SCIENCE FICTION… THAT…EXPLORES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GENDER.

SCIENCE FICTION…THAT…EXPLORES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GENDER. I have posted a number of times on James Tiptree, Jr., a highly regarded science fiction writer, and on Alice Bradley Sheldon, who was Tiptree. I knew Alice Bradley Sheldon when I was young, and in several posts (including here) recorded what I remembered about her because she is an important and fascinating person, who was the subject of a superb biography: JAMES TIPTREE, JR.: THE DOUBLE LIFE OF ALICE B. SHELDON by Julie Phillips. I also posted (for example here) on the story of how Alice Sheldon adopted a masculine pseudonym (taken from a jar of jam), and convinced readers of the existence of Tiptree, a male writer who explored gender issues. Now, I find that there has been a James Tiptree award since 1991. It is an annual award for “science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender.” Here is a link to the website, which describes recent winners and explains that: “The name “Tiptree” was selected [for the award] to illustrate the complex role of gender in writing and reading.”