Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Posts Tagged ‘Science-fiction’

Where Is International SF?

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

by Charles Tan

It’s tempting to label this essay as “Third World Science Fiction” but why limit it to the third world? One of the most pleasant surprises the Internet has brought about is the discovery that you’re not alone, especially when it comes to Science Fiction and its related genres (fantasy, interstitial fiction, slipstream, speculative fiction, etc.). Last year, for example, I was thrilled to find out that there was such a thing as The Apex Book of World SF. I’m from the Philippines and friends with the two Filipino contributors so there was a part of me that was shocked that neither of them cared to inform me that they were included in the book! This also led to the discovery of the existence of The World SF News Blog, maintained by the anthology’s editor, Lavie Tidhar. While a part of me was envious, I wanted to be a part of this project. It was a cause that I could be passionate about. After all, one of the reasons I created the Philippine Speculative Fiction Sampler was because I wanted to promote Philippine literature to the rest of the world. With The Apex Book of World SF and the blog, I’d be doing just that, along with other neglected countries–at least by the standards of First World countries, which, unfortunately, dominates the current publishing market (let’s put it this way: if a book gets published in the US by a major publisher, it’ll probably be available in the rest of the world but that’s not the case if the book was published in, say, India, Singapore, or even Australia).

Of course the first thing that I realized when I signed up for The World SF News Blog is how much international fiction has already been translated and made available in the English market. Take for example the following anthologies:

• The Penguin World Omnibus of Science Fiction edited by Brian Aldiss and Sam J Lundwall (1977) (Table of Contents can be found here)
• Travelling Towards Epsilon: An Anthology of French Science Fiction edited by Maxim Jakubowski (1977) (Table of Contents can be found here)
• The World Treasury of Science Fiction edited by David G. Hartwell (1989)
• Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction edited by Nalo Hopkinson (2000) (Table of Contents can be found here)
• Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain edited by Andrea L. Bell and Yolanda Molina-Gavilan (2003) (Table of Contents can be found here)
• So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan (2004)
• The Black Mirror and Other Stories: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Germany and Austria edited by Franz Rottensteiner and translated by Mike Mitchell (2008) (more…)

Tags: Charles Tan, Science-fiction
Posted in SFWA Blog | 5 Comments »

How To Kill Your Imaginary Friends: Flatlines

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Tags: Dr. Grasshopper, How to Kill Your Imaginary Friends, medicine, Science-fiction, world building
Posted in SFWA Blog, Writing Technique | 5 Comments »

NASA finds water on the moon

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

In an announcement that has scientist and science-fiction authors alike reeling with the new possibilities, NASA announced today that it has found a “significant amount” of frozen water on the moon.

Preliminary data from a dramatic experiment on the moon “indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently shadowed lunar crater,” NASA said in a statement.

“The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon,” it added, as ecstatic scientists celebrated the landmark discovery.

Read the full article for more details. Our question is: How many science-fiction books and stories have just become out-dated, do you think?

via Brandie Tarvin

Tags: Moon, NASA, research, Science-fiction
Posted in SFWA Blog | Comments Off

SF meets real life: US Government issues patents on human genes

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

This could be Science Fiction, but it isn’t. For the last twenty years, the US patent office has been issuing patents on human gene sequences. The ACLU sees this as a problem because:

… patent holders own the exclusive rights to those genetic sequences, their usage, and their chemical composition. Anyone who makes or uses a patented gene without permission of the patent holder – whether it be for commercial or noncommercial purposes – is committing patent infringement and can be sued by the patent holder for such infringement.

Lest you think this is for manufactured structures only, the patents includes such naturally occurring genes for asthma, colon cancer, Alzheimer’s. Those science-fictionally minded of you see where this could lead.

The ACLU goes on to report:

Last week, the New York Times reported that a Stanford engineer has developed a new technology to sequence the entire human genome for less than $50,000. This is a remarkable reduction from the $20 million estimate of three years ago, and it’s half the price currently offered by the personal genomics company Knome (pronounced “know-me”). Dr. Stephen Quake, the Stanford inventor, claims his new Heliscope Single Molecule Sequencer’s ability to decode a human genome in four weeks with a staff of three people will serve to “democratize access to the fruits of the genome revolution.”

The two articles together could make an interesting basis for a story.

Tags: fact, Science-fiction
Posted in SFWA Blog | 3 Comments »

Is Africa Ready for Science Fiction?

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

At our sister site, NebulaAwards.com, Nnedi Okorafor, talks about science-fiction in Africa.  It’s an interesting and thought-provoking read.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had some interesting conversations with award-winning Nollywood director Tchidi Chikere about science fiction (Nollywood is Nigeria’s oh-so-popular film industry. The term “Nollywood” is a play on “Hollywood”, much the same way as India’s “Bollywood”).

Chikere has written, produced, and directed over 50 films. He also published a collection of rather chilling short stories titled Strangers in Paradise. The collection includes a novella called “Daughter of the Cave,” which is essentially a fantasy piece. Chikere sought me out after my novel, Zahrah the Windseeker, piqued his interest. Needless to say, I was delighted and honored to hear from him.

During one of our conversations, we discussed my own work and whether it could be translated to film, particularly African film. “Is Africa ready for science fiction?” he asked me. We debated this for a while. Naturally, I believed Africa was ready…ready enough, at least. Notwithstanding my own contentions, Chikere had other ideas.

“I don’t think we’re ready in the primary sense of the word,” Chikere said. “We can hide it in other categories like magic realism, allegory, etc, but we’re not ready for pure science fiction.”

Read the rest of this article at NebulaAwards.com

Tags: Nebula, Nnedi Okorafor, Science-fiction
Posted in Nebula Awards, News, SFWA Blog | 1 Comment »