DOCSLIB.ORG

That Starlit Corridor. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Champaign, Ill

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
That Starlit Corridor. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Champaign, Ill DOCUMENT RESUME ED 034 797 TE 500 479 AUTHOR Madsen, Alan L. TITLE That Starlit Corridor. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Champaign, Ill. PUP DATE Sep 64 NOTE 8p. JOURNAL CIT The English Journal; v53 n6 p405-412 Sep 1964 EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$0.50 DESCPIPTORS Concept Teaching, Creative Activities, Educational Objectives, *English Instruction, English Literature, Evaluation Techniques, Experimental Programs, *Fiction, Grade 9, Instructional Materials, Literary Analysis, *Literature Appreciation, Rating Scales, Reading Material Selection, *Scientific Concepts, Scientific Principles, *Secondary School Students, Space, Units of Study (Subject Fields) ABSTRACT A science fiction unit on space designed for secondary schools is described and advocated in this article. This experimental program, presented to 9th grade students at University Hiah School, State University of Iowa, provides a highly imaginative experience in literature while raising unique philosophical and moral problems not found in other categories of literature. The author presents a detailed program with specific course objectives. Major goals include an understanding of science fiction literary techniques and a comprehension of scientific concepts. A list of science fiction books rated for their merit is included with a discussion of criteria used in their selection. Reference to other genres of science fiction material is also made. (RL) C'TheENGLISH JOURNAL Vol. 53 September 1964 No. 6 "That StarlitCorridor" Alan L. Madsen Science fiction is prose worthy ofserious study, declares this writer. Mr.Madsen, who teaches English at UniversityHigh School, State University ofIowa, writes of his ninth graders'venture into "that starlit corridor" andrates the books they read on a scale ofpoor to outstanding. What makes us rove that starlit corridor May be the impulse tomeet face to face Our vice and folly shaped intoa thing, And so at last ourselves; what luresus there Is simpler versions of disaster; A web confounding time andspace, A world of ocean without shore, A sentence to perpetual journeying, And simplest, flapping down the poisoned air, A ten-clawed monster.' Kingsley Amis WHAT LURES in him the starlit corri-creative imaginationsto erect a world of dor of scienct; &don? Perhapsforthe twenty-firstcentury, surpassing the the oldsters it iss desire to come face toworld of their parents and grandparents, CN. face with projections ofour vice andalways a world better thanthey now folly. Butyoungsters are compelled byknow. other motives. They want excitement, If Kingsley Amis is right,most readers adventure, idealistic quests, and a chanceof science fictionrange in age from 16 to to exercise creative imaginations. 28. The appeal of science fictionthere- Adolescents are dreamers. Theyreadfore is not confinedto adolescents. More- to find out about themselves as they mightover, science fiction readers are atan age I')be, in a world as it may be, shaped, inat which, according to psychologists,man part, by themselves as they would be.does his most creative thinking.This fact Adolescents are imaginative,much morealone might justify the studyof science so than adults conditioned topatterns andfiction in junior and seniorhigh English tkihabits of their daily routine.Adolescentsclasses. But it neednot. have not lost the zest for exploration and How many English teachers discovery. They have have ob- yet to use theirserved, in free reading periodsfor ex- 'From New Maps of Hell, 0 1960,by Kingsley ample, thatmany brighter youngsters Amis. Reprinted by permission ofHarcourt, Brace habitually read science fictionwith some- & World, Inc. thing approximating religiouszeal? And 405 THIS DOCUMENT HAS U.S. DEPARTMENT KEN REPRODUCED OF HEALTH, EDUCATION EXACTLY AS RECkViF, it WELFARE FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION OFFICE OF EDUCATION ORIGINATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW Ox.14INIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. 406 THE ENGLISH JOURNAL how many of us have dismissed scienceis saturated with assumptions and specu- fiction as trash without really knowinglations which teachers of the humanities anything about it or, on the other hand,have neglected to treat in high school: have shrunk away from it mumbling, "Ithe relationship of science, technology, don't know anything about science"?and space travel to human values. Mr. Science fiction has been for the most partBradbury states the importance of study- a pejorative term, a wastebasket classifi-ing the ideas contained in science fiction cation for any bad fiction writing lardedaccordingly: with scientific jargon. Arno Jewett's current assessment of Using dramatic and suspenseful frame- works, the writers can put forward, in the genre probably reflects the