Femspec Articles

A very short poem of what a fish might look like if it was out of water, playing on images of male and female, and of a male trying to relate to a female being like a fish out of water.

Robin Hobbs interviews Naomi Mercer, a Lt. Col. in the United States Army, a veteran of the Iraq War, and an assistant professor in the Department of English and Philosophy at the United States Military Academy at West Point to talk about her own connection with feminist science fiction, the effect of Atwood’s visit on her students, and the role feminist science fiction can play in our lives.

Introductions by Robert von der Osten, Janine Hatter, and Batya Weinbaum, Femspec's Herstory, Table of Contents, the Annual Report, Contributors, Notes from the Inside by Maija Hatton

Depiction of WinoWoman on a street in Philadelphia, with references to the mythic Harriet Tubman's feet and other aspects of celebration.

This article from the Motherhood issue of Femspec explores how the science fiction (SF) television show Lost presents a rich playground for a feminist examination of female characters and particularly those who are or become mothers during the series.

This is a review of a conference in Canada where Canadian Science fiction was discussed. SF, Canadian literature was looked at in the context of all Canadian literature, and then with the concept of "borders" as creating regional identities. Many Canadian authors and works were discussed including Nalo Hopkinson, who performed an unpublished piece of hers.

Pike's review of Laurence Schimel, ed., Things Invisible to see: Gay and Lesbian Tales of Magical Realism (Cambridge, MA: Circlet Press, 1998, paper, 12.95) explores domains in which gender and desire are flexible, using the concept of border land communities.

A story about a woman's personal journey, this article touches on memoir, non-fiction narrative, and the growth process inherent in overcoming subjugation.

An expose of the deeply troubling conduct toward women of the academic institutions as they exist in America. Here is an account of the damaging effects to one woman's academic career.

New day, new start, new job. Lots of possibilities. Serena’s was a “New Blood” appointment advertised (in England) to fill posts hitherto occupied by much older people on the edge of retirement or those edged out into retirement by what is termed Voluntary Severance.

This is a review of a conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where the theme was Utopias/Dystopias. Hetrotopic and biocentric themes are also discussed.

A woman in a motorized wheelchair struggling with a painful virus and delivering her own meds by pushbutton, faces her fear of death, remembering the shy girl she had been even as one of her country’s most respected scientists and as a member of a top secret research team.

This article provocatively explores the usefulness of the construct of magical realism in the context of post-colonial oppositional narrative strategies, in particular by feminist authors.

The poem Juneteenth speaks about Pittsburgh during a jazz era with characters like SuperHighFlier. In Word Worlds the poet creates visions of similarities existing between the jungle and the city using metaphors that connect earthy atmospheric qualities with the emotions of street life. In Taboo the poet creates a primitive world of the jungle and the same poet creates a lyric sense in Imagine.

In 1992, I had given birth to a son and had taken a one-year maternity leave, which thereby extended the Post-doctoral Fellowship over three years rather than the usual two. This essay charts a circuitous route toward a tenure-stream position, a route made arduous by a harsh economy and the demands of motherhood experienced for the first time and outside the relative security of tenured academe.

A futuristic story about a loss of a family member due to an unauthorized power outage follows the life of protagonist Claire as she shuttles home to the half-underwater Venice, the ancient city enchanting at Christmastime amidst the fluttering of snow over houses, bridges and the relentless gentle waves.

Batya Weinbaum interviewed Sabine Lichtenfels in July, 2005 when invited to participate in the seminar for Peace Journalists at Tamera. Tamera is an international intentional community in Southern Portugal. They openly maintain free love lifestyle to free up energy to liberate and change an oppressive society, along the lines of New Left thinkers influenced by Marcuse and Wilhelm Reich.

This article discusses how cultural information and stories have been passed from one generation to the next. The fairy tales were restructured to focus more on the female's point of view. Some of these include stories with mothers and no fathers, depicting feminism and imagination in one.

This play includes two characters who are a married couple. The wife sees an angel. The husband tries to find something about angels in the Bible, while the wife defines revelation for him. She claims that the whole point of a revelation is to introduce something new. Gender differences are noted when reacting to the same situation.

“Having a Good Cry is part of a series called ‘The Theory and Interpretation of Narrative’ from Ohio State University Press, and Warhol is correct to characterize her project as (in part) bringing a feminist narratology” to cultural studies (24). This is the source of both the project’s strengths and weaknesses.”

“From an episode guide to a cultural reference index, from an academic bibliography to an encyclopedia, from news of recent and forthcoming scholarly books, essays and conferences to an online shop, those interested in the burgeoning field of inquiry known as Buffy Studies need go nowhere else.”

“In terms of information sharing, through this volume more people can be informed that there is the feminine centered Hindu text, the Devi-Gita, to balance the well known male-oriented Bhagavad-Gita. This seems important as a role model of an ancient religion having a supreme deity. One learns by examining this translation that Sanskrit offers different gender/andro questions than other languages.

The critique made is that popular shows on television are reactionary products of a culture that treats women as sex objects. The episodes of Star Trek critiqued in the journal are about how the feminist movement coincided with the sexist illustration of women in the television. Watching these Star Trek episodes will reveal how icons of American culture can express popular American ideologies.

The science fiction series Farscape (199table-of-contents002) figures aesthetically as a science fiction/soap opera hybrid, which works toward increasingly empowered female representation,” which the author discusses.

Penelope Rosemont's Surrealist Women: An International Anthology, is discussed. This collection contains writings and some visual work by approximately one hundred women from all over the world. These surrealist women are also talked about as being political activists.