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WELCOME URBAN FANTASISTS
Welcome to Urban Fantasist, a webzine dedicated to the urban fantasy genre. Along with my own news and book reviews, this site will carry fortnightly flash fiction stories plus interviews with other science fiction & fantasy authors and look at the wider craft of SF&F creative writing. We will also carry photographs and artwork from artists working in this field and have a shopping gallery where you can buy or download copies of urban fantasy-related books, ebooks, artwork and prints. ... Charles Christian Street Signs
Norwich, 21st February 2012 - taken with an iPhone Flash Fiction Wanted !
We are now looking for submisions of flash fiction - upto 1000 words - check out the TFi Flash Fortnightly link on the main menu for a full set of submission guidelines. http://www.urbanfantasist.com/page/tfi-flash-fortnightly-2494 Top Story
JONATHAN PINNOCK IS FIRST AUTHOR TO ANSWER OUR 11 QUESTIONS
The excellent Jonathan Pinnock, author of Mrs Darcy versus the Aliens, is the first person to answer our eleven, not all entirely serious, questions on what makes and SF&F writer tick. Did you know Stanislaw Lem, Douglas Adams, Serenity and Galaxy Quest are among his SF&F favourites - or that he would least like to encounter zombies? You can read the whole interview here: http://www.urbanfantasist.com/page/eleven-questions-with-jonathan-pinnock-2597
Latest Blog Postings
Just back from Future Radio interviewJust back from doing a live interview with David Eastaugh on the Norwich-based digital radio station Future Radio. Great fun tho I think I may have spent more time talking about Philip K Dick's short stories than my own!
Interview with 'The Prestige' author Christopher PriestHere's a link to an interesting interview in the London Calling webzine with Christopher Priest, the author - among other things - of the novel The Prestige, which was recently made into a Hollywood movie (the one with the duelling magicians).
Getting over a commercial message with sci-fiHere's a great car ad - from this year's Superbowl TV ad breaks in the US - that neatly combines some current sci-fi tropes with a commercial message. Barry Manilow sings and Tim Allen does the voiceover.
Let's do the Timewarp again?Stranger than fiction corner... Just been spammed by one company trying to sell me a franking machine and another trying to sell me a fax machine. Is it 1982 again? Do I need to upgrade my Commodore PET computer?
Final reminder for sci-fi poetsThis is your one week to go final reminder... The deadline for poetry submissions to for the next issue of the BSFA's (British Science Fiction Association) twice yearly Focus magazine is FRIDAY 17 FEBRUARY
Urbane fantasy, flash fiction and ghost storiesI was typing an email earlier today and somehow my spellchecker added a final letter 'e' to the word 'urban' with the result I found myself writing about urbane fantasy - I'm guessing that would be Jeeves and Wooster engaging in witty banter with a zombie
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Definition: Urban Fantasy
Urban Fantasy is a sub-genre of SF&F that describes a story set primarily in a recognisable city/urban environment and contains aspects of fantasy. It is a form of slipstream and can involve encounters with alien races or similar science fiction tropes including time travel, the discovery of earthbound mythological creatures, chance encounters between humans and paranormal beings, and/or supernatural, dark fantasy and gothic horror elements. Characters in urban fantasy often have tragic pasts and plot lines may tie into the larger story of the development of the protagonist. Many urban fantasy stories are set in contemporary times with a high-tech, cyberpunk flavour but recent-historical and near-futuristic scenarios are possible. The tensions within urban fantasy frequently stem from crossing the fine line that divides the mundane and familiar from the arcane and weird that can lurk just around the corner or over a cooling mocha in a city-centre coffee shop you haven't visited before. All about Charles Christian
He was the founder of the Ink Sweat & Tears poetry webzine and his first collection of dystopian science fiction and urban fantasy short stories This is the Quickest Way Down was published last year by Salt/Proxima Books. He is also the poetry editor for the British Science Fiction Association. His day-job blog is www.TheOrangeRag.com All about Alexis Byter
Byter describes himself as Isaac Asimov-meet Hunter S. Thompson. He lives in a small cottage close to the beach near Dunwich on the Suffolk coast of England - nine-tenths of the town has been swept away by the sea tho tradition holds that on certain nights you can still hear the bells of the drowned churches. Appropriately enough for such a forsaken spot, Byter's cottage is haunted. Diary Dates
Just finished interview - will have podcast details ASAP Future Radio, Platform arts programme: 5:00pm, Sunday 19th February 2012 (repeated 10 til 11pm). You can find Future Radio on 107.8FM and at www.futureradio.co.uk
Next reading by Charles Christian: CafeWriters, Norwich, Monday 14th May 2012 The venue (suitably gothic as it is in the old part of the city opposite the cathedral) is upstairs at the Take 5 cafe/bar at 17 Tombland, Norwich NR3 1HF. The event begins at 7.30pm and I'll be doing two 10 minute reading sets. The main reader at the event is the wonderful Vicki Feaver and there will also be some open mic. There is an interval and these sessions usually finish sometime between 9.45 and 10pm. www.cafewriters.org.uk |
