The big news this month is that writing is still going well. As part of trying to get back into writing on the regular, I’ve been doing exercises and prompts as well as working on my main story. One of the things I tried was a prompt that said to write five interconnected haikus. Of course, mine were horror haikus, but what was really amazing was how easy it came and how fun it was! I think I might eventually revise and submit them somewhere. The last year I was writing (2021, I think?), I had the goal to write some horror poetry. I think it was a goal for 2022, too. So now I might actually be able to strike that goal off my bucket list!
I think I have the plot line for the newest short story all worked out and am continuing to work on it (yeah)! By next month’s update, I hope to have it ready for revision!
On the reading front, I finished two books (affiliate links below):
Stephen Graham Jones is a familiar name to horror readers . . . and listeners. Back when I was listening to fiction podcasts every day, it seemed like I heard one of his stories every week!
Morgan Talty was a new name to me, but he’s coming to the UND Writers Conference this year, and I wanted to get at least one book from a visiting author read before the conference, lol!
I enjoyed them both. Talty’s book was on par with There, There from Tommy Orange, but the unusualness of SGJ’s keeps me thinking (and talking) about it.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The Only Good Indians is divided into three sections. To be honest, the book almost lost me in the first part. There was a serious of unfortunate events that seemed almost too ridiculous to even believe. It was unclear whether the problem/killer was psychological or supernatural. And worst of all, the dog suffered a horrible accident, suffered a while, and then died horribly. That in itself is an almost unforgivable sin! And then the protagonist died.
The second part of the book was like a totally different book! Within the first few pages, I felt like I was reading an Erdrich book. So then I happened to take a peek in the back, and, surprise, surprise, SGJ acknowledges his admiration of Erdrich’s work and cites her Antelope Wife as part of the inspiration for this book!
The second and third parts were more enjoyable to me. The book remained horror, and there is plenty of gore, but it also took on that feeling of fairy tale, or mythology, or indigenous legend. It was more like if Deer Woman from Reservation Dogs was allowed to glory in the gore of revenge.
I recommend it for horror fans and fans of indigenous lit who aren’t put off by gore.
Next up: Ready Player One . . . again. I’m not sure why I abandoned it before (got busy and forgot it?), but I’m going to try again.
All other odds and ends were tabled this past month as I focused on work, writing, and my regular UND communication class.
In other news, a few things converged in that weird way that they sometimes do in the universe and made me examine my values and opinions.
It all starts with: why are so many artists shitty human beings?
The latest was Thomas Monteleone. His novel, Night Things, is one of my absolute favorites.
Author Booted From Horror Writers Association Over Racist, Transphobic Rants
And this guy
Newspapers Drop ‘Dilbert’ After Creator’s Rant About Black ‘Hate Group’
I’ve struggled with how to deal with this for a while. I love HP Lovecraft’s stories. His work and its influence is such a huge part of the horror genre. But Lovecraft was a turd. Do I ignore his work because of it? With him, my rationale for still reading his work is that at least it’s not *him* benefitting from the money I pay for his work. Is that enough to justify purchasing and venerating his work? What about Rowling? There’s no doubt that her Harry Potter books introduce reading to new generations. In that regard, her work has great value. But, every book purchased lines her TERF pockets. I have a hard time buying art from living turds.
Then, we ended up with tickets to Williams & Ree, who I loved when I was a kid . . .
and I spent most of the show cringing. Besides the fact that my values have changed, I had a hard time with the dichotomy of watching a Native dude make racist jokes in a tribal-owned casino while the wait staff (mostly Native) served Busch Lite to white folks (99.9% of the audience). I’m not talking about, “Oh, Indian Time, always late, ha-ha” jokes . . . I’m talking about stereotypes of the “drunken Indian” and things like that. It was definitely cringe-worthy.
Next, Roald Dahl’s estate and publisher decided to edit some of his works to take out problematic passages, words, and concepts.
I have always had problems with books being changed in any way post-publication. It’s a slippery slope to censorship, and it’s dangerous because who gets to decide what the criteria are? Who gets to make the yardstick? Books are usually the first target of fascist regimes, and that makes them sacred. Just because they are being targeted with good intentions doesn’t make it right, and it doesn’t make the book any less sacred.
I’ve been pondering this a lot lately, and here’s what I’ve come up with.
For issues of problematic book content, I think Disney has the best solution. Disney adds a disclaimer to problematic media. I think that books like Gone With the Wind, Lovecraft’s work, etc., should come with disclaimers that add context. Warning labels, if you will. A lot of people will balk, just like they did at movie ratings and album labels, but I think it’s a better solution than censoring, changing, or banning the books. Not a rating system, mind you, but maybe a label that says: the words and ideas in this book are a reflection of the time it was written, and some of the language and descriptions used are no longer acceptable. Here’s Disney’s disclaimer:
“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”
That seems like a good solution to me.
As for Williams & Ree and things like that, I won’t be going again. I’m against censorship, but I also believe businesses and venues can choose who they give a voice to. So if the casino wants to continue to let W&R perform there, that is their decision. Same with Norsk Hostfest. But it’s not for me.
As for dead artists who were shitty humans, I’m still going to buy their work. They are dead, but there is no reason the art shouldn’t live on (with a warning label, where applicable, lol). Live shitty humans? I still haven’t found an acceptable answer. I haven’t bought anything from Sherman Alexie since I found out he was a predator, and I likely won’t buy any of Monteleone’s stuff anymore, either.
That’s it for this month! Until next month, Stay Spooky, my friends!
Brenda Kezar 