I wrote the obituary with some feedback from Mom, my sister Melody, & Uncle Dan, who asked me to write it because he was so impressed with the one I'd written for Dad.

It's all becoming too much to bear.

http://www.dailycamera.com/obits/2009/mar/10/edythe-hegarty/

Mythic Delirium 19 is out now, a beautiful issue that Amal El-Mohtar (tithenai) has kindly reviewed, including praise for Dad's poem:

http://tithenai.livejournal.com/172072.html
"'Tammuz to Ishtar,' by Delbert R. Gardner, is a beautiful, haunting sonnet that made me think of some of Duncan Campbell Scott's poems; the rhythm's tilt from line to line put me in mind of "Watkwenies," which I'm sure won't mean anything to those of you lacking an interest in Canadian Confederation poets, but all the same. What I mean is, it's lovely."

Copies are available for $5 (specify Issue 19):
Mike Allen (time_shark), 3514 Signal Hill Ave NW, Roanoke, VA 24017-5148. (Rate
applies to U.S. residents only. If you live outside the U.S., and wish
to purchase a sample copy, contact the publisher at mythicdelirium[at]
gmail[dot]com.)
http://www.mythicdelirium.com/#current

http://time-shark.livejournal.com/209550.html

Something you probably already guessed. I will do a seasonal mailing sometime early next year. But I am just not up to it right now. So please feel free to send a card if you want to; I will still appreciate it; but my reply will be a bit delayed.

We had a sports-themed staff day this year, and each department was supposed to create a cheer. Our Technical Services Department wasn't planning to do one--I have not been in a cheering mood (understatement), and haven't been able to write anything since Dad went into the hospital. However, when we came in today I found that they had put us on the program in a specific time slot.

I jotted down this rap on the back of an activity sheet in free moments during the sessions and performed it, to my surprise, to instantaneous rhythm clapping and whistles from the audience. We wound up taking second place. It was supposed to be a cheer, so I added a cheer line at the end of the rap, which Terri, who stood up with me, shouted along.

"We're the Technical Services Department, and this is the T.S. Rap!"

Send your books to us if they look old
We'll quarantine them if they have mold
We know the best places where books are sold
And we'll find you a bargain as good as gold

Don't test us--you really can't best us
We're Technical S. and we fix book messes

We put what you need in the catalog
To find books and shows till you're all agog
We get holds out fast and replace lost fellers
And we stay on top of New York Times best sellers

We find it--you really can't hide it
We're Technical S. and we will provide it!

Technical S. Team--Yeah!

It's been nearly impossible to write anything since Dad died...since he went into the hospital, actually.

I've delayed our special issue of Virginia Libraries by about two and a half months mostly because I simply couldn't write a word.

I finally turned in the editorial yesterday. The issue is complete. What gave me the motivation to finish is also part of what made it so hard to write. The following is the final third of our piece, "Openers: For the Love of Reading." I'll post a link when the issue is finally available online. There's also an interesting interview I did with Richmond mystery writer J. B. Stanley in that issue.

This doesn't begin to touch the many things I love about Dad and all that he means to me and my family. It also focuses on only one aspect of our lives together (and doesn't say even a fraction of what there is to say about that; space and the format caused me to leave out a lot). But since I haven't been able to say much, and some have asked about Dad's writing or his connection to my being a writer, and since I've already struggled to write this, I figured I'd share it here.

Excerpt from Openers editorial column for Virginia Libraries Vol. 54 No. 3-4
(when it goes online you'll be able to access the full text here:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VALib/)
The part in brackets will be the "pull quote" featured on that page.


The biggest influence on my own literary life, both as a reader and a writer, has always been my father, Delbert R. Gardner. While I inherited a love of reading from both parents, with fond memories of both reading to us from an early age, my father carried on the tradition of reading aloud to our family long past the time when we could read for ourselves. He would read with gusto at the dinner table, in Saturday-morning living-room gatherings, or in the car on family trips from classics such as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court or the adventures of Groo the Wanderer. When I reached my early teens, my father opened a new world to me, drawing on my own interest in mythology, medieval legends, and fantasy fiction to introduce me to the works of such authors as Tennyson, Browning, Keats, and William Morris (about whom Dad had published a scholarly book, and whose The Life and Death of Jason thrilled me as much as John Gardner's Jason and Medeia at age fourteen). Throughout our lives, Dad shared with us the joy of reading all types of works; and, as a former English professor, he elucidated aspects of classic works that helped us appreciate them all the more.

