In Memory of Tom Wiloch 1953-2008

[alanajoli]

The Now Is Fragile

There is no childhood, except in our memories, and
there is no super man, except in our dreams.
All is memory and imagination. We remember a past
now gone; we imagine a future we will never see.
The now is fragile.
We sit before a sheet of blank paper. We lift a pencil.
We charge this white pulp with meaning.

This poem is by Tom Wiloch, the person who trained me in my very first editorial job, taught me the value of using the Chicago Manual of Style judiciously, and was one of the two people to introduce me to Marvin's in West Bloomfield, MI. He passed away earlier this month, which I found out today from one of my editors who also previously worked with Tom. I didn't know until searching for his obituaries that he was such an accomplished writer.

The poem above I borrowed from an obituary written by Tom Ligotti's website. I hope neither Tom will mind.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I am sorry you lost a friend.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Thank you. We've been out of touch since we were coworkers for the most part, but I'm never sure whether that makes the loss easier or harder. I suspect it's easier in the long run, but with a higher proportion of regret.

[faerie-writer.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about your friend, Alana.

(P.S. Our stories are up at CW!)

[faerie-writer.livejournal.com]

Alana, I just finished 'Nomi's Wish' and had to tell you how much I LOVED it! Wow, it was like an amazing tapestry of a story! You're not a storyteller. You're a story-weaver! :D

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! (Now I wish I'd put story-weaver on my business card... it's got a lovely ring to it. *g*) And thank you for both the condolences and the news about the update. I'm so excited to read all the stories! (Maybe I'll get a break in my editing to do so later today...)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Forgive me for leaving a comment about your beautiful story here, at an entry you've written about your friend's death?

Though maybe it works out okay, given how death was woven into your story...

I was so, so impressed by how you wove together the different times and different scenes, adding in new strands of information and bringing us right to the end, when at last we could see how it all fit together. That was just genius. And Nomi's deep understanding of wishes, and her ability to send one into the future was marvelous, and really touching.

Also, you made me Google the Chasms. Scary-beautiful.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

I had better post another entry again soon, so that people feel as though they can comment. I am so glad you enjoyed the story--and googled the Chasms. They are well and truly beautiful, though I admit that much of what I saw of them was through a layer of mist. My sister and I, when we traveled there, did not make the mistake of venturing out into them.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you were not in Nomi or Lou's position!

That portion of the story reminded me of an experience I had, walking with three small children and an infant in a sling along the cliffs of Dorset. We got lost, the day was getting late--but no one fell off a cliff, thank goodness. We wandered inland; then the youngest of the ones who was walking needed a piggy back... and that was how we showed up at a cottage on National Trust land. The people living there kindly let the kids veg out in front of a TV while I phoned my mother-in-law, who came and rescued me.

The funny thing was, I doubt we walked more than five or six miles in all. Amazing how little it takes to have an adventure, especially on short legs.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Oh! That's so very close to what happened to my sister and me--we wound up walking inland and getting to a Heritage site just as it was about to close! Thank goodness they let us in to dry off a bit. We were both very soggy from the fog and condensation on the hiking trail.

I'm very glad I wasn't in a position to be responsible for young ones when we went--having two of us responsible for each other is much less stressful in my mind than being the one person responsible for several small ones!