dominant symbolic terms, some of their best think- thinking of high school English teachers: ing on a philosophical-political-sociologi- My experience with books on science cal-psychological level.It is indeed, I fiction has been that most of the plots repeat, the only, the best, the greatest are contrived, the characters stereotyped, FICTION OF IDEAS. And since we and the content badly written. Frankly live in a Society of Ideas on the loose, I have my. doubts about the literary value running wild in our machineries, it is of most science fiction and the useful- time we paid attention to 180 million ness of it in high school literature courses. men and women dominated or shaped in one way or another by these s-f devices.3 Most of it is in the same class as mediocre westerns and murder mysteries.2 Still, Mr. Jewett's previous estimate is Mr. Jewett's observation is valid fora good one and suggests a responsibility much science fiction being written today.English teachers should accept for help- But it applies most accurately to scienceing students develop critical standards. fiction of a dozen or more yearsago.It is unthinkable in this space age that Today we have a steadily growing bodymany of us in English refuse to learn of substantial and literary science fictionsomething about science, refuse to find and a core of talented science fictionout how science fiction writers go about writers: e.g., George Orwell, Arthur C.their work, and refuse to learn what sci- Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov,ence fiction writers have to say about the Robert Heinlein, Henry Kuttner, Clif-future and mankind's place in it. Letme invoke Mr. Amis on this point of view: ford Simak, and Theodore Sturgeon. IC .There is at present a discreditable provincialism of thought and too much Greatest Fiction of Ideas nervous or complacent reluctance to in- These men consistently open corridorsvoke ordinary critical standards. Science to the imagination where fantasy, myth,fiction is not tomfool sensationalism, but utopia, and anti-utopia converge, overlap,neither is it a massive body of serious art and disjoin again into distinct and indi-destined at any moment to engulf the vidual types. On an idea level, the genrewhole of Anglo-American writing." Where does a teacher start on such a 'Letter to the author, Dec. 10, 1963. In a subse- quent letter, dated Feb. 3, 1964, Mr. Jewett suggests unit? One method is the approach I took that the following statement, coupled with the in developing a space science fiction unit paragraph above, gives a more accurate reflection of his views: "The best fiction by Arthur C. Clarke, for ninth grade students in University Ray Bradbury, Robert:Heinlein, Jules Verne anda High School at the State University of few others are well worth reading for entertain- Iowa. ment. And certainly Gore Vidal's play Visit to a Small Planet is excellent for use in high school letter to the author, Dec. 1, 1963. literature courses." 4Amis, op. cit., p. 10. 1 "THAT STARLIT CORRIDOR" 407 Variety Is Keynote to the main stream of literature. Isaac I began by sampling a wide range ofAsimov and Arthur C. Clarke are repre- science fiction novels and short stories.sented in this volume. Another collection by science fiction writers is The Science They vary stylistically among themselves as much as other types of literature. It isFiction Novel (Advent Publishers, 1959). interesting to compare, for example, RayThese essays (by writers such as Robert Bradbury's sentimentality with FrederikA. Heinlein and Alfred Bester) were first Pohl's cynicism, or Theodore Sturgeon'sdelivered as lectures at the University of unusual styling with the "square as SearsChicago and later collected as a volume and Roebuck" styling of Robert Hein-in memorium to C. M. Kornbluth. lein. In subject matter these writers run I now felt ready to formulate my goals the spectrum from colonization of otherand objectives for the unit.In general, planets to studies in telepathy; from athe purposes of the unit were to distin- treatment of symbiosis to legal problemsguish science fiction from other forms of of planet ownership; from twenty-secondliterature, to build standards for evaluat- century crusades to technicalities of spaceing well-written and poorly written sci- navigation. No one could catalogue theence fiction, and to determine the value variety of ingenuity displayed. of the contents of science fiction for con- temporary adolescent readers. Next, I turned to historical-critical More specifically, the goals which I es- studies. There are many more of thesetablished for the unit were the following: available than I would have guessed. To mention a few (all of which are listed in 1. To understand and apply present the 1964 edition of Books In Print):5 concepts of time and space to sci- ence fiction in order to read criti- 1.Kingsley Amis, New Maps of Hell cally and intelligently. (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 2. 1'o understand that any science fic- 1960; also a Ballantine paperback). tion work is based on and, circum- 2. G. D. Doherty, ed. Aspects of Sci- scribed by, one or more scientific ence Fiction, (New York: Transatlantic hypotheses. Arts, Inc.) 3. To learn to recognize conventions 3. Roger Lanclyn Green, Into Other native to science fiction and to Worlds (New York: Abe lard-Schuman, judge whether or not these conven- Ltd., 1958).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Note to Users
