Farah Mendlesohn
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effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn
@effjayem.bsky.social
6K followers 2.7K following 1.7K posts

SF fan, writer etc etc. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Author of The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein and Rhetorics of Fantasy. Publishing a book on Joanna Russ's The Female Man with Luna Press in 2026. Pre Order now! Supporter of 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸 Pronouns: Farah/they .. more

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Farah Jane Mendlesohn is a British academic historian, writer on speculative fiction, and active member of science fiction fandom. Mendlesohn is best-known for their book Rhetorics of Fantasy (2008), which classifies fantasy literature into four modes based on how the fantastic enters the story. Their work as editor includes the Cambridge Companions to science fiction and fantasy, collaborations with Edward James. The science fiction volume won a Hugo Award in 2005. Mendlesohn is also known for books on the history of fantasy, including Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction, co-written with Michael Levy. It was the first work to trace the genre's 500-year history and won the World Fantasy Award in 2017. .. more

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effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 18h
thank you!

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

brisbanein28.bsky.social
Brisbane in 28 @brisbanein28.bsky.social · 1d
The Brisbane / Meanjin Worldcon Bid for 2028 reps had a great time @capriconsfcon.bsky.social this weekend!

If you missed our bid table or our parties, look for our rep handing out Brisbane in 28 swag @boskone.bsky.social this coming weekend!

#capricon #capricon46 #boskone #brisbanein28 #worldcon
Image of a woman with long brown hair and elf ears in faerie dress sitting with a man in a flannel shirt wearing glasses and a newsboy cap at a bid table, with an assortment of swag including colourful Brisbane in 28 postcards and bookmarks, green Aussie badge ribbons, a stuffed koala and a stuffed wombat, and an assortment of Down Under treats including Tim Tams and Starward Whisky. https://brisbane28.org Image of a black marble table in a hotel room covered with dishes full of chunks of fruit includine watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and pineapple; raw veggies including cucumber slices, broccoli and cauliflower florets, yellow capsicum halves filled with cherry tomatoes, and carrot and celery sticks; various savoury dips; and several types of cheese in squares with a variety of crackers. A beautiful sculpture of a sunburst enhances the display. https://brisbane28.org

Reposted by Michael H. Whitworth, Farah Mendlesohn

scumbelievable.bsky.social
Gretchen Felker-Martin 🍉 @scumbelievable.bsky.social · 1d
One of the most sickening realizations I've ever had came when it hit me that six hundred years from now historians will be writing things like "while technically illegal, intercourse with minors was broadly accepted as normal among the American ruling class, and even a marker of status"

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 2d
The Wesleyan Anthology is a bit like this.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 2d
I recommend the Years' Bests because they give the widest range and sf is a very wide field. But I would note that lots of us read 19th century literature when we were kids and many loved it. I don't think it's cut and dried.

Reposted by Ian Hall, Lesley A. Hall, Janet Murray , and 9 more

bencollins.bsky.social
Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 3d
Once again, it turns out “fully autonomous” means “a guy in the Philippines.”
It Turns Out Waymos Are Being Controlled by Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 3d
We have a fantastic programme of speakers at the Frances Hardinge Symposium this summer. Including Frances Hardinge herself. Frances Hardinge has multiple awards including the Carnegie Medal (twice) and the Costa Award.

11th July, Kings College, London.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-one-day-...
A One Day Symposium on Frances Hardinge
Politics, Ethics and the Material World: the Interrogative  Fiction of Frances Hardinge.
www.eventbrite.co.uk

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 3d
I think that's correct. It really is revolting.

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

vallescurarule.bsky.social
Val Nolan @vallescurarule.bsky.social · 3d
Have you checked out what the first stand-alone volume of our *Spec Fic for Newbies* writing guide series offers you?

Find it here www.lunapresspublishing.com/product-page... from @lunapress.bsky.social! Grab yourself a copy, start learning, and get writing! 😀
To the left, the cover (red and black) of "Spec Fic For Newbies: A Beginner's Guide to Writing Subgenres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror" Vol 1 by Tiffani Angus and Val Nolan. To the right, a list of the topics covered by the book: "Learn about writing… Spaceships, Aliens, Big Dumb Objects, Robots, Military SF, Utopia, Dystopia, Apocalypses, Cyberpunk, Solarpunk, Folktales & Fairy Tales, Witches, High Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Grimdark, Historical Fantasy, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Time Travel, Gothic Horror, Supernatural Horror, Vampires, Psychological Horror, Body Horror, Zombies, Suburban Horror, Splatterpunk, Techno Horror, and Cosmic Horror!"

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 3d
Same.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Fredrik Albritton Jonsson , and 1 more

ihrhistorylab.bsky.social
HistoryLab @ihrhistorylab.bsky.social · 3d
Our conference #cfp is now live! This year's conference, "Embodied Histories: Body, Mind and Experience" will take place on 17th July 2026 at University of Birmingham!

Keep on reading to find out more...(1/9)
HistoryLab 20th Anniversary Annual Conference 2026 — Call for Papers Embodied Histories: Body, Mind, and Experience 17th July 2026 | Hybrid Conference, in-person at University of Birmingham, Staff House, Grand Central Room The human body is both a biological reality and a cultural construct. It is a site of meaning, experience, and power. From rituals of health and healing to practices of regulation, discipline, and display, bodies have both shaped and been shaped by their historical contexts. We invite papers that place the body and lived experience at the centre of historical inquiry, engaging with themes such as medicine, disability, gender, the senses, and the emotions. We welcome contributions that explore how bodies and experiences have been represented, regulated, or performed, and how these processes intersect with broader questions of identity, power, culture, and society across periods and regions. This conference also marks the 20th anniversary of HistoryLab. Since its founding, HistoryLab has provided a national platform for postgraduate and early career historians to share ideas, foster collaboration, and build community. We invite participants to join us in celebrating this milestone year.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 3d
Appalled to see yesterday that a crop eared Doberman won the Westminster Show. I had no idea that they continued to validate this cruelty. You can write here: www.westminsterkennelclub.org/contact-us/?...

