Also discussed was the importance of protecting the diversity of languages and ways of facilitating access to relevant reading materials and resources for many people from disadvantaged backgrounds (Carole Bloch<\/b>). (See Project for Study of Alternative Education in South Africa<\/b>: PRAESA<\/a><\/i>. This reminded me of the several writing workshops I'd run in township schools in the past - rather than working through an isiXhosa interpreter, participants preferred to have me conduct it entirely in English - understandably seen by many as the desired language of power and access to the World. The drawback of this is the potential consequential impoverishment of their own rich languages - cue to a blog I wrote some years ago on the disappearance of Khoi-San peoples and languages, marginalized by political establishments out to seize their land and resources. <\/p>\n Both of these issues above are united by the urgent need to protect the world's diversity-in order to protect ourselves. These concerns will no doubt shape my own writing in some way as I pick up the pen again this year, my body and mind slowly regaining strength to write again. I will certainly never take for granted my health again - nor my family, nor others, nor the World beyond and within. <\/p>\n Firstly though, back to work as well, where I have just added to my set of essays on SF in SA<\/i>, in an essay entitled Our Ancestors are Not Ghosts<\/b> (part 11<\/i>). This is loosely about trying to hold back from judging non-Western stories using Western based genre concepts, i.e. respecting where stories come from. And, further, I start to finalise an account of South African speculative fiction for the Eaton Global Science Fiction Conference<\/b> at the University of California (Riverside)<\/i> next month (February) Finally, two short stories of mine were published last year, potentially eligible for awards, although there was a huge amount of good to excellent material published, with online 'zines now starting to rival the old print giants. <\/p>\n The stories were: Lunar Voices (on the Solar Wind) at Redstone Science Fiction<\/a> And 'Of Hearts and Monkeys' published in the Postscripts 22\/23 anthology entitled 'The Company He Keeps'. In the latter story, I write :"We must learn the words of the monkeys and the crocodiles if we are to survive this burnt but flowering world." p.367.<\/i> So, to learning and saving words, languages, nature, the world.<\/p>\n And may 2011 be a good year for you.<\/p>\n Nick Wood - January-February 2011<\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/eatonconference.ucr.edu\/2011\/speakers.php#NWood<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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