This month’s KGB had no particular theme, just a trio of great stories. First up was Benjamin Parzybok, who’s on tour right now for his first novel Couch, which just came out from the esteemed independent publisher Small Beer Press. Ben read a short story called “Birds,” unrelated to his novel. The second reader was Caítlin R. Kiernan, who read the short stories “Still Life” and “Untitled 17” from the Subterranean Press collection Tales From the Woeful Platypus. Because everyone on the web is quicker than me, you can see Ben’s account here, Caítlin’s here, and Ellen’s pictures here.
Since we’re coming up on Thanksgiving, that peculiar American celebration of plenty (excellent timing!), I went around asking people What is the imaginary thing you’re most thankful for? This deliberately non-specific query drew more than a few blank stares, so when people asked for guidance I would explain that I wanted them to tell me about the person or thing that doesn’t exist that they most wish did. In the end, we wound up with a nice range of responses, from the whimsical to the political…
- Alaya Dawn Johnson: Robin Hood
- Benjamin Parzybok: “Of all the imaginary things I owe a debt of gratitude to, perhaps I’m most indebted to Tintin. His traveling instilled in me a desire to travel and a sense of wonder about the world, and his sense of justice helped form mine.”
- Caítlin R. Kiernan: Mermaids
- Chris Cevasco: that A Dance With Dragons has finally been released
- Deborah Janssens: a bauble like the one that Eilonwy has in The Prydain Chronicles that makes light wherever one goes
- Douglas Cohen: fame and fortune
- Eddie Schneider: the Ansible
- Eugene Myers: the Kanamits coming to share their technology with us
- Gavin Grant: world peace
- Genevive Valentine: gender equality
- Jim Freund: Bugs Bunny
- Jim Stewart: the collapse of Skynet
- John Joseph Adams: the new government grants that have been set up to support the arts
- Jordan Hamessley: Ender Wiggin
- Josh Jasper:
- Justin Howe: Brahms winning the Super Bowl
- Liz Gorinsky: Soylent Green
- Luke Hannafin: the Everlasting Gobstopper
- Mary Robinette Kowal: her personal TARDIS
- Matt Kressel: Holly from Red Dwarf
- Meghan McCarron: post-racial society
- Nora Jemisin: noise in space
- Rick Bowes: the invention of the interior monologue
- Rob Bland: slow glass
- Sonya Taafe: the concept of Kything (the ability to be with someone without having to speak) from Madeline L’Engel’s The Wind in the Door
- Tempest Bradford: imaginary bunny rabbits
- Theresa DeLucci: “That Faramir got the girl in the end. Even men of Gondor deserve love.”
If I got something wrong—or if you’d rather I linked to a different webpage or didn’t use your full name—please let me know via my shoutbox. And if I missed you this time, please come find me at the next event!
[Image by Flickr user Anosmia, CC licensed for commercial use.]
