If SF is grounded in hard scientific fact, and science is killing God, then what place does that leave for divine intervention in the pages of SF literature? When I tweeted this question, @MirabilisDave gave Arthur C Clarke’s famous dictum a twist, quipping that “Any sufficiently advanced technocrat will be indistinguishable from God.” Read moreContinue reading “Does God have a place in science fiction?”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
Technology of the Gods
Technology can give us the power of gods, but can it help us become more human? The promise of technology is the promise of power. Power over the material world, and over our fates as humans. Power that was once the sole domain of the gods. It was from them that Prometheus stole fire toContinue reading “Technology of the Gods”
What critics really mean when they say…
Nothing in publishing means what it says. Especially book reviews and the stuff they put in blurbs. Renowned – unknown Bestselling – crap New York Times bestseller – utter crap Seminal – almost dead Legendary – actually dead Cult – only readable by drug addicts A powerful debut – you will never hear from thisContinue reading “What critics really mean when they say…”
An open letter to Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon
Dear Jeff, Congratulations on your recent purchase of Goodreads The Washington Post All Creation. You already owned the world’s biggest marketplace for ebooks, and let’s give you credit for having the vision to make the Kindle happen. Now you own the biggest community of readers in the world, and those 16 million super-readers, and their influenceContinue reading “An open letter to Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon”
Is the death of the bookshop a sign of progress?
High street bookshops maye soon be a distant memory. Should we take this as a sign of progress, or the regression of society to a pre-literate state? Today the last big bookshop in Leicester, the city where I reside, closed its doors. The out of town Borders went three years ago. Waterstones on Market StreetContinue reading “Is the death of the bookshop a sign of progress?”
Can you teach writing?
Is the wrong question. What we should ask is, can you learn writing? To which the answer is an unequivocal YES! All writers teach themselves, through an intense and lifelong process of reading, writing, critiquing, editing, rewriting and rereading. This is how we learn. In this process, a good teacher can save you immense timeContinue reading “Can you teach writing?”
Walk with me through Weird London
UPDATE : Joining me on my walk through Weird London will be Tom Pollock, author of The City’s Son, Geraldine Beskin, owner of the Atlantis bookshop, and none other than M John Harrison, arguably among greatest writers of science fiction and fantasy literature of all time. On Thursday 16th May I’m taking a psycho-geographical tourContinue reading “Walk with me through Weird London”
The wisdom of technology
Wisdom 2.0 has grown very fast in only four years. From its first panel discussion in May 2010, between Google VP Bradley Horowitz and zen teacher Joan Halifax, the conference has stayed focused on its signature blend of technology and spirituality. In February 2013 Wisdom 2.0 filled the Concourse Exhibition Centre in San Francisco withContinue reading “The wisdom of technology”
Big Brother, big data and the creator culture
News of secret courts being introduced in the world’s oldest democracy should scare any rational human. The right to a public trial has survived feudalism, Henry VIII and the industrial revolution, but couldn’t stand up to the forces of global capitalism. Secret courts could be an idea from Alan Moore’s polemic on Thatcher’s Britain, VContinue reading “Big Brother, big data and the creator culture”
Could you go one week without the internet?
A guest post in a series form students on the BA Creative and Professional Writing at Nottingham University. A friend texts me an invite for coffee, but spends the next two hours continuously checking her phone. She isn’t receiving calls or emails from work – she’s refreshing her Facebook live feed. I ask her whyContinue reading “Could you go one week without the internet?”
Not knitting but blogging
Are older generation writers missing out on the power of social media to further their work? GUEST POST : Carolyn Doudge is a late-comer to fiction writing. She is currently studying for a degree in Creative and Professional Writing at Nottingham University. You would think that upwards of half a life-time hanging out on theContinue reading “Not knitting but blogging”
Social media users – beware, the psychiatrist is watching you
Is Internet Use Disorder a 21st century mental illness? GUEST POST : Helen Durham is a part-time undergraduate of the University of Nottingham’s BA in Creative and Professional Writing, trying to learn Mindfulness to alleviate the stress of assignment deadlines piling up http://peaceinafranticworld.wordpress.com/ The fifth edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersContinue reading “Social media users – beware, the psychiatrist is watching you”
Damien Walter 