Terribly sad over Madeleine L’Engle’s death (see my reference to L’Engle’s work on my concepts of time travel a post or two ago.) Not only did she have a cool name, she had wonderful insights into science and human nature. Her nuanced portrayal of an older sister and younger brother, Meg and Charles Wallace in the Wrinkle in Time trilogy, seemed very close to my own relationship with my little brother, except, as far as I know, we were never able to save the world with angels, witches, unicorns, and time/space travel. Read Laurel’s article on her work in Salon here.
Got two encouraging rejections today, one very sweet one from Barrow Street, and another from my query to Sarabande only a few weeks ago (ten pages from my third manuscript) that had a little note on the bottom that said “wonderfully original work!” I felt nearly as happy as if someone had given me a basket of flowers. Sometimes nice rejections are almost as good as acceptances. Now I am ready for some fall subs. It bolstered me on an otherwise depressing day of doctor appointments.
Jeannine Hall Gailey served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington and the author of Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, Unexplained Fevers, The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, and winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize and SFPA’s Elgin Award, Field Guide to the End of the World. Her latest, Flare, Corona from BOA Editions, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She’s also the author of PR for Poets, a Guidebook to Publicity and Marketing. Her work has been featured on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac, Verse Daily and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Poetry, and JAMA.
Collin
I never understand comments like that. If it’s wonderfully original, then why aren’t they publishing it? I would rather just get the form letter. But that’s just me. 🙂
L’Engle was brilliant. I’m read to read the Time series again.
jeannine
Well, the comment was at the end of the form letter, which said “It hs been a busy time of late, and our publishing schedule is currently full. We wish this were not the case.” You know, the usual. Which I assume is why they aren’t publishing it.
Still, I’d much rather a comment than an anonymous form! At least it’s proof someone read it :)I have to get my warm fuzzies from someplace, right?
About L’Engle: I know. She’s a superheroine of sci-fi/fantasy for sure.
Cipolline
I am also sad to hear about L’Engle, and who did I think of right away when I learned about her passing, but you, J9. I knew you would be equally bummed.
But her legacy lives on. My fourth grader is going to be doing tesselations this year and they have a science fiction/science fact reading curriculum set for later in the year. What better way to remember Ms. L’Engle than through both these “windy” doors?
Oliver de la Paz
L’Engle’s stuff made me devour even more sci-fi when I was a kid.
I was so sad when I heard about her death.