From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Fri Sep 10 19:38:04 1999 Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 20:49:58 -0500 From: "L-Soft list server at University of Illinois at Chicago (1.8c)" To: Laura Quilter Subject: File: "FEMINISTSF-LIT LOG9907B" ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 10:23:55 EDT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Kathleen Friello Subject: BDG: To Say Nothing... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I've been away from my library for about a month, and didn't get a chance to reread this, so I'm going on general memory-- I loved this book: I thought it was a delight to read, from the design of the chapter headings to the last jot & tittle of the plot clicking into place. What I remember most clearly was Willis's wonderfully circuitous style, especially in her characters' constantly interrupted and derailed conversations and trains of thought (games with the reader: I'm following the author's lead, but want to get in and tap characters on the shoulder myself-- and set a mental bookmark to see if the disrupted idea will ever reassemble itself, and feel gratified when it does; a tedious technique in some hands, but Willis keeps things rolling along and pulls it off). And the concept of time-lag; and the McGuffin (the hideous Bishop's bird-something stump). And the idea of the reconstructed cathedral, like the Japanese and Chinese renewed temples, but here as a pure expression of nostalgia and art. And the whole enterprise driven by a bloody-minded eccentric with a passion for detail, like the author. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 10:31:37 -0400 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Claudia Mastroianni Subject: Three Men in a Boat I haven't had the chance to read Jerome's book, but I did find it at my local university library. The publication dates of the editions they had, though, lead me to believe it may be a bit hard to find these days. So, for the curious, here's a URL for the Project Gutenberg online version of Jerome K. Jerome's book: ftp://sailor.gutenberg.org/pub/gutenberg/etext95/3boat10.txt As for To Say Nothing of the Dog... I'm afraid I haven't reread it in preparation for the discussion, and after some of the less positive comments, I feel I should at least skim it again before saying too much. I will agree that it requires a certain taste in comedy to enjoy the humor. But as I believe I said in the nominations discussion, I think the time travel was wonderfully done. This is a purely plot-level appreciation... I find "so we changed history and only I remember how it used to be" a very weak way of telling a story, and the idea that the flow of history protects itself from wholesale changes appeals to me greatly. I don't suppose this book is particularly feminist, but I think I had better revisit the book before I say more there. Claudia -- "I have heard it spoken of as a place frequented by females of unnatural propensity, seeking companionship in disgraceful conduct." "I have heard it spoken of as an agreeable little establishment where single women may enjoy one another's company in relaxed and convivial surroundings. Still, we're clearly thinking of the same place." --Caudwell ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 17:07:36 0100 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Comments: Sender has elected to use 8-bit data in this message. If problems arise, refer to postmaster at sender's site. From: Petra Mayerhofer Subject: Essential SF? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT Some months ago I started with a website on feminist sf&f in German that focuses on German editions. My motivation was to make feminist sf known for German readers as (as I thought up to that point) it is hardly published in German and thus practically unknown (at least none of my aquaintances knew it). Since then I've learnt that at least with the first point I was quite wrong (most stuff was published at some time but is out of print). Anyway, an employee of a German leftist medium-sized publisher (argument.de) that started a new SF label last year contacted me and asked me 'which important book shockingly has been out of print for a long time or which [female] author is not yet published in German, although her work is epoch-making.' They collect ideas for future publications. I took a deep breath and ... realized it's not so easy. And I have the hope list members can help me out a bit. I started with the obvious ones. While most of Ursula Le Guin has been published in German _and_ much is available at the moment (_The Dispossessed_, _The Word for World is Forest_, _Left Hand of Darkness_, Earthsee trilogy), Joanna Russ' _The Female Man_ and the first 2 Holdfast book by Suzy McKee Charnas are long out of print. Although I like and admire TFM I doubt that it would be a large success. And I don't think that the publisher wants to start a series but I think it's up to the publisher to decide that. The rest is not so obvious. As background information: _Ammonite_ and _Slow River_, practically everything by Margaret Atwood, Vonda McIntyre, Lois McMaster Bujold, Marion Zimmer Bradley, a lot of Sheri Tepper (but not _The Gate to Women's Country_) and Nancy Kress, some Octavia Butler (Xenogenesis plus Parable books) and 2 books of Gwyneth Jones and Élisabeth Vonarburg, respectively, are currently in print. Much has been published in the past, some of it a long time ago, but what of it is essential and should be republished? And what is epoch-making of the new stuff? The problem is that I am not soooooooo widely read. I think about suggesting _Memoirs of a Spacewoman_ (first and last published in 1980 or so), _Brown Girl in the Ring_ (although I think translating it willl be tough) and _Black Wine_. Suzette Haden Elgin: Perhaps the Coyote Jones books, which I have recently discovered and liked a lot (only _Communipaths_ was published in the early eighties). Or do you think the Ozark trilogy (never published) would be better? I don't know the latter. The first two Native Tongue books were published 10 years ago and I belong to the fraction who think the book very angry (not necessarily too angry) and I think it is more for the initiated. I didn't like _The Wanderground_ by Sally Gearhart (published 1982) but perhaps it is nonetheless essential? Other 'classics' often mentioned but unknown to me: - Rochelle Singer: The Demeter flower (published in 1983) - Zoe Fairbairns: Benefits (published in 1981) - Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Herland (published in 1980) - Dorothy Bryant: The Kin of Ata (published in 1985) - Monique Wittig: Les Guerilleres (published in 1980) Is anything of that in your opinion 'essential'? Examples of authors not yet published in German (but unfortunately again I don't know anything of them yet): Joan Slonczewski, Emma Bull, Eleanor Arnason. Perhaps _War for the Oaks_ by Emma Bull? Or _A Woman of the Iron