Likewise, from the beginning, I loved my father's enthusiasm for pounding the keys of his heavy manual typewriter, creating drafts of stories and poems that he would meticulously polish before giving them to my mother, who typed clean copies and revised versions for submission. I loved Dad's desk, with his wooden file box and small notebook for submissions. He shared each new publication, sometimes reading them aloud to us; indeed, he could still quote his own poems in conversation years later. I grew up loving the magical world of books, and seeing firsthand how a writer lived inside them. I always knew I wanted to be a writer like my father; and when the time came, he showed me how to submit my work, and gave me a postage allowance each month despite our limited means.

While both our parents took us on many library jaunts throughout the years, Dad continued to share the library experience with me long past childhood. In addition to taking me to a variety of academic libraries on many occasions during high school and college (we loved hunting down literary clues together), he also saw the library as the perfect place for me to work--and he was right. He encouraged me to apply to our local library when I was sixteen. From my teenage days as a page and then library assistant while I paid for college, through my years as a research assistant at a museum library upon achieving my master's in English literature, to my present work as catalog librarian at Hampton Public Library, I've loved the chance to work with books and the people who enjoy them. Dad was as proud that I became a librarian as I was pleased to be one; though he was eighty at the time, he and my mother drove all the way to Tallahassee, Florida, from Newport News to attend my MLIS graduation. He was always happy about my involvement in the world of books.

["I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."

--Jorge Luis Borges]

Along with his love of family, literary pursuits shaped his life. Among other occupations, he spent twenty-one years as a professor of English literature and creative writing (whereby he met my mother, a talented former student with whom he stayed in touch) and another fourteen years as a writer-editor for the government. Throughout their marriage, my parents continued reading aloud to each other on car trips of any length, in waiting rooms and hospitals, filling hours of waiting with this pleasure they shared. On what turned out to be the last day of his life, my sister and I took turns reading to Dad when he could neither rest nor speak. Earlier in 2008, I had begun submitting his writing for him; we enjoyed discussing his work and what might be done to complete it. In the hospital, I told him how much I admired his work and vowed to continue striving to complete his publications. At his funeral, his sister-in-law spoke of how Dad opened the world of literature to her by urging her to read Raintree County; having discovered she'd never read it, he spent a day of their vacation hunting through a dusty bookshop for the then out-of-print work, which she fell in love with as well. One of my brothers was named in part for its author, Ross Lockridge.

Dad died on September 21, 2008. I've been finding it extremely difficult to concentrate or stay motivated even for the simplest tasks. Writing this column has been an almost insurmountable goal (and has been the first piece of writing I've managed to complete since he entered the hospital). The delay of this special issue is entirely my fault, and I beg the pardon of our readers and writers alike. But while it's difficult to find strength to continue, I'm determined to carry on his work--making sure his writing is remembered; continuing to live the literary dream we both shared; and perhaps most important of all, helping to share our passion for reading.

Raven Electrick Ink is hosting a cool contest right now--check it out and blog away!

The book in question, Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic (http://www.ravenelectrick.com/sportyspecgls.html and http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0615173616), includes my poem "Riding to Faery." We have a copy of the book here in my library; I did the original cataloging for it. I love doing original cataloging, especially for small press SF/F to which I hope to bring more notice, but it's rather thrilling when I get to insert my own name authority file into the bargain.

I know I speak from a biased point of view, but this book is a lot of fun. I love looking at seemingly familiar things through a speculative lens (it's how I prefer to view the world a lot of the time), and I love reading sports stories (I am primarily a baseball fan--and if you like baseball, I highly recommend Ring Lardner's stories!). Since all the pieces are poems or flash fiction, this book is also very easy to nibble on for relaxation in those stolen moments in a busy schedule. And with its sports theme, it makes a great gift for a lot of people!

