This blog is exactly one year old today. Happy Birthday us!
To celebrate, I think it’s time to start porting over some of the old Ask Nicola questions. I have thousands and thousands of them, reaching back to 1997. I’ll proceed according to whim–whichever ones I feel like, as and when I feel like it, but I’ll try to keep you updated every so often. It’ll be unmethodical because the old entries are so eccentrically arranged and coded. (It was the mid-90s, it was all new: if black type was good, green was better, and, hey, flashing orange didn’t suck. Though I think some of those really, really early ones never made it into the archive. My first website went up so long ago I can’t remember the year. 1994/5? Dave, if you’re reading this, please correct me.)
The reason this blog is called Ask Nicola is that’s what the old ‘interactive’ Q&A segment on my website was called (back when HTML was bleeding edge). Lately, though, few of you have been asking direct questions (which you can do by sending email to asknicola2 at nicolagriffith dot com). While the stats indicate that you like what I’m talking about well enough (you visit regularly from 106 countries) I’ve decided that it might be nice to fine tune things a little. At least for the month of April.
So, here’s your opportunity to ask for what you want, right here in the comments, anonymously or not. Is there any general topic you’re burning to get my take on? I’ll talk about anything–art, politics, science, popular culture, human relationships–mostly. Any specific question you’re itching to ask? Any vague pointers? If so, fire away.
Nicola Griffith 
Have you ever read anything by Iris Murdoch? If so, what do you think.
Happy Bithday!Sounds like a good reason for a toast to me.I like what AN has become. And I like some of the old questions; it’ll be fun reading some of them. I went through some of the archives when I first found my way to your website.
Hahaa, flashing orange didn’t suck.A coworker of mine (editor of a publication I do layout for) used to refer to the — um…experimentation — with multiple colors/fonts, “Adventure Games with Fonts.”Happy bday, blog.
What, if any, is your favorite conspiracy theory?Also, huzzah with the blog birthday wishes!
A bazillion of questions always come to my mind to wonder about you, but now that I’ve got the opportunity I’m coming back blank! Darn and phooey!! Happy birthday blog!! Now make a wish. :D
I’ll start addressing these subjects next week so, hey, there’s lots of time to come up with stuff.
Happy Blogiversary, Nicola. I certainly enjoy hanging out around here.
Happy Birthday blog…how about favorite poems that might make a good short film? Having finished Jabberwocky, I’m rounding up suggestions for next year.
Happy birthday, bloggie! :)And happy April Fool’s Day to everyone–may you have an incident-free day. (Always a risky day for teachers like myself…)Nicola, what do you think of Terry Pratchett? I’ve fallen in love with many of his books; his wit is unending. It’s nice fluff-reading for days when I don’t want to process much.
Boxers or briefs? Toilet paper over or under the roll?