People_ by Arnason? What about _Nadya_ by Pat Murphy (not yet published although _City not .._ was). Is anything of that essential or epoch-making? What about 'important female SF-authors'? Kate Wilhelm perhaps? Currently nothing of her is in print, but a short time ago _Where Once birds sang_ (or so) was. Which books of her are out- standing? To give you an idea about the direction of the publisher in question here I list the non-German SF they published so far (they have an unusually high percentage of German SF, which is nice): - Maurilia Meehan: Fury (about Olympe de Gouges) - Marge Piercy: He, She, and It - Marge Piercy: Woman on the Edge of Time (they publish everything by Marge Piercy, also the mainstream books) - Ursula Le Guin: The Word for World is Forest - Ursula Le Guin: The Dispossessed (should appear any day) - Sean Stewart: Nachtwache (Nightwatch?) (scheduled for October) - John Shirley: Es werde Licht (Light! or so) (scheduled for October) - Susan Dexter: Der Rat der Schamanin (scheduled for October, but more a crimi IMO) I hope I have not run out of your patience. I'd appreciate comments very much. Petra *** Petra Mayerhofer **** mayerhofer@usf.uni-kassel.de *** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 21:42:25 +0000 Reply-To: mystgalaxy@ax.com Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Maryelizabeth Hart Organization: Mysterious Galaxy Subject: the new book discussion list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A quick reminder to list members: books may be purchased from MG at a 15% discount. Email the store (mgbooks@ax.com) for details. And if you have a chance to check out our updated web site and LMK what you think, so much the better. :) Maryelizabeth -- *********************************************************************** Mysterious Galaxy Local Phone: 858.268.4747 3904 Convoy Street, #107 Fax: 858.268.4775 San Diego, CA 92111 Long Distance/Orders: 1.800.811.4747 http://www.mystgalaxy.com Email: mgbooks@ax.com *********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 12:48:57 EDT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Nicola Griffith Subject: Re: Essential SF? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I think Vonda McIntyre's _Dreamsnake_ would be valuable: beautiful writing about an egalitarian post-holocaust society. Mary Gentle's _Golden Witchbreed_ is well-written and has lots of messing with gender. And if fantasy is acceptable, then I'd advocate for Elizabeth Lynn's _Watchtower_ trilogy, a great piece of work about gender assumptions (and aikido) and perhaps for Bryant's _The Kin of Ata Are Waiting_, which is a Utopia. Nicola Nicola Griffith http://www.sff.net/people/Nicola ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 12:03:23 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Todd Mason Subject: Re: Essential SF?: Mayerhofer MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" the writings of the following folks might be worthy of investigation for translation: Carol Emshwiller Margaret St. Clair/"Idris Seabright" Pauline Ashwell/"Paul Ash" Naomi Mitchison at least some of Judith Merril's work and, of course, Alice "Racoona" Sheldon/"James Tiptree, Jr." (I'm assuming M W Shelley and M Atwood are largely in print in German?) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 17:18:30 GMT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Robin Reid Subject: Science Fiction Conference (SFRA 6-28-7-2-2000; 4-1-2000) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Apologies for any simultaneous/cross postings. Please feel free to distribute this call to others who may be interested. CALL FOR PAPERS 2000 CONFERENCE "SF and ... " THE MANY DIMENSIONS OF SCIENCE FICTION SCIENCE FICTION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (SFRA) & IMAGINATION, a writers'conference sponsored by Cleveland State University June 28 July 2, 2000 Cleveland, Ohio at Cleveland State University and the Comfort Inn, 1800 Euclid Avenue The Science Fiction Research Association solicits papers, paper proposals, and panel proposals from scholars interested in any aspect of Science Fiction. In particular, the 2000 Conference will focus on science fiction's current status as a genre (in relation to other genres, including mainstream, slipstream, fantasy, horror, and detective fiction), prospects for the coming millennium, and connections to other disciplines (film & television, utopian studies, futurology, science, mathematics, the social sciences and history, children's and young adult fiction, classroom teaching ... and everything else!) Topics may include (but are not limited to): Any author, including Richard A. Lupoff (the Guest of Honor), Karen Joy Fowler, Geoffrey A. Landis, Maureen F. McHugh, Mary Doria Russell, and Joan Slonczewski (Special Guests) Any topic that demonstrates SF's connection to, and relevance for, other disciplinary studies PAPER PROPOSAL: For a paper proposal, send a 250 word abstract. (Maximum 20 minute reading time for the finished paper.) Please include the presentation title, your name, mailing address, phone number, and e mail address. Receipt of proposal will be confirmed by e mail. PANEL PROPOSAL: For a panel proposal, send a panel name and a 250 word abstract. Please include the panel title, the panel chair (who may be one or more of the presenters), mailing address, phone number, and e mail address of each presenter. Receipt of proposal will be confirmed by e mail. Panels at recent SFRA conferences have considered The Year's Best Fiction, Alternative Futures and Counter Factual History, Teaching Science Fiction, and Stanley Kubrick's Legacy. MAIL OR E MAIL SUBMISSIONS TO: Joe Sanders, English Department, Lakeland Community College, 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland, OH 44094 (440) 953 7215 DEADLINE FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS: SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2000 FOR MORE DETAILS CONSULT OUR WEBSITE: ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 15:57:20 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Jocelyn & Sheryl Denton-LeSage Subject: Re: TSNOTD Comments: To: shander@cdsnet.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > I didn't have near this much difficulty with The Domesday Book. But then, >I'm pretty well-read on Europe and especially England between William the >Conqueror and Elizabeth I. After Elizabeth, it gets fuzzy. I guess it's >fuzzier than I thought about Victorian England. > By the end of the book, I was enjoying it. But I think it's probably her >most difficult. And I wouldn't recommend it as a first book for somebody who >wants to read Willis. Personally, I would tell anyone to read Bellwether first. I couldn't get into TSNOTD at all, but Bellwether made me laugh out loud. I've recommended it to my friends. Sheryl ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 16:26:52 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Todd Mason Subject: TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG wins the Locus Award... