What follows is a compilation of several posts Maria Barry made to the Visionary Fiction Group blog on Goodreads.com. She agreed to our reposting them, with a few editorial liberties, here on the VFA site. About Maria Barry I am a publisher/publicist, part of the UK based John Hunt Publishing Ltd. My background is mind,…
Too smart for ageless wisdom teachings? We don’t need wisdom teachings from the past to guide us on our journeys toward self-discovery, right? We have science. We have technological gadgets galore. We are so full of confidence, determination and eagerness to push forward that we hardly even read the instructions that come with our purchases and assignments anymore. As my granddaughter says when…
Summer has exhaled and faded. The nights are beginning to lengthen. Leaves burnish in shades of red, gold, and orange, and drop from the trees. The last of the harvest is gathered, and the remains of the crops are tilled back into the fields to nourish the soil for next year’s planting. Our lived life is…
Reading I don’t recall learning to read. Nor do I remember ever not reading. With two parents who read and wrote as regularly as they breathed, it was natural to follow suit. I grew up on an isolated farm without a radio or TV, so books were it for information and entertainment. But I was…
“Buen Camino!” These words offer wishes of good fortune to travelers of the Camino, or ‘The Way,’ – a pilgrimage on the Compostela de Santiago trail that runs from southern France through northern Spain. A friend from my writing critique group recently invited me to trek this 500 mile path with her. I was excited…
Just today, Sept 4, 2013, I received the following email from Monty Jones, author of the classic Visionary Fiction Booker series (Naked into the Night, Lost in Las Vegas, Dead Water Rights), and I want to share his generous offer on what may be the final edition of his printed works with members of…
I didn’t choose to write visionary fiction; it chose me. This may sound strange to you and what I’m about to share even stranger, but I can think of no better way to explain how I ended up writing in a genre that parallels the new neural sciences and has yet to find a receptive audience. A word from…
We all like to be acknowledged for our talents, for our creativity, for our accomplishments. Writers are no different. We get input from our critique groups, our beta readers, our agents, editors, and publishers. But we especially appreciate the feedback and reviews received from readers. We love to know if our book touched them, helped…
The yellow lights came on, flashing furiously, at the blurb describing Perri Birney’s, PURE VISION, The Magdalene Revelation: stolen ancient artifact…dangerous journey…legendary treasures…clandestine pseudo-Masonic group.
I write visionary fiction. Unfortunately, mainstream agents and publishers do not recognize visionary fiction as a genre. In fact, they have dubbed it “the kiss of death” with the flat of their swords. In the past, visionary fiction was heavy on preaching and light on storytelling, so it deserved temporary banishment to the time-out corner. But…
Eleni Papanou interviews Tui Allen Hi Tui. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview. I have to say, Ripple: A Dolphin Love Story deserves five stars for its originality alone. You’ve truly done something visionary here, and I can see you put your heart and soul into the story. It was a…
Stars were appearing when Zenith saw Cosmo approaching. He listened carefully as Cosmo described the events of the afternoon. ‘What will you do now?’ Zenith asked. ‘I’m leaving,’ Cosmo said, ‘I’m not yet sure where to, but you’ve told me of the northern astronomers. I’ll swim their way until I decide.’ ‘Do you want me…
RESONANCE First Incarnation Time is relevant to sound. An infinite voice sings life into this universe, and I’m but one note resonating within this expanse of boundless potential. While that’s an easy abstraction to grasp, my own potential remains elusive. After eight parallel lifetimes I’ve been adrift somewhere between struggle and mastery, both…
from Book One Carry on the Flame: Destiny’s Call by award winning, best-selling visionary fiction author Jodine Turner The dayroom was full of idle chatter, some nonsensical, along with the monotonous blare of a morning television talk show. Cigarette smoke wafted upward, trapped by the closed and barred windows, as much prisoner as all the patients…
Margaret Duarte Before I explain what Visionary Fiction is, let me position it on a chart that shows the basic types of literature and genres. As you can see, rather than being a genre of its own, Visionary Fiction is a subgenre of Speculative Fiction, which makes it hard to categorize, and, although VF has…
Eleni Papanou I see visionary fiction as a timely genre and one of the light carriers of this dark age. It’s the ideal counterbalance to western pop culture that seems to favor violent themes and images that permeate the whole media landscape. The present cycle will continue until a contrasting alternative presents itself. I see…
(Note: This is a slightly edited version of a blog post originally written for the VF web-ring under the title, The Place of Visionary Fiction in Today’s World and published March 2012) Saleena Karim According to one online dictionary, the meanings of the word ‘visionary’ include something characterised by foresight; fantasy and imagination; prophecy or revelation; and…
Jodine Turner Visionary Fiction speaks the language of the soul.It contains all the elements of modern storytelling yet there is a deeper layer, an archetypal level. This level invites a reader to personally undergo the mystical inner initiations that the book’s character experiences. Visionary Fiction not only entertains, it embeds esoteric wisdom and paranormal experiences…
Sandy Nathan Before talking about the relevance of visionary fiction in today’s world, we need a working definition of the term. Fiction is easy: it’s writing that’s made up. It doesn’t refer to the real or empirical world. It’s imaginary. I think of writing fiction as the best way to tell the truth without getting…
Michael Sussman Human nature is not fixed. It has evolved over the course of millennia and is capable of further change. Is it overly grandiose to suggest that visionary fiction could help play a role in such a transformation? Most likely, but I shall nevertheless make the case. Visionary fiction overlaps with several better established…
The Founding Members of the Visionary Fiction Alliance invite you to join us in our blessings, our intentions, and our prayers for this site. You may envision us breaking a bottle of champagne over a ship’s hull. Or perhaps you see us cutting a shining golden ribbon with over-sized scissors. You might even imagine us…