Transmissions from a Point in Space
When the only sure things in life are death and gatekeeping.
alexandraerin.substack.com/p/transmission…
When the only sure things in life are death and gatekeeping.
alexandraerin.substack.com/p/transmission…
A sidenote on this one... occasionally, when I point out that some author of a particular stature isn't actually a household name, I get people going, "Oh, like anyone has heard of you."
And statistically, no. No one has heard of me. No one has heard of most people.
And statistically, no. No one has heard of me. No one has heard of most people.
I think it's worth remembering that, any time some Big Name makes waves. Most people haven't heard of most people. It's a simple fact of life.
I do know who Norman Spinrad is, but, like... his name sounds like the name you would come up with if you were trying to come up with a name for someone nobody has heard of. You know?
Before his recent wave of notoriety, I mostly knew him for having written an episode of Star Trek. His career as a novelist is longer and I would imagine more noteworthy, but never happened to make an impression on me.
That's not a statement on him and it's not a statement on me. It's just life on a crowded world.
I don't actually much care who has or hasn't heard of whom. You don't win by being known. It's just that every time some guy makes waves with a bad take in the sf/f lit scene, it sparks a bunch of "Who is this guy?" "*gasp* You've never heard of Conrad Whizbang?"
Most people haven't heard of Conrad Whizbang.
Most people haven't heard of most people.
Most people haven't heard of most people.
And if "wrote an episode of Star Trek" = "has good opinions about science fiction"... I mean, by that standard even Gene Roddenberry would qualify.
