Feminist Science Fiction's topics - tribe.net

Author Collection

Francesca — Tue, 20 Apr 2004 16:27:38 GMT

I added some authors to the description of this Tribe, so their readers will be more likely to find us.

I'm happy to add your favorites, too. :)

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 6 replies

Good gender-bending SciFi?

DCreader — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 16:40:23 GMT

I tried to compile a list of books that challenged my view of gender identity, and found I couldn't think of that many. Can any of you add to this list and suggest something for me to read?

NB, I'm not really looking for plain tolerance, as in James Alan Gardner's "Vigilant", where the heroins just happen to fall for eachother and nobody thinks twice about it. I'm looking for more about how it makes society different. But I don't want to place too many constraints on anything anybody chooses to suggest.

Thanks for any insight.

"Moonstar Odyssey" by David Gerrold: Lost human colonists whose gender is stabilized only after introspection and experimentation during puberty.

"Commitment hour" by James Alan Gardner, and Stephen Hickman: Swap your gender every year till you're 20; then you have to choose a permanent designation

"The Left Hand of Darkness" bu Ursula K. Le Guin: OK treatment of hermaphroditic viewpoint.

"Hominids" by Robert J. Sawyer: Neanderthals are bisexual, depending on the time of the month. Sounds reasonable till a homo sapiens woman gets involved.

"The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman: Checkpoints in future history in this and Forever Free show a shift toward homosexuality as the norm to curb population growth

"Jumping Off the Planet: by David Gerrold: More gays needed! Accept sexual orientation reassignment for fun and profit!

"The Man Who Folded Himself" by David Gerrold: Time travel gets kinky

"Under the Eye of God" by David Gerrold: 98% of humans are men, and everybody deals with it pretty well

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 10 replies

the tribe subject header...

st0fkillers — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 12:54:20 GMT

...forgot an author: Elizabeth Moon. From her days in the US military (can't recall if she was Army or Marines) to her books, she's fantastic. Writes gritty, realistic stories focusing on people with motive to adventure; often enough those adventures feature women as protagonists--most especially, _The Deed of Paksinarion_, a three-part tale available in three-in-one format or singly. Strongly recommended for her military science fiction as well.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 1 reply

More like Le Guin and Starhawk

Isabel-Earth_Activist — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 04:05:09 GMT

Hi,
I am fairly new to Sci-Fi, but I LOVE UK Le Guin, and Starhawks 2 fiction books, can anyone recommend anything like them?
I mean, nobody tops Le Guin, but I gotta read something!
btw, I just finished reading "Ishi the last of his tribe" by UKL's mother, Theodora Kroeber. It really gives insight into Le Guin's "Always Coming Home" after you know the family was intwined with so many native americans when she was a girl.

Thanks,
Solea

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 3 replies

Darth Kitty

feiruz_al-bnefsagia — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:04:24 GMT

http://pics.livejournal.com/the_never/pic/00007083

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 2 replies

Hi! I'm new!

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 06:46:53 GMT

I just found this tribe and thought I'd mention how awesome it is- I started getting into feminist epic fantasy and science fiction as a teenager (due largely to The Mists of Avalon, which is one of the books that played an integral role in my teen years).

Is there any relatively recent feminist science fiction or fantasy that you'd recommend? I haven't read a really mindblowing piece of fiction in at least a year, and could use some suggestions.

-Cheers!

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 4 replies

(feminist sf convention) WisCon 2006: What a lineup!

Francesca — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 03:51:52 GMT

http://www.wiscon.info

WisCon is Memorial Day Weekend. This is the 30th year, and the guests of honor from all past years are invited. Most are coming!

