Yay! Our spring issue is hot off the presses and we are delighted with it. It is rich with content and is beautiful (as usual), and will be sent to subscribers and to bookstores presently.

We have a beautiful piece by Ari Berk, a fabulous harp feature (check out Harps of Lorien!), and of course Be's wonderful contributions from the UK.  And we have a cat on the cover - see here:

Tree buds burst open,

Green grass and yellow windshield.

Rain begins anew.

Okay, the house is on fire.  There is an article going around about the proposed legislation regarding so-called Orphan Works. There are good things about this article and bad things - Mark Simons, the author of the piece, does have a lot of passion for the subject, but he has a tendency to come off a bit "OHMYGOD! The house is on fire! Everyone and everything you have ever loved will perish! You will never get out alive!!!!"

On the other hand if you were up last night researching this subject you might have come across some counterpoints on DeviantArt and in other places that outright deny that there is even smoke coming from the house. This blogger Meredith, for example, has a lovely way of writing so as to make Simon seem like an ODing head case: http://maradydd.livejournal.com/374886.html

Many other people on DeviantArt are suggesting that the bill was dropped in '06 and that is that, thank you very much.  Weeeeell, yes and no. The bill was dropped in '06, but they are forming committees to discuss it again and indeed do intend to draft and pass a bill within this congressional session.  If you are interested in this subject you should watch this: http://www.copyright.gov/video/testimony-3-13-08.html

It is a riveting (oy!) one and a half hour subcommittee meeting on the Orphan Works "problem," and in the end the committee head clearly states that a bill will move forward, so those with commercial interests should stay on their guard (total paraphrase, didn't feel like watching it AGAIN for exact quote).  The alarming thing for me was the total disregard for the suggestions made by Victor Perlman, the representative for photographers and other graphic workers/artists.  In what I thought was a terrific attempt at compromise, he suggested bowing to the needs of academia and posterity, while disallowing claims by for-profits.  Why, oh tell me, would the copyright office and others object so completely to that proposal as being "too broad?" Here is another link, this one to Perlman's proposal. It also has the neat effect of pretty-well stating what the bill might look like and what his objections would be: http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/Perlman080313.pdf

I encourage every artist to do their due diligence in researching this subject before forming an opinion, but do be prepared to sign petitions and contact your representatives if need be.  I will probably write more about this later, but in the meantime I will say, the house does appear to be on fire, your work could be at risk, but no, everything need not perish.  

Hi all,

Over the past few cycles Faerie Magazine has received many requests to do "emerging artist" features. We want to do this, but here's the thing...how do you define "emerging" artist? Any ideas? Do you have to be unrepresented? Unpublished? Only recently "artisitic"? Just kidding about that last one, though not entirely.  Perhaps it does have something to do with newness, but I don't think so.

So, come on, help a friend out. Do you consider yourself to be an emerging artist? Do you have ideas on the subject? Share them with me, in private or in public, either way.

And thanks in advance for your comments!

I stayed up late last night re-watching Withnail and I. Not a mistake, as it's a terribly clever movie, but now not only am I a bit underslept, I keep thinking of bits from the film, like "my thumbs have gone weird," and "I want something's flesh." Now if only I could go on a mini-holiday...

Charlotte is learning new signs all the time - she really likes it. Does anyone know what the asl sign is for fairy? Is there one, I wonder? Shouldn't there be? You know, if I worked at Vogue this would probably never come up...

Faerie Magazine has a groovy couple of contests and giveaways to be announced in our spring issue. I hope everyone enters for our various prizes. One is even a competitive contest, which should give people the chance to flex some creative muscles. More on that later...

...and back to work with me.