“When people say, Did you always want to be a writer?, I have to say no! I always was a writer.” That quip from the legendary Ursula K. Le Guin headlines my “About Me” page on this site. And perhaps it’s even true—I’ve certainly put my share of words on paper. But without Le Guin, … More The Journey: A Tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin
Spoiler alert: this post contains minor spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 6 “Gendry is obviously not Robert Baratheon’s bastard,” I observed to my Laddie during the most recent episode of Game of Thrones. “His father has to be The Flash.” After a few days’ hiking with the wight-hunting party, our warrior-blacksmith seems … More The Air-Speed Velocity of Ravens: “Game of Thrones” and the Importance of Consistency in SFF Writing
“Did you see the new Star Wars movie?” I texted my friend last weekend. He’s one of the few people in my circle who shares my lifelong affection for the franchise, so I was eager to discuss it with him. “No,” he replied. “I don’t want to see what they did to it.” For him, a … More Schrödinger’s Star Wars: Multiverses in Popular Fiction
“Think of it as the literature museum,” my father told me when I was fifteen. I was a dually-enrolled high school student at the local college, and frustrated with some of the ideas I encountered in the curriculum’s so-called classic novels. Dad, a veteran English major himself, helped me contextualize the antiquated stories by likening … More The Literature Museum: Sci-Fi and Sexism
I was fully prepared to like Neil Gaiman. His 2013 lecture to the Reading Agency inspired a kindred affection in me, with a perspective that warmly recaptures my own experience with reading. And what sci-fi geek didn’t smile to see him introduce Ursula LeGuin before her own excellent speech at the National Book Awards in … More Review: Neverwhere
At yesterday’s National Book Awards, celebrated science fiction author Ursula Le Guin received an award honoring her literary achievements. Once small step for the legendary Le Guin, one giant leap for science fiction authors. Two key points in her speech resonated deeply with me both as a writer and a devotee of science fiction: the undervaluation … More Grounds for Hope: Science Fiction as Literature
Wild Type 