An Open Letter to Jay Lake

[truepenny]

Dear Jay,

I hate your cancer with all my heart.

We have never been close friends, but I have always liked and admired you, for your kindness; your generosity; your passion; your mindfulness and devotion to your responsibilities as a parent; your sense of humor and your unerring eye for the ridiculous; your unflagging love of our genre; the courage with which you aver your convictions and engage with those who disagree with you; the way that you make rooms brighter and warmer just by being in them.

You introduced me to the term "faith-based reasoning," which is such a useful and paradigm-shifting cognitive tool I cannot even tell you.

I have the Campbell nomination pin because you decided the Campbell nomination pin should exist and made it be so, and I am grateful.

My life is better because I know you.

Fuck cancer.

Love,
Sarah

Comments

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

Fuck Cancer!

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Totally fuck cancer. And haul it out behind the woodshed and beat it to death with a crowbar, too.

[ckd]

I don't know Jay; I don't think I've ever met him even in passing, and only seen him a few times.

Even so, having seen the echoes of his nature through people I do know, in posts like this, many times...I know what I need to know, and that is that the world will be much diminished when he leaves it.

Fuck cancer, and not in the good consensual clothing-removing way.

[ravenskyewalker.livejournal.com]

I don't personally know Jay; I've read books of his that I've enjoyed, and know that he has/had an online presence. I'm beyond sick of news like this, having apparently reached an age where I'll be hearing it over and over and over. So, fuck cancer with a rusty fork, and the horse it rode in on.

[sillylilly-bird.livejournal.com]

Well said, Sarah. Fuck cancer.

[crookedfeet.livejournal.com]

Exactly. This.

[girlpunksamurai.livejournal.com]

Yes. To all of that