My current compulsion is…

My current compulsion is checking our standings in the Preditors/Editors poll. I'm very pleased that Strange Horizons is steadily climbing up through the ranks; we're at #7 as of this morning, and even if we don't climb any higher, that's pretty darn good for a magazine that came out just last September. And even better, Clean Sheets is on the list too, currently at #11. Considering it's primarily a sf/f poll, I was particularly pleased to see CS show up -- and I admit to a little pride to both of my magazines doing so well. CS isn't really mine anymore, and Susannah's doing all sorts of great things with it, including seriously increasing our readership there -- but I still figure I get some credit for starting it. :-)

SH and CS are also at #6 and #7 for poetryzine, and we both show up about midway in the nonfictionzine category as well -- CS somewhat higher than SH, which isn't surprising. Susannah's doing very well in the top editor category -- Jed and I appear to be splitting a fair number of votes for SH; it's too bad that we can't consolidate them. I don't really care in which direction, and I don't think he does either -- it's just a shame that one of us can't be up there in the top 5. More visibility for SH.

We may have a shot at winning at least one of the individual piece categories as well -- we have nominated pieces in each, but "The Passing of Sadly True" is up to #7 in the short fiction category. Very satisfying. I don't think it's quite my favorite story from last fall, but it's definitely up there.

I don't really know how much the poll is helping our readership, but the numbers have been slowly but steadily climbing nicely this last week, especially the last few days. Dunno why, but I'm not complaining. Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell them we'll have mugs and t-shirts soon! :-) And if you want to follow along in the poll results, you can.

Which reminds me that I need to get the specs to Lucy so that she can design them. Right. My brain is so scattered these days -- a thousand different things to do, and if something doesn't get onto my todo list, it almost certainly won't get done. Here's a sample:

• puchase other books for class
• copy incorp. stuff and open commercial bank account for SH (Wells Fargo) -- tell them we want to accept credit cards on site
• revise "Savariian" and send to Asimov's
• write experiment for fiction
• try to write something for Frequency (short, fast-paced)
• write post-modern piece for narr. theory
• do reading for canon. perv.
• read Dark Matter and do book proposal
• SH non-profit incorp. app.
• SH bookmarks, mugs, t-shirt - get design specs to Lucy; find printer, print, distribute
• send out SH updated guidelines
• review _Starlight 2_
• send Q's to Patrick Hayden
• apply for Tanner research fellowship
• write and send paper to IAFA grad contest
• check and duplicate CD's
• stop by Tom's desk and sign funding sheet

Lots of random things, most not due at any particular time but needing to be done at some point. Some small, some big. I think I'm going to make some tea and try to finish off my reading now; I'm not quite in writing head yet. But that's the main goal for today -- write write write. We'll see if that happens at all.

8:00 -- Hey -- I was just looking at the poll again, and suddenly noticed my name in the best book editor category! That hadn't even occurred to me; I must be nominated for Aqua Erotica. That's so cool. :-) I'm way down at the bottom of the list, but I'm still pleased as punch about getting on there. If it was one of you munchkins who did it, thanks!

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Image Notebook

He was suddenly crying hard. I could hear him clearly over the telephone, words muddled in the midst of tears. I could see him too, his hand tight around the phone, head bent, other arm hugging himself, curling into a small tight ball. And I, shocked by the tears appearing out of nowhere, silent, waiting for him to calm down, trying to decide what to say, if anything.

I woke knowing that he would never cry that way over me while we were both awake -- knowing this, even though he had, several times.