Just for giggles, let’s start with bona fides. I’m going to be talking about fake geeks and casual fandom, after all, and I wouldn’t want anyone to take me too seriously on that front.
Read MoreI Married A Fake Geek Girl; A Defense of Casual FandomAt the end of the first act of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark has a problem.
Now, what you think that problem is depends on how you understand what has just happened. Let’s start with what we know.
Read MoreWelcome to the Reformation, BitchesWhen I was in high school, there was one other girl who loved Star Trek as much as I did. Deep Space Nine was our jam, so our bond was forged in the fire caves of Bajor, solidified by amazing-in-our-minds inside jokes revolving around oo-mox and various disgusting uses for Odo’s bucket.
Read MoreAll the Real (Geek) GirlsTaboos fascinate many writers and artists because we are rebels at heart. We’re drawn to the forbidden, the denied, the unacceptable.
Read MoreYou’re Not Supposed to Write That: Taboos in Speculative FictionI became a professional at SF/F conventions through a retro route; I started as a fan. For years, my husband and I attended conventions (mostly media), went to panels, attended parties, collected autographs, and made friends with fans, conrunners, and pros.
Read MoreThe 21st century SF/F professional at Conventions
If the Programming Team at a science fiction convention does its job properly, the end result should be a clean schedule that always presents interesting items for attendees and program participants alike.
Read MoreBehind the Convention Curtain: ProgrammingWorldcon felt like a destination wedding held on a cruise ship where you and several thousand of your closest friends gathered for a completely overscheduled weekend with the world’s most frantic activities director.
Read MoreApex Magazine Goes to the HugosUnless you’re a professional wrestling fan, you’ve probably never heard of Al Snow. A wrestler who hit the heights of the mid-card in the nineties, he’s never been one of the wrestling fraternity that has broken through into the public consciousness the way main event stars like Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin did.
Read MoreAl Snow’s Advice for SF WritersI’ve read and loved countless books over my lifetime, but few have been as important or influential as the one sitting on my desk as I write this article: the Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook. (The 3.5 edition, for those of you who must know.)
Read MoreMighty Axes and Beer-Soaked Beards: The Portrayal of Dwarves in Fantasy