catherineldf | An appreciation of Suzette Haden Elgin

I wrote this post a few years back when author, linguist and musician Suzette Haden Elgin first announced that problems with her health and escalating Alzheimer's would make it impossible for her to continue producing newsletters, going to cons and ultimately, writing. Yesterday, her husband announced her passing - my sympathies to him, her other loved ones and her many fans and friends.

This is a good memorial even though it pertains to the end of her writing career rather than her actual demise - Suzette Haden Elgin - A Brilliant Writer Goes Silent,

While she was not someone I knew well, I always admired her and enjoyed being her on panels and doing readings with her over the years, as well as our occasional chats. She was a writer I had tremendous respect and affection for and I'm hoping that a new audience discovers her work.

For those who may be unfamiliar with Suzette and her work, she was a ground-breaking, internationally known feminist linguist and poet, a science fiction writer and the founder of the Science Fiction Poetry Society. Amongst her other work, she spent a number of years constructing and trying to popularize a language called Láadan, created to express her vision of women's perceptions (Incidentally, there is a herstorical precedent for this - a number of cultures around the world have created languages and dialects specifically spoken among women at various points in time). While it never caught on the way that she envisioned, it is a fascinating project and well worth checking out. it is also integral to her lifelong work integrating science fiction and linguistics.

Some of Suzette's other works (a full bibliography of her SF can be found here):
The Native Tongue series: near future sf in which women have no rights until a group of female linguists discovers a new way to communicate with alien civilizations

A First Dictionary and Grammar of Láadan: The dictionary and grammar were an effort to get people to use the language, taking it viral in pre-Internet terms.

The Planet Ozark series: SF about a small network of planets settled by families from the Ozarks who are guided by Grannies with magical powers.

The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense: series on verbal techniques for diffusing conflict, confronting harassment, better communication, etc. Her best known work.

Peacetalk 101: novel based on the her verbal self-defense principles.

The Grandmother Principles - a guide to being a good grandmother

The U. of Oregon archive of her works and papers

Her Science Fiction Encyclopedia entry