7 May, 2012, Green Prophet

Turkey’s government argues that much of the land has already been illegally developed and sold, especially in the outskirts of major cities like Istanbul (pictured).

Two weeks ago, Turkish President Abdullah Gül approved a law that opened a parcel of land in Turkey formerly classified as forests — known as “2B” land — to construction. Today, according to Dünya newspaper, a six-month period of bidding opened for the land, which is estimated to be worth approximately $15 billion in sum.

Whether occupied or not, all 2B land will be up for sale and development.

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May 2012, TimeOut Istanbul (print edition only)

Turkey’s Association for Artists of Fantasy and Science Fiction (FABİSAD) was officially founded last October. The decade-old dream of a few writers and graphic artists, FABİSAD was formed to promote these genres by creating a national award for outstanding work in them, and organizing seminars, book drives, and festivals.

Three members — founding authors Doğu Yücel and Barış Müstecaplıoğlu, and graphic designer Emre Soyak — sat down with TimeOut to discuss FABİSAD and science fiction/fantasy in Turkey today.

Talk about your lives in the outside world. What are your day jobs?

Doğu Yücel: I earn money as a music writer; I’m the editor in chief of the most popular music magazine in Turkey, BlueJean Magazine.

Emre Soyak: I’m a graphic designer in a company that provides broadcasting graphics to major TV channels. Most of my work is actually being broadcasted as we speak. I’ve designed the interface for several sports channels.

Barış Müstecaplıoğlu: I’m a Human Resources manager at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul. It’s a great job for a writer, because I meet many people who tell me their life stories. Continue reading “INTERVIEW: A Conversation With Members of Turkey’s First Sci-Fi & Fantasy Artists’ Collective” →

2 May, 2012, IstanbulBeat

Two cries, as throaty and resonant as bullfrog songs, often echo around the streets near Orhan Pamuk’s Museum of Innocence: “Eskiciiii!” and “hurdacııı!”

They are the self-annunciations of junk or used-item dealers — hurdacı and eskici in Turkish — who prowl the gentrified neighborhood of Çukurcuma pushing wooden carts over cobblestones, on the lookout for discarded goods they can pick up and try to sell.

The rundown neighborhood where Pamuk bought the museum building more than a decade ago has since become one of Istanbul’s must-see tourist destinations. Most of the businesses on the museum’s street are now antique shops, selling bits of Istanbul nostalgia that wouldn’t look out of place in the Museum of Innocence itself.

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