Friskbiskit

Permission

One of the nicest things anyone's ever told me was when my friend Sharon said that when she was with me she felt as if she had permission.

"Permission for what?" I asked her.

"Just permission," she said.

Since then, I've given a number of other people permission, including myself, and it always feels good.  So, is there anything you're looking for permission for? 

Today's Friday Hottie...

...is brought to you by Marta, who sent me this pic.  Thanks girl, you're a peach!

Nix on Novelspot

http://www.novelspot.net/node/2692

More on Space

Tuesday's post about Sharon Cumberland's paper, Private Uses of Cyberspace, has gotten me thinking.  Specifically, it is this line from the last paragraph that has lodged in my brain:

While the significance of this paradox of public access and private/anonymous identity will require much more analysis over time, it is clear that women who have access to the internet have created permissive and transgressive spaces which have been, in the past, the traditional reserve of men's magazines and men's clubs (emphasis mine.)

That, in a nutshell, is what I'd like Friskbiskit to become: a permissive, transgressive space where women can explore their relationships with m/m, slash, and yaoi, and by extension, the nuances of their own gender identity and sexuality.

It's not easy for women to come by safe space in which to discuss and play with sexuality.  I recently experienced the deep irony of having a male friend unwittingly interrupt a conversation I was having with a female friend on matters of sex and then immediately launch a discussion on how women are not as interested in sex as men are. 

There is definitely this phenomenon of heterosexual men owning sex.  Many might disagree with me, because from their perspective, women control sex because we have the right to say no to it.  But that's not the same thing.  Representations of sex from a hetero-normative male perspective flood our culture, and seem to drown out nearly everything else.  And unfortunately, there are a lot of guys out there who don't think twice about taking over space -- physical and discursive space -- that women are currently occupying: (See the sixth paragraph down for what happened in the bar at Conclave last fall.)  I don't even think that for the most part, it's intentional.  It's a blind spot for them. 

But it can be very frustrating.  That's why women-centric spaces like the fan fiction community and the women's locker room at the Y continue to be important in my life.  (And this morning, in another case of life being overly literal, the women's locker room was closed, and we had to share a co-ed locker room with, among others, the guy who used to sexually harass me in the hallway before I called him on his shit.)  It's not that men can't be present for certain types of discussions, because often they are, it's more a matter of who is framing the conversation.  Often it changes the parameters of what gets said.

Surprise Retro Post

Going way back to November, when this would have been relevant (but no, it's not about the election): 

I bought these little owl magnets for my sister-in-law for Christmas, and I just came across the designer's card.  I met Wei-Jen at the Detroit Urban Crafts Fair, which was a great place to do holiday shopping.  And the prices were reasonable.  I'll definitely go back next year.  :D

Private Uses of Cyberspace: Women, Desire, and Fan Culture

Here's an interesting article I found while checking my stats.  See, Typepad gives the links to search results that brought viewers to Friskbiskit, and sometimes, the other results of those searches provide great post fodder. 

http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/cumberland.html

The author, Sharon Cumberland, attributes slash authorship and readership to heterosexual women, a common misconception that makes me want to tear my hair out, but, on the other hand, I found what she had to say about the communities which form around fanfiction online, the friendships that grow out of them, and her use of mens clubs and magazines as analogies intriguing.

Cryptic ConFusion

This weekend was ConFusion, probably my favorite local con, even though it takes place at my least favorite time of year.  January finds me at my most introverted, however, I crawled out of my cave and wound up having a great time.  ConFusion is drawing more and more people from out of town in recent years, so I got to see some friends that I don't get together with very often.

I had a great time hanging out with Doselle Young, with the pirates, John Scalzi, Toby Buckell and Cory Doctorow, not to mention long-time local co-conspirators, Kathe Koja, Rick Lieder, Catherine Schaffer and Steven Harper-Piziks.

Jim Hines was there, celebrating the release of his new novel, The Stepsister Scheme.  His princess contest sparked heated competition.  Splash_the_Cat, Mary Lou Klecha and myself had a blast on the Fanfiction 101 panel, where I got to meet some other local m/m and slash fans.  Gals, if you're reading this, it was a pleasure meeting you.  My mind is a sieve and I'm afraid I've already forgotten your names but please, drop me a line in the comments and let me know what you think of my blog.

Other highlights included dissecting the prospects for a renewed Detroit with Kathe and Cory, taking internet kerfluffles with Julie, Merrie, Julie, Mary, Dave and Steve, and giving Neon a hard time at the Fan Guest of Honor Induction.  Oh, and the theme this year was steampunk, which led to some really fabulous costumes.

The panels were on the whole good and all in all I had a great time.  Even though I was certain I didn't want to go this year, I'm so glad I did.

Friends With Books

My pal David Coe has a new book out:

Here's what reviewers are saying:

"In this intense and appealing sequel to 2007's The Sorcerer's Plague, clan rivalry continues apace...Coe steps up the tension and raises the stakes, leaving readers quivering in anticipation of book three." -- Publisher's Weekly

"Coe manages to take several serious, weighty issues, approach them from distinctly different points of view and make you sympathetic toward characters who sometimes act selfishly or viciously. He absolutely nails the plot and sequencing. This book is the best yet in the series. Four and a Half Stars" -- Romantic Times

Congrats David and best of luck with The Horseman's Gambit.

