The Infinite Library and Other Stories
by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo
My proto “Anito-Punk” story “My Father Is Made Of Light” was recently published in the anthology Steampunk Universe edited by Sarah Hans. This is an older story which was the seed for a longer, later work called “Father is the Blood, Mother is the Wine” which originally came out in Lontar Volume 9. The anthology also features works by Maurice Broaddus, Ken Liu, Malon Edwards, Suna Dasi, Emily Cataneo, Matthew Bright, Pip Ballantine, Jody Lynn Nye, and Lucy Snyder.
It’s almost time for the 2018 Writer’s Festival and I realize that I had never posted my pictures from last year’s run.
Top to bottom, left to right: (1) SWF Opening, (2) Outside the festival grounds, (3) Watching a panels while seated on LKY’s chair, (4) With Junot Diaz, (5) “Writing between Genre Lines” panel with Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé (moderator), Aliette de Bodard, Jason Erik Lundberg and O Thiam Chin, (6) With Dean Alfar, (7) With Lavie Tidhar, (8) Crab dinner with Aliette, Jason, Nikki, Pat and Dean, (9) Peranakan lunch with Ken Liu, and (10) birthday dinner with Aliette.
Here are some pictures from my panels:
Lastly, check out the special packaging for my book The Infinite Library and Other Stories which was only available at the festival venue.
The Singapore Writers Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and I am happy to be part of an event that includes such literary and genre heavy weights such as Gemino Abad, Dean Alfar, Simon Armitage, Aliette de Bodard, Shelly Bryant, Junot Diaz, Ken Liu, Marjorie Liu, Isa Kamari, Jason Erik Lundberg, Ng Yi-Sheng, Tony Parsons, Edwin Thumboo , Cyril Wong and JY Yang to name just a few.
The festival’s theme this year is the Tamil word அரம் (Aram) whose meaning embodies goodness, equity and justice. Used extensively in older Tamil literature, it is a word has rich connotation and an ideal of goodness and generosity for humanity to aspire to. It is today a quality much needed in our increasingly complex and difficult world.
Some of the best Science Fiction stories also share this normative, Utopian vision and I hope to be able to talk about it in my panels. You can find my SWF schedule here:
Lastly Math Paper press will be launching my book The Infinite Library and Other Stories along with The Story of Number Nine by Josiah Ng. I hope to see you all there!
New Titles by Math Paper Press III:
The Story of Number Nine and The Infinite Library
7 Nov Tue 8.30pm – 9.30pm
Gallery II, The Arts House (Free Event)
Here are the pictures from this year’s Hugo Awards ceremony during The 75th World Science Fiction Convention (commonly in Helsinki, Finland last 11 August. Despite the efforts of the self-described “Sad Puppies,” and their alt-right equivalents, the “Rabid Puppies, women almost completely swept the Hugo Awards, taking home the top prizes for literature in the science fiction community (Woohoo!). The full list of winners can be found here.
Welcome to the Hugo Awards!
The very, very, very, very long queue to get in.
Look at that audience!
Which includes me and my lovely wife, Patricia.
The esteemed host Dr. Karen Lord and the inimitable George R. R. Martin.
The Song of Ice and Fire Chronicler and German actress Sibel Kekilli (Shae on GoT).
The dapper winner of one of the 2017 Seiun Awards, Ken Liu
More Ken Liu
Best Fan Artist: Go Likhain!
Best Fan Writer: Go Natalie Luhrs!
Best Novelette: Go Fran Wilde!
With a real-life ISS astronaut – Dr. Kjell Lindgren, a member of Expedition 44/45 to the International Space Station (ISS), and a NASA Distinguished Service Medal recipient (2016).
Patricia with Game of Throne’s Shae, the 2-time Lola winner Sibel Kekilli.
Fan boy with the great Nalo Hopkinson!
The Hugo Award winners and presenters.
Amazing writers and artists Aliette de Bodard, Fran Wilde and Likhain!
That’s all folks!
Lontar No. 6 (Founding Editor Jason Erik Lundberg; Poetry Editor Kristine Ong Muslim and Comics Editor Adan Jimenez; published by Epigram) became available in print (from Kinokuniya and directly from Epigram Books) from last 27 April, while the DRM-free ebook is available from Weightless Books.
It features works from Ken Liu, Eka Kurniawan, J Y Yang, Jennifer Anne Champion, Ng Yi-Sheng, comics from Budjette Tan, Alex Arellano & Kajo Baldisimo, as well as some amazing speculative poetry from Jonel Abellanosa, Ang Si Min, Russ Hoe, Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé, Christina Sng, Sokunthary Svay, Krishna Udayasankar, Brendan Walsh and Marco Yan.
Also part of this volume is my Filipino space-opera/family drama “Brother to Space, Sister to Time” which inspired the cover illustration by Sarah and Schooling.
Check out my Pinterest board for this story.
Lontar is the only publication that specializes in Speculative Fiction from and about Southeast Asia. It has published work from some of the finest writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculative Poetry. Please consider a subscription (from Weightless, link above) or supporting them on Patreon.
“A relatively new publication, LONTAR nonetheless publishes high-quality works by award-winning authors. Diverse and under-represented characters and settings are a mainstay of LONTAR‘s fiction, opening the genre to fresh themes and voices, and introducing readers to the rich culture and atmosphere of Southeast Asia.” —Tangent Online
The Infinite Library and Other Stories 