They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with David Silverberg, whose poetry collection, As Close to the Edge Without Going Over, comes out tomorrow from ChiZine’s imprint Kelp Queen Press!
What does David love when he’s not writing poetry about utopian and dystopian futures? Spoiler alert: authors that kicked off the spec-fic habit, eye-opening first-person shooters, Funkadelic sci-fi music, experimental filmmakers on YouTube, pictures that tell a thousand stories, fellow spec-fic poets, and the science upon which fiction is built. Intrigued? Read on to learn more!
My interest in spec fic began with Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and a healthy dose of the Xanth series books by Piers Anthony. My childhood friend Ilya and I practically had a two-person book club where we regularly rattled off what we loved about Anthony’s pun-heavy universe. We even wrote a few short stories inspired by our love of fantasy fiction.
When I started to read short stories, Harlan Ellison hooked me instantly. His collections got me hungry to read more of his work, whether it was pure sci-fi stories or beauts that leaned more into magic realism. He knew how to tell a story. He understood pacing, when to lean into snappy dialogue, when to let the tension build in silence. One of my biggest regret as a journalist is never getting a chance to interview him before he passed away in 2018.
When Ellison wrote about a writer he long admired, Theodore Sturgeon, I immediately logged onto Amazon to buy More Than Human, trusting my favorite author to only surround himself with remarkable talent. I wasn’t disappointed. This 1953 novel about a telepathic loner kept me turning page after page until I devoured it within two days. I began to realize I have rarely read speculative fiction pre-1970, which inspired me to pick up more collections and books from authors publishing in the 50s and 60s.
My love of horror began with Stephen King. In high school, I got my hands on anything boasting his byline, starting with Firestarter, moving onto Pet Sematary, Misery, The Shining, and The Stand. I voraciously watched all of his movies. Stand By Me remains one of my favorites among his non-horror cannon, while I got a soft spot for the film based on Pet Sematary because Aunt Zelda scared the bejesus out of me like few characters have on screen.
When I played video games like a fiend, Halo was an eye-opener for me. Sure, I’ve enjoyed first-person shooters such as Doom and Goldeneye, but Halo’s world of quirky aliens and gorgeous planets was never laid out in a game before. The sequels were even more addictive. Thankfully — for my journalism career and writing hobby — video games took a backseat in my early 30s once the gaming industry churned out less inspiring titles.
I have an oddball favorite here you might not expect in this column: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. This funkster extraordinaire has long been among my top three musicians, thanks to “Bop Gun,” “Flashlight,” and Chocolate City. A common thread among his music is a future world where black Americans take over the U.S. and wild spaceships and soulful aliens reign supreme. His live shows brought that sci-fi aesthetic on stage, which I witnessed for myself seven years ago when Clinton brought his massive band to Toronto Bluesfest.
YouTube has opened the door for many innovative filmmakers looking to experiment with the art form, and among them is Neill Blomkamp of District 9 fame. In the past year I’ve been loving every release from his new Oats Studio channel, where gorgeous CGI animation blend with captivating storytelling to offer audiences something we don’t get in our usual media diet. If I had to select just one Oats Studio video to watch, I’d recommend Zygote.
“Fishy Island” by Erik Johansson (2009)
I’ve long been a fan of unique photography, and one photog who bends reality to create something truly spectacular is Erik Johansson. Each photograph could practically evoke its own short story. I always like financially supporting artists I admire, so I’ve bought two of his prints that hang in my living room: “Fishy Island”(above) and “Go For Your Own Road.” These stunners are constantly admired by friends and family who stop by, with the most common exclamation being, “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before!”
Since I’m deeply embedded in the spoken word scene (I founded and still run Toronto Poetry Slam), several American and Canadian poets have inspired me to look at spec poetry in a new light. A few hat-tips deservedly go to Victoria’s Missie Peters, San Jose’s David Perez, L.A.’s Derrick Brown and Toronto’s David Clink (also a fellow ChiZine author). They all play with the spoken word and poetry form to create something refreshing, whether they’re looking at hard sci-fi, utopian visions, or geek culture.
As a journalist interested in where we’re headed, I’m a long-time reader and subscriber of Wired magazine, one of the few publications that consistently uncovers the science (both technical and social) behind the tech we’ll be using decades down the road. Their investigative reporting deserves more attention but hey, it’s hard out here for a print publication these days. I especially appreciate their annual fiction issue where they enlist some of the brightest science-fiction writers to pen a short story on what our future may look like, for better or worse.
David Silverberg’s new book of speculative poetry As Close to the Edge Without Going Over (ChiZine) is now available. He’s the author of the spoken word anthology Mic Check (Quattro Books) and founded the poetry series Toronto Poetry Slam. David has performed spoken word across Canada and Europe, and he’s also a two-time winner of Toronto’s Head-to-Head Haiku Deathmatch. He debuted his first solo show Jewnique in 2018. His non-fiction work regularly appears in The Washington Post, BBC News, Vice, Ars Technica, Broken Pencil, Rue Morgue Magazine, and many more. Find him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and via his website, where he blogs regularly.
Author Photo by Cesar Ghisilieri
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That photographer’s method is AMAZING. I think my favorite on the site is “Full Moon Service.” Gorgeous work. Thank you for sharing your favorites!