via Chrysalids words and music by Dan Watt. Performed by Dave Flitton (singer) and Dan Watt (player)
The Process of drawing the Queen of Caelum cover by Randy Bugdale.
Review of Cixin Liu’s “The Three-Body Problem” translated by Ken Liu
A couple of weeks ago I decided I needed to take a break from working on my own stories and read someone elses. As I walked down the aisles at Indigo’s in Cambridge (Canada) I came across an interesting title called “The Three-Body Problem” in the science fiction section.
This is a Hugo winning story for best science fiction originally written in Chinese and later translated into English and German.
After years of reading science, fantasy, and historical fiction along with other genres I didn’t think I could find something completely original to read. Cixin Liu’s book caught my attention and held it until the end. I’m not an astophycisist, nor an engineer, nor a mathematician so I am grateful he does an amazing job of explaining the sophisticated scientific concepts that run throughout the book. There is also the fascinating matter of taking me on a journey through Chinese history and way of thinking.
Ken Liu sums up the book for those of us brought up in the West in the postscript of the book: “The English words are arranged in such a way that the reader sees a glimpse of another culture’s pattern of thinking, hears an echo of another language’s rhythms and cadences, and feels a tremor of another people’s gestures and movements.”
A marvel of a story to read outdoors, or inside across from a large bay window, where you can glance up at the stars.
D.W.
Liu Cixin:
Ken Liu
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An Interview with Bill Ashwell, Co-author of a Great New Play called “Dark Sanctuary”
For anyone who missed my interview with Bill Ashwell, co-author of the play: Dark Sanctuary.
Interview with Bill Ashwell at the Blackwing Café, Cambridge Ontario, September 14, 2019.
After seeing the play Dark Sanctuary, co-written by my friend Bill Ashwell I enjoyed it so much that I asked him if I could interview him. If you want to know more about Bill I’ve included his bio at the end.
I just saw Dark Sanctuary, a play you co-wrote with Steve Robinson, and got so immersed in it I completely lost track of time. How did you first come up with idea for the play?
- It came from possibly too many nights watching old film noir movies on TCM: The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, Chinatown
How long did it take to write the play?
- Once Steve got me off my butt about writing, he and I had a first draft completed in about 3 months.
Because it’s a cloak and dagger play did it take a long time to make it flow properly?
- In a sense, yes. We had to frequently tweak the characters and the back stories to give more of a sense of their motivations. There had to be a viable reason for Father O’Rourke to support Nicky the way he did. And Detective Widmark needed his own backstory to be what he was.
A lot of social issues are brought up during the play. Was that intentional or did they implement themselves into the play as it evolved?
- A bit of both, I think. The issues of Nicky’s homelife and Father O’Rourke’s internal struggles are real and in a sense timeless, so to speak. We just worked them into the story to expand beyond the simple noir-ish stereotypes
Why did you choose to have the play take place in 1952?
- Simply, it fits with the film noir approach. But really, the time frame isn’t that much of a factor. Just sets the scene.
Some of the actors spoke with an Irish accent. Was that intentional?
- Again, it was all in keeping with the story. We wanted the archetypal characters; the kindly priest, the busybody house keeper, the hard-boiled police detective, without dwelling on the stereotypes, simplifying the characters to the point of parody. So the accents fit with the characters and, I suppose, vice versa.
I was very impressed with the choice of actors. Were they asked or did you have auditions?
- Mainly auditions. Steve put the call out and we auditioned quite a few local and area actors. I was quite impressed with the depth of talent in this area.
You’ve also written non plays. Can you tell us about your other writing and if it is available or will be soon?
- I began writing poetry waaaayy back in the ‘80s, but had no idea what to do with it of how to hone my craft. I stumbled across the Cambridge Writers Collective in 1995, a wonderful group of writers who taught me more about writing than I could have ever imagined. I have been fortunate enough to have had some of my work published and self-published.
- Poetry taught me to bend the physical rules of writing, that expression of the idea is, in some way, more important than composition. I struggle with rhyming poetry (and don’t get me started on limericks), so free verse poetry became the vehicle by which I could effectively express myself.