There are a number of great pieces in this book, as evidenced by the recognition some have received, such as:
Samantha Henderson, "The Tithing Hunt," Honorable Mention, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008.
2008 Rhysling Award nominations (included in the 2008 Rhysling Anthology)
Short Poem category: "Menace Anyone" by Brian Rosenberger
Long Poem category: "Space Envelopes" by Willow Katsumi Relf-Discartin & Terrie Leigh Relf

Here are some reviews:
Cleveland Poetics

SF Site

The Fix

Midwest Book Review

The publisher's description:
"Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic views sports and games with a speculative twist, in prophesied futures, parallel presents, and imagined pasts. From tennis matches with Death to chess games with Oberon, from free throws with the Fairy Court to surfing with werewolves, every sport imaginable (and a few unimaginable) exist within this speculative city of games. 42 authors, veterans and rookies alike, have contributed flash fiction and poetry that will take you from pong with a dust mote at the beginning of the world to sailboarding through the stars at the universe's edge."

Here are some places where you can read it
WorldCat

or buy it
Barnes and Noble

Amazon

And, if you liked this book, Raven Electrick Ink has another one coming soon:
Cinema Spec: Tales of Hollywood and Fantasy
I've got a poem in it, "House 5," and my Clarion West mate, Vylar Kaftan, has a story, "Starshow"--it promises to be an exciting read!

The Lone Star Stories Reader, edited by Eric T. Marin

http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=9780981781907&qt=owc_search

original cataloging by yours truly.

The great thing about being a cataloger is, not only do I get to make sure there's as much information as possible about these titles so that readers can find them by any of the included stories and authors, but I also often get to be the first person to read the book once it's processed!

I'm looking forward to reading this one.

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Utopian, and Dystopian
Theses and Dissertations

Compiled by Leslie Kay Swigart

Latest List Update: 23 September 2004
©2002-2004 by Leslie Kay Swigart

Authors: E through K

http://www.csulb.edu/~lswigart/sfftd02.html

Year Author Title Institution Country [& State if US] Degree [B, M, D] Dept. DAI & MAI

1963 Gardner, Delbert Ralph William Morris's Poetic Reputation in England, 1858-1900 U Rochester US-NY D
DA 24: 2030

An excerpt from The Gardner Castle listserv.

Just thought I'd mention that a search the other day revealed that
this story of Dad's appears in an online index:

http://www.philsp.com/homeville/fmi/s813.htm

It's actually one of his science fiction pieces. In one of those
paperback-sized looseleaf notebooks that he used to keep track of
submissions and ideas, I found the following story kernel, which he
had crossed out after having completed the story:
"Stuffed dead soldiers in war memorial."

You can read the story here:

http://www.gardnercastle.com/DelbertRGardnerStatue.htm

as part of http://www.gardnercastle.com/DelbertRGardner.htm

Also of interest: Dad's correspondence (as a writer) with THE
QUEST/THE LITTLE MAGAZINE is archived as part of the literary
magazine's collection at The University of Texas at Austin (see
details below). The particular file where Dad's letters are found
contains manuscripts that were later published, including the galleys
for those works. I may need to make a trip there to view these
archives, since this is one of Dad's publications that I can't find
anywhere else. There are two others that I know I'm missing (see
below), for which I at least have a few bibliographical details,
though I haven't found the manuscripts or publications that pertain
to them. Based on some of the things that are missing, I believe
there may be others of which I have no record. If you have any
publications by my dad, would you please check against the
bibliography on the "Writing" page at
http://www.gardnercastle.com/DelbertRGardner.htm and let me know if
you have something I don't know about? Also, please let me know if
anyone has a copy of either of the following, as these are the two
for which I have bibliographical information but no printed copies.

• "Much That Is Genuine in Neumann's Poetry," Elmira Sunday Telegram,
January 25, 1970.

• "Vacation in the Southland," Fort Eustis Wheel, November 5, 1981.

