Mike Westphal
@mfwestphal
Biologist, writer, father of three, anti-fascist. he/him
Speaking of Szafran, I thought of this while scrolling through your covers, do you have it?
Taking the Women of Afrofuturism tour at the San Francisco Airport & words can’t describe how charmed I am to be walking around a major airport following a woman brandishing a picture of Octavia Butler
Read @hntdove.bsky.social ‘s new novella OR EVEN EAGLE FLEW right out of the mailer, enjoyed every bit of it. Timely reminder of the price that so many paid to take down the Nazis.
Diesel is $6.66 at my local Chevron station. Probably doesn’t mean anything…
This hung on the wall above the big antique rolltop in the den all during my childhood. I keep it in a closet now. The imagery is burned deeply indeed into my psyche.
This gem just arrived. The discerning eye will see something familiar about the illustration, because it is, indeed, by Richard Powers, famed SF illustrator. A true relic of the 50’s that (I hope) held a place of honor on a shelf behind someone’s home bar, the Calder mobile spinning slowly above it.
Driving with my son from Salt Lake City to his new home in Charlotte NC, stopped, by sheer dumb luck, in New Albany MS, birthplace of Wm Faulkner
It’s not hard to find the modern Mansard roof in older neighborhoods in Salt Lake City, mostly on drab 70’s apartment and office buildings, but whoever built this thing really committed, chef’s kiss
Best thing about that bridge are the four golden bears, two at either end. They look at you as you drive onto the bridge, and show their butts to you as you drive off
Very stoked to come home & find FOUR EDGELAND WALKS by @christopherbrown.bsky.social in my mailbox!
That amazing cover is a variant of “L’oeil du silence” by Max Ernst and has been on at least one other notable book — Ballard’s THE CRYSTAL WORLD
Just realized that THE MATRIX (1999) has been around longer as of today than THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) had been when I first saw it
THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955) I recently had an epiphany where I realized that the Metalunans presented as highly evolved Mad Men and since then what this movie meant to me as a kid makes more sense to me now.
It’s the season! This guy was hanging out by my front door last night!
Scrutinizing this bullshit that the pedophile in chief posted yesterday. Recalling him watching with glee as our Capitol had its windows smashed, or ordering the East Wing to be razed without going through proper procedure. How can anybody believe this guy gives a rat’s ass about Federal buildings?
A holiday miracle! I’ve had the great good fortune to finally obtain the elusive Doubleday Anchor A205(alternate), THE GRAND MADEMOISELLE by Francis Steegmuller. Which, as it happens, is the only known collaboration between Andy Warhol and Edward Gorey.
Margaret Hamilton was a great person and a great actor. I find myself frequently revisiting her performance in Oz when she’s asking for the ruby slippers back. She could be hamming it up as a cackling baddie, but with her eyes alone, she gives us this split second of vulnerability and need.
Wow, the first thing I thought of when I saw that marble hand, before I even realized you were talking about Gorey, was this other Gorey hand.
Choosing THE WOODS ALL BLACK by @leemandelo.bsky.social for my Hallowe’en purchase at the (awesome) Legendarium in Salt Lake City!
Happy Hallowe’en to all who observe, direct from the Great Saltair, the original Carnival of Souls!