(no subject)

[ksmith]

Well.

Is anyone aware of any center-left consortia of SF authors who have served as advisors in this way?

Comments

[lagilman]

My understanding is that there were a lot of SF-nal folk invited to various gatherings, some of them quite left-leaning. Niven just managed to be the most...*cough* press-worthy.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I wish the other groups would get some press. Probably not until after November (::knock wood/fingers crossed::)

Some interesting posts in the comments section about trying to separate the book you might love from the author who wrote it.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Charlie Stross did one of these gigs, I think. But I also suspect they don't want you unless you indicate the ability to make up a really cool gun. :p

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I wondered if there were any women included in these groups?

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

My gut feeling doubts it. But that might be unfounded bias on my part.

[pnh.livejournal.com]

Michael Swanwick has been invited to one of these; I don't know the details. I do recall that he asked us for some copies of Cory Doctorow's Little Brother.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when certain parties read that book.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

David Brin is one of the Daily Kos regulars, and I'm sure I recall that he's been to some of these gatherings. In fact I thought the diary had been written by him, until I checked--he would post under his own name.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Would Brin have referred to Niven in that manner?

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I dunno. All I know from personal contacts with Brin is that he's a sexist and a jerk, but he seems to be an active liberal.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Right now I can't get the link to work to the actual article, but I could "net" the comments. Is this one of his "Modest Proposal" kind of statements? Niven loves to yank chains, to speculate, to poke folk where they're tender. He has that trust fund, and he doesn't have to fear much of anything (accept maybe an IRS audit that was a vendetta. That would be a problem even for him.)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...the link worked for me.

One of the commenters wondered if Niven was yanking chains. The concern was expressed that while he may have thought he was joking, the folks he was addressing took his advice seriously.

I like the part where the writers stopped listening to the folks asking the questions and started spinning off on their own pet subjects. Gee, just like the Lounge.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...the link worked for me.

It will probably work later. I'll try back, I haven't done Kos for a few days.

Yes, the spinning off sounds all too familiar, doesn't it?

I do see their point. I would not say ANYTHING about the stuff I dream up for books. Not to the current administration. But then I have a teeshirt and a bumper sticker from Making Light -- the one that starts "I deeply resent..."?

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

Who knew Larry Niven was related to the Teapot Dome? I love America.