Joan Slonczewski

Come discuss thought-provoking speculative fiction in a group that welcomes diversity. Science fiction and fantasy can be a great escape, but it can also be a great way to examine social issues and alternative viewpoints or identities. Historically, science fiction has often been used as a way of commenting on the biases of the age in which it is written, using metaphors such as the creation of robots, alternative relationships between alien species, and the colonization of other worlds to show contemporary problems or questions in a new light. The aim of this group is to enjoy reading provocative science fiction (and occasional fantasy) stories and discussing the themes they might present, in both the original context and for us as individuals today. This group meets the third Monday of every month at 7pm in the writing corner on the mezzanine level of Village Books. Authors DO NOT attend.

Mon, Dec 15, 7pm

A Door into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski

A ground-breaking work both of feminist SF and of world-building hard SF, it concerns the Sharers of Shora, a nation of women on a distant moon in the far future who are pacifists, highly advanced in biological sciences, and who reproduce by parthenogenesis--there are no males--and tells of the conflicts that erupt when a neighboring civilization decides to develop their ocean world, and send in an army.

Location: Street: 1200 11th St City: Bellingham, Province: Washington Postal Code: 98225-7015 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

A Room of One's Own is once again thrilled to host WisCon's kickoff event, a reception, reading, and book-signing for Guests of Honor Jo Walton and Joan Slonczewski. The reception begins at 6pm, with the readings starting at 6:30pm. Wiscon is the world's leading feminist science fiction convention, held May 23-27 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison. The Guest of Honor reception at Room is free and open to the public--you may attend this event reading even if you are not attending WisCon!

To learn more about the convention or to register, visit WisCon's website at wiscon.info. A Room of One's Own will have a booth selling your favorite feminist science fiction in the WisCon Dealer's Room, so you can visit us there as well as in our store!

Jo Walton is the author of Hugo and Nebula-award-winning novel Among Others, as well as several other novels. She comes from Wales but lives in Montreal where the books and food are more varied. She reads a lot and writes about old books on Tor.com. She is married to Dr. Emmet O'Brien and they live together in a charming but cluttered apartment in walking distance of the metro. Her grown up son and his girlfriend and two cats live in their own apartment nearby. It worries her slightly from time to time that while the world remains so imperfect her life is so exactly as she always dreamed it might be.

Joan Slonczewski researches bacteria in extreme environments and writes hard science fiction about women of color as scientists, and diverse sexualities. Her latest book, The Highest Frontier(Tor Books, September 2011) depicts a Cuban-American woman going to college in a space habitat. Slonczewski's Campbell-award winning classic, A Door into Ocean (Tor Books, 1986; Campbell Award) creates a world covered entirely by ocean, inhabited by an all-female race of purple people who use genetic engineering to defend their unique ecosystem. Slonczewski's early work was inspired by the works of Ursula Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Anne McCaffrey, and Tanith Lee. Slonczewski teaches biology at Kenyon College, including the notorious course "Biology in Science Fiction."

Learn more about the authors at WisCon's website!

Location: Street: 315 W. Gorham St. City: Madison, Province: Wisconsin Postal Code: 53703-2218 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)