Thank You Mario, But Your Princess is in Another Castle

catherynne valente

Warren Ellis was once asked (well, not once but you get the picture) where he got gets his ideas. In the process of replying, he expressed the hot crazy sensation that inspired writing can bestow, the "... shivering, laughing and glowing in the dark" that a writer experiences every once in a three-in-the-morning, when you've just had An Idea.

Now imagine a writer that can make you feel that by reading her stuff.

catherynne valente

The article in the subject link was my introduction to her. After all, it's not every day that someone links a playthrough of Super Mario Bros. with Buddhist cosmology. Awesome.

Like most other people, I tend to like people whose memeplex, in the main, either complements or duplicates my own. In this instance, hers features several of my interests : ancient Japan, comparative mythology, f*@king around with the English language and so on. My only beef with her is her preference for the Heian era, but then again, she's a she. And a poet. It comes as no surprise and against her I hold it not.

catherynne valente

Until I've read more than mere excerpts, it remains to be seen whether, like Paul Evan Hughes, she can walk the fine line between brilliance and pretension or whether (like Paul Evan Hughes) she will often fall over on either side of said line. Whatever the case, I'll be keeping an eye on this one.