Bill Ashwell has been a member of the Cambridge Writers collective (CWC) since 1995. His poetry and prose have been published in several editions of CWC’s Writers Undercover Anthologies and The Cambridge Wartime Scrapbook. In 2001 he published Moments of Clarity, a chapbook collection of his poetry. In 2007 his work was published in the Ascent Aspiration Magazine’s: Aguaterra Anthology of poetry and fiction. Also in 2007 he was awarded the City of Cambridge’s prestigious Bernice Adams Memorial Award for Communication and Literary Arts. Bill has also participated in numerous public poetry readings, notably, at the Cambridge Arts Festival, the 2004 Remembrance Day Service at the Galt Cenotaph, and at various local celebrations of the spoken word.
You can reach Bill at: bashwell@gmail.com or text him at: 226-218-1242
Interview with Bill Ashwell at the Blackwing Café, Cambridge Ontario, September 14, 2019.
Co-author of the Play Noir “Dark Sanctuary”
After seeing the play Dark Sanctuary, co-written by my friend Bill Ashwell I enjoyed it so much that I asked him if I could interview him. If you want to know more about Bill I’ve included his bio at the end.
I just saw Dark Sanctuary, a play you co-wrote with Steve Robinson, and got so immersed in it I completely lost track of time. How did you first come up with idea for the play?
- It came from possibly too many nights watching old film noir movies on TCM: The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, Chinatown
How long did it take to write the play?
- Once Steve got me off my butt about writing, he and I had a first draft completed in about 3 months.
Because it’s…
View original post 541 more words
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An Interview with Bill Ashwell, Co-author of a Great New Play called “Dark Sanctuary”
Interview with Bill Ashwell at the Blackwing Café, Cambridge Ontario, September 14, 2019.
After seeing the play Dark Sanctuary, co-written by my friend Bill Ashwell I enjoyed it so much that I asked him if I could interview him. If you want to know more about Bill I’ve included his bio at the end.
I just saw Dark Sanctuary, a play you co-wrote with Steve Robinson, and got so immersed in it I completely lost track of time. How did you first come up with idea for the play?
- It came from possibly too many nights watching old film noir movies on TCM: The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, Chinatown
How long did it take to write the play?
- Once Steve got me off my butt about writing, he and I had a first draft completed in about 3 months.
Because it’s a cloak and dagger play did it take a long time to make it flow properly?
- In a sense, yes. We had to frequently tweak the characters and the back stories to give more of a sense of their motivations. There had to be a viable reason for Father O’Rourke to support Nicky the way he did. And Detective Widmark needed his own backstory to be what he was.
A lot of social issues are brought up during the play. Was that intentional or did they implement themselves into the play as it evolved?
- A bit of both, I think. The issues of Nicky’s homelife and Father O’Rourke’s internal struggles are real and in a sense timeless, so to speak. We just worked them into the story to expand beyond the simple noir-ish stereotypes
Why did you choose to have the play take place in 1952?
- Simply, it fits with the film noir approach. But really, the time frame isn’t that much of a factor. Just sets the scene.
Some of the actors spoke with an Irish accent. Was that intentional?
- Again, it was all in keeping with the story. We wanted the archetypal characters; the kindly priest, the busybody house keeper, the hard-boiled police detective, without dwelling on the stereotypes, simplifying the characters to the point of parody. So the accents fit with the characters and, I suppose, vice versa.
I was very impressed with the choice of actors. Were they asked or did you have auditions?
- Mainly auditions. Steve put the call out and we auditioned quite a few local and area actors. I was quite impressed with the depth of talent in this area.
You’ve also written non plays. Can you tell us about your other writing and if it is available or will be soon?
- I began writing poetry waaaayy back in the ‘80s, but had no idea what to do with it of how to hone my craft. I stumbled across the Cambridge Writers Collective in 1995, a wonderful group of writers who taught me more about writing than I could have ever imagined. I have been fortunate enough to have had some of my work published and self-published.
- Poetry taught me to bend the physical rules of writing, that expression of the idea is, in some way, more important than composition. I struggle with rhyming poetry (and don’t get me started on limericks), so free verse poetry became the vehicle by which I could effectively express myself.
Bill Ashwell has been a member of the Cambridge Writers collective (CWC) since 1995. His poetry and prose have been published in several editions of CWC’s Writers Undercover Anthologies and The Cambridge Wartime Scrapbook. In 2001 he published Moments of Clarity, a chapbook collection of his poetry. In 2007 his work was published in the Ascent Aspiration Magazine’s: Aguaterra Anthology of poetry and fiction. Also in 2007 he was awarded the City of Cambridge’s prestigious Bernice Adams Memorial Award for Communication and Literary Arts. Bill has also participated in numerous public poetry readings, notably, at the Cambridge Arts Festival, the 2004 Remembrance Day Service at the Galt Cenotaph, and at various local celebrations of the spoken word.