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" for the year's best sf novel, DARKECHO the Newsletter (darkecho@aol.com) informs us. I'm surprised at how many commenters so far have apparently never read Jerome K. Jerome, but, then, I've never read the work of his that triggered Willis's thinking... ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 16:36:25 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Todd Mason Subject: Locus Awards (courtesy DARKECHO@aol.com) or see em on the LOCUS W ebsite Comments: To: "horror@listserv.indiana.edu" , FEMINISTSF@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU, Multiple recipients of list SF-LIT , sf in film and literature Comments: cc: Fred Ollinger , Virginia Ely , Frederic Bush MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Best Science Fiction Novel To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis Best Horror Novel Bag of Bones, Stephen King Best Fantasy Novel A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin Best First Novel Brown Girl in the Ring, Nalo Hopkinson Best Novella ''Oceanic'', Greg Egan (Asimov's Aug 1998) Best Novelette [tie] ''The Planck Dive'', Greg Egan (Asimov's Feb 1998) ''Taklamakan'', Bruce Sterling (Asimov's Oct/Nov 1998) Best Short Story ''Maneki Neko'', Bruce Sterling (F&SF May 1998) Best Non-fiction The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the World, Thomas M. Disch Best Art Book Spectrum 5: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Arnie & Cathy Fenner, eds. Best Collection The Avram Davidson Treasury, Avram Davidson; Robert Silverberg & Grania Davis, eds. Best Anthology Legends, Robert Silverberg, ed. Best Artist Michael Whelan Best Editor Gardner Dozois Best Magazine Asimov's Best Book Publisher Tor Best '90s Author Connie Willis ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 22:23:46 -0400 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Kirsten Hoyte Subject: Re: BDG: To Say Nothing... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Unovissf@AOL.COM writes: >I've been away from my library for about a month, and didn't get a chance >to >reread this, so I'm going on general memory-- > >I loved this book: I thought it was a delight to read, from the design of >the >chapter headings to the last jot & tittle of the plot clicking into place. I also adored this book. In fact, I read it several times and laughed, giggled and snorted each time. This is probably not a good thing --but I completely related to the idea of time lag and exhaustion-induced stupidity, and was delighted to witness the characters suffering from it. I was right there with Ned as he struggled to make sense while hearing only every other word and then kept on making more of a mess and a muddle of things the more he tried to fix them. I loved Cyril and Princess Juju as well as the love-sick couple (Terence and Tossie). And Finch "so difficult to get soot out of chintz" was a riot. Generally I am not interested in any kind of romances particularly hetero ones, but I even found Ned and Verity bearable. I know nothing about Victorian history so I was willing to accept Willis' version. I had read and enjoyed the Doomsday book before, but I liked this one even better. My one objection might be that I guessed who Mr. C was quite a while before everyone found out, but that's okay too; I just felt superior. I don't know. I would never call myself a particular fan of screwball comedies or mysteries either, but this one really struck me. I have always liked time travel though. However, I probably would never have called it a particularly feminist book or anything. Kirsten ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 19:55:56 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Cynthia Gonsalves Subject: Re: Three Men in a Boat In-Reply-To: <199907081431.KAA13726@login5.fas.harvard.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I was able to get this book earlier this year. I must admit that I started the Willis book but then took a hiatus to read the Jerome. It wasn't that I wasn't enjoying _To Say Nothing of the Dog_, but I got more enjoyment with it after I had the Jerome under my belt. The added fun of seeing the allusions was worth the time away for me. Cynthia -- "I had to be a bitch, they wouldn't let me be a Jesuit." -Joan Gant in Matt Ruff's Sewer, Gas, and Electric Sharks Bite!!! http://members.home.net/cynthia1960/ ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 19:58:42 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Cynthia Gonsalves Subject: Re: TSNOTD In-Reply-To: <002b01bec984$79517480$f9eccdcf@default> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 03:57 PM 7/8/99 -0500, Sheryl wrote: > >Personally, I would tell anyone to read Bellwether first. I couldn't get >into TSNOTD at all, but Bellwether made me laugh out loud. I've recommended >it to my friends. > Oh, yes, Bellwether is absolutely priceless! I think it's a great introduction to Willis. Each time I read it, I appreciate how clearly she described the madness of our consumer culture. Cynthia -- "I had to be a bitch, they wouldn't let me be a Jesuit." -Joan Gant in Matt Ruff's Sewer, Gas, and Electric Sharks Bite!!! http://members.home.net/cynthia1960/ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 08:01:00 -0400 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Lori B Pfahler Subject: BDG: To Say Nothing of the Dog Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have to admit I am struggling through this one. I haven't found it funny or interesting at all. I was totally lost for the first 50 pages. I felt like I was an outsider to the story - not having all the pieces to understand it. If it were not for the book group, I would have given up on it already. I guess its because I am not well versed in the any of the literature/history that is woven in. Perhaps this wasn't the right book for me to start with? I have not read any of her other books. Anyone else having similar trouble with the story? Looking longingly at my _To Be Read_ stack ... Lori B. Pfahler Lori_B_Pfahler@rohmhaas.com Statistics Support Group Rohm and Haas Company Spring House Research Labs "These are my opinions and not those of the Rohm and Haas Company" ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 13:42:56 EDT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Phoebe Wray Subject: OT request for book info MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Someone on a different list is looking for this book. Anyone here recognize it? I'm sure we all appreciate how frustrating it is not to remember a name, title, etc. Private replies probably best. Many thanks. Phoebe Wray zozie@aol.com <> ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 15:45:01 EDT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: "Demetria M. Shew" Subject: Re: OT request for book info MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/9/99 10:49:26 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Zozie@aol.com writes: << that is, how a "bear" intelligence would be different from our own "ape" intelligence. >> >> If anyone figures out what book this is, please post on the list. I would love to read it. Madrone ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 21:40:38 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Big Yellow Woman Subject: BDG: TSNotD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Can anyone confirm or deny that Ned Henry is also the name of Nancy Drew's boyfriend? Call me crazy, but I swear it's true! Susan ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 21:53:26 EDT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Kathleen Friello Subject: Re: BDG: TSNotD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I remember a Ned Nickerson... ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 09:01:43 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Annalise Subject: Re: BDG: TSNotD In-Reply-To: <3786B2A6.1B4C@people-link.com> from "Big Yellow Woman" at Jul 9, 99 09:40:38 pm Content-Type: text > > Can anyone confirm or deny that Ned Henry is also the name of Nancy > Drew's boyfriend? Call me crazy, but I swear it's true! > > Susan Nancy Drew's boyfriend was named Ned Nickerson, not Ned Henry. Edie -- ----- annalise@ripco.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 20:56:20 +0000 Reply-To: mystgalaxy@ax.com Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Maryelizabeth Hart Organization: Mysterious Galaxy Subject: Bear Book MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'm away from my references right now, but I think the bear book in question may be Terry Bisson's BEARS DISCOVER FIRE? Maryelizabeth -- *********************************************************************** Mysterious Galaxy Local Phone: 858.268.4747 3904 Convoy Street, #107 Fax: 858.268.4775 San Diego, CA 92111 Long Distance/Orders: 1.800.811.4747 http://www.mystgalaxy.com Email: mgbooks@ax.com *********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 21:23:16 +0000 Reply-To: mystgalaxy@ax.com Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Maryelizabeth Hart Organization: Mysterious Galaxy Subject: more on Willis and Bujold tends towards romantic intrigue MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The next book published in the US will be MIRACLE AND OTHER CHRISTMAS STORIES in November. Eight short works, two essays and 12 suggested things to read and 12 suggested movies to watch. The new Bujold, A CIVIL CAMPAIGN, is dedicated "For Jane, Charlotte, Georgette and Dorothy -- long may they rule." Pax, Maryelizabeth -- *********************************************************************** Mysterious Galaxy Local Phone: 858.268.4747 3904 Convoy Street, #107 Fax: 858.268.4775 San Diego, CA 92111 Long Distance/Orders: 1.800.811.4747 http://www.mystgalaxy.com Email: mgbooks@ax.com *********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 11:20:36 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Jocelyn & Sheryl Denton-LeSage Subject: Re: Bear Book Comments: To: mystgalaxy@ax.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Nope, that one was a great story, but it didn't--overtly at least--concern any kind of alien who was descended from bears. It just concerned actual bears building fires on freeway medians, and helping people change tires, and stuff. The interest in the story was how the humans reacted to such a thing. The bears never said anything. Again, it's a great story, but may be hard to find. My copy is anthologized in _Future Primitive: The New Ecotopias_ edited by Kim Stanley Robinson, but I got it off the bargain table at a bookstore. May be out of print. Sheryl -----Original Message----- From: Maryelizabeth Hart To: FEMINISTSF-LIT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Date: Saturday, July 10, 1999 10:50 AM Subject: [*FSFFU-LIT*] Bear Book >I'm away from my references right now, but I think the bear book in >question may be Terry Bisson's BEARS DISCOVER FIRE? > >Maryelizabeth > >-- >*********************************************************************** >Mysterious Galaxy Local Phone: 858.268.4747 >3904 Convoy Street, #107 Fax: 858.268.4775 >San Diego, CA 92111 Long Distance/Orders: 1.800.811.4747 >http://www.mystgalaxy.com Email: mgbooks@ax.com >*********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 13:05:07 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Steve Swartz Subject: Re: Bears Discover Fire In-Reply-To: <004c01becaf0$25809c60$eed68ad1@default> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Bears Discover Fire won the Nebula in 1990 and the Hugo in 1991. It's been anthologized a bunch of times, and several of the anthologies are still in print and/or easy to find. You can see the list a short way down the page here: http://www.sff.net/locus/s73.html Besides Dozois' "8th annual The Year's Best...", the most interesting anthology here is probably Bisson's own "Bears Discover Fire." He's a remarkable short story writer. New authors might be interested in "Seven Surefire Ways to Beat Writer's Block--and How I Made Them Work for Me!", which you can find here: http://www.starrigger.net/bisson.htm At 11:20 AM 7/10/99 -0500, you wrote: >Nope, that one was a great story, but it didn't--overtly at least--concern >any kind of alien who was descended from bears.... it's a great story, but may >be hard to find. My copy is anthologized in _Future Primitive: The New >Ecotopias_ edited by Kim Stanley Robinson, but I got it off the bargain >table at a bookstore. May be out of print. > >Sheryl > >-----Original Message----- >From: Maryelizabeth Hart > > >I'm away from my references right now, but I think the bear book in > >question may be Terry Bisson's BEARS DISCOVER FIRE? > > > >Maryelizabeth ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 20:02:10 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Anitra Freeman Subject: Herland's online! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII I was searching for online pages on women authors, and found the Reading Room of the Women's Studies Database, a library of online novels which includes Charlotte Perkins Gilman's sf novel Herland. So if any of you, like myself, have been interested in reading it but have found it hard to get hold of a copy, you can find it at http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/ReadingRoom/Fiction/Gilman/Herland/ The main reading room database is at: http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/ReadingRoom/Fiction/ Read On! / Anitra L. Freeman / "Never doubt that a small group of imperfect people can improve the world--indeed they are the only ones who ever have." Not Margaret Mead ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 22:05:27 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: SMCharnas Subject: Re: BDG: TSNotD Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Now that I've had a while to think about this book, I see -- maybe -- why I found myself skimming the last third of it and unsatisfied at the end. I read it in an evening and the next morning, because I knew if I let a little time go by I would not bother coming back to finish. First, it's set up as farce, which generally means cardboard characters being maneuvered in and out of increasingly ridiculous and futile situations. As a devotee of character as the most interesting element of fiction, I get tired of this pretty soon. Always excepting, of course, really brilliant stage- farce done magnificently, like the play NOISES OFF, for example (*not* the wretched film version but the NY produciton, at which I laughed so hard that I was in serious danger of throwing up on the head of the person sitting -- and laughing -- in front of me). On paper, the shorter and punchier farce- dialog and scenes are, the better (see the very dated and by now entirely politically incorrect novels of Thorne Smith for examples of a master of farce at work). So, not surprisingly, I think Willis has a *much* better feeling for the pace of humor in short fiction than in novel length, as indeed almost every- body has. The dying actor had it right: "Dying is easy; *comedy* is hard." I just heard farce defined on the radio as "the worst day of your life," which captures exactly the one-damned-thing-after-another pell-mell of farce, ie rapidly paced cumulative catastrophe; maybe setting the story in slow-paced Victorian Oxford made the job impossible. Second, while all the historical what-iffing was fascinating -- I didn't know Napoleon had piles; Richelieu, yes, but Napoleon? -- the revelation that the plot was all correction upon correction brought up the Grand Design vs. Free Will problem for me. Since I see the future(s) as produced as we go by countless intricately intertwined decisions made by everybody *winging it* as we go, I don't find the comfort that the author's characters seem to in the idea of a self-correcting mechanism (implying, of course, an artisan-Creator). Their universe runs like clockwork and requires people only as cogs operating per expectation in the right place at the right time, which seems to mean, you act, and I-God-mechanism will cancel/correct what you've done and make you do it over til you get it right. Makes the whole thing a pretty point- less exercise and "Free Will" a bad joke; so I guess I have an objection on -- spiritual? philosophical? -- grounds. To say nothing of the dog, which was much to anthropomorphized for me. The cat, now; that struck closer to reality for me. The best joke in the book was the recurring one of telling time by Roman numerals -- "half past X." It was used over and over, but it amused and beguiled each time. I read THE DOOMSDAY BOOK years ago and found it intensely moving, by the way; they make a very interesting pair, one an anguished but deeply powerful tragedy, the other (IMO) a long-winded and unsuccessful comedy on similar themes. Suzy Charnas ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 18:15:05 EDT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Tanya Bouwman Subject: Re: FEMINISTSF-LIT Digest - 8 Jul 1999 to 9 Jul 1999 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/10/99 1:07:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time, LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU writes: > Can anyone confirm or deny that Ned Henry is also the name of Nancy > Drew's boyfriend? Call me crazy, but I swear it's true! > > Susan > >> >> I remember a Ned Nickerson... >> I just went upstairs to check my old Nancy Drew collection and Kathleen is right it's Ned Nickerson. Tanya ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 14:54:12 +1200 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Ianthe Subject: Re: Ned Henry Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >> Can anyone confirm or deny that Ned Henry is also the name of Nancy >> Drew's boyfriend? Call me crazy, but I swear it's true! >> >> Susan >>> I remember a Ned Nickerson... Oh well, Ned Henry's close enough, and wasn't the idea in Ned Henry's name that it sounded reasonably Victorian? I don't think Nancy Drew's the type of Mystery that Willis was modelling on... although there were the old ones where Nancy drove a roadster and there were words longer than two syllables. *grins* ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 23:04:25 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Big Yellow Woman Subject: Re: FEMINISTSF-LIT Digest - 8 Jul 1999 to 9 Jul 1999 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Tanya Bouwman wrote: > > In a message dated 7/10/99 1:07:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time, > LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU writes: > > > Can anyone confirm or deny that Ned Henry is also the name of Nancy > > Drew's boyfriend? Call me crazy, but I swear it's true! > > > > Susan > > > > >> > >> I remember a Ned Nickerson... > >> > > I just went upstairs to check my old Nancy Drew collection and Kathleen is > right it's Ned Nickerson. > > Tanya Ned Nickerson it is. I guess I'll be more careful next time I swear!! Thanks to all who checked and/or have better memories than I. :) Susan ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 21:15:40 +0000 Reply-To: mystgalaxy@ax.com Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Maryelizabeth Hart Organization: Mysterious Galaxy Subject: THE MOON AND THE SUN from ZENtertainment MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit VARIETY reports JIM HENSON Pictures has optioned Vonda N. McIntyre's sci-fi novel THE MOON AND THE SUN, which is set during an alternate 17th century where a young woman tries to free a mythical sea monster that France's King Louis XVI plans to test for its rumored immortality and extract a treasure believed to be hidden in its body. The trade adds that Laura Harrington (Secrets) and McIntyre will write its script, and Christopher Renshaw (The Mikado) is expected to direct. -- *********************************************************************** Mysterious Galaxy Local Phone: 858.268.4747 3904 Convoy Street, #107 Fax: 858.268.4775 San Diego, CA 92111 Long Distance/Orders: 1.800.811.4747 http://www.mystgalaxy.com Email: mgbooks@ax.com *********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 10:09:02 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: "Candioglos, Sandy" Subject: Ranting (NOT raving!) about The Calcutta Chromosome... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Since this book didn't get voted in, I'd like to vent a little about it; I got it from the library because it actually did sound really interesting, from the descriptions. Has anybody else read it? I haven't actually finished it yet, but I'm having to force myself to read the rest of it. I lost interest almost completely when our protagonist wants to retrieve a file that was sent to him in email 20 years earlier, and his computer tells him "the message might still be found, it would just take a while. It had been typed on one of those old-fashioned, contact-based alphabetical keyboards. The electronic signals emitted by the keys were probably still traceable. It was simply a question of matching the electronic "fingerprint" of Murugan's E-mail message to every electronic signal that was still alive in the ionosphere." Then, when he asks how long this will take: "It would mean sifting through about six thousand eight hundred and ninety-two trillion cunabytes, came the response, in other words roughly eighty-five billion times the estimated sum of every dactylographic act ever performed by a human being. It was certain to take at least fifteen minutes." AAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!! Does anybody _else_ see the 20 bazillion problems with these two paragraphs alone? And at LEAST 20 different ways to get the same exact effect (the effect is that he gets to read most of the message a couple chapters later) in a more realistic manner? Yet one of the critics quoted on the back calls this book "An extremely ingenious novel about malaria research, oriental religion, and computer science" Obviously this critic knows even LESS about computer science than the author does. Putting something 20 years in the future doesn't free you to use whatever crazy scheme comes to mind to solve a plot point; believability needs to still be there. Sorry, just had to get that out. Don't read the rest of this message if you don't want to read any spoilers... No wonder this wasn't marketed as SF. It isn't. The whole big "mystery" is that there's this cult based in Calcutta (for the past 100+ years) for whom silence is a religion, who believe that discovery of knowledge changes the world, so they "nudge" discovery, specifically the discovery of how malaria is transmitted by mosquitos by Ronald Ross in 1898 (but probably other things, too!), and there's something to do with personality transferrence that hasn't really been gone into yet (I have about 85 pages to go). Only a very small part of the story takes place 20 years in the future, and so far it's all taken place in one small apartment. The rest is all in 1995 and in the 1890's. The main character in the "future" part so far has: seen an old ID badge on the computer screen, had his computer figure out whose it was, done a lot of reminiscing about the guy whose ID tag it was, found an old answering machine in his closet and replayed the message, and had his computer re-create an email message and read it back to him. That's it. Not excatly heavy detective work. Maybe I like world-building more than I realized, too; I find I'm really missing it in this book; I'm not getting any sense of Calcutta or Egypt or any of the other places the actual action takes place in (hint to the author: just because you've lived there and know what it's like doesn't mean that most of the rest of the world's population has!). Maybe I just need to stick to well-written SF, if mainstream fiction is going to frustrate me this much. *sigh*. Another frustration is the "subtle hints" all through the book that seem to shout "I'm a _subtle hint_; aren't I CLEVER!?!?! Here I am, over HERE!!" (another hint to author: subtle hints should actually BE subtle!). I feel like I'm being spoon-fed regurgitated pap. Blech. I'm hoping it actually gets better in the last few chapters, but I'm not holding my breath. How this thing won an Arthur C. Clarke award is absolutely beyond me, at this point. Like I said, maybe it gets better. *sigh*. Has anybody else read it and have a more positive take on it? -Sandy ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 20:48:37 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Big Yellow Woman Subject: Re: BDG: TSNotD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit SMCharnas wrote: the revelation that the > plot was all correction upon correction brought up the Grand Design vs. Free > Will problem for me. Since I see the future(s) as produced as we go by > countless intricately intertwined decisions made by everybody *winging it* as > we go, I don't find the comfort that the author's characters seem to in the > idea of a self-correcting mechanism (implying, of course, an > artisan-Creator). Their universe runs like clockwork and requires people > only as cogs operating > per expectation in the right place at the right time, which seems to mean, > you act, and I-God-mechanism will cancel/correct what you've done and make > you do it over til you get it right. Makes the whole thing a pretty point- > less exercise and "Free Will" a bad joke; so I guess I have an objection > on -- spiritual? philosophical? -- grounds. I finally finished the book this afternoon and have to agree with what Suzy said. The handling of the free will question dissapointed me too. In the end, there is some new understanding of the use of time travel to bring nonessential objects forward and that this introduces some possibility for the past to influence the future in new ways, if not the other way around, but it seems like there is never much thought given to choice and responsibility since it all gets fixed up sooner or later. I don't find that comforting. If they are right that all of the "corrections" that take place have to do with an incongruity 600+ years in the future, all the more reason to abdicate responsibilty and believe that no matter what you do, "God" or "the continuum" will make it work out according to plan. This reminds me of a religious group in Nancy Kress' _Brainrose_. It is a pseudo-ecological religion that has so much faith in the power of the planet to heal itself that its believers think nothing of harming the environment and make wasting resources a way of life. Because it will all work out no matter what we do. I hate that. And I don't believe it. I found the last several chapters boring and kept wondering why I wasn't just skimming it. The unravelling of the mystery brought no surprises and seemd to drag on since I had figured out most of what had Ned so confused. Even before that, the Baine thing seemed so obvious it wasn't funny anymore, especially by the time of Tossie's farewell letter. On the whole, the speculation and the continuum stuff got really repetitive for me. The only thing that really pleased me about the ending was that cats, an extinct species, were going to be saved through this new loophole they discover in time travel. And the idea of getting the contents of the Library at Alexandria was a pretty cool idea--although it doesn't seem consistent with the inherent safeguards of the continuum that such things, "inessential" to the past, could be brought into the future where they could have a huge impact. I read Doomsday Book several years ago and don't remember it that well, though I remember being fascinated with the distinctions between the different kinds of plague. While I admire Willis' writing skill and grasp of history, I don't feel any real involvement with her