    NOTE TO USERS Page(s) not included in the original manuscript are unavailable from the author or university. The manuscript was microfilmed as received 88-91 This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photo­ graph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the original text directly from the copy submitted. Thus, some dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from a computer printer. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyrighted material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are re­ produced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each oversize page is available as one exposure on a standard 35 mm slide or as a 17" x 23" black and white photographic print for an additional charge. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. 35 mm slides or 6" X 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. AccessinglUMI the World’s Information since 1938 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Mi 48106-1346 USA Order Number 8820263 Leigh Brackett: American science fiction writer—her life and work Carr, John Leonard, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • A Very Short History of Cyberpunk
    A Very Short History of Cyberpunk Marcus Janni Pivato Many people seem to think that William Gibson invented The cyberpunk genre in 1984, but in fact the cyberpunk aesthetic was alive well before Neuromancer (1984). For example, in my opinion, Ridley Scott's 1982 movie, Blade Runner, captures the quintessence of the cyberpunk aesthetic: a juxtaposition of high technology with social decay as a troubling allegory of the relationship between humanity and machines ---in particular, artificially intelligent machines. I believe the aesthetic of the movie originates from Scott's own vision, because I didn't really find it in the Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968), upon which the movie is (very loosely) based. Neuromancer made a big splash not because it was the "first" cyberpunk novel, but rather, because it perfectly captured the Zeitgeist of anxiety and wonder that prevailed at the dawning of the present era of globalized economics, digital telecommunications, and exponential technological progress --things which we now take for granted but which, in the early 1980s were still new and frightening. For example, Gibson's novels exhibit a fascination with the "Japanification" of Western culture --then a major concern, but now a forgotten and laughable anxiety. This is also visible in the futuristic Los Angeles of Scott’s Blade Runner. Another early cyberpunk author is K.W. Jeter, whose imaginative and disturbing novels Dr. Adder (1984) and The Glass Hammer (1985) exemplify the dark underside of the genre. Some people also identify Rudy Rucker and Bruce Sterling as progenitors of cyberpunk.
    [Show full text]
  • Hugo Award -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
    10/10/2017 Hugo Award -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia Hugo Award Hugo Award, any of several annual awards presented by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). The awards are granted for notable achievement in science �ction or science fantasy. Established in 1953, the Hugo Awards were named in honour of Hugo Gernsback, founder of Amazing Stories, the �rst magazine exclusively for science �ction. Hugo Award. This particular award was given at MidAmeriCon II, in Kansas City, Missouri, on August … Michi Trota Pin, in the form of the rocket on the Hugo Award, that is given to the finalists. Michi Trota Hugo Awards https://www.britannica.com/print/article/1055018 1/10 10/10/2017 Hugo Award -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia year category* title author 1946 novel The Mule Isaac Asimov (awarded in 1996) novella "Animal Farm" George Orwell novelette "First Contact" Murray Leinster short story "Uncommon Sense" Hal Clement 1951 novel Farmer in the Sky Robert A. Heinlein (awarded in 2001) novella "The Man Who Sold the Moon" Robert A. Heinlein novelette "The Little Black Bag" C.M. Kornbluth short story "To Serve Man" Damon Knight 1953 novel The Demolished Man Alfred Bester 1954 novel Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury (awarded in 2004) novella "A Case of Conscience" James Blish novelette "Earthman, Come Home" James Blish short story "The Nine Billion Names of God" Arthur C. Clarke 1955 novel They’d Rather Be Right Mark Clifton and Frank Riley novelette "The Darfsteller" Walter M. Miller, Jr. short story "Allamagoosa" Eric Frank Russell 1956 novel Double Star Robert A. Heinlein novelette "Exploration Team" Murray Leinster short story "The Star" Arthur C.