Eleanor A. Arnason (GoH at WisCon 28)
Amanda Bankier (GoH at WisCon 1)
Lois McMaster Bujold (GoH at WisCon 17)
Emma Bull (GoH at WisCon 14)
Pat Cadigan (GoH at WisCon 13)
Avedon Carol (GoH at WisCon 11)
Suzy McKee Charnas (GoH at WisCon 3)
Gina [Clarke] Ellis (GoH at WisCon 3)
Samuel R. Delany (GoH at WisCon 11)
Beverly J. DeWeese (GoH at WisCon 4)
Suzette Haden Elgin (GoH at WisCon 6 & 10)
Carol Emshwiller (GoH at WisCon 27)
Karen Joy Fowler (GoH at WisCon 18)
James R. Frenkel (Special Guest at WisCon 18)
Jeanne Gomoll (GoH at WisCon 24)
Nicola Griffith, if health allows (Special Guest at WisCon 19)
Nina Kiriki Hoffman (GoH at WisCon 26)
Nalo Hopkinson (GoH at WisCon 26)
Steven Vincent Johnson (GoH at WisCon 5)
Ellen Kushner (GoH at WisCon 22)
Ursula K. Le Guin (GoH at WisCon 20)
Katherine MacLean, if health allows (GoH at WisCon 1)
Vonda N. McIntyre (GoH at WisCon 2)
Patricia McKillip (GoH at WisCon 28)
Pat Murphy (GoH at WisCon 15)
Trina Robbins (GoH at WisCon 16)
Kristine Kathryn Rusch (GoH at WisCon 17)
Mary Doria Russell (GoH at WisCon 23)
Jessica Amanda Salmonson (GoH at WisCon 8)
Pamela Sargent (GoH at WisCon 15)
Melissa Scott (GoH at WisCon 21)
Delia Sherman (GoH at WisCon 22)
Stu Shiffman (GoH at WisCon 12)
Susanna J. Sturgis (GoH at WisCon 21)
Lisa Tuttle (GoH at WisCon 9)
Joan D. Vinge (GoH at WisCon 4)
Élisabeth Vonarburg (GoH at WisCon 25)
Terri Windling, if health allows (GoH at WisCon 23)
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (GoH at WisCon 5 & 10)

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Octavia Bulter Died

2JenniferD8 — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 05:25:46 GMT

SEATTLE - Octavia E. Butler, considered the first black woman to gain national prominence as a science fiction writer, has died, a close friend said Sunday. She was 58.

ADVERTISEMENT

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

"Butler fell and struck her head on the cobbled walkway outside her home, said Leslie Howle, a longtime friend and employee at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle.

The writer, who suffered from high blood pressure and heart trouble and could only take a few steps without stopping for breath, was found outside her home in the north Seattle suburb of Lake Forest Park and died Friday, Howle said."

She was so young!

Her books are crazy important! Her books are taught at Cornell University!

What a loss.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 3 replies

Mission Child

Organizizer — Sat, 15 Jan 2005 19:24:05 GMT

has anybody here read Mission Child, by Maureen F McHugh?

I'd love to hear others' perspectives.

In my opinion, she addresses a lot of tough issues unblinkingly, in a way that would be disarming even for the mainstream reader - yet without padding or glossing over anything. absolutely subversive.

Without once giving in to preaching, McHugh issues indictments (note the plural) by simply telling a woman's story, from her own evolving, unvarnished POV.

There are some things hinted at in the book (IMHO) that I'd love to see if came up for anybody else.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 2 replies

Butler and McHugh

colford — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 16:30:22 GMT

Recently finished "Mothers & Other Monsters" the latest collection of stories by Maureen McHugh and quite enjoyed it. My review follows.

I'm halfway through Octavia Butler's latest, "Fledgeling" and it's fascinating. It's a vampire novel done Butler-style. Can't wait to finish it but don't want to rush!

