We’ve published our Author Interview with Karen Lord over at the Book Blog, so if you have time, do hop over and check it out. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather, so if you catch any mistakes, please feel free to let me know.

This interview marks the end of the first cycle of reviews/interviews and our first process post. We’ll be taking a short break and then we’ll be coming back with another cycle of reviews/interviews/discussions and more process posts.

This first period of reviewing/interviewing and publishing on the blog has been an interesting time. For this first period, I relied a bit on a template kind of interview with some stuff thrown in there, but I find myself wondering just what kinds of conversations would take place if instead of following a template, we allowed ourselves to let the conversation grow organically.

I realize that authors are very busy people who don’t really have all the time in the world to answer the curious questions of readers–hence the convenient template. But I just completed an organically grown interview and am in the process of doing another one. And I think this is how the second cycle is going to look like.

I want to see how the book blog will evolve. What kinds of conversations can we carry on around books, what kinds of conversations can we have with writers, artists, with people who encourage and grow other artists and writers.

I want to see where the intersections are between writers coming from non-western countries and writers coming from non-English speaking countries.

I also want to see the intersections between the various art forms, the struggle in literature, in sf/f, and even in academia. I want to see where these are connected to the work we engage in as people who continue to speak out against injustices and inequalities.

Where do we have common ground and what common things do we struggle for or struggle against. How do we make room for voices that need to be heard? How do we make space for the next generation?

I suppose I need to see these things in words, more for myself because when things are in words, they become visible.

I’m not really sure what will come of it, but I like how this is all going at the moment.