    [Show full text]
  • University Microfilms International 300 N
    INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the mateiial submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or “target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “Missing Page(s)”. If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy. Unless we meant to delete copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed, you will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photo­ graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in “sectioning” the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For any illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and tipped into your xerographic copy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fundamental Articles of I.AM Cyborg Law
    Beijing Law Review, 2020, 11, 911-946 https://www.scirp.org/journal/blr ISSN Online: 2159-4635 ISSN Print: 2159-4627 The Fundamental Articles of I.AM Cyborg Law Stephen Castell CASTELL Consulting, Witham, UK How to cite this paper: Castell, S. (2020). Abstract The Fundamental Articles of I.AM Cyborg Law. Beijing Law Review, 11, 911-946. Author Isaac Asimov first fictionally proposed the “Three Laws of Robotics” https://doi.org/10.4236/blr.2020.114055 in 1942. The word “cyborg” appeared in 1960, describing imagined beings with both artificial and biological parts. My own 1973 neologisms, “neural Received: November 2, 2020 plug compatibility”, and “softwiring” predicted the computer software-driven Accepted: December 15, 2020 Published: December 18, 2020 future evolution of man-machine neural interconnection and synthesis. To- day, Human-AI Brain Interface cyborg experiments and “brain-hacking” de- Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and vices are being trialed. The growth also of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Scientific Research Publishing Inc. Data Analytics software and increasing instances of “Government by Algo- This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International rithm” have revealed these advances as being largely unregulated, with insuf- License (CC BY 4.0). ficient legal frameworks. In a recent article, I noted that, with automation of http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ legal processes and judicial decision-making being increasingly discussed, Open Access RoboJudge has all but already arrived; and I discerned also the cautionary Castell’s Second Dictum: “You cannot construct an algorithm that will relia- bly decide whether or not any algorithm is ethical”.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Fiction List Literature 1
    Science Fiction List Literature 1. “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall,” Edgar Allan Poe (1835, US, short story) 2. Looking Backward, Edward Bellamy (1888, US, novel) 3. A Princess of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912, US, novel) 4. Herland, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1915, US, novel) 5. “The Comet,” W.E.B. Du Bois (1920, US, short story) 6. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (1951, US, novel) 7. Limbo, Bernard Wolfe (1952, US, novel) 8. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester (1956, US, novel) 9. Venus Plus X, Theodore Sturgeon (1960, US, novel) 10. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick (1968, US, novel) 11. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin (1969, US, novel) 12. The Female Man, Joanna Russ (1975, US, novel) 13. “The Screwfly Solution,” “The Girl Who Was Plugged In,” “The Women Men Don’t See,” “Houston, Houston Do You Read?”, James Tiptree Jr./Alice Sheldon (1977, 1973, 1973, 1976, US, novelettes, novella) 14. Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin (1984, US, novel) 15. Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, Samuel R. Delany (1984, US, novel) 16. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984, US-Canada, novel) 17. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1985, Canada, novel) 18. The Gilda Stories, Jewelle L. Gómez (1991, US, novel; extended edition 2016) 19. Dawn, Octavia E. Butler (1987, US, novel); Parable of the Sower, Butler (1993, US, novel); Bloodchild and Other Stories, Butler (1995, US, short stories; extended edition 2005) 20. Red Spider, White Web, Misha Nogha/Misha (1990, US, novel) 21. The Rag Doll Plagues, Alejandro Morales (1991, US, novel) 22.