"Mothers and Other Monsters"
by Maureen McHugh

Science Fiction novelist McHugh follows in the bold territory of Octavia Butler with her own brand of feminist, speculative fiction. In a collection reminiscent of the great Butler's "Bloodchild and Other Stories," McHugh's "Mothers & Other Monsters" presents a collection of stories that present just that, mothers and monsters, sometimes one and the same. McHugh's stories usually feature a female protagonist, often young, and too often in a bleak or terrifying situation. Not that McHugh's work lacks humor. The stories in this collection run the gamut. And the author is equally at home in a far-flung, interstellar space colony or on a train in the deep south after the Civil War has ended.

Mothers & Other Monsters begins with a mysterious tale of the afterlife called "Ancestor Money," where Rachel, existing alone for decades after her death, receives a notice that she has been left on offering in a Chinese temple by her granddaughter. Rachel's journey in death is more unique than anything she faced in life. "In the Air" is a haunting (literally) tale of dog training where a lonely woman introduces her new boyfriend to her dead twin brother. And in "The Cost to Be Wise," McHugh revists the world of her novel Mission Child where the brutal violence of Janna's world leads only to further harsh lessons of the cruelty of life.

If you're skittish about science fiction, "Mothers & Other Monsters" is a nice read given that most of the stories are fairly short, and not all the stories fall into that category.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 1 reply

NEW TRIBE

Sun, 15 May 2005 17:08:34 GMT

Hello! There's a new tribe for people who long to publish science fiction. Check it out:
http://sfwriters.tribe.net
It's still small, and new minds and new input are welcome! If you aspire to publish in the science fiction genre, please come add your 2 cents--or more.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Just back from Big Apple Con

Village_Rachel — Mon, 04 Apr 2005 21:04:29 GMT

Hey, all.
I uploaded a photograph taken of my convention appearence.
I think I was one of about 4 professional women in comics at the show.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Novelist and non-fiction writer Josepha Sherman at Lunacon

Village_Rachel — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 16:55:31 GMT

Josepha Sherman is scheduled to lead and participate in some intertesting panels at this year's Lunacon.

I'm also going to be a panelist there, my first time as a published author and book pubisher. I'm not on the same panels as Josepha, and will probably go to at least one of hers. I like her novels and her collections in non-fiction (I remember something about european folk-lore that was woman-centric).

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Joanna Russ

AlbionMoonlite — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 07:18:13 GMT

This author is brilliant. Her classic book The Female Man seems to go in and out of print. The last edition I saw for sale new was an English import.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 4 replies

No "panty shots" ever?

Village_Rachel — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 23:46:21 GMT

So my comic book, HEROES IN BIRMINGHAM, which I co-created and scripted has some male characters created by a woman (me) and some of the female characters created by a man (Ruben) and we co-created and co-wrote most of the story and characters together.

Then, I teamed up with Ed Meares to make the story into a visual comic book.
You may know or agree with my pet-peave about comic books with too many or gratuitus panty-shots. That's when the female character's underwear is showing and it doesn't have anything to do with the story.

But crime-fighting adventure stories with a pulp-hard edge are going to have some sexiness involved.

I started the story with the point of view of the male engenue (see the free preview), but the full comic introduces all five of the main characters and spens a nice amount of time on the female engenue.

Please check it out...

http://www.comixpress.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=106

-Rachel

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Octavia Butler Paperbacks - Cheap!

gnotorious — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 22:18:39 GMT

Clay's Ark by Octavia E. Butler (1996):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4515313141&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (1997):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4515314098&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler (1995):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4515315508&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Imago by Octavia E. Butler (1997):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4515316590&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Need help with books-in-print forms, anyone?

Village_Rachel — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 18:57:16 GMT

I just got my first ISBN numbers, and the basic stuff is pretty clear, but some of the stuff related to giving enough information so that stores can order my books isn't. Like for example, while I don't mind the "audience" selection of young-adult, there's a seperate optional section for age (I put 11 and up), and I'd like the "audience" to be more general in catetory .... is that "TRADE" or something else?

