The following is a transcript of yesterday’s FeministSF Twitter chat, in which I interview award-winning author Vonda McIntyre. The order of the chat is reversed, in true Twitter feed order; go to the end and scroll up to read in the order in which it occurred (really, this is because I am lazy/tired). All timestamps are accurate for PST. Enjoy!
#FeministSF chat takes place most Sundays at 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST. Next week, join the discussion with Catherine Lundoff on aging and feminist science fiction.
thefuturefire Jul 08, 12:17pm via web
@traciewelser @vondanmcintyre Yes, thank you. I’ve enjoyed it a lot. #FeministSF
traciewelser Jul 08, 12:15pm via TweetDeckthanks to everyone who participated in #feministSF today. I’ll post a transcript link soon.
vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:14pm via TweetChat@Justdar826 Tracie suggested TweetChat to me and it makes life a lot easier. #feministSF thefuturefire Jul 08, 12:14pm via web@vondanmcintyre @traciewelser why don’t we schedule a chat on this very subject in a few weeks? Who’s new in #FeministSF?
Wyld_Dandelyon Jul 08, 12:13pm via TweetChat@vondanmcintyre Not willing to oil up the keyboard!!! Have to wait to when I’m between pieces to type. #feministsf vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:13pm via TweetChat@traciewelser Good point. Why don’t you suggest some new writers so I can catch up? #feministSF thefuturefire Jul 08, 12:13pm via web@traciewelser @parisianfeline Absolutely. I think #FeministSF has added about a hundred books to my TBR over the last year. Literally.
Justdar826 Jul 08, 12:12pm via Twitter for iPhone@vondanmcintyre @nicolaz #feministSF Hard to follow both of your twitter feed is wonky too whinewhine 😉 Happy Sunday to both of you! Wyld_Dandelyon Jul 08, 12:12pm via TweetChat@thefuturefire aging in #FeministSF with @clundoff should be good. Menopausal werewolves–Yes! #feministsf vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:12pm via TweetChat@Wyld_Dandelyon It’s the cheese on the keys that makes for difficulties. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 12:11pm via TweetDeck@parisianfeline but what a way to collect ideas for future reading, right? #feministSF Wyld_Dandelyon Jul 08, 12:11pm via TweetChat@vondanmcintyre Thanks for being here. I’ve been a fan since Dreamsnake came out, but pizza slowed my typing down a _lot_! #feministsf vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:10pm via TweetChat@nicolaz I hear you. Anyway it’s possible to read & participate in both, but not if you’re the guest on one of them. #feministSF
parisianfeline Jul 08, 12:10pm via web@thefuturefire That’s how I feel in every #FeministSF chat. I haven’t read much sci fi so I’m not as experienced or knowledgeable. traciewelser Jul 08, 12:10pm via TweetDeck@nicolaz it’s all good! It’s fun to see the overlap between the two chats. #feministSF #writeathon Justdar826 Jul 08, 12:09pm via Twitter for iPhone#feministSF @vondanmcintyre anxiously awaiting that new one traciewelser Jul 08, 12:09pm via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre thanks for hanging out with us today! #feministSF
nicolaz Jul 08, 12:09pm via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre My fault 🙁 I opined that it’s the best time for international chats and, well, that’s what happened. mea culpa #feministsf thefuturefire Jul 08, 12:09pm via webBeen following #FeministSF avidly, but not had much to contribute. (Took opportunity to order several @vondanmcintyre books online though!) traciewelser Jul 08, 12:09pm via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre on a personal note, I’m a fan of your mathcrafts and had the good fortune to receive one from you at CW 2010. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 12:08pm via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre thanks, everyone! if there are no more questions… #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:06pm via TweetChatThere are a couple of book ideas on the back burner but I usually work on one at a time. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:06pm via TweetChat.@nicolaz Going to go back and read #writeathon — too bad it & FeministSF are scheduled against each other. #feministSF
patriciasbowne Jul 08, 12:05pm via TweetDeckI have to go now, to a memorial for Sue Blom. (you may remember her from cons – she rode a scooter.) Thanks for a great #feministsf chat! nicolaz Jul 08, 12:04pm via TweetDeck@traciewelser Pleasure. Sorry I missed most of it. Oh, well. #feministsf Justdar826 Jul 08, 12:03pm via Twitter for iPhone@traciewelser @Wyld_Dandelyon @requireshate @patriciasbowne @thefuturefire #feministSF just wondering if another book is in the works traciewelser Jul 08, 12:03pm via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre wow, it’s been an hour already! you okay with a few more questions? #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:02pm via TweetChatOh, gosh, that changes even as the tides. Also it’s tough to read other people’s SF while I’m writing my own. I’m always behind. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 12:01pm via TweetChat@nicolaz I don’t think Curve of the World is as long as Hild! #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 12:00pm via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre who are some of your favorite up-and-coming writers/works? #feministSF nicolaz Jul 08, 12:00pm via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre I’m looking forward to THE CURVE OF THE WORLD. Have been for *ages*! But I feel your pain re: length… #feministsf traciewelser Jul 08, 11:59am via TweetDeck@Wyld_Dandelyon oh, me, too! that’s ideal. sometimes I’m not thinking about “message” at all, but the responsibility is there. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:59am via TweetChatAlternate history. Minoans. Can’t say too much, depletes the energy to write it. #feministSF Wyld_Dandelyon Jul 08, 11:58am via TweetChat@traciewelser I like it best when I have both (crafting and flow)! #feministsf traciewelser Jul 08, 11:58am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre can you say anything about it yet? ::spoilers:: #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:57am via TweetChatWorking on the novel that will not end, The Curve of the World. It’s already longer than anything I’ve published before. