Research Project: The Final Idea
UC Santa Cruz is one of the cooler universities in America. Being a research university, it offers ample opportunity for science majors and similar majors to get some hands-on experience. And guess what? The humanities have no been forgotten either. The university offers a research grant to undergraduate students who are majoring in something within the humanities division: I’m a literature major.I’ve mentioned this before, but I figure a little fanfare was in order to make UCSC sound even cooler to those of you who don’t know much about it or are perhaps considering it for your own studies.Having spent the summer thinking about what to do, I’ve finally come up with what I think is a really interesting idea:I’m going to discuss how science fiction film and television works towards denying the existence of a human category. What I mean is that films/shows like Battlestar Galactica, Space Above and Beyond, Starship Troopers, Bicentennial Man, etc. actually challenge the notion that there is such a thing as a “human” outside of a biological context. Ultimately I’m aiming to discuss what “human” actually means, how science fiction challenges it, and how the human/inhuman dichotomy is a glorious contradiction and, in particular to the second part of that dichotomy, hypocritical. Yeah, pretty intense, eh? I might include actual literature sources and intend to do some research at a large film collection to find more obscure works. So, what do you think?
Ask the Bloggers Series: Question #7 (I’m in it!)
Note: Grasping for the Wind has renamed this segment to “Inside the Blogosphere.” So from now on I will call it that. So, I’m up on another of Grasping for the Wind’s little blogger Q&A. The question was: In SF&F, should sex be included in the narrative or not? Should there be different standards for its inclusion in young adult or adult literature? What should those standards be? What are your personal standards and why? You can find my answer, along with several others, here. What do you think on matters of sex in literature?
Update On Me
…because I’m really so obsessed with my self-importance that I must update you all on what’s going on with my life. Actually, this is more so all you readers out there don’t think I’ve died or been kidnapped by aliens or Sasquatch or even, heaven forbid, the chupacabra. So what’s going on: I’ve moved, successfully. I no longer live in the hell hole I was in before, my new landlord is actually pretty cool and really nice, and it’s freaking quiet as hell up here. I now live in the woods, as strange as that might sound, and, well, I like it. I come from a wooded area anyway (Placerville), but what makes Felton (where I live now) better is that it isn’t as hot. True, it gets warm up here (I think the hottest thus far has been in the 80s), but because we’re relatively close to the ocean it won’t maintain high temperatures for long and won’t have the peaks like Placerville or Sacramento. So, lots of good things here. Plus, it’s really easy to get to Santa Cruz from up here. I’ve started school (well, I started on Friday, but so be it). It’s actually a lot more insane than I expected. My grad course is…terrifying, but at the same time challenging. I’m confused right now, but one of my professors is really happy for me and thinks I’ll do well in it. This is something I’m not very used to, perhaps because I grew up with some sort of issue with detaching myself from my family. I don’t know why I was like that, or why I still am, but I’ve never felt comfortable with my family giving me compliments and this has moved in the opposite direction to people who are friends or acquaintances. So, to be told by my professor that I’m a good writer, that I’m intelligent and destined for graduate school and great things is really surprising and wonderful and a lot of things all at once.Moving on, I have a lot of work to do for school… The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are coming to a close soon, so I will be reading like mad over the next few days to catch up. I am hoping to join the staff of a magazine run by UCSC, probably fiction editor or something else. It’s pending at this point. I’m applying for an undergraduate research grant and have to have the proposal written in about two weeks so I can go over it with my professor. I think that’s about all. What all that means above is that there might be a severe reduction in posting on WISB for at least two or three weeks, maybe longer. With that in mind, I would love to bring in more guest bloggers. If you’re interested, let me know. Seriously. I’d like to keep this thing running, but something has to be put to the side so I don’t explode, and it will be the blog for a short time due to school being far too important (sorry if this upsets you, but this blog is not what is going to allow me to get a good job in the future, as much as I love this thing).I will continue to post, but it might be less than three or four times a week, depending on my time. So, anyone want to be a guest blogger? (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
School’s In
I’m on my last year at UC Santa Cruz. A part of me is glad to be back. I’m weird, I know, but I actually missed school. But then another part of me is sad, because this is my last year here and I have to start applying for grad school, among other scary ideas like finding a job and what not. Currently I’m taking three courses: Love and Madness in Medieval Literature Postcolonial Writing Feminist/Queer Theory in Historical Perspectives (Graduate Course) I’m not a graduate, but I’m in a graduate course (or will be on Monday). One of my professors offered me a slot, which isn’t exactly common for undergraduates. I’m somewhat terrified of that course, though. Part of this is because I’m not all that interested in feminist or queer theory and part of it is because it’s a grad course, not a standard course. I should be okay, but at the same time I’m afraid I might not be up to it. We’ll see what happens.The other two courses are simply the ones that managed to fit. I’m curious about the Postcolonial Writing, but I’m also thinking I might get bored of it considering I’ve read enough stuff on colonialism in the last year to stick the stuff to the back of my brain. Love and Madness is likely to be incredibly boring, but so be it. This quarter wasn’t a very good one as far as class pickings go.Here’s to hoping for a good quarter. Next quarter is going to rule! I’m taking a class called International Cyberpunk! Yeah! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Tech For Writers: I’m In It!
Just thought you all should know that I’m in episode 2.3 of Tech For Writers. I have a short little segment where I talk about some software I use for writing and world building. Check it out! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Rejection: Archaeopteryx
Well, after being super excited that I got another honorable mention in the Writers of the Future Contest, I’ve been brought back down to earth by a rejection. “Archaeopteryx” is one of my flash pieces. I’m thinking of perhaps submitting it to a literary magazine next. We’ll see. So, my honorable mention moment was short lived. Sad? Not really. This is just the way it is in the writing business, or rather the I’m-an-amateur-writer-trying-to-get-his-foot-in-the-door business. That is all. (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)