And for those of you who have never seen an unmutilated Doberman, look at those silky ears!

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Farah Mendlesohn

brennancenter.org
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 4d
Congress failed to pass the SAVE Act last year for good reason: it’s an anti-voter bill. But now lawmakers have revived it despite overwhelming public opposition. Tell Congress to reject the SAVE Act: bit.ly/4tmVIor

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 4d
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #PalestineAction.
'Victory' in Palestine Action trial, say families
The six defendants are cleared of aggravated burglary, but could face a retrial over other charges.
www.bbc.co.uk

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 5d
Meezer scales Mount Bags.

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

lindaholmes.bsky.social
Linda Holmes @lindaholmes.bsky.social · 5d
One thing that happens is that the attorney wants to say that the reason people aren’t released promptly is that it’s just complicated to move people around, it takes time, and the judge immediately notes that they can move people pretty fast when it comes to shipping them to Texas.

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, John R. Hutchinson, Alistair Munro , and 3 more

scientificdiscovery.dev
Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · 5d
Only 10 cases of Guinea worm disease were recorded *globally* last year.

It may become the second human disease we eradicate, after smallpox.
Semafor: Guinea worm neared global eradication, with just 10 cases reported worldwide in 2025, all of them in Chad, Ethiopia, or South Sudan. When former US President Jimmy Carter founded an eradication program in the mid-1980s, there were millions of infections in developing countries and the only human disease that had ever previously been permanently defeated was smallpox. The parasitic infection, transmitted via contaminated water, leads to three-foot worms emerging from painful leg ulcers, and causes long-term incapacitation and disability. While Carter did not, as he hoped, outlive the last Guinea worm (he died in 2024), he may have come close; the 10 cases mark a 33% decrease year-on-year.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 5d
In which case you could argue that none of the campaign mattered. Which would be silly of course. As is underestimating the extra pressure brought by militancy and its role in allowing the Suffragists to cast themselves as the reasonable ones.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 5d
I don't think it's at all clear what resulted in victory. It's not like French women's contribution to the war effort resulted in suffrage. If anything it may have been the threat of the Labour movement which persuaded the Conservatives that they needed a segment of the female population to vote.

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

brisbanein28.bsky.social
Brisbane in 28 @brisbanein28.bsky.social · 7d
The Brisbane / Meanjin Worldcon Bid for 2028 is at Capricon 46 @capriconsfcon.bsky.social in Chicago this weekend!

We're having a party on Thursday and Friday nights, the 5th and 6th. Stop by our Fan Table in the 1st floor corridor to find out more! #capricon46 #capricon2026 #brisbanein28 #worldcon
flyer showing the Brisbane in 28 and Meanjin in 28 logos The Brisbane / Meanjin Worldcon Bid for 2028 is at Capricon 2026 this weekend from 5 to 8 February at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare in Chicago, Illinois, USA! We will have a Fan Table in the 1st floor corridor between the Grand and Chicago Ballrooms. Stop by to find out all the info on our bid! We're having an Open Party on Thursday and Friday nights February 5th and 6th from 8pm to 1am in Room 907. https://brisbane28.org

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
it involved an arson campaign, and it only stopped because of the war so might well have escalated.

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

ursulakleguin.com
Ursula K. Le Guin @ursulakleguin.com · 7d
We're thrilled to announce the panel of authors who will select the recipient of the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction:

Nicola Griffith
Mat Johnson
Fonda Lee
Darcie Little Badger
Peter Rock

Anyone can nominate work for this $25,000 prize; nominations will be open March 1st through 31st.
A photo collage of authors Mat Johnson, Nicola Griffith, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, and Pete Rock. It reads "Announcing our 2026 selection panel!" at the top, and has the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction logo at the bottom right.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
Followed by the exploration of fabulous diverse and international arts. The huge range of the Lunch Interview and an utter absence of shrieking paranoia of the week.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
It was a fantastic article on how adventure playgrounds have become the preserve of those who can afford to go to stately homes. I turned to my partner and asked: how is this socialism in the FT? 1/2

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Alan Richardson, David Rosnick , and 5 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d
Dr Oz on rural healthcare: "There's no question about it, whether you want it or not -- the best way to help some of these communities is gonna be AI-based avatars"

Reposted by Linda J. Skitka, Farah Mendlesohn

them.us
Them @them.us · 7d
Federal Court Rules Requiring Use of Trans Student’s Pronouns Does Not Violate First Amendment
Federal Court Rules Requiring Use of Trans Student’s Pronouns Does Not Violate First Amendment
A Christian substitute teacher first sued the school for having to use a trans student's pronouns in 2024.
www.them.us

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

profgabriele.com
Matt Gabriele @profgabriele.com · 7d
Evergreen
A

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
Given I'm a raving leftie now totally addicted to the FT Weekend, they might have a point.

Reposted by Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Farah Mendlesohn

assignedmedia.org
Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 7d
An extreme Kansas bill will invalidate the drivers license of every trans person in the state. It was passed alongside a particularly extreme bathroom bill, meaning that the implications of every trans Kansan losing legal ID overnight has largely been missed.
Kansas Bill Will Strip Driver’s Licenses from Every Trans Resident Who Changed Gender — Assigned
As Kansas passes a bathroom bill, another bill that will invalidate the driver’s license of every trans resident has been deemphasized in the coverage. Also, Trump’s Department of Education says San J...
www.assignedmedia.org

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
That's dead easy to read!