Like being a spy, only I can’t leave my house.

[bodlon]

Five days into 2011, and I am giddy with this month’s bumper crop of Really Good E-mail. By that, I mean e-mail about various projects, some of which are already in progress, some of which are new, and some of which are really just sort of tentatively coming into being.

And, as is the nature of these things, I can’t actually discuss any of them yet except to say that I’m really excited about some things on deck for 2011, and that it’s very weird to see these things so far in advance. It’s a little bit like pointing at stars. “Yes, this glimmer here is that project, and that one there is this other one, and if you squint, there’s a tiny sparkle that might have something to do with something in 2012…”

All of which is probably sort of boring for the rest of you who would almost certainly prefer that I talk about things that everybody gets to know instead of pottering around being all smug and secretive.

Rest assured that when various Cones of Silence are lifted I will spill any and all of the appropriate beans with gusto. I like the noise they make when they clatter and bounce on the tile.

Right! Moving on.

The first month of Hold Something is firmly in development. Those of you who’ve already subscribed, thank you! You’re amazing, I’m really excited about what’s coming together. I hope you will be too. Those of you who haven’t subscribed yet, of course, are also amazing and still have about a week before I hit the point of no return in production where everything goes to print. When that happens, new folks will get added to the rolls for February.

So yes! Pleasantly busy. That’s me. Very exciting, and a good start so far to 2011.

~*~

- Jason Arnopp is inviting writers to e-mail him their progress. No details, no replies, just the certain knowledge that someone who exists knows you are writing, and will perchance notice if you stop.

- Catherynne Valente has started a blog about food. And string. And various SF/F stuff. It’s sort of charming and cozy in a “here’s what I do when I’m not writing everything ever” sort of way, and I may well try the peppers recipe this weekend.

- Moon and ISS partially eclipse sun. Photographer travels to Oman to get a snapshot. Result. (ETA: Now with new link, since the old one appears to have been eaten by the Internet.)

- So when I was a kid, my mom kind of got into birding. I had a passing interest, though it was more about looking through the bird book. Especially at the the red-winged blackbird. So when dead red-winged blackbirds start showering the ground in Louisiana and Arkansas, my hair starts to stand on end.

- Tiny Tales is new and awesome. You should be reading it.

- Discovered Elizabeth Barrette’s monthly poetry fishbowls this week. Basically, you can donate just generally, or sponsor/buy work directly. I think the prompting period for January has expired, but do check it out. Cyberfunded creativity is very cool.

- I was skeptical about cats in sweaters — it seemed sort of ridiculous and dangerous — but then I saw those happy, dapper cats in well-fitting v-necks and decided that sometimes this stuff just has to happen.

- The entry period for the Second Annual Eli Coppola Memorial Poetry Chapbook Prize is open. Postmark deadline is Feb 9.

- I have not yet started watching Pioneer One, but I intend to this week/weekend, and am hearing really good things about it.

- HaikuLeaks, being haiku generated by algorithms that search WikiLeaks materials for the right 5/7/5 structure, delights me in ways it probably shouldn’t. Also, I’m Spartacus.

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com