Also, in a reverse note, I have an article that Dad wrote, presumably
for the Elmira Star-Gazette, titled "Woman M. D. Aided Folks Beyond
the Call of Duty." However, I have no bibliographical details. From
internal evidence, I believe it to have been published in or not long
after October 1948 (she died September 30). This is the story of Dr.
Ella Ritter, the physician who saved his mother's life free of charge
when Dad was a boy. Dad later wrote a long narrative poem, "Hollow
Beats the Night," partly based on that experience, which to my
knowledge he never submitted due to its length (251 lines), for which
I am now seeking a home (it includes an important ghost intervention
by a figure based on his mother). Please let me know if you have any
details about the Ella Ritter article such as publisher, date, or
page numbers (Dad saved only the clipping, without the header).

Here's the info about the correspondence files of THE QUEST/THE
LITTLE MAGAZINE, for any who are curious.

http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00078.xml

Little Magazine:
An Inventory of Its Records at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research
Center

-------file information---------------

Gardner, Delbert R.--2.4

---------------------------------------

"The Quest was founded in the fall of 1965 by Alexis Levitin. The
original editorial staff and board comprised--like Levitin--graduate
students at Columbia University. Levitin created a literary magazine
which attempted to avoid a narrowly-defined focus and to encourage
good writing from contributors of many viewpoints. 'We expect (read
the magazine's entry in the Directory of Little Magazines) of the
artist not only a well-wrought structure, but, within it, a creative
and meaningful reflection upon the essential truths of our existence
as well.'

"After Levitin left New York in 1968 for a teaching position at
Dartmouth, most of the work of editing the magazine was carried on by
David Hartwell and Tom Beeler. This led to the purchase of the
magazine from Levitin by Hartwell and Beeler in late 1969. Hartwell
and Beeler had never liked the name Quest and renamed it The Little
Magazine, under which title the magazine first appeared with the
spring 1970 issue. Of the new title Beeler later wrote 'no harm in a
little cockiness when you are regenerating a literary periodical.'

"After Beeler's departure in 1971 the principal burden of continuing
the magazine was borne by David Hartwell, working with a constantly-
changing cast of editors and editorial board members.

"Throughout its twenty-one year life The Quest and The Little Magazine
published new poetry and short fiction from--in the main--younger
American writers. Circulation never rose much above a thousand, even
with national distribution by Bernhard DeBoer, and in the face of
steeply rising production costs publication became increasingly
irregular in the late 1970s. By the end of the 1970s Hartwell was
heavily involved in science fiction editing but was able to continue
publication with the help of the volunteer editorial board.
Eventually the end came, and with the appearance of v. 15, no. 3/4 in
1987 The Little Magazine ceased publication."

-----------------------------------------------------

"Series II. Manuscripts and Production Files, 1966-1987,
Contains most (perhaps 80%) of the manuscripts actually published by
The Little Magazine. Only volumes 3 and 14 are not represented in the
series. In nearly all cases the manuscripts are those submitted by
the authors, marked editorially for the printer's use. There are no
galleys in the series and only v. 14 (together with parts of v. 2, 8,
9, and 10) are represented by pasteups. A few unpublished manuscripts
are also included in the series; other manuscripts (mostly
fragmentary) are filed with the correspondence in Series I. Some
related correspondence with printers and quotations and invoices are
found in Series III, subseries B.

...

"Three series form the archive of the periodical: Correspondence, 1966-
1988 (8 boxes); Manuscripts and Production Files, 1966-1987 (6
boxes); and Business Records, 1965-1988 (7 boxes). The materials have
been maintained largely in the arrangement received, but some
reorganization within and between files has been undertaken where the
materials were clearly mixed.

...

"The second series, Manuscripts and Production Files, is the most
easily characterized portion of the archives, comprising as it does
the original manuscripts of a large majority of the works published
by The Little Magazine. Apart from the pasteup of volume 14 and a few
unpublished manuscripts these edited manuscripts comprise the
entirety of the series."

I won't have a lot to say for a while. I will try to talk about this when I can. I'm crushed & even less talkative than normal so please don't be offended if I don't write back, or not right away. I have been and will continue trying to take care of business as best I can. However, please don't expect much beyond that. I apologize, but Dad was everything to me...and our family.