characters. For me, her books don't really exploit the things that I like the most about science fiction--in fact they hardly seem like science fiction at all. Time travel is only a device the author uses to be able to talk about history from a future perspective. Octavia Butler's _Kindred_ is another example of this. That's legitimate, but it seems like the potential interest of the contrast of these worlds is not taken advantage of, which is one reason I don't see Willis' work as feminist. Marlene Barr says that "feminist fabulation" presents a radically discontinuous world that confronts the known in some cognitive way. _Kindred_ does that somewhat, and I think it perfectly fair to use discontinuous historical worlds as the basis for your Sci-Fi world building, but the lack of confrontation in Willis book left me a bit bored and disappointed. And now *I'm* getting repetitive! Susan ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 22:02:25 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: SMCharnas Subject: Re: BDG: TSNotD Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 8:48 PM 7/12/99, Big Yellow Woman wrote: >The only thing that really pleased me about the ending was that cats, an >extinct species, were going to be saved through this new loophole they >discover in time travel. And the idea of getting the contents of the >Library at Alexandria was a pretty cool idea--although it doesn't seem >consistent with the inherent safeguards of the continuum that such >things, "inessential" to the past, could be brought into the future >where they could have a huge impact. What you said. And who said the Library at Alexandria was inessential to the past? I liked the cats-idea too; I think everybody did. One must wonder, though, whether there is any bird population left alive in the future world, and if so, is anyone considering the impact of reintroducing cats? This is not a light concern, by the way, and causes a *lot* of dis- cussion in the Manchester Guardian's Nature columns every nest-building season (well, they would feel it more on an island, I guess). Talk about farcically unbelieveable irresponsibility with a tragic edge! These (future) characters are so busy being bumbly "just folks" and making good-hearted mistakes that they become completely unrealistic to me (though in farce, that should not be an intrusive problem, to be fair). >I read Doomsday Book several years ago and don't remember it that well, >I don't see Willis' work as feminist. I believe that Connie herself (who's been heard to say that there is a libe- al academic conspiracy to destroy civilization through "political correct- ness") has said in my hearing that she's no feminist (unless I badly mis- understood her, and there is always that possibility). At her best, though, she's a good humorist with pleasingly quirky vision. Nor is conservatism without fine values. I found DOOMSDAY to relentlessly gloomy in its insis- tence that Nothing Could Be Done, but the idea of the church bells tolling its prescribed number of rings for each dead person according to their age and sex (as I recall it) brought tears to my eyes -- I was thinking of our century of dead bodies dumped into mass graves without the blink of an eye . . . that was worth the whole book, for me, that moment of seeing into a time where (if Willis has it right, and why should she not?) each death signified and deserved to be marked for all to hear, right down to the end. Suzy Charnas ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 01:45:18 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Joyce Jones Subject: BDG To Say Nothing of the Dog If as someone said this isn't the best introduction to Connie Ellis's work, I'm sorry, because I won't be reading any more. I agree with many of the reviews that it took a while to get into the book, and once I did I enjoyed it more, but not enough to subject myself to this style again. I'm sure Ellis would know what I mean. She had Ned give a very good impression of Victorian drawing rooms, so full of stuff that you can't move without tripping over something or bumping your shin. Much of the stuff was interesting, there was just too much of it. Well, that was the style of the book in a nutshell. I felt suffocated by it all. I even stopped reading the cute little chapter headings hoping that would help, but there was still just too much of everything. I liked the view of time travel being taken over by the history department because there wasn't enough profit in it to make it a worth while scientific venture. I liked the idea of fate or time working things out as it should, the intermixture of chaos and purpose. I did get a kick out of the time lag situations. I too figured out long before the end who Mr. C. was, but I confess, for a long time I hoped he was Cyril. That would have been a perfect turn of events. I laughed at many of the situations. I caught a few, not nearly enough, of the references. I enjoyed the description of Victorian England. I didn't understand why the one time traveler wanted to stay and be a butler. Yes, he did a fine job but why would anyone have chosen such a masochistic profession? I liked almost every little thing about the book, I just didn't like them all rammed in there together. Was it feminist? No, not that I could see. As has been said, it wasn't anti-feminist, but it did little to promote the equality of women. Yes there were wise as well as silly female characters, wise and silly male characters, but no attempt to strengthen the ideas of equality either politically or philosophically. This wasn't a statement book, it was just a farce, and I prefer farces to be much shorter than 493 pages. Joyce ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 01:49:55 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Joyce Jones Subject: BDG To Say Nothing of the Dog Willis, not Ellis. It must be time lag. I went to see The Mummy and got stuck 3000 years ago. Joyce ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 13:15:53 GMT Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Robin Reid Subject: UPDATE: FEMSPEC (journal) Comments: To: cfp@english.upenn.edu, iafa-l@ebbs.english.vt.edu, owner-melus-l@listserver.TAMU-Commerce.edu, h-pcaaca@h-net.msu.edu, sfuf@csd.uwm.edu, SFRA-L@ebbs.english.vt.