You can reach Bill at: bashwell@gmail.com or text him at: 226-218-1242
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Rita Walker (Blog Seven): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
Rita Walker (Blog Seven): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
Black argillite is only found on Haida Gwaii. The Haida artist would often carve out the design for a totem pole on the argillite rock first.
https://www.crystalcabingallery.com/blog/2018/01/27/argillite-stone-of-haida-gwaii
Native American bands have a name for the full moon of each month. The Sturgeon full moon occurs in August.
https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/native-american-full-moon-names/
She clenches her eyelids closed knowing the Sturgeon moon is trying to pierce its silver light through her curtains. Her hands clench onto her bed sheets as her body twists with desire to rip the curtains away. It is good she lives alone now. When she opens her eyes everything in the room is lighter and more distinguishable. She forces her eyelids closed again and focuses on calming her breathing and her need to change. Her thoughts wander back to her younger years.
Her parents took her and her brother to camp beside Tlell River. While her father and brother fished for salmon her mother weaved a new hat for her farther out of cedar bark and spruce roots while watching for bears. Bored, Rita decided to explore on her own. Entering the cedar forest that borders much of the river she became lost. She tried calling out in every direction but there was no reply. Terrified she sat on a moss covered log and grabbed up a handful of soil. She lay down on the log and exhausted slept.
In a dream she stood up from the log and opened her hand. On her palm was a small pile of soil. The soil levitated off her hand as tiny kernels and drifted in the moonlight towards a cavern made from the roots of an ancient redwood that stood tall and strong. Mystified by the floating soil, Rita followed it into the maw of the cavern where it pulsed with light. Inside she heard breathing and turned abruptly to her right. She saw a young woman wearing the same type of cloak as the Vilas. The woman’s dark hair and stern eyes told Rita that this was a Tuath Dé Danann. The young woman held out a necklace made of argillite stones. Rita’s hands shook as she gently took the necklace and clasped it around her neck. To her horror the necklace buried itself into her skin and attached itself to her collarbone. In a hypnotic voice with an Irish accent the young woman in the cloak told her, “When the Salmon Moon arrives you will dream of the ancient one Ailbe Rose and she will bless you so you may change for real. Soon after that you must call upon Rae, for she is originally from here and will guide you well through these lands. For now see little one, see with feline eyes but let neither wolf nor bear catch sight of you.”
That’s the first time Rita’s vision changed so everything became brighter in the night. She found her family’s tent but did not go near until her sight returned to normal.
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Rita Walker (Blog Six): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
Rita Walker (Blog Six): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
An interesting twist. The Haida believe that animals are more intelligent than humans and can transform into human form. If you are from the Haida it would be good to hear from you. Why have we included Indio’s (Gordon Peterson) song Hard Sun? We’ll leave that up to you to figure out.
https://prezi.com/vy0c2vx1kudj/the-haida-tribe-spiritual-beliefs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tVvQUAcf4
Lying in her bed Rita stares at the black cloth of the curtain that blocks the view of the night sky. Soon she will pull the curtain back but not yet. She turns off the lamp beside her bed and stares up into the darkness of the room. She thinks of the Indio song Hard Sun, and the verse: When I look to leave her I always stagger back again. The song reminds her of the first time her world changed.
She was born in Haida Gwaii to parents with ancestry in both Haida and the Vikings, and something else that her parents never discussed with her. She was a little girl when she learned of her difference. What she thought was unique she later discovered to be very rare. Lying in a four person tent with her parents and older brother in the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, with the rain pitter-pattering against the tent’s canvas, she dreamt.
She crawled along one of the nearby trails on her hands and knees with her blanket over her back. In the dream she needed to move like this during the night in order to sleep. Occasionally she would nap on her blanket then continue crawling.
The dawn light awoke her but she was not sleeping in the tent. She grabbed her blanket and stood up. Looking back at the trail she had crawled along she saw the imprint of a cat’s paws as far back as she could see. She ran back to her parent’s tent. Peering into the tent she saw they were all asleep. She did not want to disturb their slumber so rolled into her blanket near the fire pit her father had made. The second dream that night was the one that changed her forever.