    [Show full text]
  • Teaching Speculative Fiction in College: a Pedagogy for Making English Studies Relevant
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University English Dissertations Department of English Summer 8-7-2012 Teaching Speculative Fiction in College: A Pedagogy for Making English Studies Relevant James H. Shimkus Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss Recommended Citation Shimkus, James H., "Teaching Speculative Fiction in College: A Pedagogy for Making English Studies Relevant." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2012. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss/95 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TEACHING SPECULATIVE FICTION IN COLLEGE: A PEDAGOGY FOR MAKING ENGLISH STUDIES RELEVANT by JAMES HAMMOND SHIMKUS Under the Direction of Dr. Elizabeth Burmester ABSTRACT Speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) has steadily gained popularity both in culture and as a subject for study in college. While many helpful resources on teaching a particular genre or teaching particular texts within a genre exist, college teachers who have not previously taught science fiction, fantasy, or horror will benefit from a broader pedagogical overview of speculative fiction, and that is what this resource provides. Teachers who have previously taught speculative fiction may also benefit from the selection of alternative texts presented here. This resource includes an argument for the consideration of more speculative fiction in college English classes, whether in composition, literature, or creative writing, as well as overviews of the main theoretical discussions and definitions of each genre.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cyborg Prophecy: Reading Between Isaac Asimov's Lines
    The Cyborg Prophecy: Reading between Isaac Asimov’s Lines Rudrani Gangopadhyay Jadavpur University, Kolkata Abstract: Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” describes the Cyborg as a conjunction of technology and discourse. It argues that a prosthesis becomes a cyborg element when it is integrated with the identity of an individual, and a cyborg is created by the almost symbiotic union of robotic and organic elements. Isaac Asimov, in his short story “The Bicentennial Man” for example, narrates the story of such a remarkable union of robotic and human parts and asserts, at the end, that the resultant system is, essentially, human. A cyborg, therefore, is ‘meta-human’, being somewhat enhanced (by the use of technology) in certain ways in comparison to a human being. There isa mass cyborgization of the global population taking place today. The kind of blurring of boundaries between exogenous and endogenous parts within the system of a human being that one had, so far, only come across in science fiction, is fast coming to life. The obvious example of prosthetics aside, gadgets like cellphone headsets, touchscreen phones and similar electronic devices have been rendered extensions of the human system, merging seamlessly with the organic identities and consequently, making cyborgs out of everyone. The relevance of literature featuring cyborgs, which have, in a way, acted as prophecies for human civilization, therefore cannot be emphasized enough. This paper explores the cyborg identity in select works of Isaac Asimov and reflect on the fast occurring cyborgization of the (meta-)human race in reality. Keywords: Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov, Cyborg, Cybernetics, Body Studies Donna Haraway, in the famous “Cyborg Manifesto,” describes a cyborg as a conjunction of technology and discourse (Haraway 149).
    [Show full text]
  • Dark Images of Cyberpunk
    Dark Images of Cyberpunk Carlo Savino 29 September 1995 With the publication of seminal works such as Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, science fiction has always contained an appeal to the underground culture. Her gothic visions of human behavior became the inspiration for works such as Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Isaac Asimov's I, Robot series. Though the beginning emphasized utopian societies, science fiction progressed to include a future quite different from the present. Visions of flying ships, lasers, and travels to far off space colonies inundated these works. However, one subset of authors, such as William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, and Lewis Shiner, molded an entirely different genre of science fiction, placing more emphasis on the darker future of life on Earth. This work, later labeled "cyberpunk", brought with it a very bleak view of future societies and culture. The features of their style of writing, which include the masculinization of women, the perversion of technology, the oppressive descriptions of settings and life, and the negative characterizations of people, defined the notion of cyberpunk. Women have a certain status in cyberpunk, one that is very contrary to the current sociological expectations of them. Women in these societies have had to adapt to the environmental pressures put on them. They behave in an unconventional manner, as their sociological role dissolves any need for refinement and they must act and think as men would if they are to survive. Illustrations of this assertion abound. On an emotional level, women are portrayed as being very aggressive, both sexually and physically. One example of this can be found in Tom Maddox's Snake Eyes : Lizzie and George are described as "rubbing up against one another..