Example: Heroes In Birmingham #1
ISBN 0-9765140-0-1 - issue #1 POD* cover price $2.95 US
Preview at
http://www.bestfriendsproductions.com/hib

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

should i try going to an SF fan convention?

multicoloredbelle — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 08:00:28 GMT

i've never been to an SF convention, but my experiences with comic book and magic: the gathering conventions have been unpleasant. has anyone here been to one (or more) and can you share your experience, to help me decide whether to give it another try? i am looking to add friends to my life who understand my love of speculative fiction and it seems like attending one might be a good opportunity to do that. i do make friends easily, it just never seems that i connect with anyone who shares my tastes even in a broader sense.

any feedback including pros and cons is welcomed and appreciated - thanks!

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 4 replies

Need Help...

William — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 06:15:49 GMT

I've really only read one piece in this genre, which was by Margaret Atwood... Could you please mention which book you found to be the most important to you and why... I would love to read some new material... Thanks in advance !

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 8 replies

Adult new writing

scifisex — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 05:34:08 GMT

Hey everyone!

I'm writing some kinky sci fi and I'd love some feedback. Here's a bit - you can read the rest at wunderjahr.tribe.net.
*************
Simon ’s next move was to step to the herm ’s right side and then reach over its head with his right hand to grasp its neck and slowly, firmly lower its torso to the hobbyhorse. X smiled at the toppy interpretation of what was usually a bottom ’s game and marked the move on Simon ’s score sheet. Keeping that one hand on the back of the herm ’s neck, Simon leaned over and breathed into its hair, then made one long, slow line down its spine between its shoulderblades with his tongue. Simon ’s tongue disappeared back into his mouth for a second and then reappeared as a flicker across each of the herm ’s shoulders.

Simon moved his hand from the back of the herm ’s neck into the tidy hair at the back of its head and pulled its head back slightly. He moved to its rear and folded himself over it. Starting at its hairline and working his way down, Simon licked every centimeter of skin he could reach without letting go of its hair. When he reached its lower back, he laid a last long lick all the way up its spine. Releasing its hair, Simon stood and spoke. “Finished. ”

A bit of muted applause met this statement, and Simon grinned. After he helped the herm to stand, Simon saluted and stepped out of the arena into the dimness of the seating area. X almost lazily glanced over the anonymous judges ’scores, averaged them with its own score, and then posted the result in the holofield where Simon ’s shortname had been. It wondered whether he would choose enhanced genitalia or tool implants as the happy congratulations died slowly back down.

X restarted the shuffle algos and again stopped them with a touch. It blinked in an effort to hold back a salacious grin seeing that Willduth had drawn the anal fisting assignment. If there was anything less likely to get Willduth flunked, X couldn ’t think of it. Willduth had a real passion for the rhythms and contractions of the sphincters and rectum and her wide grin as she bounded into the arena showed how pleased she was by her luck.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

O. Butler's "Kindred" audio online!

Francesca — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 05:38:20 GMT

Speaking of Octavia Butler (in the threat "Greats) check out this audio-archived dramatic version of her novella *Kindred* at this link:

http://www.scifi.com/kindred/

It's lovely work. A modern-day African-American woman accidentally travels back in time... to slavery time in the U.S.

*Kindred* is a fine example of "trans-genre" work: part science-fiction, part historical novel. The characters are interesting people, not the "stock" master and slave figures that much anti-racist literature seemed to rely upon, 30 years back. It's not didactic enough to date itself; it still feels fresh from the pen.

The dramatization is well-done, too. No kidding: Hooray for Internet "freebies."

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 3 replies

Back in Print!

Wed, 22 Sep 2004 18:05:55 GMT

Carmen Dog is coming back in print this November. Hurrah!

Check it out:

http://www.lcrw.net/peapod/emshwiller/carmendog.htm

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Changing Planes by LeGuin

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 15:34:28 GMT

Anyone else read this?

The whimsical format allowed her to hit a number of serious issues w/out being too pendantic.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

The Greats

Francesca — Sat, 17 Apr 2004 18:22:48 GMT

Which authors or books would appear on your "short list" of feminist sf greats?

