Femspec Journal
Publisher info
Femspec is an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to challenging gender in science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, surrealism, myth, folklore and other supernatural genres.
We have been in existence since 1999. See femspec.org. Our editorial board includes Suzanne Bellamy, William Clemente, Joan Gordon, Veronica Hollinger, Philipa Kafka, Sylvia Kelso, Lysa Rivera,, Gina Wisker and Kimberly Brown.
Our production team offers internships, apprenticeship and associate experiences to early career participants, our talent scout is Gloria Orenstein; advisory board, Suzy Charnas, Diane DiPrima, Pamela Sargeant, Sheila Tobias, Constance Brereton; contributing editors are Marleen Barr, Samuel R., Delany and Darko Suvin. Contact femspec@aol.com to subscribe, donate, submit, and get involved. We are as of Mar. 23 2018 in search of contract and author proof manager, peer review coordinator, creative and media editors. We also need an advertising manager, grants writer, and fundraiser.
Smashwords Interview
When did you first start writing?
As a child. My first poem was about watching a basketball game as I sat in the bleachers after not making cheerleader. I became Junior Poet of Indiana.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I was an author for many years, but here we are publishing as many individuals contributions to the journal Femspec as we can, to make what we do more accessible outside academic circles. Those with access to academic data bases can get the material, or subscribers, but we also have readers beyond that base.
Read more of this interview.
Where to find Femspec Journal online
"Malkah, [Old] Age, and Jewish Identity in Marge Piercy’s He, She and It" by Naomi Mercer, Femspec Issue 15
by Naomi R. Mercer
Writing from within the Jewish tradition, Marge Piercy’s novel, He, She and It, contributes to the on-going debate regarding gender equality and kyriarchal conceptions of older women through challenging the inclusion, or exclusion, of the Other including the elder in social institutions.
Toward Utopia, Femspec Books
by Naomi R. Mercer
First, the imagined societies described in the texts that Naomi Mercer examines here exhibit characteristics of kyriarchy, which she defines as “the interlocking axes of domination and privilege that determine the nature of relationships and the power differentials that affect them.”
Women Alone, Men Alone: Single-Sex Utopias, Femspec Issue 1.2
by Brian Attebery
Using the concepts of Eutopia and Dystopia to describe the extremes of utopias, Brian Attebery's article "Women Alone, Men Alone: Single-Sex Utopias" examines the revivification of utopian fiction since the 1950s. By coining the term masculinist as a linguistic parallel to feminist, Attebery provides useful terms for discussion of utopia and gender in new ways.
Two Reviews, Femspec Issue 1.2
by Liisa Hake
Judith Laura's novel, Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century, and Treena Kortje's novel, Variations of Eve, are discussed. Laura is claimed to have spent a great deal of time and effort searching for original gender classifications in the bible. Kortje's novel describes many possible stories of Eve and the garden of Eden.
Surrealist Women, Femspec Issue 1.2
by Gloria Orenstein
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.
Revelation 24:12, Femspec Issue 1.2
by Linda Eisenstein
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.
Made in Canada, Femspec Issue 1.2
by Nancy Johnston
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.
Beast, Femspec Issue 1.2
by Ruth Knafo Setton
This is a work of fiction that starts out by showing marriage (sex) as being the way to let out one's true passion and true self. The use of subtle magical realism helps the author to tell of the enjoyable and the frightening aspects that co-exist while experiencing sex within the marriage.
WisCon 22 and the Secret Feminist Cabal, Femspec Issue 1.1
by William Clemente
WisCon 22 and the Secret Feminist Cabal by William Clemente is a conference and convention coverage piece on pages 110 and 111.This convention at Concourse Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin, Memorial Day Weekend, 1998, was for about 600 writers and readers of sf and feminism. As stated:"You don't just get feminism at WisCon, you get thoughtful social analysis" (110).
Transcending Gender: Challenging the Binary Divide, Femspec Issue 1.1
by Mary Fambrough
A doctoral candidate in organizational behavior from Case Western Reserve covers the Third International Congress on sex and gender held at Oxford University. She discusses intersexual individuals reported on by Lee Anderson Brown of Sydney, and explores sources that might inspire artistic representations of gender that might be more experimental for creators of future gender bending sci fi works.
The Surrealist Cosmovision of Bridget Tichenor, Femspec Issue 1.1
by Gloria Orenstein
Mexico provides a surreal surrounding for painters to experience new visions. Tichenor's artistic conceptions are not European. The artist makes an analogy about past practices of shamans and unexplainable phenomena in her art work. Her artwork glows in a radiating way that is un-natural. Tichenor's revealing artwork lets us see ordinary human beings unmasked.
Margins Made Visible, Femspec Issue 1.1
by Earl Pike
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.
Imagine a Fish, Femspec Issue 1.1
by Darko R. Suvin
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.
Review of The Song of the Goddess, Femspec Issue 6.2
by Lynne Reed
“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.
Quiescent, Femspec Issue 6.2
by Sharon King
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.
Crone’s Revenge, Femspec Issue 6.2
by Carole Spearin McCauley
In the science building, Helgart’s twenty-sixth attempt to repair the auras of her expensive chinchillas had failed again. The bright life spikes of healthy aura were fading, and the healer is called upon to use her powers of mind streaming to diagnose and heal.
Orion, Femspec Issue 6.2
by Kathie Austin
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.
New Blood, Femspec v. 8
by Gina Wisker
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.
Derailed But Not Defeated, Femspec v. 8
by Helen M. Bannan
My worst fears seemed to be realized when, on my first day, my department chair, a Harvard man nearing retirement, greeted me by saying, “I really hate to see you here. Society wastes its investment when it educates women.” Now a dream more than twenty years after I left that position made me realized that I still needed to clear out some of the psychic stuff I’d left behind and move on.
Professor/Mother: The Uneasy Partnership, Femspec v. 8
by Ruth Panofsky
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.
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Series
Femspec Articles
by Femspec Journal,
Batya Weinbaum,
Gloria Orenstein,
Linda HollandToll,
Scott A. Dimovitz,
Helen M. Bannan,
Christina Springer,
Barbara Mabee,
Naomi R. Mercer,
William Clemente,
Linda Eisenstein,
Stephanie Rogers,
Patricia Melzer,
Liisa Hake,
Stephanie Sellers,
Brian Attebery,
Lynne Reed,
Megan Musgrave,
Mary Fambrough,
Tanya Cochran,
Ruth Panofsky,
Earl Pike,
Gina Wisker,
Tina Andres,
Darko R. Suvin,
Andrew Deman,
Phoebe Wray,
Kathie Austin,
Christy Tidwell,
Beverly Bow,
Sylvia Kelso,
Derek Thiess,
Erin A. Smith,
Leslie F. Stone,
Tiff Holland,
Kryn Freehling-Burton,
Tina Andres,
Nancy Johnston,
Sharon King,
Ruth Knafo Setton,
Carole Spearin McCauley,
Carlen LaVigne,
& Janice M. Bogstad
Articles from Femspec Journal
Books
Femspec 17.1
by Femspec Journal
Femspec is an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to challenging gender through science fiction, fantasy, magical realism, surrealism, myth, folklore and other supernatural genres. Issue 17.1 contains a variety of criticisms, interviews, reviews, and reflections, as well as other offerings.
Femspec 17.2
by Femspec Journal
Femspec 17.2. With criticism, poetry, personal reflection, historical documents, event coverage, book reviews, books and media received, this issue contains such works as "Visual Misogyny: An Analysis of Female Sexual Objectification in Game of Thrones" and the "Fall of Mercury." This issue offers a depth and breadth of feminist speculative thought.
3 Conferences, Femspec Issue 15
by Femspec Journal
Includes:
MARGARET CRUIKSHANK. Paper from a NWSA Panel on Science Fiction and Ageing: Oakland, 2012
JENNIFER JODELL. Report on “Agents of Change”: Feminist SF Critics Meet Feminist SF Authors at University of Oregon
BATYA WEINBAUM. Femspec Salons at OLOC and NWSA, 2014
Book Reviews and Books and Media Received, Femspec Issue 15
by Femspec Journal
Desert Years: Undreaming the American Dream, by Cynthia Rich and Look Me in the Eye: Old Women Ageing and Ageism, by Cynthia Rich and Barbara McDonald (Reviewed by Maria Alberto)
A Beautiful Marsupial Afternoon: New (Soma)tices, by C. A. Conrad (Reviewed by Maija Hatton)
Ardor: Poems of Life, by Janine Canan (Reviewed by Maija Hatton)
The Goddess Festival: Restoring the Balance, Faye
Introductions, Femspec Issue 15
by Femspec Journal
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
Interview with Lt. Col. Naomi Mercer by Robin Hobbs, Femspec Issue 16.1
by Femspec Journal
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.
Book Reviews and Books & Media Received, Femspec Issue 9.1, 2008
by Femspec Journal
Book Reviews of two Nava Semel books: IsraIsland. Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books: Tel-Aviv, Miskal, 2005, 275 pp., paperback, Hebrew and The Rat Laughs. Tel-Aviv, Miskal Yedioth Ahronoth Books and Chemed Books, 2007, both reviewed by Lani Ravin and several books and media received. Summarized by different Femspec staff members.
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