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FEATURED ASSOCIATE
FIRST FEATURED: 03/21/06
ASSOCIATE SINCE: 2005
CURRENT ADMINISTRATOR: Dan Gunter
FOUNDER: Mike Berro
URL: p078.ezboard.com/bjackvance
FOUNDED IN: July 1999
MAIN INTERESTS: Literary discussion, the works of author Jack Vance
To attempt a description of the Jack Vance message board community is a task akin to pinpointing Hamlet's true motivation or to following the curves of the Mobius strip: a worthwhile and challenging endeavor, even if a conclusive destination is impossible to reach. The roots of this community go back to the middle 1990's when Mike Berro originally founded the Jack Vance Information page. Though the mantle of administrative leadership has since passed to David Pierce and then to Dan Gunter, Berro still contributes to the page with "his deep knowledge of Vance, and his levelheadedness," says Gunter. Board regulars include author and novelist Matthew Hughes, who Gunter describes as "the unofficial 'second author' of the
board."
The literacy pursuits of the regulars at the Jack Vance board are numerous. Administrator axolotl is a published literary translator and David B. Williams is currently at work on a literary biography of Jack Vance. The literary resumes of Vance Board members should come as no surprise; the atmosphere on the board is one of intellectual and gentlemanly discussion, an atmosphere, according to Gunter, "marked by a high degree of goodwill and mutual respect." Asked to characterize the membership on the Vance Board, Hughes comments, "We are the kind of people who read Vance, then read him again, then yet again. What more need be said?" For prospective members, Williams suggests getting a taste of their favorite author: "Because we are all Vance fanatics, a knowledge of the Vancean oeuvre would be helpful for newcomers to understand some of the allusions and references."
While intelligent literary discussion centered on their favorite author is the center of the Jack Vance Board, don't jump to any conclusions - the Vance Board is most certainly not the online equivalent of a dusty wood-paneled library full of craggy professors. It's more like the wood-paneled campus bar where profs and grads meet to share brews and swap ideas. "I would add that," axolotl warns, "we are not single-minded in our interests. I'd say that most of us read books apart from Jack's, and those books cover all possible genres." Oofy
Prosser describes this dynamic group, saying "some of us are inexhaustibly young at heart, slim, reasonably hirsute, and loquacious to something rather less than a fault." Vermoulian makes a convincing argument for anyone considering joining the ranks of Vance readers: "Vance fans are set apart from the common ruck by their relatively consistent appreciation of really good whiskey." Member pecooper remarks, "Everyone on this board is a member of [the species] Intelligent Equus Asinus. No meaningful description of the board, or its users, is possible without understanding this."
While in such a short space, any more than a taste of the Jack Vance Board community is impossible, newcomers should be advised that there exists no finer way to become acquainted with the works of Jack Vance. Thoughtful readers of alternative reality fiction will find this Vancean community an unparalleled center for literary discussion and comradery.
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For more information on how to become an associate of ARWZ Magazine, please visit our Associates Page. Also please check out the profiles of our other Featured Associates.
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Oh, dear, ARWZ has gone quiet...
06/06/2011
Author: Violanthe
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:21 pm
Hi Nik... yes unfortunately the forums haven't been getting much attention lately. I also haven't been reading/watching much SFF lately and so the reviews aren't coming very fast either. Thanks for keeping tabs on us and... read more
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How happy is your ending?
12/28/2010
Author: Nik
Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 7:25 pm
I prefer upbeat endings providing they're the logical conclusion of the story's arc, not a 'deux ex machina' or equivalent , eg a 'with a leap, he was free'...
It's the little things, sometimes: Saving the galaxy is hard to keep... read more
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Story Cross-Pollination
09/07/2010
Author: mephisto
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:27 pm
It depends how fgar into a story I am; the further in, the less I will be inclined to work on something else. If I am headed for the final climax, I won't want to work on or start anything else until I am done.
Mainly I... read more
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Structure
09/07/2010
Author: mephisto
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:23 pm
Hmm ... I hadn't heard that about the events of a chapter making the events of the following chapter possible, but that is essentially how I operate. Let's see, I haveto admit that when I first start I don't have much... read more
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Character Development, on the page or off?
09/07/2010
Author: mephisto
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:11 pm
It varies with how centrally the character's role is to the story. For important characters, I usually start out with a general concept of the type of person the character is. Sort of like archetypes; not in the sense of role... read more
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Talent or Practice?
09/07/2010
Author: mephisto
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 11:32 am
That question is raised on just about any subject. In my leadership classes, the question is often posed as to whether leadership is an inborn trait or learned. My answer here is the same as my answer there. evryone has... read more
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Start with dialog?
09/07/2010
Author: mephisto
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 11:01 am
Hi Vio,
You were always good at coming up with great questions.
In reference to Queen's "con" (or is it Qota for short?) the writing really shouldn't have anything that doesn't forward the story line. (And before you... read more
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Buy the Cover? (7/15)
07/15/2010
Author: Violanthe
Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 12:55 pm
Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book.
Would you buy this book having looked... read more
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Favorite Setting
07/07/2010
Author: SKS
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:09 pm
Do you prefer stories that take place... in a city? In a rural area? On a beach? In a small town? In a foreign country? etc. etc? read more
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Buy the Cover? (7/6)
07/06/2010
Author: Violanthe
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 4:01 pm
Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book.
Would you buy this book having looked... read more
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The Price you Pay
06/23/2010
Author: Violanthe
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:20 pm
How much is too much for a book or DVD? How much will you pay for your favorite author or show? read more
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Buy the Cover? (6/23)
06/23/2010
Author: Violanthe
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:17 pm
Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book.
Would you buy this book having looked... read more
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Do you go to your library?
06/22/2010
Author: SKS
Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:26 pm
Do you use your local library? How often? read more
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Buy the Cover? (6/22)
06/22/2010
Author: Violanthe
Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:23 pm
Look at the following cover. Imagine that you have only the cover and the information it provides (including images, title and author name) to decide whether to buy this (or any) book.
Would you buy this book having looked... read more
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Didn't sit well
06/17/2010
Author: Violanthe
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:29 pm
Have you read or watched anything lately that just didn't sit well with you? Something that bothered you or kept you thinking? read more
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