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Columnists

U=(N/T)M*G: Pandora

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A big red globe, with a black starburst in the center, surrounded by red spines.

Ah, climate change. A host of chaos in the near future because of it, no matter what we do now. Intensified storms, higher seawater levels, habitat destruction. Lots of stuff to keep us busy for years. We can throw one more middle finger on top of that pile. Ancient viruses. Yep. You read that right. Scientists are already pulling samples out of the increasingly warm Siberian permafrost, and quite a few of these viruses are still viable. No, there’s no need to panic, yet. It’s that yet which is the problem. First, these viruses are the super big ones and … Read more

Spellcheck – Boogieman In Lavender

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writing tools - typewriter - pixabay

If I Ran the World… Well, first I’d get rid of war and poverty and injustice and crime and hatred and all those awful “Children of the Corn” sequel movies that even Stephen King wants nothing to do with. Then I’d get down to the really important stuff. There are words I just can’t spell worth a crap! I’m a writer, I’m supposed to be able to do this. I do use spellcheck but it’s so damn frustrating that after decades there are words I continue to spell the same way, and that way is WRONG! For openers, let’s check … Read more

Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender: “Extra Innings.”

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Mike & Darryl

Extra Innings by Jeff Baker I’m a writer. It’s who I am. It’s who I think I always wanted to be, even during Grade School and Jnr. High when I wasn’t sure “what you want to be when you grow up.” I always liked doing something creative, even if it was just drawing parodies of comic books in a notebook during class. Being a writer permeates my being, even more than my sexual orientation. I didn’t realize I was Bisexual until I was about twenty years old. But that isn’t as important as the writing. I lucked out in 2008 … Read more

Initially Yours, On Beyond Cisgender VI Jeff Baker, Boogieman in Lavender

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Initially Yours: On Beyond Cisgender VI by Jeff Baker NOTE: This occasional series was inspired in 2019 by suggestion from A. M. Leibowitz about a reading list for High School beyond the straight, male paradigm. —jsb I am writing this during March 2023, which is Woman’s History Month. So here (a month or so late!) is a short overview of some (not all!) of the women who wrote sci-fi for the pulps and a little later. I fits in well with this ongoing series “On Beyond Cisgender” which started as recommendations for High School reading but these books are fine … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: A Special Writer

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Ultimately what made me want to write were stories. Other people’s stories. They enthralled me so much, transporting me to other times and places. I fell in love, again and again with books. Certain characters haunted me, coming to when I was listening to music. I found myself playing out my favorite scenes in my imagination, sometimes going beyond what was on the printed page.  I wanted to create such compelling characters, make them part of plots which would enthrall them. I wanted to sweep people off their feet with story. Too often my own weren’t worthy of even causing … Read more

Two Briggon Snow Podcasts – Boogieman in Lavender

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Look Up & Roommates – Two Briggon Snow Podcasts Radio drama, the “theater of the mind” is alive and well, in podcast form anyway. Back in the days of “The Shadow” or even the later “Radio Mystery Theater,” there would not have even been a mention of any LGBT people or issues. Not so with modern-day podcasts. Two in particular are produced by actor/director Briggon Snow. “Look Up,” a 2020-21 podcast series from Atypical Artists and created by Snow involves Emmet (Evan Bittencourt) and Lincoln (Snow) in a sci-fi drama. They are two teenagers who encounter each other on the … Read more