January 16, 2007

Computing as storytelling

From Russell Bates:

7 comments:

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
Don't know the original artist, as it was in a magazine article about Native writers at the end of the 70s or into the early 80s. But it fit the bill and so writerfella has used it for years as his own personal art symbol. Note that the computer is made of stone...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'

Kai said...

I love it.

Anonymous said...

I'm not trying to be a smartazz here, but, I don't get it. What does this mean? And writer fella don't jump down my throat here, just explain it.

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
Certainly, since there are no stupid questions if the inquirer is sincere. Native writers bring their own knowledge and culture and history and identity and, for some, their languages to stories about Natives that include all the authenticity and understanding and awareness that most non-Native writers do not possess. As with anything, there are exceptions, and writerfella does not mean Tony Hillerman, whose characters CANNOT think like Natives because that writer is non-Native. Instead, there is Frank Herbert (DUNE) whose novel, SOUL CATCHER, is superb; and R(aphael) A(loysius) Lafferty's intense yet comical novel OKLA HANALI and his short story "Narrow Valley"; and even Howard Waldrop's award-winning short stories "Custer's Last Jump" and "Green Brother". It must be something about the Irish (and SF writers, at that) that gives them their own tribal background to perform such lovely tributes to Native Americans...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'

Rob said...

See Fighting Sioux vs. Fighting Irish for a discussion of who suffered worse: the Indians or the Irish.

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
But there is no purpose to such a suggestion and so writerfella shall demur. After all, Frank Herbert and R.A. Lafferty were teachers and friends to writerfella, and Howard Waldrop (w/Steven Utley) is both friends and drinking buddies with writerfella. So, it seems that writerfella got the best of both the Irish and the Indians...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'

Rob said...

The purpose was to answer your implied question: What is it about the Irish that "gives them their own tribal background to perform such lovely tributes to Native Americans"? If you don't want to pursue this question, okay, but it's relevant to your comment.