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Monday, July 21, 2008

Queer Universes



Queer Universes (ed. Pearson, Hollinger, Gordon, Liverpool University Press) is finally available.

Product Description:
Disputes over the meaning and practice of sexuality have become increasingly central to cultural self-definition. It is hardly surprising then that science fiction, the province of new physical and psychological frontiers, has taken up the task of imagining a diverse range of queer and not-so-queer futures. Queer Universes is a landmark investigation into these contemporary and historical representations of gender and sexualities—including Wendy Pearson’s award-winning essay on reading science fiction queerly, as well as essays discussing “sextrapolation” in New Wave science fiction, “stray penetration” in William Gibson’s cyberpunk works, the queering of nature in ecofeminist sci-fi, and the radical challenges posed to conventional science fiction in the work of important writers such as Samuel R. Delany, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Joanna Russ. In addition, this distinguished volume offers interviews with acclaimed science fiction writers, along with an array of essays from scholars and science fiction giants alike.
There's some nifty stuff here, including Wendy Pearson's wonderful piece, "Alien Cryptographies," an interview with Nalo Hopkinson (conducted by Nancy Johnston, whose wicked and wickedly funny story, "The Rendez-Vous," I had the pleasure of publishing in Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction), and an essay by me and Kelley called "War Machine, Time Machine." It's an academic text, so it's pricey. If that makes you blink, try ordering it from the library. (EDIT: It's just been pointed out to me that both Amazon.ca --*not* Amazon.com-- and Chapters.indigo.ca have the book on sale at a juicy discount, $54 and $56 respectively. Knock yourselves out.0
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