Galactic Chat 40 Alex Interviews Andrew Macrae

It creeps every closer to Christmas and as the crew at Galactic Chat wind down we thought our faithful listeners deserved another early present.  Please enjoy Alex talking to Dr Andrew Macrae about Trucksong:

This week Alex chats to Dr Andrew Macrae about his debut novel Trucksong from Twelfth Planet Press -  A dystopian science fiction novel about lost love, AI trucks and the search for meaning in a post-apocalyptic Australia.  

They talk about his PHD thesis (which is far more interesting than this sentence indicates), the soundtrack that he and his band put together for the book and the experimental version of the book written entirely in a devolved post apocalyptic language.  The book has been making noise in both  Specfic and Litfic circles.

Book website: http://trucksong.com.au/
Buy the book: http://www.twelfthplanetpress.com/products/novels/trucksong
Andrew's music: http://thetelevisionsky.bandcamp.com
Twitter: @acidic

Credits

Interviewer: Alex Pierce

Guest: Dr Andrew Macrae

Music & Intro: Tansy Rayner Roberts

Post-production: Sean Wright

Feedback:

Twitter: @galactichat

Email: galactichat at gmail dot com

 

You can download it here

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Galactic Chat 21with Cat Sparks has hit the …airwaves?

Airwaves, internets, interwebs whatever take your pick, it’s out.  Alex Pierce of Galactic Suburbia and Last Short Story fame interviews Cat Sparks.  I love the conversational tone that the two of them have.

You might also note that I have set up  tumblr  and facebook pages.

You can play the cast directly below or download the mp3 here

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Here are the show notes:

In this episode we steal Alex from Galactic Suburbia and get her to interview the wonderful Cat Sparks, award winning writer and fiction editor at Australia's premier science magazine - Cosmos.  They discuss Cat's early career as a photographer of rock star hopefuls and politicians, before moving on to talking about her recent collection put out by Ticonderoga. They also cover her involvement in Australian speculative fiction as a small press publisher, writer and editor.  Of particular interest will be her bar panel discussion on the structure of novels using table condiments and cutlery.

[Note:  We apoligise for the feedback echo experienced in the first couple of questions Alex asks]

Cat Sparks' The Bride Price can be found at:

Amazon (for internationals)

Booktopia (Australia)

IndieBooks Online (Australia)

Agog Press Titles can be found at Booktopia.

Cosmos Magazine can be found here

Author Website: Cat Sparks

Author Twitter: @catsparx

Credits:

Interviewer: Alexandra Pierce

Guest: Cat Sparks

Music & Intro: Tansy Rayner Roberts

Post-production: Sean Wright

Feedback:

Twitter: @galactichat

Email: galactichat at gmail dot com

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Episode 3 Last Short Story

Somehow this slipped through/under the radar, released two days ago was the third episode of Last Short story featuring the talents of  Alex Pierce and Tehani Wessely as they chat about  Queen Victoria's Book of Spells: an anthology of gaslamp fantasy (edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling - purchase here)

It’s only 30minutes long so you can probably play it from the player below or if like me you have a long drive tomorrow you can download here.

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They’re back in Episode 74 of Galactic Suburbia

I really had hoped to have two of my own podcasts released onto the world by the time the gang came back but as you know my internets disappeared.  Ah well I shall soldier on.

In this weeks episode we hear that Alex got to got to Egypt and Turkey, Alisa went to Paris and Tansy enjoyed the break by podcasting on Dr Who.

They remind us that the The Galactic Suburbia Award: for activism and/ or communication that advances the feminist conversation in the field of speculative fiction in 2012 – will be announced in 2 weeks.

The rest of the show notes are here.  I am saving this one for the long drive to my new job.

Download the mp3 here or play in the player below

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Galactic Suburbia Episode 72

Tansy and Alex battle on again without Alisa. Will the fans notice a difference *ducks* ?

The News round up includes WFA winners, a new baby Wessely (from Fablecroft Press) and the lowdown on the wonderful Genrecon convened by Australia’s master of Unicorn debasement, Peter M Ball.

Culture consumed was  Infidel by Kameron Hurley; The Deep (BBC series) Black Widow by Marjorie Liu,  Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth, Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner; and Big Finish Specials: UNIT Dominion,

Go here for the detailed show notes.

You play the podcast below or download here.

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Galactic Suburbia 68 – Post Hugo debrief

Well it’s post-Hugos and the women of Galactic Suburbia have vowed to step bravely once more unto the breach next year.  Episode 68 sees them talking about the Hugos, where Tansy relates the nights events including the Ustream foul-up in the middle of Neil Gaiman’s acceptance speech. Alex discovers the wonders of early Star Wars novelisations and Alisa joins another cult.

