I was a bit busy circulating my recent Swann stuff to post about this, but a year ago I wrote this essay on Adrien Stoutenberg's forgotten but mildly compelling YA sf novel of ecological collapse and capitalist exploitation, OUT THERE. There are, sadly, no raccoons. Worth a look for eco sf folks.
The spines of Swann's books
Sean Guynes looks at the forgotten fantasies of Thomas Burnett Swann on the 50th anniversary of his death: "A half-century after his death, Swann is—unfairly—a mere footnote in the history of fantasy." lareviewofbooks.org/article/thomas-burnett-s...
a picture of a small tired looking kitten with the caption “Baby.”
yes
@casella.bsky.social more evidence for you that sf is "dead."
Also, you probably know this, but just in case, here's a discussion of how leftist sff writers in the 1930s thought sf was "dead" from "intellectual bankruptcy":
It's like the "participation trophy" discourse: who gave out the trophies? who created that supposed culture of wanting to be acknowledged for simply participating? and who complains about people supposedly wanting participation trophies?
I was a bit busy circulating my recent Swann stuff to post about this, but a year ago I wrote this essay on Adrien Stoutenberg's forgotten but mildly compelling YA sf novel of ecological collapse and capitalist exploitation, OUT THERE. There are, sadly, no raccoons. Worth a look for eco sf folks.
First draft is for telling yourself the story, revisions are for telling your readers the story.
I do love the idea that there was, like, a DSA committee or an anarchist Signal chat trying to organize to get Scalzi a Hugo.
Nazis have a hard time telling the difference between liberals and leftists
...cling to their narrative of genre "decline" and its "politicization." We have only ourselves (and Scalzi) to blame!
But the comment was at least a good reminder to revisit the squeecore discussion and remember, with good humor, just how hard those critics tried to make it happen.
A WordPress comment from ThirteenthLetter: "You have only yourself and your fellow activists to thank for the victory of Scalzism and the death of science fiction. When you turned SF writing into an ideological mission instead of a creative one, what did you think was going to happen? Of course the insincere sociopaths best at gaming the system would come out on top, mouthing agreement with your ideology and delivering slop. Well done guys, hope killing the most vital field of literary endeavor was worth it."
A few years ago I wrote an essay on Scalzi's RED SHIRTS and squeecore, interrogating that discourse, and today got a comment from someone who is still mad mad mad about "Scalzism" as though anyone really gives a shit about that in 2026. But it is a fascinating look at how Right-wing losers...
history is unfixed; reactivating the archive - even from absence, or destruction, or silence (so many archives are hollows/negative spaces/chiaroscuro to begin with) - is always possible: the animating force is the speaking/compositing eye of the historiographer, i.e. narrative (or apophenia).
okay, this happens to me all the time.
Why do some people get so angry/upset when I tell them that refusal IS my ethical way to engage with gAI?
Guilt?
After everything, I put together a little "reader's introduction" to Thomas Burnett Swann, with links to what scant resources there are about his work, links to all of my essays, a "ranking" of his novels, tips on where to start, etc.
New Book Announcement: “Samurai” by Rosina Buckland and Oleg Benesch @uwapress.uw.edu @britishmuseum.bsky.social asianreviewofbooks.com/samurai-by-r...
Out today from @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social, my essay reflecting on Thomas Burnett Swann's life and legacy as a fantasy writer 50 years after his death. This has been a year in the making and I'm happy there's a piece like this giving Swann some overdue attention!
Useful stuff! I might need to implement some of these beyond just relying on the Internet Archive.
I'll be curious to know how his work holds up lol these many years! I've yet to track down one of his critical works, but I'm very curious about the study of Rossetti.
@michaeljhudson hell yeah benihana up in this bitch
Why you should be reading Swann:
the spines of a bunch of Swann books
"Swann’s fantasies spoke to the feminist, gay-rights, and environmental movements. His intense focus on 'civilization' processed the growing sense of cultural malaise."
Sean Guynes on Thomas Burnett Swann: lareviewofbooks.org/article/thomas-burnett-s...
Excellent stuff! Nat works on such a cool range of literature and I'm always excited to read about it. Makes me think more capaciously about genre than I'm often wont too.
Long shot here, but is there a website like ISFDB but for mystery fiction?
I know Stop, You're Killing Me! But its info is so thin. What I want is a place that lists all of the editions and edition info for every mystery novel. But I have a feeling ISFDB might just be unique.
Really enjoyed this essay about a meta-mystery novel. Hard one to find, though! Might try to track it down...
Entering year ten of my appointment as the first and only Sound Fellow of the Library of Congress. I have no idea how I got here. The advocacy and infrastructure work associated with the role has been good, nearly impossible, and worthwhile.
Why you should be reading Swann:
We are getting there! :) @jansueselbeck.bsky.social
The editorial board will see it this coming Friday!
