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Asta’s Annotations: The Trickster God as Queer Icon

Trickster gods occur in many cultures and often demonstrate a certain gender and/or sexual fluidity. For today’s post I will concentrate on one: Norse trickster Loki.

Loki practices forms of magic which, in Norse culture, mark him as effeminate. He’s also a gender-bending shapeshifter, as demonstrated in the following tale….

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FOR READERS AND WRITERS: A Very Special Valentine’s Day

spec fic valentine

In honor of the holiday, I thought it would be fun to share your favorite spec fic Valentine’s Day stories. This chat is for both readers and writers. Here are the parameters: Readers: What are some of your favorite Valentine’s Day themed stories that are also speculative fiction? Writers: Have you written any spec fic V-Day themed stories? And if not, what might you write about, if given the chance?

Review: “Transcendent” – Boogieman In Lavender

Transcendent

“Transcendent,” edited by K.M. Szpara, is the latest “Best Of” collection from Lethe Press. The question arises, would there be enough Transgender-related speculative fiction for a full anthology, let alone an annual series? The answer, judging from the fifteen stories assembled here, is “yes.” The stories display a surprising variety, never straying from Trans characters, (some not obvious) or themes. Transformation is an obvious recurring motif in the stories but when it occurs, it is often in subtle and startlingly different, and entertaining ways. “The Librarian’s Dilemma,” by E. Saxey, features a group “seeding” an archive, The Hairad Collection, which … Read more

FOR WRITERS: Alphas, Masters, High Wizards, and Coven Leaders

wizard - pixabay

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Ryane Chatman: Alphas, masters, high wizards, and coven leaders. What are the things that get your motor running for these? What are the things you would like to see less of? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

FOR READERS: Reading Series

Book Series

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer ‘Nathan Smith: Do you wait for the whole series to be out—and do you know that can harm the series from a publishing point of view—or do you gobble and endure the long wait times? Do you like certain types of series more than others (ones where the b-characters in book one are the main characters in book two, or ones where you follow the same folk through the whole series, for example). Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your … Read more

FOR READERS: Reading Kinky

penguin with whip - pixabay

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Ryane Chatman: BDSM seems to prevalent in a lot of alien, vampire, shifter worlds. Is this a stop for you? If you are experienced in the world of kink (even if you are not) do you roll with the implausibility of some of the scenarios presented? Do you get instapissed when you see BDSM in a light that you feel is negative, ridiculous or physically impossible? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

Rabid Reader Recommendations – Dystopia!

I missed Wednesday, but here’s this month’s R3 topic–DYSTOPIA! https://www.queerscifi.com/rabid-reader-recommendations-r3-wed…/ WELCOME to Rabid Reader Recommendations, or R3 WEDNESDAYS! We host this discussion the first Wednesday of every month; it’s a great opportunity to recommend and discuss works you have enjoyed in the queer speculative fiction genre. These recommendations may end up on a file you can access on our website–stay tuned for details. For February R3, the theme is: Dystopia! (Dystopian literature features an imagined place or state where everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.) HOW IT WORKS: This is a reader discussion. Don’t … Read more