Enjoy from the player below or download here

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Galactic Suburbia Number 67

The Galactic Suburbanites are at it again with a fun filled episode:

 

In which [they] talk trolling, internet pile-ons and Twittiquette (it's a word, right?) as well as Weird Tales, Analog, heavy metal, straight white YA dystopias and (this may shock you) Joanna Russ.

They mention the Last Short Story podcast which has got me excited about short fiction in a way that the written form of coverage didn’t

 

You can download here or play below.

 

 

 

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Galactic Suburbia 66 The Post Olympic Edition

The crew set forth again bravely cresting the waves of misogyny that flood the interwebs.  They point out Eddie McGuire’s ineptitude at commentating before rejoicing in the fact that a few friends have made it on to the World Fantasy Awards ballot. 

There’s some coverage of the Readercon decision to enforce its harassment policy and they mention my latest recording for Galactic Chat.

Without anymore of my codeine enhanced meanderings I give you Galactic Suburbia:

DOWNLOAD

or

Play below

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Galactic Suburbia Episode 65 - The Olympics Edition

The women of Galactic Suburbia start off with an interesting discussion on what I would call Australia’s cult of winning (it’s gold or nothing), and then cover the ineptitude of male commentators that feel the need to mansplain over female experts in Olympic coverage. 

Thankfully I have given up watching the Olympics, they never seem to cover (or cover with any regularity) the sports of which I have an interest in say, Judo & Tae Kwon Do.  And when they do its sexist rubbish like this.

Then it’s on to the Readercon debacle. A sad and sorry tale indeed. One that has me pondering a post.

Click here for the show notes.

You can download here or play below.

 

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Galactic Suburbia Number 64

The crew returns for another wonderful podcast. 

Aside from the usual goodness in Culture Consumed there was an interesting discussion on Gender bias on Wikipedia, case in point – apparently its quite rational and noteworthy to record Pokemon characters as artefacts of social history but not Kate Middleton’s dress.

Jason Nahrung’s Salvage gets a mention, reminding me that I need to do a review.

  So enough blather from me, check out the show notes here for links to articles.

Download

or play below:

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Galactic Suburbia Episode 63: 5 July 2012

Alex, Tansy and Alisa roll out another wonderful episode in which they examine the politics of female author portraits, the Felicia Day twitter fallout and the Hugo’s of course.

There’s some initial discussion on the fact that the mainstream media is catching up to the fact that Australian women have been successfully writing speculative fiction for some time.

Enjoy and remember to send feedback to galacticsuburbia@gmail.com

You can listen via the flash player below or go here to download

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Galactic Suburbia # 62 The Tansy-less Edition

Alisa and Alex some how manage to front up with another Galactic Suburbia hot on the heels of the Continuum recording. 

They are machines I tell you, machines.

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Downloady Link

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Continuum Update

Yes. Still going.

My panel time has changed though and I can reveal the details and the other panellists with the assurances from the exhausted Continuum team that things will not change. 

Note the excellent gender balance achieved by the Continuum team.

 

Who

Sue Bursztynski, – Blogger, author and visitor to this blog. You can find her blog here.

George Ivanoff, – Blogger, and  author.  He blogs here

Alexandra Pierce, – Blogger, podcaster,  reviewer and mild mannered teacher.  Alex is here, randomly.

Gillian Polack, – Blogger, author, academic, and chocolate fanatic can be found here. 

Sean Wright – Blogger, reviewer, podcaster and ne’er do well.  This is me of course

 

What

Book Blogs And Reviewing Sunday 14:00 until Sunday 15:00 (60 Minutes)

Blogging has meant an explosion in book reviewing and discussion, but what makes good reviews and blogs? What boxes does a book have to check to receive 5 stars?

 

 

Where

The Lincoln Room

 

Now I know I am the big draw card but you should seriously check out some of the others*.  Continuum 8 is using some new software for scheduling.  So If you want to download a pdf program that is pretty much set in stone you can go here.

If you are after a particular personality I suggest you try this page which will give you their specific events so that you can then highlight  them on the printed out pdf.

.

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*this is a joke, new readers.

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Galactic Suburbia Episode 58

In this Episode the Galactic Suburbanites Hugo & Ditmar nominated Galactic Suburbanites cover the Ditmar shortlist which features quite a lot of Tansy in both the Professional and Fan Categories.  Indeed this year’s Ditmars feature projects by all three of the show’s hosts.

