Charles Yu

Listed alongside geek buzz like the unveiling of Thor, Avengers, and Green Lantern, Charles Yu's How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe was named one if io9's biggest winners of Comic Con 2010. And then I saw Yu's changed cover art over at Caustic Cover Critic.

How to Live... comes out September 7, 2010 and the description says that his debut novel is "a razor-sharp, ridiculously funny, and utterly touching story of a son searching for his father...through quantum space–time."

From his Random House author page: "Charles Yu received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award for his story collection Third Class Superhero, and he has also received the Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award. His work has been published in the Harvard Review, The Gettysburg Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Mississippi Review, and Mid-American Review, among other journals. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Michelle, and their two children."

He had me at "quantum." I'll look forward to reading both of Yu's books.

• Twitter | Wikipedia | Facebook
• Entertainment Weekly review of Third Class Superhero (2006)
• Daily Beast interview (2010)
• Owl and Bear interview (2010)

Kartika Review

A quarterly publication, Kartika Review is an Asian American literary journal started in 2007. Their first issue featured an interview with Gene Luen Yang, creator of American Born Chinese. The journal is currently on issue seven and publishes book reviews, author interviews, poetry, essays, and artwork. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis so you can visit Kartika's submissions page to submit, advertise, or subscribe to their mailing list.

Kartika's mission statement:

"Kartika Review serves the Asian American community and those involved with Diasporic Asian-inspired literature. We scout for compelling Asian American creative writing and artwork to present to the public at large. Our editors actively solicit contributions from established virtuosos in our community in hopes their works here will inspire the next generation of virtuosos. We also want to promote emerging writers and artists we foresee to be the future powerhouses of their craft. Ultimately, Kartika strives to create a literary forum that caters to and celebrates the wordsmiths of the Asian Diaspora."

Also, the meaning behind Kartika's name is quite cool.

"In Vajrayana (or Tibetan) Buddhist tradition, the kartika, a crescent-shaped knife, symbolizes the cutting away of ignorance and superficiality, with the hopes that it will lead to enlightenment. The kartika is kept close during deep meditation or prayer. It serves mainly as a metaphorical reminder of our self-determined life missions and never is it actually wielded in the offensive against others. We took on this namesake because the kartika best represents this journal’s vision."

• Website | Blog | Facebook
• Past issues archive
• Link from Angry Asian Man
• Kartika's page on Duotrope Digest
• Post from Kartika about KWELI's call for submissions. KWELI is an online literary journal established to identify, promote, and nurture emerging writers of color.