For now, here's the obituary I wrote with feedback from my family (http://www.legacy.com/DAILYPRESS/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=117894986), and my brother Theo's words about Dad (below). After the burial in Elmira, NY, we took a brief
memorial trip to places close to Dad's heart. I felt closer to him there at Keuka Lake, which we all loved so well. It was very hard leaving--like saying a final goodbye. He lived there for years; I spent my childhood there; and we went back every summer after circumstances forced us to move away. Here at home now it's even harder to face each day. I'm finding it very difficult to find anything to fill this black hole. I'm not sure I even want to. Everything seems pointless.

Nevertheless, when I get the energy, I'm going to carry on with the task Dad entrusted to me, of submitting his work (we have agreed that I'm his literary executor; my mother, Marilyn H. Gardner, owns his copyrights; and if any profit is ever achieved, we will probably put it in the grandchildren's scholarship account mentioned below).

Unfortunately, since I had been busy collecting and typing all his manuscripts, and selfishly failed to put my own work entirely aside long enough to complete the project in time, I didn't get very far into the proofreading/consultation stage with him before he died. He and I had a number of discussions about his work (both general and individual), and how I might complete or polish some of his manuscripts, but we only got down to the gritty details with a few stories and most of the poems before he died. I'm going to try to be guided as much as possible by the spirit in which he and I worked on the previous manuscripts, and hope to achieve something he would have liked with those that remain.

Taking care of business:

In other news, my poem "Alabaster" is now up at _MindFlights_:
http://www.mindflights.com/item.php?sub_id=4502

I have a story in the first Subatomic Press anthology, One Step Beyond: Rockin' Tales of the Fantastical (Subatomic Press, ed. Charity Heller Hogge, http://www.amazon.com/One-Step-Beyond-Subatomic-Anthology/dp/0979391512/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224514133&sr=8-1), but haven't yet seen a copy.

Also, if you have been working on something for the special issue of _Virginia Libraries_, please send it now. We're way past deadline for getting this to the printer (my fault: I'm having a great deal of trouble concentrating on anything), but if you can get it to me this week, it will go in.

I am not sure I will be able to keep up with LJ for a while. I may possibly post news of publications without much commentary (especially news about any of Dad's publications or sales). However, if you are looking for updates on my writing, please consider joining my one-stop Yahoo newsgroup for both me & Dad, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gardnercastle/. I try to keep the number of posts down. This list is my bare minimum of professional communication, so if you can't find news elsewhere, there is often some sort of notice there.

-----------------
From Theo:

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Remembering my beloved father, Dr. Delbert Ralph Gardner (5/6/1923 - 9/21/08)

After 9 days in the ICU at Riverside Hospital in Newport News VA, my
beloved father quietly passed away around 3am today. I feel in my
heart that he is finally at peace in Heaven with the Lord, and that he
has been reunited with his parents and his brothers. I am too full of
grief to write a eulogy here, but let me just say that if my children
grow up to love me half as much as I loved my Dad, I will have
succeeded as a parent. In addition to everything he did for me as a
father, he was also my friend. I am the man I am today because of my
father, and I will never forget him for a single day all the rest of
my life. I love you, Dad.

Your buddy,

Theo
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Funeral Arrangements for Dr. Delbert R. Gardner

Weymouth Funeral Home
12746 Nettles Dr.
Newport News VA 23606
757-930-2222

Funeral service:
Thursday 9/25/08, 7pm.
Visitation directly following funeral.

Graveside service:
Saturday, 9/27/08, 11am.
563 Jerusalem Hill Rd
Elmira NY 14901
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
In Lieu of Flowers

For anyone who is interested, we have set up a Memorial Fund for my
Father, to be used as
a college fund for the Gardner grandchildren. Checks can be made out
to Marilyn Gardner,
with "Memorial Fund for Dr. Gardner" written in the bottom left corner, and
mailed to:

The Gardner Family
338 Marlboro Rd
Newport News Va 23602.

If you would rather write the check out to another member of my
family, you can be
assured that it will be deposited in the same account (ie., the check
could be made out
to Carolyn Gardner, Dan Gardner, Marilyn Gardner, Melody Gardner, or
Theo Gardner).

Thanks to all of you for the love and support you have shown us.
---------------------------------------------------------------------