I visited the Watergate Hotel recently, and in case those of you familiar with the history of that infamous location might be thinking I went there to bring down a president with a Bob Woodward/Carl Bernstein-style investigation, let me quickly add … no. Rather, I went there to investigate the food at the recently opened Kingbird restaurant, with a guest who surprised me with her sudden visit to Washington, D.C., and whom I somehow managed to convince that a meal with me would be oh, so much more fun than visiting the National Air and Space Museum.

Joining me within the walls of the Watergate Hotel was Cynthia Felice, who published her first short story, “Longshanks,” in 1976 in the pages of Galileo, a science fiction magazine published by the late, great Charlie Ryan, and her first novel, Godsfire, two years later. She is also the co-founder with Ed Bryant—about whom, alas, I must also say late and great—of the Colorado Springs Writer’s Workshop.

We discussed how Frank Herbert’s Dune made her say, “Hey, I can do that,” the virtues of owning a motel while being a writer, the marriage advice Kate Wilhelm gave her at Clarion, what Thomas M. Disch told her that fixed one of her short stories, why we all loved the late, great Ed Bryant, the extraordinary lengths David Hartwell went to as he edited her second novel, how her collaborations with Connie Willis began, and more.

Here’s how you can break into the Watergate with us—

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Here’s what we ate during our chat—

Complimentary potato chips

Bread

Char-grilled beets
(young leeks, hazelnuts, bleu cheese)

Leek soup

Pan roasted daurade
(chard, pine nuts, harissa, chick pea)

Pan roasted Skuna Bay salmon
(white beans, Virginia ham, baby arugula)

Pan roasted Strawberry rhubarb galette
(ginger caramel, vanilla bean mascarpone, strawberry sorbet)

Tiramisu verrine
(mascarpone cream, chocolate ganache, coffee gelato)

Don’t forget to come back in two weeks (and if you subscribe, you won’t even have to remember) for the first of five episodes recorded during the recent StokerCon, when my guest will be William F. Nolan, who co-wrote with George Clayton Johnson the novel Logan’s Run, which I first read when I was 12. (That’s the Golden Age of science fiction, right?)

And after that—Elizabeth Hand, Dennis Etchison, Nancy Holder, and George R. R. Martin, coming in two-week intervals. Remember, though—

If you’d like to join with other listeners in shortening that gap, you could choose to make a recurring monthly donation over at Patreon to help subsidize some of the travel, bandwidth, and meal costs associated with the show. (Or, if you’d prefer, make a one-time donation via Paypal.me.) And don’t forget to rate the show on iTunes and like it on Facebook if you can, both actions which will help bring Eating the Fantastic to the attention of possible new listeners.

Thanks for listening!