I should really be reading novels, but I have been distracted by the latest issue of the academic journal, Science Fiction Studies. It is a special issue on “Science Fiction and Sexuality”. Most of the material is fairly sense, but there’s also a symposium comprising a bunch of short essays (and in some cases rants) by well known writers and academics, including Nicola Griffith and Farah Mendlesohn. You can find that online here, together with the abstracts for the papers in this issue. Academics can be a dry lot at times, but they have wide-ranging interests. The paper titles include things like: “Technofetishism and the Uncanny Desires of A.S.F.R. (alt.sex.fetish.robots)” and “Kill the Bugger: Ender’s Game and the Question of Heteronormativity”.
I am mildly annoyed that if I had been able to attend ICFA last year my paper from there might have had a chance to be in this issue, but at least I should get a chance to present it next year.
For those of us who can’t be at ICFA, any chance of a peek at the paper anyway? (After presentation, of course.)
Nicola:
That kind of depends on whether anyone wants to publish it. If they do I’ll have to go with their schedule. If not I’ll publish it here.
In that case, I wish you the vast and grinding delay that is publishing 🙂 I can wait. Sigh.