There's Always an Evil Man Standing in a Tower Somewhere
On Thursday, Lightspeed Magazine published a short story of mine titled “You Knit Me Together in My Mother’s Womb.” (The title, by the way, comes from a verse in Psalms 139—shout-out to Jodi for asking.) If you missed it the first time around, I hope you’ll be able to check it out this morning. I put a lot of work into this one, and it may be the best short story I’ve ever written. It’s certainly the angriest story I’ve ever written.
Along with the story, Lightspeed asked if I would do a short author spotlight. In it, I talk a little bit about the story, why I wrote it, and what it means. I say that science fiction and fantasy have always been opposed to fascism, and mention how important it is to realize that fantasy isn’t fantasy—it’s just a retelling of our world, with the same assholes always ruining everything with their arrogance.
You can read that interview at this link: Crenshaw Author Spotlight.
Last thing: I’m working on getting an essay collection ready for submission, so I’m focusing on that for the next few weeks—posts might be fewer and further between. But I plan to drop a brand new longform essay from the collection soon. It’s about subliminal messages, this weirdo Sunday School teacher I had, and alcohol advertisements from the 70s and 80s—you know, normal stuff.
As always, thanks for being here.
https://www.deviantart.com/jjasso/art/Fable-II-Evil-Tower-111200669
There is also always a dog barking in the distance. Don’t believe me? Now that I’ve said it you’ll see it everywhere, especially if you use closed captions and films or television, but you see it in fiction and nonfiction too. Not evil like the man in the tower, but always there.
I especially love how you say that fantasy isn’t fantasy or even fiction. It’s a retelling of our world. That is profound to me. I so look forward to your essays, sir. Thank you for giving them to us. 💜