My class this summer was plagued with more than the usual difficulties in attendance and getting the work completed on time. They were stretched thin, often carrying too many hours, working too many jobs, worried about money, sleep, illness, debt, etc. If you have some notion of the carefree college student who’s only looking for the next bong hit or keg of beer, you need to update. They’re carrying serious debt to prepare themselves for the crappiest job market in decades. When I went to college, I could put myself through at a public tax-supported university, earning four degrees with very little debt. We boomers had it great, but things have gotten awful stingy for the young now. Personally, I don’t want my taxes cut, so we can raise tuition. Give these kids the same break we had. The kids are alright, but I have my doubts about the stingy older generation.  When we’re old and drooling, we might regret our short-sightedness when there aren’t enough educated professionals to look after our sorry asses.

I’m headed to the woods for some post class reflection in the Blue Ridge, but a few words first about the Online Fiction experiment.  While my experience teaching sf and fantasy in recent years to a largely “mundane” audience has been that the genres are much more accessible to a general readership than is generally supposed, the most lauded fiction online by the sf community was the least successful with my students.  For good reason too.  “The Things” is symptomatic.  It depends for its success on more than a passing knowledge of a 1982 sf film, like everybody the story cares to reach has that, right?  I like the film, but it’s not exactly the gospels or the Odyssey.  “Spar” once you wade through all those fucks doesn’t do much past the shock value.  Geeks can say fuck too.  I wanted the debriefing.  Most successful with the class was probably “Light on the Water” for the impressive feat of making us care about a love story between buildings.  I liked “Standard Loneliness Package” but found it too similar to the IMO superior “Daughter of the Monkey God,” by M. K. Hobson, which can be found in Ellen Datlow’s stunning e-collection Digital Domains.  It’s full of gems.  Meanwhile I’m reading Bleak House to cleanse the palate.

As part of the Twenty-First Century Fantastic class this summer, we’ll be looking at a sampling of online fiction for the last few years.  These are all terrific stories that have garnered a good deal of praise and prizes.  Enjoy.

Strange Horizons
Helen Keeble. “A Journal of Certain Events of Scientific Interest from the First Survey Voyage of the Southern Waters by HMS Ocelot, As Observed by Professor Thaddeus Boswell, DPhil, MSc, or, A Lullaby”—(June 1 and 8, 2009) Part 1, Part 2

Clarkesworld Magazine
Kij Johnson. “Spar” (Issue 37; October 2009)

Peter Watts. “The Things” (Issue 40; January 2010)

Catherine Valente. “13 Ways of Looking at Space Time” (Issue 47;August 2010)

Lightspeed Magazine
Carrie Vaughn. “Amaryllis” (Issue 1; June 2010)

Vylar Kaftan. “I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno” (Issue 1; June 2010)

Charles Yu. “Standard Loneliness Package” (Issue 6, November 2010)

Fantasy Magazine
Kat Howard. “Choose Your Own Adventure.” (in April 2011 issue)

Genevieve Valentine. “Light on the Water” (October 2009)

Tor.com
Rachel Swirsky. “Eros, Philia, Agape”

_____________. “A Memory of Wind”