    [Show full text]
  • JUDITH MERRIL-PDF-Sep23-07.Pdf (368.7Kb)
    JUDITH MERRIL: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND GUIDE Compiled by Elizabeth Cummins Department of English and Technical Communication University of Missouri-Rolla Rolla, MO 65409-0560 College Station, TX The Center for the Bibliography of Science Fiction and Fantasy December 2006 Table of Contents Preface Judith Merril Chronology A. Books B. Short Fiction C. Nonfiction D. Poetry E. Other Media F. Editorial Credits G. Secondary Sources About Elizabeth Cummins PREFACE Scope and Purpose This Judith Merril bibliography includes both primary and secondary works, arranged in categories that are suitable for her career and that are, generally, common to the other bibliographies in the Center for Bibliographic Studies in Science Fiction. Works by Merril include a variety of types and modes—pieces she wrote at Morris High School in the Bronx, newsletters and fanzines she edited; sports, westerns, and detective fiction and non-fiction published in pulp magazines up to 1950; science fiction stories, novellas, and novels; book reviews; critical essays; edited anthologies; and both audio and video recordings of her fiction and non-fiction. Works about Merill cover over six decades, beginning shortly after her first science fiction story appeared (1948) and continuing after her death (1997), and in several modes— biography, news, critical commentary, tribute, visual and audio records. This new online bibliography updates and expands the primary bibliography I published in 2001 (Elizabeth Cummins, “Bibliography of Works by Judith Merril,” Extrapolation, vol. 42, 2001). It also adds a secondary bibliography. However, the reasons for producing a research- based Merril bibliography have been the same for both publications. Published bibliographies of Merril’s work have been incomplete and often inaccurate.
    [Show full text]
  • Readingblackout Adult Book List Afrofuturism (Science Fiction And
    #ReadingBlackout Adult Book List Afrofuturism (Science Fiction and Fantasy) Lilith’s Brood: Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago by Octavia Butler ● Available through Hoopla and Overdrive. Xenogenesis trilogy. Acacia: The War with the Mein by David Anthony Durham ● Available through Hoopla. First in a trilogy. Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson The Fifth Season: Every Age Must Come to an End by N.K. Jemisin ● Available on Overdrive. First in a trilogy. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor ● Available on Hoopla and Overdrive. First in a trilogy. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi The Deep by Rivers Solomon The Sorceror of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson ● First in a two book series. Biography and Memoir The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullers & Asha Bandele Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston ● Available through Hoopla. This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins ● Available through Hoopla My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King Heavy: A Memoir by Kiese Laymon Unbowed by Wangari Maathai The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore ● Available through Overdrive Born a Crime by Trevor Noah A Promised Land by Barack Obama Becoming by Michelle Obama ● Available through Overdrive Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir by Kwame Onwuachi Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha D.
    [Show full text]
  • Ray Bradbury”, National Endowment for the Arts
    RRaayy BBrraaddbbuurryy 1 1 “Portrait by John Sherffius”, under “Audio & Video: Ray Bradbury”, National Endowment for the Arts, http://arts.endow.gov/av/video/bradbury/bradbury.html 091027 Bibliotheca Alexandrina Compiled by Rasha Mohsen Biography 1 Ray Douglas Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois. His father, Leonard Spaulding Bradbury, worked as a telephone lineman. His mother was Esther Marie Moberg Bradbury. Bradbury had older twin brothers, Leonard and Samuel, who were born in 1916, and a younger sister, Elizabeth, born in 1926.2 In 1934, the Bradbury family drove across the country to Los Angeles, with young Ray piling out of their jalopy at every stop to plunder the local library in search of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. In 1936, Bradbury joined a weekly Thursday-night conclave that would grow to attract such science-fiction legends as Robert A. Heinlein, Leigh Brackett, and future Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. In 1947, Ray Bradbury married Marguerite McClure. They had met the previous April in Fowler Brothers Bookstore, where she worked—and where at first she had him pegged for a shoplifter: “Once I figured out that he wasn't stealing books, that was it. I fell for him”. 3 Ray Bradbury is best known for his highly imaginative science-fiction short stories and novels that blend social criticism with an awareness of the hazards of runaway technology. He published his first story in 1940 and was soon contributing widely to magazines. His first book of short stories, Dark Carnival (1947), was followed by The Martian Chronicles (1950), which is generally accounted a science-fiction classic in its depiction of materialistic Earthmen exploiting and corrupting an idyllic Martian civilization.
    [Show full text]