("Short" is in the eye of the beholder, here.)

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 12 replies

Carol Emshwiller

Wed, 25 Aug 2004 16:31:13 GMT

Anyone here familiar with her work? I'm especially fond of her novel "Carmen Dog", but she's done some killer short stories too.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

_Herland_

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 16:27:08 GMT

Has anyone read this Charlotte Perkins Gillman story? It describes a feminist utopian vision ahead of its time, and is refreshingly upbeat (for the most part) in comparison with her "The Yellow Wallpaper". Worth a look if you haven't yet.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 1 reply

Oryx and Crake

surprise_surprise — Thu, 01 Jul 2004 19:32:43 GMT

I recently read Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake. I thought it was a great book. I'm honestly not that deep in "speculative" fiction. I was drawn to the book because I love Margaret Atwood and I have read nearly everything she is written. I believe that this is her second "speculative" work, Handmaids Tale being the first.

Has anyone else read this book? I would love to discuss.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Postcolonial Science Fiction

Wed, 19 May 2004 23:40:57 GMT

A new anthology co-edited by Nalo Hopkinson:

So Long Been Dreaming:
Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy
http://www.arsenalpulp.com/select_book.php?book=176

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 2 replies

New FSF Tribe Name

Francesca — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 19:46:25 GMT

It would be grand to have a few more members in our beautiful band. We are six at this writing. So I've changed our name, at least for now, to "Feminist Science Fiction." (We had been "Feminist Speculative Fiction.")

I did like the term *Speculative Fiction* because:

(1) It's a broader category than "Science Fiction." It can include fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, alternate histories, magical realism, and more. It seems a good name for the "juice" of intellectually imaginative works.

(2) It's a phrase used by authors to describe their writings, which often combine or transcend the familiar genre categories.

(3) In contrast, *science fiction* has become a marketing and shelving category. It's also a genre with a stigma. Some of the best recent works of science fiction aren't labled as such, because the publisher doesn't want to scare off a potentially wider market. (Example: _The Sparrow_ by Mary Doria Russell. users.adelphia.net/~druss44...thesparrow.htm )

(4) Science Fiction literature and the "popular media" have diverged quite a bit. Pop sci-fi tends to be decades behind the ideas of the literature. Also, much media sci-fi is not really science fiction, in my opinion. There's rarely much attention on getting basic science right, let alone exploring a speculative "what if?" I don't hear many science fiction authors say they write "sci-fi" -- unless they write film scripts :)

Roll with me, here, and let's see what comes of it.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 1 reply

The James Tiptree, Jr. Award

Francesca — Sat, 17 Apr 2004 18:11:24 GMT

The James Tiptree, Jr. Award is "an annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender."

http://www.tiptree.org/

Alice B. Sheldon (1915-1987) was the woman behind the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr.

posted in Feminist Science Fiction - 0 replies

Feminist Science Fiction's topics - tribe.net

Author Collection

Good gender-bending SciFi?

the tribe subject header...

More like Le Guin and Starhawk

Darth Kitty

Hi! I'm new!

(feminist sf convention) WisCon 2006: What a lineup!

Octavia Bulter Died

Mission Child

Butler and McHugh

NEW TRIBE

Just back from Big Apple Con

Novelist and non-fiction writer Josepha Sherman at Lunacon

Joanna Russ

No "panty shots" ever?

Octavia Butler Paperbacks - Cheap!

Need help with books-in-print forms, anyone?

should i try going to an SF fan convention?

Need Help...

*Adult* new writing

O. Butler's "Kindred" audio online!

Back in Print!

Changing Planes by LeGuin

The Greats

Carol Emshwiller

_Herland_

Oryx and Crake

Postcolonial Science Fiction

New FSF Tribe Name

The James Tiptree, Jr. Award

Adult new writing