First published 2014
This special issue of Lightspeed Magazine directly confronts claims that women don't belong in science fiction. Editor Maria Dahvana Headley assembles over 180,000 words that demonstrate women's foundational role in the genre, starting with Mary Shelley's creation of Frankenstein. The collection features eleven original short stories by writers including Seanan McGuire, N.K. Jemisin, and Charlie Jane Anders, plus fifteen flash fiction pieces and classic reprints from authors like Alice Sheldon. Twenty-eight personal essays reveal how women navigate reading and writing science fiction despite persistent barriers. Seven nonfiction articles examine the genre's gender dynamics and future possibilities. The issue spans multiple subgenres from space opera to near-future speculation, showcasing the breadth of women's contributions to science fiction across decades.
Genres: science-fiction, gender-studies, feminism, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: diverse-representation, found-family
Period: 21st-Century
488 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace / John Joseph Adams