She stood in a field of deciduous and coniferous trees. Near her a young woman in a blue cloak stood. Rita just knew she was one of two sisters. This sister was a Vilas who answers to the Ailbe Rose, an ancient being who resides in Ireland. Rita had stared wide eyed as the Vilas picked up soil from the ground with one hand and took one of Rita’s with the other. The Vilas turned her hand with the soil over and let it pour into Rita’s. When Rita’s hand was full so that the extra soil flowed off her hand back to the ground the Vilas closed Rita’s hand over the soil remaining. When Rita opened her hand with the soil there was nothing there and the dream ended.
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Rita Walker (Blog Five): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
Rita Walker (Blog Five): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
Food waste is both a moral and survival concern. We need to remember where the food we consume comes from.
http://news.mit.edu/2014/engineers-design-living-materials
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/compost-pilot-downtown-kitchener-ontario-1.5225440
https://www.biogasworld.com/companies/bio-en-power-inc/
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3kn8ew/the-ethics-of-hunting-seals
“You’re so good at anatomy,” Zsofia says as she looks at her posture in a mirror. “I should have taken massage therapy like you did instead of that two weekend personal training course.”
“You were too busy with your Naturopathy course,” Rita replies. “Draw in your lower abs by your pelvis to stabilize and stretch up. You have fantastic posture as always.”
“Do you think Mother Earth will ever have perfect posture?”
Rita has to contemplate Zsofia’s question. She realizes perfect posture represents the melding of nature with technology. “Mother Earth is always changing, evolving. Now technology is evolving closer to nature. Engineers have started experimenting making computer parts with living material.”
“I agree with you, Nature will always find a way to return,” Zsofia says. “What I’m interested in currently is the reuse of food we all waste at restaurants.”
“That’s true we waste so much of life on our dinner plates,” Rita says as they walk towards the change room.
“There’s some hope there,” Zsofia says with a smile. “Years ago the Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement Area initiated a pilot program that sends waste food from restaurants to Bio En Power in Elmira. Bio En Power turns the food waste into biogas that’s used for fertilizer.”
“We still need to decrease the waste.” Rita opens her designated locker and passes Zsofia her duffel bag. “Especially meat. People need to respect that what they are eating used to be alive.”
“Dogs, cats, birds of prey, bears, and numerous other animals and mammals eat meat Rita.”
“I’m not suggesting people stop eating meat just respect it. Perhaps the custom no longer exists but the Inuit used to pour water from their mouths into the mouth of a seal they killed—in thankfulness for the seal giving up its life. Every part of the seal was used for either food or clothing.”
“It will be hard not to waste that much food,” Zsofia says as they walk to the parking lot. “We inspect the food we eat, we choose what we want to eat, and if we’re no longer hungry at a restaurant we either take a doggy bag or it ends up as waste.”
“Someday we’ll just have to accept what’s available instead of demanding that everything be available at all times.” Rita gives Zsofia a hug. “I’m looking forward to you doing a guest lecture.”
“Soon,” Zsofia promises.
Rita contemplates their conversation as she watches Zsofia drive away.
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Rita Walker (Blog Four): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
Rita Walker (Blog Four): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
There are different perspectives on testing medicines. Does a person care singularly about themselves, see humans as more important and that the rest of life exists to assist them in surviving, or that all life is sacred and should only be killed for food and protection? Technology is getting closer to ridding the need for animal testing and there are options for non-animal tested products.
https://www.euronews.com/living/2019/03/03/cosmetics-what-are-the-alternatives-to-animal-testing
https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/these-companies-dont-test-on-animals/
https://www.quora.com/Do-biomedical-engineers-or-biomedical-scientists-involve-work-with-animals
As Rita does stability ball crunches while Zsofia checks her form she contemplates corporate greed. Her purpose isn’t to point at a defined enemy such as a singular corporation or person. If she has to define an enemy it will be a naïve and destructive ideology that sees attrition not collaboration as the ideal way of life.
“Tell me more about the Biomedical course you’re teaching,” she says once her oblique are too fatigued to do anymore side crunches on the ball.