E-ink Tattoo

Check out this stunning animation from epapercentral.  I love the way the woman looks directly into the camera and how the animation is focused on the responses of the man's body as she touches him. Of course it's not real... yet.  But I've always thought the idea of animated tatoos was cool and I used it in my first novel, The Nature of Smoke.  Hey, would you get an electronic tattoo, if you could?  And if so, what kind of display parameters would you choose?

I came along this video courtesy of MobileRead.

Best-selling Author Sued for Defamation, Emotional Distress

Heywood Smith, author of The Red Hat Club, is being sued by Vicki Stewart, who claims that the character SuSu in the novel resembles herself in numerous ways.  Smith and Stewart have known one another for over 50 years.  Defamation suits based on characters in novels usually get dismissed based on the work being fictional, but not this time.  The Georgia Court of Appeals has agreed to hear the case.  Smith and her attorneys will likely appeal the decision or ask that it be heard by the state supreme court.

If the decision goes against Smith, it could set a dangerous precedent and leave authors vulnerable to libel suits.  Here's a link to more information on the case.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1206960402189

Happy Inauguration Day!

How cool is it that the inauguration comes one day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

I am thinking good thoughts and putting protective blue light around everyone gathered in D.C. today.  May this joyful day pass peacefully and the important work ahead of us commence.

So, Slashing the Inauguration.  Well, I didn't get any stories from anyone, and I'll be honest, once I started writing mine, I realized I hadn't really thought it through.  I squicked myself!  It's true.  Apparently, there are some areas of life in which I don't want hot man on man action, and the first presidency I'm not cynical about turns out to be one of them.  Who knew?

Well, I'm posting the story here anyway, because I said I would.  I think it turned our pretty well, though when you read it, you'll see that I backed off from an explicit sex scene.  The story is R, mainly for Rahm Emmanuel's swearing. 

In doing the research for the story, I learned a lot.  There actually is Obama slash out there, for one thing.  There are some very fun political fandom groups on LJ (Thanks Mary Lou.  Someday, I will learn the secret of finding shit on LJ.  I swear to you, I looked.)  Here's a link to my favorite, rahmbamarama, which has really cute chibis of the whole Obama cabinet.  Oh, and this blog will turn you into a raving Rahm fan.  Other stuff I found out: The Lincoln bedroom has a flat screen TV and Obama wants it out of there.  But the Lincoln bedroom does not have a balcony, even though in my story it does.  Some people think President Harding was gay.  More people think Lincoln was bi.  And, best of all, Rahm Emmanuel once ended a phone conversation with a democratic candidate with these words:

"Don't fuck it up or I'll fuck you. I'll kill you. All right, I love you. Bye."

(Could Rahm be our Al Swearengen? Am I under the influence of Rahmania?)

Anyway, without further ado, here is the link to my Obama/Rahm slash story: Obama Sneaks a Cigarette.  To download the .pdf, please proceed to the free fiction page.  And don't fuck it up.  Okay, I love you.  Bye.

What Are Your Hopes for the New Administration?

This a fun, interactive webpage that poses the above question and features audio interviews from every day Americans on the issues that concern them.  You have a opportunity to agree with their sentiments and if you don't see your hope on the page, you can chime in in the comments section.

Check it out:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/15/us/politics/20090115_HOPE.html

Win a Free Book

Steven Harper Piziks, a great writer and a frequent commenter here on Friskbiskit, is running a contest on his blog.  Go over there and chat about the stuff you used to do that seemed perfectly fine that would now be considered incredibly dangerous.  The entrant with the most hair-raising true story wins a free book.

http://spiziks.livejournal.com/110522.html?view=196538#t196538

Slashing the Inauguration

Friends, we're facing a national crisis.  No, I'm not talking about the economy or the wars or health care.  This is another crisis, one that strikes at the very heart of all that Friskbiskit stands for.

For the first time in untold memory, we have a hot president, and yet, there is barely any Obama slash to be found on teh interwebs.  WE MUST NOT LET THIS NATIONAL SLASH DEFICIT GO UNANSWERED!  I call on you now, as patriotic Americans, to do your part to make our nation strong again.  Slash Obama for the Inauguration.  That's right!  Slash him now and slash him often.  Pair him with Rohm, Colin, Michelle, the ghost of Lincoln, George Clooney or Anderson Cooper.  Heck, pair him with Condoleeza if you must.  But for the love of democracy, slash him soon, because the inauguration is next Tuesday, Jan. 2 -- only a few days away.

Please post links to your slash stories in this post's comment thread.  On inauguration day, I'll create a special post featuring the collected stories and their links, and I'll ask contributors to do the same on their blogs/websites.

Authors, start your laptops.  Yes, we can.

Home from Seton Hill -- Open Thread

Hey everybody, I just got home from Seton Hill.  Had a blast as always.  My hearty congratulations to all the graduates, and especially, my brood: Sherri, Pat and Krista.  I can't wait to see where you go from here.

And here is that open topic thread I threatened some of you with.  Hey, even if I didn't threaten you, jump on in!  Post in the comments about anything you want.  Ask a question, babble nonsense, tell a dirty joke, whatever.  The floor is yours.