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Showing posts from August, 2024

Tu B'Av Sameach!

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"Apparently Miss Kahn wasn’t quite as phlegmatic on the idea of arranged marriage as I was. When her parents told her what they planned, she immediately dashed off a vitriolic letter, informing me that it is a new century, and she lives not in the ghetto in Europe, but in a country founded on principles of freedom. She added she had no intention of marrying, how did she put it? ‘A swarthy Spanish pirate of low ways and poor prospects.’" He smiled winsomely. "Naturally, I began courting her in earnest." --Captain Sinister's Lady   To translate the post title into English, "Happy 15th Day of the Month of Av!" Why is this day different from all other days? It's the day specifically marking romance and love in the Jewish calendar. Tu B'Av (15th of Av) is a minor festival that's grown in prominence in recent decades, largely because enterprising folks in Israel found a way to monetize it. It's now celebrated much the way Valentine's Day ...

My Worldcon Schedule--GlasgowIn2024

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I'm heading out to Glasgow, Scotland for the World Science Fiction Convention--GlasgowIn2024. I'll be moderating two panels, plus doing my usual Worldcon activities: attending other panels to boost my own writing skills, volunteering, hanging out with friends, tea at the Willow Tearoom (a must do anytime I'm in Glasgow), and just having a good time.  Here's my schedule, and I hope to see you there: Saturday, August 10, 2024 Rogues, Pirates and Bandits with Hearts of Gold Alsh 2, Duration: 60 mins 13:00 BST 08:00 EDT Darlene Marshall (moderator) Edgar Governo H.G. Parry N.L. Bates Chris Wooding , Fantasy, Science Fiction, Literature, From Robin Hood to that charming rogue in everyone's D&D campaign, readers and writers love the idea of a kind-hearted criminal. Social inequality and those standing apart from ordered society are at the heart of those stories, but how important is striking the balance between giving outcasts a home and adhering to the social contrac...

Review: Postwar Stories: How Books Made Judaism American

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Postwar Stories: How Books Made Judaism American by Rachel Gordan My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews