WisCon, post the second...

[catherineldf]

I survived my first panel of the weekend - Parallel Universes: Lesbian Characters in Fantasy and Science Fiction. Since I was moderating, these are mostly notes from inside my head and may not have any relationship to what it was like for anyone else in the room. It was well-attended despite lively competition and proximity to the dinner hour. We covered some historical background of lesbian characters both in genre and in lesbian/feminist lit (precursor to lesfic), with references to early fan fic, Gearhart and Russ before plugging Melissa Scott, Nicola Griffith, Jewell Gomez, Laurie Marks and...S.M. Stirling. Stirling did a surprisingly good sword and sorcery series with Shirley Meier and Karen Wehrstein about a couple of swordswomen who are lovers and partners, and the extended bi, poly family that they build over the course of their adventures. I'm still recommending it years after the last time I read it. For new stuff, we talked a bit about Xena (cause you just have to), a bit on fan fic, references to Amazon culture, Kelley Eskridge, Laurie Marks and Malinda Lo, as well as anime and manga. I think what stood out for me is the lack of good sf/f with lesbian/queer female characters that isn't romance. Got nothing against romance but I'd rather it was a subplot than a primary. When JoSelle and I talked about the guidelines for Hellebore and Rue (the antho we're editing), we deliberately excluded romance and we're getting some fine stories that are squarely in sf/f and related. JoSelle is also doing a collection of lesbian steampunk, which I believe is also not romance-oriented.  Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades is also not particularly romance-heavy. Herein lies the conundrum: the books are selling. They're getting reviews. They're up for awards. We're not having a huge problem getting submissions for the various projects. So why is the vast majority of the current sf/f work out there with lesbian/queer femaie characters lesfic style romance? It's frustrating when you want the (good) representation but you also want world-building and plot and maybe the occasional explosion and/or magic sword/quest/whathaveyou. Here's hoping that we have a lot more current work to talk about next WisCon.

Comments

[lesbrary.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Do you have any specific titles you'd recommend by Jewell Gomez or Laurie Marks? Amazon didn't seem to come up with mich.

I think it might be a self-perpetuating cycle where people assume that because there is little lesbian fiction/science fiction out there that isn't romance, it must mean it doesn't sell, so they write romance. I hope that's something that will change soon.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Sure. Jewelle Gomez wrote "The Gilda Stories" back in 1991 and it's still available from Firebrand Books along with one of her collections - http://www.firebrandbooks.com/store/commerce.cgi.
Laurie Marks' fantasy novel "Water Logic" is available from Small Beer Press - http://www.powells.com/biblio?PID=26490&cgi=product&isbn=9781931520232. The rest of the series is out of print but well worth checking it out.

BTW, I'm the author of the top 10 lesbian protagonist list that you referenced from Kissed By Venus. It made it out into the world via the Bella blog without attribution so just mentioning it by way of plugging some fine books.

[lesbrary.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Thanks! I'll go back and edit you credit. : )

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :)

[fuzzygabby.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't mind my posting here. I hope it isn't inappropriate. For the most part, I enjoyed the panel. Interesting stuff. But I very nearly walked out when the perhaps inevitable gratuitous bi-bashing began. Fortunately it didn't last long and could have been worse, but I was still upset by it.

Also, when did altfic become lesfic? I started reading Xena fanfic during the second season of the show, and it was always called altfic, which left room for Xena being bi. I haven't read any years, apparently things changed somewhere along the way.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about on either count but I'm sorry you were offended. I believe that the panel description was quite clear on the topics we'd be covering and it was not intended as a bi-specific panel. The publishing changes I wanted to address are all driven by writers who identify themselves as lesfic writers, not something else.
I suggest that you propose a panel on bi representation in sf/f for next year if what you're looking for is something that covers topics of interest to you in greater detail. I know I'd attend with great interest.

[fuzzygabby.livejournal.com]

I wasn't looking for bi-specific, just bi respectful.