Years ago, I worked as an assistant martial arts instructor. This is an excellent fact to share in a moment of seeming far-off reverie when one’s foundations of British lit students are raising inexplicable ruckus. Give them half a moment to process the fact and you’ll be able to hear a pin drop. Human beings […]
This week on the LSQ blog, we talked about heroes, women characters in science fiction pop culture, had a book review, and an author interview — whew! To catch up, here’s the schedule of what you might have missed: On Monday, Imelda Corazon explored how to cultivate the magic within your authentic self using lessons […]
I’d like to take the next few posts in this column to ruminate on what speculative fiction–specifically science fiction–really is. What is its place in our culture? Who is the core audience for it? How do fans interact with it on an individual and communal level? How is it expanding and changing as our societies […]
In the early days of cinema, male scientists in science fiction and fantasy had female counterparts, usually assisting, sometimes as partners, but generally in peril and requiring rescue once the action builds to a climax. Those roles have evolved over time, echoing changing roles for women in society. Still, gaps in the amount of screen […]
When it comes to not judging a book by its cover, I’m generally pretty good. So when Balzer + Bray released the cover of Justina Ireland’s novel Dread Nation last June, I was glad there’s no rule about having RIDICULOUSLY HIGH EXPECTATIONS based on a cover. With its gorgeous young model, confidently posed by an […]
“the ultimate self” is who you really are Creation is action . . . Gives rise to existence beingness –Mani Rao’s translation of the Bhagavad Gita (p. 56) In this post, I aim to explore the beauty that is the authentic self. I’ve mentioned this term several times in previous posts and I’d like to break […]
It’s been another great week here on the LSQ blog — check out what our amazing bloggers have been thinking and writing about. On Monday, editor-in-chief Jennifer Lyn Parsons gives us a peek behind the curtains at LSQ, including an overview of our core principles; On Tuesday, book reviewer and author interviewer Wendy Van Camp […]
The Kore is the innocent Little Girl, but just how ‘little’ is the mythic Persephone? By implication if not direct statement she is almost old enough for menarche and marriage, which adds a layer of complication to the story. It can be inferred that she is actually entering the Hebe phase of the female life […]
Nope, it’s not “rejection”. Many moons ago, in a college short story writing class, the professor very kindly handed me back the story I’d written and told me, “It’s not a complete story. It’s a vignette.” This means, of course, that it lacked a full story arc. Ever since then, when I start a new […]
If you’re reading about dragons, chances are, you’re reading fantasy. But if you’re reading about women ascending bodily to heaven, you’re probably reading magic realism. Confused? You’re not alone. The most common definition of fantasy is “literature in which magical things occur” or, as the Routledge Dictionary of Literary Terms defines it, “literature which creates […]
