Please donate to Shorewood High School Drama

Probably the single best thing about my high school years was my membership in the Shorewood High School Drama Club. SHS has a fabulous and wildly ambitious theatre program and has taken shows to the International Thespian Convention and the Edinburgh Fringe. Drama Club taught me to sing, dance, paint, do carpentry and electrical work, and sew. I even used my scene shop skills on "Mars."

Unfortunately, budget cuts now threaten one of SHS Drama's two remaining part-time staff members. Barbara Gensler, the dynamo who has been the heart and soul of SHS Drama for the last 40 years, is mounting a personal campaign to fund this position through donations. If you care about high school drama I hope that you will be able to contribute something.

See here for more information and to donate: Open Letter to Alumni and Friends from Barbara Gensler

I know that there are other schools that are in even more serious trouble, but the SHS Drama Club was a lifesaver to me personally and I believe that the arts are a vital part of any young person's life. Drama Club is not a "frill," it's part of a well-rounded education.

Lots of good stuff happening in May

I just learned that Alembical 2 from Paper Golem Press, which includes my novella "Second Chance," will be launching at Balticon at the end of May. That's also Wiscon weekend, and I hope to have some copies there. Here's the cover:

I've also recently learned that May should see the publication of Interzone 228, including my story "A Passion for Art;" the anthology Légendes, including the French translation of "Tale of the Golden Eagle;" and the May issue of Laptop, including a "Burning Question" section with a short essay by me about futuristic technology.

In May I will also be presenting the keynote address at the Nebulas in Florida, and if all goes well we'll get to see a Shuttle launch while we're there. ::squee::

And the May issue of Analog (which was of course released at the beginning of March and is off the stands by now) was reviewed in the April Locus, where Rich Horton gave my story "Teaching the Pig to Sing" a Recommended review.