forget you’re eligible to nominate! http://www.renovationsf.org/hugo-intro.php Feedback: Kaia, Kathryn & Thoraiya What Culture Have we Consumed? [AND what culture are you most looking forward to consuming in 2011?] Alisa: Fringe Season 3, Dexter Season 4, Being Erica (ep 1), Nurse Jackie, How I Met Your Mother, reading Managing Death Looking forward to: LSS 2011 Alex: Zombies vs Unicorns, ed. Larbalestier and Black; Factotum, book 3 of Monster Blood Tattoo, by DM Cornish; Dervish House, Ian McDonald; The Killing Thing, Kate Wilhelm; Surface Detail, Iain M Banks. Looking forward to: Blue Remembered Earth (probably), by Alastair Reynolds; books 2&3 of The Creature Court, Tansy Rayner Roberts; the 2011 Women in SF Book Club; Bold as Love sequence (Gwyneth Jones); Twelve Planets (from Twelfth Planet Press). Tansy: Wiped, Richard Molesworth;  The Doctor Who Christmas Special!  The Gene Thieves & the Norma, Ascendant, Diana Peterfreund, Big Finish Podcast Looking forward to: Doctor Who and Fringe (SHOCK, I know), Sherlock, Torchwood, The Demon’s Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan, Burn Bright by M. de Pierres. Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we have run out of our supply of feminist ire for 2010 and are reduced to being happy bunnies with rainbows and vanilla sprinkles.  Also, we discuss re-reading, re-watching, and our (apparently unhealthy) emotional attachment to beloved books.  With zombies. News Black Quill Nominations http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/4th-annual-bqa-nominees/2010/12/2/and-the-nominees-are.html Best of 2010 Tables of Contents, Rich Horton & Jonathan Strahan http://www.asimovs.com/aspnet_forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=4286 [Niall Harrison tweeted about online percentage, 14/29 stories in Strahan - and 16/28 in Horton. Last year JS had 4/29 and Rich had 7/30] Torque Control’s Week of Women & SF http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/i-declare-this-focus-week-open/ http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/the-2010-contenders-2/ Swancon Invited guests announced http://2011.swancon.com.au/2010/12/special-announcement/ Pet Subject On re-reading. Did you re-read books as a teen? Do you re-read now, or would you if you had the time and the publishing industry stopped for a year (or three)? Why/not... (on re-reading The Belgariad: http://randomalex.net/?s=belgariad) What Culture Have we Consumed? Alisa - Fringe Season 1 and half of Season 2 Tansy - Feed, by Mira Grant, The Five Doctors easter egg commentary (http://tansyrr.com/tansywp/the-women-of-the-five-doctors/) Alex - Quantum Thief (Hannu Rajaniemi, http://randomalex.net/2010/12/08/the-quantum-thief/), Zima Blue (Alastair Reynolds, http://randomalex.net/2010/12/08/zima-blue-2/) Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia Podcast on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us

In which we work, play, shake up our format a little (gasp!) and cover the life & death of magazines, the changing face of the industry, respect for non fiction, sexual harassment, rants, reboots and as usual, books, books and more books.  Also a few sneaky clues about what Twelfth Planet Press is publishing next year! News Realms of Fantasy is back, again... http://sfscope.com/2010/11/once-again-realms-of-fantasy-i.html Escape Pod Expands: http://escapepod.org/2010/11/08/the-soundproof-escape-pod/ "We have been pushing to expand what Escape Pod does, adding an SF blog and distributing our stories via magazine format. We’re also becoming a pro market, and hope to keep paying our authors pro rates well into 2011 if the donations make it possible." Cheryl Morgan talks about paying for reviews as semipro http://cherylmmorgan.livejournal.com/828926.html On the Cooks Source scandal and seeing stuff on the internet as 'public domain': http://www.cookssource.com/  Jim C Hines on reporting sexual harassment in SF/F http://www.jimchines.com/2010/11/reporting-harassment/ Old men complaining? http://www.tangentonline.com/news-mainmenu-158/1453-a-new-direction When you get old, do you by consequence lose your sense of wonder? Just simply because you've read everything? And is/should all SF be aimed/written for the 60 year old man? Jason Sanford responds: http://www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2010/11/a-response-to-dave-truesdales-new-direction.html#comments New Buffy Reboot http://io9.com/5696762/joss-whedon-and-angel-react-to-the-new-buffy-reboot New Friend of the Podcast: The Writer & the Critic (Mondy & Kirstyn) http://writerandcritic.posterous.com/ Rambly Discussion Books that aren't marketed as being a part of a series...  Publishing, deadlines, and attitudes thereto... Chat, rants and backpedalling... What Culture have we Consumed? Alex: Blameless, Gail Carriger; The Devil in Mr Pussy, Paul Haines; Women of Other Worlds, ed. Helen Merrick and Tess Williams; Bold as Love, Gwyneth Jones; Day of the Triffids (2009 BBC production) Alisa: works too hard, and also FRINGE Tansy: To Write Like a Woman, Joanna Russ; Marianne, the Magus & the Manticore by Sheri S Tepper; Sourdough & Other Stories, Angela Slatter; China Mountain Zhang, Maureen McHugh, Mists of Avalon movie Please send feedback to us at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs, check out Galactic Suburbia on Facebook and don't forget to leave a review on iTunes if you love us