Zsofia stands up and stretches. “It’s interesting. With modern technology we can evaluate what extracts from herbs can be used to cure a limitless amount of illnesses without the severe side effects that drugs used to cause to certain individuals. Education is looking at being one with nature instead of separate. Although my course is based on herbs for medicinal purposes we’re also using the technology to test soaps, detergents, and other cosmetic products without having to use animals.”
At the mention of using animals to test products Rita’s eyes tear up. “That is such a worthy endeavor.”
“I know,” Zsofia replies as she lies down on the stability ball to do crunches. “The more we understand how life works the more we can develop technology that doesn’t destroy it.”
“Are drugs like antibiotics still necessary? Good form on the ab crunches.”
“Thank you,” Zsofia says with a grunt as she finishes her set. “Yes drugs are still needed but we know how much to give an individual much better now.”
“How would you know?”
“Originally it was trial and error. Now we can do genetic scans to know better how a drug will affect different individuals. “
“Like eating?” Rita asks. “The same foods can affect different people in a variety of ways?”
“Yes. Some people are lactose intolerant, others have food allergies to peanuts that could kill them.”
“Everyone is equal but not the same,” Rita says as she lends Zsofia a hand to stand up.
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Rita Walker (Blog Three): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
Rita Walker (Blog Three): By Dan Watt and Taylor Norris
The University of Waterloo is using negative electrodes made of lithium metal to potentially triple the range of current electric vehicle batteries. There are more and more hybrid and electric cars available including BMW i3. However, the question is where does the energy to power the cars come from (hydro, coal, nuclear etc.) and how are the batteries produced and what happens with them when they expire.
https://www.bmw.ca/en/all-models/bmw-i/i3/2017/at-a-glance.html
https://uwaterloo.ca/news/news/battery-research-could-triple-range-electric-vehicles
It will be another week before Rita starts her Environmental Technology class. That gives her some time to acclimatize to her new surroundings in Brantford. For now she is staying in Kaydee’s basement where Kaydee and her husband Shikellamy added a bathroom and separate walk out. It’s cozy with a large bedroom, rec room and even a den with its own window. The house is on a ridge overlooking the Grand River. Rita simply walks out through the rec room’s glass door and up stone steps to get to the street. Winter might be a bit slippery but Shikellamy should have a railing put in by then.
A major goal for her course is to take the class to different businesses to see firsthand how technology is working with the environment. Rita has also invited guest speakers to talk to the class. One of them she is meeting today.
Zsofia Juhász is a professor at the University of Waterloo’s Biomedical Science program specializing in medicinal herbs. Rita met Zsofia under strenuous circumstances when they were both much younger. Zsofia never told anyone about Rita’s secret and that has made her a very close and trusted friend. As fitness buffs they agreed to meet at the college’s gym before going to lunch.
Rita can’t help but smile as she sees Zsofia pull into the college’s parking lot in a dark blue BMW i3. Zsofia long brown hair blows in the wind as she tosses her duffel bag over her shoulder. The way she walks towards Rita in her tight black jacket and exercise pants says athlete.
“Nice car!” Rita says at the entrance to the college as they hug.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Zsofia whispers with a mischievous grin but the engineering department at the university adapted it so it now has their latest battery technology.”
“Greener?” Rita asks.
“And I can go much farther before recharging.”
As they talk Rita takes Zsofia to the newly built gym.
“So what’s the objective of your course?” Zsofia asks.
Rita takes in a deep breath and gives her a determined smile. “We keep hearing about our demise as a species and maybe the Earth’s but there’s nothing good about following that way of thinking. I want to show the general public and businesses that we can make positive changes.”
“That’s a difficult task Rita,” Zsofia says with a warning glance. “You have to consider the environment, business, and social interaction.”
“True and I have. If you own a manufacturing company that is releasing caustic chemicals into the atmosphere and I can offer a solution that doesn’t mean shutting your factory down….” Rita stops to let what she’s suggesting sink in.
“If you can,” Zsofia replies.
“Don’t know unless you try. Negative thinking is a downward spiral.”
“Businesses, especially international business might not want to be told they have to change.”
“I don’t want to tell them what to do. I want to work with them to come up with a better and still productive solution.”
As Zsofia ties up her shoes she says, “Well, I’m here to help where I can.”
“How’s your Biomedical course on Herbalism going?” Rita asks to change the subject.
“There’s still such a divide between Pharmacy and Herbalism but I’ll try to keep your positive and inclusive attitude and try not to think of corporate greed.”
Caedar Writing & Artwork 