Subject: File: "FEMINISTSF-LIT LOG0201A" ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2002 07:46:34 -0800 Reply-To: publicity@mystgalaxy.com Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Maryelizabeth Hart Organization: Mysterious Galaxy Subject: Reminder: BDG of A WOMAN'S LIBERATION Comments: To: "For discussion of feminist SF, fantastic & utopian literature" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Discussion of the stories in A WOMAN'S LIBERATION is slated to begin on Monday, January 7, on the On Topic list. I look forward to lots of participants and a range of topics covered, given the variety in the 10 stories in the collection. Happy New Year! Maryelizabeth -- ******************************************************************* Mysterious Galaxy Books Local Phone: 858.268.4747 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Suite 302 Fax: 858.268.4775 San Diego, CA 92111 Long Distance/Orders: 1.800.811.4747 http://www.mystgalaxy.com General Email: mgbooks@mystgalaxy.com ******************************************************************* ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 20:40:49 -0800 Reply-To: publicity@mystgalaxy.com Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Maryelizabeth Hart Organization: Mysterious Galaxy Subject: BDG: A WOMAN'S LIBERATION Comments: To: Fem-SF MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A WOMAN'S LIBERATION: A CHOICE OF FUTURES BY AND ABOUT WOMEN Edited by Connie Willis and Shelia Williams Contents: introduction by Connie Willis "Inertia" by Nancy Kress (1989) "Even the Queen" by Connie Willis (1992) "Fool's Errand" by Sarah Zettel (1993) "Rachel in Love" by Pat Murphy (1987) "Of Mist, Sand and Grass" by Vonda McIntyre (1974) "The July Ward" by S.N. Dyer (1991) "The Kidnapping of Baroness 5" by Katherine Maclean (1995) "Speech Sounds" by Octavia Butler (1983) "The Ship Who Mourned" by Anne McCaffrey (1966) "A Women's Liberation" by Ursula LeGuin (1995) A couple of reviews: Sci-Fi reviewed by Nalo http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue234/books.html and another http://www.sfrevu.com/2001/9810%20A%20Womans%20Liberation/Book%20Review.htm And "Publisher's Weekly": >From Publishers Weekly This anthology, which reprints 10 award-winning stories by and about women, brings little new to the table, but it does assemble excellent work by sci-fi luminaries, originally published in Analog and Asimov's (for which Williams is executive editor). Its failure to provide historical context, however, renders the stories somewhat flat. The pieces range widely: Vonda N. McIntyre's "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand" and Katherine MacLean's post apocalyptic "The Kidnapping of Baroness 5" present worlds where scientific study uses animals for healing humans or for gathering genetic material. The human condition is deftly described in both Connie Willis's "Even the Queen," a hilarious story about menstruation, and Ursula K. Le Guin's poignant "A Woman's Liberation," a first-person journey through the eyes of a former slave who discovers that freedom comes at a price. Many stories explore the world via metaphors of illness or plague: Nancy Kress's "Inertia" describes a quarantined plague community given hope that the plague might be cured; Anne McCaffrey's dated "The Ship Who Mourned" chronicles a sentient ship's trip to a plague world; and in Octavia Butler's harrowing but hopeful "Speech Sounds," a plague has caused people to forget how to speak or read, leading to chaos. Many SF fans will have read at least some of these stories already. Maybe the familiarity of the stories in this anthology signals women's entrenchment in the genre. First note -- although the anthology title was inspired by the LeGuin story, it was altered from Women's to Woman's on the covers, spine, and half title (at least in my edition), but not on the title page, or the page headers. I found this distracting, to say the least... Also, I found a number of typos as I read through the text, which was distressing, as the stories are all reprints and it seems that should make eliminating typos easier... As this is a reprint anthology, most of my questions have to do with structure of the book rather than the individual stories, although I hope people will discuss the stories. Were there FEMSF members who looked at the listed stories and read them from other sources, rather than obtaining the collection? Did readers feel the stories were all suited to the stated tone / intention of the collection? Were there any stories you would not have included? Are there stories from this area you would have preferred to see included instead? Did you feel the collection was truly a "feminist SF" collection, or rather a "womanist" SF collection? Did you read the stories in the order printed in the book? If not, what method did you use? Favorite authors? Chronology of publication? More or less familiar stories? Which situations and / or characters lingered in your consciousness? Why? Did you read the collection as a whole in a short period of time, or gradually, over a more extended time period? Pax, Maryelizabeth -- ******************************************************************* Mysterious Galaxy Books Local Phone: 858.268.4747 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Suite 302 Fax: 858.268.4775 San Diego, CA 92111 Long Distance/Orders: 1.800.811.4747 http://www.mystgalaxy.com General Email: mgbooks@mystgalaxy.com ******************************************************************* ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 23:22:14 -0600 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Diane Severson Subject: Re: BDG: A WOMAN'S LIBERATION Comments: To: feministsf-lit@UIC.EDU MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Maryelizabeth wrote: "First note -- although the anthology title was inspired by the LeGuin story, it was altered from Women's to Woman's on the covers, spine, and half title (at least in my edition), but not on the title page, or the page headers." My edition (US Trade paperback from Warner) has "Woman's" throughout. Even in the original publishing info printed in the back. Was it really called "(A) Women's Liberation"?!? That doesn't make sense to me. Given the content of the story it makes perfect sense that LeGuin would call it "A Woman's Lib" because it was a very personal story. I could understand it more if the editors of this anthology had decided to call it Women's Liberation. "As this is a reprint anthology, most of my questions have to do with structure of the book rather than the individual stories, although I hope people will discuss the stories." Me too, but someone else has to start! ;-) "Did you feel the collection was truly a "feminist SF" collection, or rather a "womanist" SF collection?" I'm no expert in the differences, but to my own limited understanding of what "feminist" and "womanist" means, I would say this book is definitely "womanist". I wouldn't know why some stories (like "Fool's Errand" and "The JUly Ward" could be considered "feminist". "Did you read the stories in the order printed in the book?" Yes. Although, I briefly considered reading the authors I am familiar with first, but then, for whatever reason, I decided not to. Which situations and / or characters lingered in your consciousness? Why? I dwelt somewhat longer on "Inertia", "Speech sounds" and "A Woman's Liberation". As to why, I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps because these were stories about women who were confronted with difficult situations and their ways of dealing with them were enlightening to me. "Did you read the collection as a whole in a short period of time, or gradually, over a more extended time period?" I read all of the stories in about a week. I found the stories engrossing, fun and fascinating. I was sorry there weren't more stories. Diane