Comments | olamina: a place for everything

olamina

a place for everything

Jun 24, 2007 08:32

UC Berkeley has the world's premiere collection on Mark Twain - and Yale an unmatched trove of rare medieval manuscripts. But for research on Capt. Kirk, Frankenstein or Harry Potter, nothing tops the 110,000-volume Eaton collection at UC Riverside, the world's largest library of science fiction, fantasy and horror books ( Read more... )

sci-fi, library, learning, educatin

Comments 15

morganmac June 24 2007, 13:34:09 UTC

I've been meaning to check out Samuel Delany. Octavia Butler (R.I.P) has been my favorite sci-fi writer for a while now.

olamina June 24 2007, 13:53:24 UTC

Do check out Chip. He is that next next next level. I never could pick up an Octavia book again after reading Delany, Butler just came off as kid's stuff.

yayoyego June 24 2007, 18:06:29 UTC

errrrrrrrrrrrrraahh, pump ya brakes!!! hands off octavia!!

olamina June 24 2007, 13:53:47 UTC

I'd suggest starting with Dhalgren.

Thread 6

danschank June 24 2007, 14:06:00 UTC

my roommate wrote his master's thesis on the non-sci-fi literature of philip k. dick, and had to, like, copy entire out-of-print books from one of the so. cali UC schools-- either riverside or clairemont or something. and now he's at temple hoping to work with delany. it all comes full circle.

I never could pick up an Octavia book again after reading Delany, Butler just came off as kid's stuff

really? can't they both just be totally freakin awesome at the same time?

also, your knocked up post was, like, the most awesome thing ever. not that i've seen the movie.

olamina June 24 2007, 15:00:59 UTC

wow, awesome. full circle. delany is awesome, i wanted to work with him when he was first announcing his move over to temple but it was just sort of a mismatch for me since he mostly just wants to teach writing. he was kind enough to give me his number and called me one christmas vacation (the most thrilling gift that year!)and i later met him at a reading and went to dinner with he and a few other people. i hope your friend gets the chance to work with him. he's lovely.

i just think the quality of writing in Butler is not up to snuff with other writers in general. i think it is awesome literature for that adolescent set and i think she was a great lady. heck my lj-name comes from the parable series. it's just in the long list of books i want to read i can't say any other ones of hers will make the cut this lifetime.

thanks for the kind words about the knocked up post. i really was that mad, and then i was mad that i was mad and i had to write. you and your posts are always top notch!

danschank June 24 2007, 15:21:21 UTC

yeah, my roommate mentioned that creative writing courses are more delany's deal than doctoral theses, etc. there seems to be a general consensus that he's a nice, approachable guy though... which is always good to know about admirable people.

i agree that butler isn't much of a stylist, but i think her ideas are strong enough to render it kind of irrelevant. i also like that i can read one of her books rapid-fire in a few days and always get something out of it.

i can totally identify with being fighting-mad over movies. i was so mad after i watched requiem for a dream that people still avoid talking to me about it. i was pretty worked up after babel too, come to think of it. it's always the ones where i feel like i have something to SAY about why it was bad...

olamina June 24 2007, 16:48:11 UTC

ha ha, my brother and i went to see requiem for a dream together and we were so angry and disgusted that we got in a fight with each other right outside the theater. The next day we realized it was the movie's fault and forgave each other. We never spoke of that unfortunate day again.

commonpeople June 24 2007, 14:12:35 UTC

I wouldn't mind taking that pilgrimage as well! For someone who has never read Delaney, which book would you suggest as a first read?

olamina June 24 2007, 15:02:57 UTC

Mad Man is INCREDIBLY challenging as a piece of queer literature with sci fi leanings, and Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand is breathtaking, but Dhalgren is the usual starting point to get a sense of where he's coming from.
daigor0 might be able to chime in here....

betchka June 25 2007, 03:13:52 UTC

you might be psychic. my nametag came true.

olamina June 25 2007, 14:30:22 UTC

wow. will have to get more info...

Impromptu. leondacter June 25 2007, 07:59:45 UTC

Delaney and Philip K. Dick have always fascinated and enthralled me. I've read all of Dick's fiction currently in print (mostly by Vintage), and several of Delaney's, but I want to explore Delaney more. I've read Absolom, Absolom! and Suttree recently, but I'm completely unsatisfied with my reading right now. I have no time, and even less ability to enjoy reading anymore. I read crap on Live Journal as a distraction, because I can view it from work and carry out broken, unfocussed, and styptic conversations on it. It's a shitty consolation ( ... )