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:57am via TweetDeck@Wyld_Dandelyon I see what you’re saying, crafting versus flow. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:56am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre what projects are you working on currently? #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:56am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre this is succinct and sensible. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:55am via TweetDeck@Wyld_Dandelyon @requireshate @patriciasbowne @Justdar826 @thefuturefire do other folks have questions for Vonda? #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:55am via TweetChatI’m looking at possibilities. Descriptive rather than prescriptive. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:54am via TweetChatTracie — It’s been a long time since I wrote “Screwtop.” It started with the title. (Unusual for me.) Beyond that? Who knows? #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:54am via TweetDeck@Wyld_Dandelyon what I mean is, what social change are you working for, if any, by making certain choices in your writing? #feministSF Wyld_Dandelyon Jul 08, 11:54am via TweetChat@traciewelser Or to put it another way, how much is “perspiration” versus how much is “inspiration”? #feministsf Wyld_Dandelyon Jul 08, 11:53am via TweetChat@traciewelser Do you mean how much is “didactic” really? Or just how much is diligence, practice, and skill … #feministsf traciewelser Jul 08, 11:53am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre what thought was behind that setting, for you? #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:52am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre how deliberate is that choice? let’s say, “Screwtop,” for instance. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:52am via TweetChatAn awful lot of SF is firmly grounded in American suburbia ca. 1955. Been there, done that, bored now (and then). #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:51am via TweetChatI try not to be didactic. Don’t much like to be lectured in SF. But the background you choose makes a difference. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:51am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre as feminist writers, working to portray women naturally, to create thoughtful moments, people, places. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:50am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre one thing I’m always curious about and struggle with in my own work, is how much is didactic vs. inspired? #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:49am via TweetChatSure. Most SF is inspired on one level or another by “What if?” (or “If this goes on…”) — speculation. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:48am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre perhaps that’s an obvious one! #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:48am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre was much of your noveling inspored by that kind of “what if,” scientifically? #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:46am via TweetChatYou often run into scientists who have been influenced by SF. I don’t know of anybody working on biocontrol, though. #feministSF
requireshate Jul 08, 11:45am via MetroTwit@traciewelser yeah, Whedon gets waaaay more credit than he truly merits, IMO #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:45am via TweetChatLots of genetic engineering, evolution, speculation. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:45am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre (I also dig the idea that sci-fi influences scientific development. I’m ready for bio-control! #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:44am via TweetChatTracie — Buffy has strengths & weaknesses. A character without any weaknesses isn’t very interesting. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:44am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre I know your background is in science. How does that influence your work? #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:43am via TweetChatThere’s a good amount of free samples of my work at bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/bvc-… #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:43am via TweetDeck@requireshate I’m with you, in that while I like the strength of Buffy’s character, it needs to be problematized. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:42am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre (concerning not mutually exclusive) #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:41am via TweetChatOh, I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I thought it was the best-written show on television. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:40am via TweetChatTracie, sure. The outlooks aren’t mutually exclusive or even competitive. #feministSF requireshate Jul 08, 11:39am via MetroTwit@traciewelser @patriciasbowne find it questionable Buffy’s continually held up as “strong woman” #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:39am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre there’s a variety of ways to inspire change, right? women overcome obstacles, or worlds were talents are normal. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:39am via TweetChat“Set *in* 1693.” Jeez louise, Vonda, proofread. #feministSF patriciasbowne Jul 08, 11:39am via TweetDeckNow I’m wondering if you meant to create that tension in the reader, or if it’s just side effect of the character you wrote. #feministsf vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:39am via TweetChatMusic, mathematics. When a guy in SF has those abilities, nobody blinks. #feministSF patriciasbowne Jul 08, 11:38am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre That’s probably it. I remember feeling a lot of tension b/c there was no cathartic ‘striking back’. #feministsf vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:38am via TweetChatAnd Moon & Sun is set it 1693. Even so some critics find MJ unbelievable because she has abilities that often come as a set. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:37am via TweetChatNo one ever says to Snake, You can’t do that because you’re a girl. The only exception to that in my work is Moon & Sun. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:37am via TweetDeck@patriciasbowne I think of Xena, Buffy, lots of depictions of strong women. They fight as warriors but Snake is different. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:36am via TweetChatPatricia, Snake isn’t a warrior. (“I don’t even know how to fight with a knife.”) She expects hospitality, not attack. #feministSF
Dave_Fouchey Jul 08, 11:34am via TweetChatRT @vondanmcintyre: “Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand” (first chapter of Dreamsnake) came out in Analog, not a bastion of feminism. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:34am via TweetDeck@patriciasbowne @vondanmcintyre you touched on this topic in a previous #feministSF chat. How does challenge inform adventure w/out abuse? patriciasbowne Jul 08, 11:34am via TweetDeckStill, the challenges she faced felt very different from other books of the time. Not sure why. #feministsf vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:34am via TweetChatPeople keep asking me how they can learn biocontrol. I say I wrote it because I hoped someone would invent it so we can learn it #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:33am via TweetChat.@patriciasbowne Dreamsnake is adventure (sf not fantasy) and challenging your main character = adventure. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:33am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre I REALLY love the bio-control concept. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:32am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre that’s right! (for those tuning in, the novel is a multi-award winner). #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:32am via TweetChatMain character is a woman; biocontrol of fertility; men in supporting-character roles, interpreted as “weak” men, which is wrong #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:30am via TweetChat“Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand” (first chapter of Dreamsnake) came out in Analog, not a bastion of feminism. #feministSF patriciasbowne Jul 08, 11:30am via TweetDeckSnake suffered one bad thing after another to an extent I found different from other fantasy of the time. Was that intentional? #feministsf vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:30am via TweetChatOh, there was a big fight about whether there was room for women in SF, but not everyone agreed so you could sell stories. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:29am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre to your earlier remark, what elements make DREAMSNAKE feminist? #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:29am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre I guess I’m assuming something about the general climate of the time. #feministSF Justdar826 Jul 08, 11:28am via Twitter for iPhone@vondanmcintyre Idiots! Two of my favorite books #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:28am via TweetChatBut whether it was because of the woman’s POV? I don’t know. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:27am via TweetChatBy the time they came back and asked to see the books again, my agent had sold them elsewhere. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:27am via TweetChatBoth Dreamsnake and The Moon and the Sun were rejected by the first editors who saw them. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:26am via TweetDeckRT @nicolaz: Wow, great chats going on simultaneously: @vondanmcintyre doing #feministsf, and @stephanieburgis for @ClarionWest‘s #writeathon. requireshate Jul 08, 11:26am via MetroTwit(even some of the SW tie-in written by women is pretty repellent regarding gender politics; see Christie Golden) #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:26am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre was female POV a harder sell to publishers? #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:25am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre you work at that time has a few counterparts, but even LeGuin was writing mainly male characters. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:25am via TweetChatPeople tend to either really like my stuff or hate it — “Little Faces,” for instance. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:24am via TweetChatI had a different-than-usual focus for both my original fiction and the tie-in work. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:23am via TweetChatWhen Dreamsnake came out, main characters in SF were usually guys. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:21am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre can you talk about what that means for you? #feministSF requireshate Jul 08, 11:21am via MetroTwit@vondanmcintyre heh, feminism in SW must be kind of tricky, considering. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:21am via TweetChatI think STARFARERS is a good bit more feminist, as is DREAMSNAKE. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:20am via TweetChatYes, I tried to do that too. You’re a bit limited in what you can do because you have the main crew. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:19am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre …and Stars Wars not so much, but the novels are a place to complicate that. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:19am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre I’ve always thought that Star Trek writers have made efforts to increase complex female presence. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:19am via TweetChatA good bit of the (The Crystal Star) is from the POV of the kids and Leia. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:18am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre I confess I’ve not read those. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:18am via TweetChatI mean, obviously anything I write is from a feminist perspective. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:18am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre interesting! how did you go about that? #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:17am via TweetChatA bit. That’s what they asked me to do for the Star Wars book — increase the diversity somewhat. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:16am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre do you think you brought a feminist perspective to those universes? #feministSF
alanpdx Jul 08, 11:15am via TweetChatRT @vondanmcintyre: “LADeDeDa” is flash fiction by me and Ursula K. Le Guin. It was available at bookviewcafe.com #feministSF nicolaz Jul 08, 11:15am via TweetDeckWow, great chats going on simultaneously: @vondanmcintyre doing #feministsf, and @stephanieburgis for @ClarionWest‘s #writeathon. vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:15am via TweetChatThey’re different. I enjoyed playing in Gene Roddenberry’s universe, and George Lucas’s. The deadlines weren’t much fun, though. #feministSF thefuturefire Jul 08, 11:13am via TweetChatRT @vondanmcintyre: “LADeDeDa” is flash fiction by me and Ursula K. Le Guin. It was available at bookviewcafe.com #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:13am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre in your own work, you’ve done media tie-ins as well as series. do you refer one type of work over another? #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:13am via TweetChatI don’t have any plans for collaboration with anybody at the moment, but you never know. #feministSF Justdar826 Jul 08, 11:13am via Twitter for iPhone@traciewelser thx for the link & @thefuturefire thanks for asking #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:13am via TweetChatBut I haven’t had a chance to put it back up at the new BVC website. This may inspire me. The Nature version lost the ad. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:12am via TweetChat“LADeDeDa” is flash fiction by me and Ursula K. Le Guin. It was available at bookviewcafe.com #feministSF Justdar826 Jul 08, 11:11am via Twitter for iPhone@vondanmcintyre #feministSF did it inspire you to do more collaborations? Any dream teaming? vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:10am via TweetChatWhat we mostly collaborate on is her website (ursulakleguin.com). #feministSF thefuturefire Jul 08, 11:10am via web@traciewelser @vondanmcintyre Wait! I have no idea what LADeDeDa is! Can some one fill in the gaps? #FeministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:09am via TweetChatI haven’t done much collaboration — Ursula has done a lot, though usually in different media than fiction. She’s great. #feministSF
esedia Jul 08, 11:08am via TweetChatRT @vondanmcintyre: RT @thefuturefire: About 45 minutes til todays #FeministSF chat: interview with special guest @vondanmcintyre #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:08am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre 🙂 how was this work different (in terms of collaboration?) #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:07am via TweetChatIt took a bit of tap dancing to get the title to come out right. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:07am via TweetChatOh, that was fun. She started it, and I thought, “With a little tweaking, this would be a Futures story.” And so it was. #feministSF thefuturefire Jul 08, 11:07am via web@Justdar826 Hi, Darlene! (Don’t forget to use the hashtag) #FeministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:06am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre I’m referrring to “LADeDeDa, which ” first appeared in Nature. #feministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:05am via TweetChatDo you mean her website, or Book View Cafe, or — ? #feministSF
fabiofernandes Jul 08, 11:05am via webThis afternoon: #amwriting, finishing a blog post, and trying to be in two chats at the same time: #FeministSF and #writeathon. 🙂
Milerama Jul 08, 11:05am via TweetDeckRT @traciewelser: @vondanmcintyre @thefuturefire so today, we’re talking with award-winning author Vonda McIntyre. #FeministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:04am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre the first question relates to your recent work with Ursula K LeGuin. Can you tell us a bit about that? #FeministSF fabiofernandes Jul 08, 11:04am via TweetDeckRT @traciewelser: @vondanmcintyre @thefuturefire so today, we’re talking with award-winning author Vonda McIntyre. #FeministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:02am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre @thefuturefire so today, we’re talking with award-winning author Vonda McIntyre. #FeministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 11:02am via TweetChatGood morning (or evening or afternoon depending on where anybody is) to you too. #feministSF traciewelser Jul 08, 11:01am via TweetDeck@vondanmcintyre since I’m just moderating today, I’ll start with a few questions. feel free to jump in, other folks! #FeministSF vondanmcintyre Jul 08, 10:26am via TweetChatRT @thefuturefire: About 45 minutes til todays #FeministSF chat: interview with special guest @vondanmcintyre #feministSF thefuturefire Jul 08, 10:14am via webAbout 45 minutes til today’s #FeministSF chat: interview with special guest @vondanmcintyre
BleedingChrome Jul 08, 8:56am via TweetDeckRT @traciewelser: Join us at 11:00 PST/18:00 GMT for #FeministSF chat with special guest @vondanmcintyre! traciewelser Jul 08, 8:46am via TweetDeckJoin us at 11:00 PST/18:00 GMT for #FeministSF chat with special guest @vondanmcintyre!