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" FEMSPEC, an interdisciplinary feminist journal dedicated to critical, pedagogical and creative works in the realms of SF, fantasy, magical realism, and other supernatural genres is soliciting material for upcoming issues. DEADLINES: September 20, 1999 APril 10, 2000 These deadlines will be permanent deadlines for in-house issues in the future. Special theme issues have different deadlines (set by editors). Please see the list below for further information. The FEMSPEC office is not staffed during the summer. GENERAL GUIDELINES: If you are interested in speculating, theorizing, creating and questioning gender across the boundaries of what is real and what is not real, consider submitting your work to FEMSPEC. We are interested in interdisciplinary approaches, and encourage work on teaching as well as literary and cultural criticism and creative material. We hope an approach to pedagogy will bring in work from a wider area of disciplines. We are interested in a variety of feminist approaches, and aim to be inclusive of ethnic and cultural diversity in an internationalist perspective. We invite work between genres as well: coverage of conferences, personal essays, non-fiction, media critiques, analysis of popular culture, transcripts of dialogues on relevant topics, interviews with authors, art, photography, work by or about girls of any age. FORMAT FOR SUBMISSIONS: Please send FOUR hard copies of your submission by regular mail. Your name and address should be included only on your cover letter; the work itself should have only the title. If you wish the hard copies returned, please include an SASE with postage. Fewer copies submitted will mean that the reading/review process will take longer. Articles (15 pages, MLA style) or abstracts (250-500 words) will be considered. Creative writing is accepted: short fiction, 15 pages or less; poetry, 3 poems per submission. Reviews (art, books, television shows, movies, animations, conferences, conventions)of 1000 words or less also welcome. CONTACT INFORMATION: Editorial Office: Department of English Cleveland State University Cleveland OH 44115 Phone: 216-687-6870 Fax: 216-687-6943 Email: femspec@popmail.csuohio.edu Editor: Batya Weinbaum, b.weinbaum@csuohio.edu Associate Editor: Robin Anne Reid, Robin_Reid@tamu-commerce.edu SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION We plan to publish two issues a year, with the first issue due out in spring, 1999. If for some reason we are unable to meet this schedule, a 'year's' SUBSCRIPTION will still cover two issues. FEMSPEC will depend completely upon submissions to continue publishing. Send United States cash, check, or money order, to: FEMSPEC, Department of English, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, 44115. Charter and Sustaining memberships include listing on the magazine editorial page. Regular & institutional subscribers $30/year Students, low income $20/year Charter membership $50/year Sustaining membership $75/year SCHEDULED THEME ISSUES: If you are interested in serving as a guest editor, please send a full description of your proposed theme, a vita, and a writing sample to the FEMSPEC office. LATINA/LATIN AMERICAN Latin American/U.S.Latino/a science fiction, fantasy, speculative literature and art--critical articles, fiction, poetry, reviews, and visual art. Deadline for completed works: August 31, 1999 Queries, questions, more information: beatrizb@ibm.net Beatriz Badikian 1867 N. Bissell Chicago IL 60614-5012 beatrizb@ibm.net SURREALISM Contact editor between September and December Gloria Orenstein 11284 Montana Avenue Apt. 10 Los Angeles CA 90049 orenstei@rcf.usc.edu ASIAN AMERICAN Duangrudi Suksang Department of English Eastern Illinois University Charleston IL 61920 FILM Tricia Melzer Women's Studies Clark University Worcester MA 01610 GENDER UTOPIA-DYSTOPIA Commentary on gender in utopian/dystopian literature from feminist perspectives. Submissions on any aspect of the subject should be complete, including any substantive notes, and list of works cited in MLA Style. Essays will be accepted either in hard copy, or on disk in IBM-compatible format in WordPerfect or Word, any version up to 7.0. Do NOT send submissions via e-mail or as attached files, as these cannot be read. Guest Editor: Carol D. Stevens Department of English Eastern Illinois University 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston IL 61920 DEADLINE: Submissions must be received by November 15, 1999 to be considered for publication in this issue. JEWISH-ISRAELI FEMSPEC is planning a special issue focusing on international Jewish women's magic realism, fantasy and speculative works. We are looking for works that explore and transcend the boundaries between dream and reality in any media and form--from poetry and photography to personal essays and critical interpretations. Contact the guest editor, Ruth Knafo Setton, directly for more information: RKSetton@aol.com. Submission deadline: March 1, 2000. INTERSECTIONS: FEMINISM, MULTICULTURALISM, AND SF Robin Anne Reid Department of Literature and Languages A&M-Commerce Commerce TX 75429 Robin_Reid@tamu-commerce.edu Deadline: September 20, 2000 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 18:44:25 -0700 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Robert Sessions Subject: BDG To Say Nothing of the Dog Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" One of the interesting functions of science stories can be watching the characters (as scientists) figure out what is going on. Imagine these characters in a blacked out (perhaps Victorian) room stumbling about trying to piece together what is there by groping in the dark. The time travellers (when not too time lagged) were stumbling about, trying to figure the nature of the phenomenon or event that was making their drops so inaccurate. This process can resemble what real people do when discovering phenomena in their own lives. In mysteries the usual crime questions get asked, in romances "how does who ends up with whom" gets answered. TSNOTD is sort of a mystery and a sort of a romance. In this story the "stumbling about" part has so much slapstick that the main focus is a farce story. This book took several starts for me to get to reading it. A much smoother mystery was in competition (Lindsey Davis' _Three hands in the fountain_), and won my reading time away from TSNOTD. I agree with Joyce's comments about liking the elements but not the way they are combined. The free will parts that SMCharnas disliked were not so troublesome to me, because the characters _felt_ they had free will, even though some vast System was really operating through them. The operating of that System was the real scientific phenomenon that the time travelling staff needed to describe. What I liked about the story, and what it has in common with many good stories, lay in how the small details the characters experience can add up to a picture of the phenomena the characters need to understand. I agree with the assessment about the uncertain feminist qualities of the story, but feel good about the numerical aspect of gender balance. I did like being able to tell the difference between characters even when the observer was acting time-lagged. Bob o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o--o Robert Sessions resessio@facstaff.wisc.edu Steenbock Memorial Library (608)263-2385 voice 550 Babcock Drive (608)263-3221 fax University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706 (608)233-1678 home http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/Steenbock" O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O--O