I did not plan to end this interview series with two writers each in possession of three names, but here we are–with two Shimmer #17 stories that have much in common.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, “River Dreaming”
I’m a mercenary and perpetually broke, so I’ll do anything for money. You want me to write a story about tentacle porn set in Vancouver? I’ll do it. Want me to edit an anthology of punk mermaids? Hey, I’m there. The publishing and editing earns me more money than the short stories or novels, so I’ve been doing progressively more of that. I like publishing more than editing, but overall I like all three. It’s a different experience with editing than with writing. If I had a rich patron, maybe I’d do more writing. So if you’re reading this and you are a millionaire, call me, maybe.
Read the rest of the interview!
Carmen Maria Machado, “We Were Never Alone in Space”
For me, there is this constant interaction between language and narrative in fiction that very much resembles the physical considerations of photography (light, composition) balanced with the narrative of its content. I used to work as a second photographer for a friend of mine who shot weddings. She always talked about how the best wedding photography closely resembled photojournalism–not the posed shots, but the off-guard, active images that told one story (or ten, or a thousand). The stolen glance, the unintentional body language, the children playing off in the corner. She was so right. There’s a kind of honesty, a kind of realness, in that sort of photography, even when it’s during a highly staged event like a wedding. Fiction can also do this. Or not, which is, I think, when fiction can fail.