Kate Wilhelm and Ray Bradbury on the StarShipSofa podcast

Tony Smith from StarShipSofa sez,

Today, StarShipSofa has two of the greats from the SF genre on its show. In July 2010 I carried out an interview with Ray Bradbury - being wet behind the ears at the time and pushing my luck... I asked the question "Are you a science fiction writer?" The speed with which he replied "No," was such a highlight to me.
We also have the amazing novelette by Kate Wilhelm called The Bird Cage, published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, January-February 2011 edition. Kate Wilhelm is one of the true legends in the SF field. In 1976 she won the Hugo Award for Where Late The Sweet Bird's Sang, which is a truly great novel of the genre. Kate has now set up InfinityBox Press, her own publishing company, created by Kate and her sons Richard and Jon, and daughter-in-law Sue, as a way for Kate to become independent from egregious contracts instituted by the major six publishers - it's become untenable for authors, even those with sterling track records such as hers.

StarShipSofa No 242 Kate Wilhelm Part 1 (Thanks, Tony!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Audio • happy mutants • podcasts • science fiction

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

davidasposted

The Bradbury interview was… disappointing.
- MrWednesday7
  
  Please explain.
  - davidasposted
    
    Bradbury gives extremely short, info-free replies to Mr. Smith’s questions. Many of his responses were either (to paraphrase) “No.” or “I don’t know.” He just didn’t have anything interesting to say, nor did he seem willing to indulge the interviewer.
    - AviSolomon
      
      This one is more insightful:
      http://archive.org/details/Scvtv20-bradbury082203694-3
Finnagain

This contract that Wilhelm refused to sign is probably the very best that any author is going to get from the traditional publishers. I shudder to think what the new authors are signing.
sgtdoom

While as a youngster I never cared for Bradbury’s negative slant on technology, I read him for his lyrical writing which was outstanding.

But, from my late vantage point, he looks like Ray was right on target:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/china-shi-tao

And so many, many other links one could add as well. . .