Res Gestae

On copyediting

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
May 09, 2010 – 17:24

I hardly ever write about my 9-to-5 job, which is copyediting on a freelance basis in the scientific, technical, and medical (STM) market, because mostly it would come across as complaints, even though I like my job. I have been copyediting as a freelance full time for more than 10 years. I have lots and lots and lots of experience, although sometimes I think I can’t face editing yet another references section into the style du jour, or spending some quality time on PubMed to look up missing bibliographic information. Still, I like it way better than writing, which I also do for money. ... read more »

2010 Philip K. Dick Award announced

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
April 03, 2010 – 05:12

I’m pleased to say that the winner of the 2010 Philip K. Dick Award has been announced. The award is for the best SF novel originally published in paperback.

The award went to Bitter Angels by first-time novelist C. L. Anderson (Ballantine Books Spectra), an interesting twist on the military SF genre. Special citation was given to Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald (Pyr). ... read more »

SFRA 2010 CFP: Science fiction audio

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
March 02, 2010 – 10:45

I’m proposing a roundtable on science fiction audio for SFRA 2010, and I’m looking for a couple people to help fill it out. I plan to play clips, ask leading questions, and engage the audience. This is not a formal paper panel, but a discussion.

If you have a particular interest or expertise in science fiction audio, including dramas of all eras, readings, and podcasts, I hope you’ll consider volunteering! ... read more »

Fandom Wank article out

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
February 13, 2010 – 18:40

I just got my comp copy of Writing and the Digital Generation: Essays on New Media Rhetoric, edited by Heather Urbanski, which contains my essay “History, the Trace, and Fandom Wank.” My paper is about textual production as social and historical practice. I use a particular sample wank, “How NOT to date a celebrity,” as an exemplar to discuss notions of documentation, evidence, the trace, and community standards within the fan community. ... read more »

Philip K. Dick Award nominees announced

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
January 16, 2010 – 17:39

The press release has gone out listing the nominees for the 2009 Philip K. Dick Award. The winner will be announced at Norwescon 33 on Friday, April 2, 2010. I was pleased to sit on the jury for the 2009 award. Here’s the portion of the press release that provides the short list: ... read more »

“Fan fiction” hits MW

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
January 06, 2010 – 20:02

... read more »

“Better Off Ted” Dalek follow-up

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
January 05, 2010 – 15:12

I wrote recently about how half-hour workplace sitcom Better Off Ted could be profitably read as a science fiction text. Well, the BOT folks have now sealed their cred as totally cool geeks: there’s a Dalek in a storeroom at Veridian Dynamics, where all the old electronic equipment goes to die!

I’m not the only one who pointed and laughed when I saw this. Others have done my screencapping and vid-cutting work for me. ... read more »

Better Off Ted as SF

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
December 30, 2009 – 12:49

I have several SF shows that I thought I couldn’t wait to watch: the 2009 remake of The Prisoner, the newly updated Day of the Triffids, the latest Doctor Who special, the last two eps of V, the last three eps of Paradox—I have them all right here, and despite my interest in them, I’m just not priotizing them.

What do I watch instead? What show do I obtain instantly upon release? What show do I make time to watch in a day jam-packed with distractions? ... read more »

Spork! An Erotic Love Story

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
December 24, 2009 – 15:37

The blogosphere has been abuzz with chatter about “Spork! An Erotic Love Story.” This audio slash fanfic has been both lauded (by bloggers) and reviled (by some humorless people in the comments) at sci-fi info sites like BuzzFeed, SciFiWire, and io9. Alas, the authorship of this hilarious artwork has been elided by misrepresentative journalistic headlines. Somehow, it’s all about Zachary Quinto. ... read more »

TWC and citation

by Karen Hellekson — Independent Scholar
December 05, 2009 – 08:11

My Transformative Works and Cultures coeditor, Kristina Busse, and I have written a document about “Fan Privacy and TWC’s Editorial Philosophy.” It addresses our editorial decisions about citation of publicly presented fan works in TWC. ... read more »