There’s also mention of Deb Biancotti making the Shirley Jackson shortlist for a work that’s being considered for both a Ditmar and an Aurealis award.  It’s always good to see different awards structures come to the same conclusion.

There was also a good discussion on writers or creatives changing direction or mediums and how they can be damned if the do and damned if they don’t.  Case in point Stephenie Meyer who’d be labelled as a one trick pony if she stayed writing vampire fiction and labelled as a failure when she moves into making movies.

As always, worth a listen.

As always you can download here (about 30 mb) or stream from the thingywhatsit below

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And welcome to those new readers that have started following the blog via the widget.

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Episode 57 of the Hugo Award Nominated Galactic Suburbia

 

Another episode full of crunchy goodness but now with added Hugo.  In this episode Tansy, Alisa and Alex squee over their Hugo nomination. Which is then followed by discussion of the other Hugo nominations.

Then it’s on to the Hunger Games and the inherent unfairness of how the movie is ‘make it or break it’ for films with female protagonists that don’t get their tops off, but any number of movie flops with male protagonists is alright.

The purge of literary awards by Chairman "’Can do anything he wants because Queensland's only got one house of parliament” Campbell gets a mention as well.

Plus lots of other really cool stuff what happened on the internets. 

Oh and they mention me in my running for NAFF funding – woot!  Should I attach to my blog banner “As mentioned on the Hugo award nominated Galactic Suburbia.”?

You can download the crunch here or stream below.

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Hugo Nominations are out

 

For those of you not sure what the Hugo’s are:

The Hugo Award® is the leading award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. The Hugos are awarded each year by the World Science Fiction Society, at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon).

[Read On]

The full list of nominees can be found on the Chicon 7 site here.  But I would like to draw your attention to some Australian highlights.

The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe (505 Aussie)

and

Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts (presenters) and Andrew Finch (producer)

 

I am fans of both these podcasts and its good to see Australians getting recognition on the American/World stage.

Congrats guys.

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I have been nominated to run in this years fan fund for the National Science Fiction Convention to be held in Melbourne.

If you appreciate the work that I do in Australian Speculative Fiction Fandom and you have a spare $5, you can vote for me here and help send me to the National Conference.

The $5 dollars contributes toward the fund for this and subsequent years.

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Galactic Suburbia Number 55

I swear that there is a trans-dimensional rift eating up my time.

Anywho

It’s time once again for the women of the Galactic Suburbs to meet and impart unto us their wisdom.

 

And behold, a pale horse, and she who sat on it, her name was Tansy, Alex followed with her and Alisa, after sending Sasha to the naughty corner. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to berate with the keyboard, to rail at sexist injustice, and to headesk at “the stupid it burns” was given unto them.

ehem.

You can play the episode in the flash player below or you can download their sacred wordage here.

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Podcasts aplenty

I know I have been working hard when Saturday comes around and suddenly I am three… no,  four podcasts behind.

 

Galactic Suburbia 51

The Women of Galactic Suburbia have sailed past the half century with Episode 51

Their tagline reads:

In which women aren’t funny, don’t write important books, but come in handy as assassins and thieves.

You can find the download here or play direct from the player below

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There’s also a competition being run listen to checkout the Creature Court Giveaway.

Coode Street 83 & 84

The elder statesmen dynamic duo of the Speculative Fiction Podcasting Sphere continue to give us solid, rambling commentary on the field. 

Episode 83 features author Elizabeth Hand.

For there Hugo special Episode 84 they even decide to get an awards expert (Cheryl Morgan) in to give themselves credibility.

Download Episode 83 here

Download Episode 84 here

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Galactic Suburbia racks up a half century -Episode 50

 

Congratulations to the women of Galactic Suburbia for reaching such a hefty milestone(oh and the silent producer).

I can’t tell you how much this show has altered my perspective for the better…well I can but I think you should give the show a listen and experience the awesome goodness that is the Galactic Suburbia team.

50 episodes of entertaining speculative fiction commentary with delicately infused feminist perspectives, that creep up on you and lift the veil of privilege from your eyes (getting a bit wordy aren’t I?).

ehem…. just download it you won’t be sorry.

Episode 50

In which we leap happily back and forth (with occasional ranting) over those fine lines between feminist critique and anti-female assumptions, plus share our bumper collection of holiday culture consumed. Happy New Year from the Galactic Suburbia crew!

You can download the show here or click play in the flashplayer below

 

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You can send feedback to the team at galacticsuburbia@gmail.com, follow them on Twitter at @galacticsuburbs.

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