It’s time to head back to San Jose, California for the second episode of Eating the Fantastic recorded during this year’s World Science Fiction Convention.
On the same day I went out for last episode’s lunch with Pat Cadigan, winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for her novelette “The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi” — we went out for sushi, of course — I also went out to dinner with K. Tempest Bradford for one of the best meals of that extended weekend in the Santana Row neighborhood at Amber India.
K. Tempest Bradford’s short stories have been published in such magazines as Abyss & Apex, Sybil’s Garage, Electric Velocipede, and Farthing, and anthologies like Clockwork Cairo, Diverse Energies, Federations, and Shadow of the Towers: Speculative Stories of a Post 9/11 World. Her non-fiction has appeared at NPR, io9, xoJane, plus the Angry Black Woman blog, sometimes — as you’ll hear us discuss — going viral. Along with Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward, she teaches the Writing the Other workshop, and is on the board of the Carl Brandon Society. She also happens to be one of the funniest people I know. Whenever I’m with Tempest, I can be assured there will be laughter.
We discussed how her Egyptian Afro-retro-futurism idea grew from a short story into a series of novels, the way she used crowdfunding to complete the research she needed, why her discovery of my Science Fiction Age magazine means I bear the responsibility for all she’s done since, how an online writing community gave her the confidence to be a writer, the advice from Samuel R. Delany she embraces the most, why she set aside her goal of becoming an opera singer and decided to become a writer instead, the reason there are so many female monsters in Greek mythology, how she blew up the Internet with her “Stop Reading White, Straight, Cis Male Authors for One Year” challenge, her extremely strong opinions about Steven Moffat’s version of Doctor Who, and much more.
Here’s how you can join us at the table—
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Have a look at the delicious food we shared at Amber India—
Podi Scallops
south indian spice-dusted seared scallops
Trio of Bread
naan, paratha, and methi aloo mutter
Butter Chicken
shredded tandori chicken, slowly simmered tomato sauce
Lamb Roganjosh
stewed colorado lamb chunks, fennel seeds, brown onion, and yogurt
Gulab Jamun
milk dumplings and rose-flavored sauce
Date & Walnut Kulfi
traditional indian frozen dessert
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I hope you’ll join me next episode to eavesdrop on an amazing Mexican lunch with Rebecca Ronahorse, who earlier this year won the Nebula award, and the Hugo Award, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New writer.
