Category Archives: specfic
Escaping into Fantasy: Thoughts on Transportive Fiction
I’ve got a confession to make: I read for escape. I don’t just read to learn, or to shape my moral compass, or to consider the deeper truths of life. If any of that happens, I’m ecstatic. I love to … Continue reading
On Where Genres Come From and How to Stitch Them Together
Victor Frankenstein had it easy. He had to muck about with viscera and body parts, and though the result was an eight-foot tall, sallow-skinned monster, at least human anatomy provided him with a map to follow. Writers don’t have such … Continue reading
“Science Fiction” and Literature – or Thoughts on Delany and the Plurality of Interprative Processes
NOTE: Once again, I apologize for posting this a bit later than usual. I’m abroad for only one more week, though, and then we’re back to our regular Tuesday schedule. I’ve long believed that Samuel Delany is one of the … Continue reading
BEA 2012: Wrap-up and Programming Suggestions for 2013
NOTE: This is the fourth (and final, I promise!) post on BEA 2012. Unlike my last three posts (here, here, and here), this doesn’t re-cap the expo’s last day. Instead, I’ll try to collate my thoughts and offer concrete, workable … Continue reading
BEA 2012 (Day 2): Speculative Fiction Programming Rationale and the Death of a Teacher
NOTE: This is a recap post of the second day of BEA 2012 (Wednesday, June 6th). You can find my earlier review of the BEA Blogger Conference here, and my comments on the first day here. Wednesday was definitely a … Continue reading
BEA 2012 (Day 1): The Relationship of Speculative Fiction to Mainstream
NOTE: This is a brief write-up of Tuesday, June 5th, the first full day of BEA. You can find my write-up of the pre-BEA Book Bloggers Conference here, and I’ll do a write-up of the second day (Wednesday) tomorrow. Overall … Continue reading
Accessibility: Speculative Fiction’s Pernicious Strawman
NOTE: My thinking here is a bit of a tangential response to some of John H. Stevens’ recent Erudite Ogre columns over at SF Signal. I strongly recommend those columns as an insightful exploration of genre and genre identity. Here’s … Continue reading
Super Hero Narratives and Our Re-discovered Love for Them
NOTE: Sorry for posting this a bit late. The only excuse I’ve got is that I was busy at the movie theater doing more research for this blog post (honest!). Despite the fact that the comic book industry bemoans its … Continue reading
The Circus as a Fantastic Device
I grew up devouring the works of Ray Bradbury, and I have no doubt that Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Illustrated Man all had an enormous influence on my love of fantasy. Add to that the … Continue reading
Railing against Consensus Taste: Why We Complain about Literary Awards
Awards season is in full swing: we’ve got the Hugos, the Nebulas, the BSFAs, the Aurealis, the Bram Stokers. It seems that every week a different shortlist gets announced or a different grand prize is given out. And this year, … Continue reading
