News, Views & Thoughts from Sally Wiener Grotta |
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New Year's Adventures Ahead:
Hitting the Ground Running
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Hello,
I can't believe another year has flown. How is it possible that it's already 2024?
Yes, I know... the calendar is a construct that we use to try to give some sense of order to our lives. So, we wrap up time in neat packages of weeks, months, and years. But those neat packages don't seem to conform to reality, at least not my personal reality of so much happening that each day seems to whiz by, and each month slips away as quickly as it appeared.
So, as I hit the ground running this first week of the new year, I sometimes fantasize about time slowing down just a bit -- someday. Only not quite yet. I've got adventures ahead that I wouldn't want to miss. That includes spending time with friends and family, and exchanging ideas, books, art, and other cool experiences.
Here's what's in this newsletter, highlighting of some of the adventures I'm throwing myself into over the next couple of months:
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My newest book - Daughters of Eve - will come out in February. Until then, below are: a cover reveal video, a free sample chapter, and <gulp> a link to my publisher's Kickstarter.
- Free downloads of two of my short stories published in 2023 that are now eligible for various awards.
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An invitation to join me for the Galaxy Edge speculative fiction book club at the Rosenbach Library.
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From 2023 - For Your Viewing Pleasure: Do Golems Dream of Electric Shuls? My video interview with Rabbi-Cantor Michael McCloskey. Wait 'til you see the sources he's using for a study on the moral responsibility of the technocrats behind AI and robots.
I'd love to hear what you have planned for 2024. Whatever it is, may your new year be filled with love, fun, creative energy, and wondrous adventures.
I'll look forward to hearing from you,
Sally
P.S. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please consider forwarding it to friends and/or family who might find it interesting. If you didn't receive this email directly from me, please consider signing up for it. |
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Yikes! I'm excited and frankly a bit nervous. Bayit, the publisher of my new book Daughters of Eve is running a Kickstarter to partially cover the book's production costs. Why am I nervous? Because I keep flashing on junior high popularity contests.
Please click the video thumbnail below to view the cover reveal video, created by Tim W. Burke. (Didn't he do a great job?) I hope the video intrigues you so much that you'll want to support the Kickstarter where you can snag an early release copy of the book and other cool swag.
Need more convincing? CLICK HERE to download a free sample chapter about Rachel & Leah, their handmaids Bilhah & Zilpah, and the complex tapestry of sisterhood we sometimes weave.
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Free Downloads of Two 2023 Short Stories
The folks at Noble Fusion, the publisher of my feminist science fiction collection Of Being Woman have told me I "must" create an awards eligibility post* for two of the stories in that feminist science fiction collection:
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Chiaroscuro - Born from a woman’s desire to be a machine, a newly created AI explores its desire to feel pain so that she can experience what it is to be human.
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For the Love of Dr. Frank - A deep-learning fembot learns all that love is, with devastating results.
If you're a SFWA member, please go to the Nebula Reading List on the SFWA forums to download and read the stories and hopefully upvote Chiaroscuro and/or For the Love of Dr. Frank.
For others who would like to read these stories (including those involved in other literary awards), you can download the stories HERE .
I look forward to hearing your reactions to these Of Being Woman stories.
__________
* Note: If you're asking, "What is an awards eligibility post?", please Click Here, and scroll to the bottom of the screen for your answer.
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Join Me at The Rosenbach Library
For a New Speculative Fiction Book Club
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I'm honored that The Rosenbach Library (home of a world-famous collection of rare books and literary artifacts) has asked me to conduct a speculative fiction book club which we are calling At Galaxy's Edge.
The first season of the book club is titled Monsters Among Us. We'll be discussing what it means to be a monster, who really is the monster, why we create them, and what we can learn from them about what it means to be human. Here's the line-up:
- January 30 - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- February 27 - The Golem & the Jinni by Helene Wacker
- March 26 - Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn
All meetings will be 6:30-8:00 pm. Space is limited, because we'll be meeting in the Rosenbach's historic dining room. In addition to discussing books, we'll have the opportunity to view objects from the collection, such as a first edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
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Do Golems Dream of Electric Shuls *
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* Note: "Shul" is a Yiddish word for synagogue.
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In this episode of What If? Why Not? How?, I chatted with Rabbi-Cantor Michael McCloskey about his study of golems. For his primary source material, he's using Hebraic texts, Jewish folklore and literature, science fiction, and even comics and modern Hebrew slang. The purpose of this study is to question and help define moral responsibility of modern creators of technology, particularly of A.I. and robots. Of course, he's also looking toward the future and wondering whether such beings will have agency.
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Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel, so you can be notified about new What If? Why Not? How? interviews. |
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But Sally, Isn't This New Year's Newsletter Missing Something?
Yes, something is missing: my annual new year's poem. But when I sat down to write it, what came out wasn't really in the uplifting and affectionate spirit of those from years past. And I didn't feel it was appropriate as a new year's greeting. It's on my blog, if you want to read it. But don't say I didn't warn you.
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Interested in writing a guest blog on my website?
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Please click the buttons below to read about what I'm doing these days. |
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Read excerpts of my novels... then buy them |
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Are you looking for a Speaker for a Meeting, Workshop, Keynote or Fundraiser? Let's talk about how I might help you achieve your goals ~ virtually and, in some cases. in person.
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