A brainy and bodily panel discussion about gender and sexuality in science-fiction and fantasy literature. Our experts and writers will debate the theme wherever it appears: from Jeanette Winterson’s recent novel Frankissstein, about transcending the mess of our fragile, gendered bodies, through Margaret Atwood’s new smash The Testaments, and to all the other exciting stories spun by writers working in the genre.
These genres are often sexy and weird, political and terrifying. They are frequently queer; always human. Join us for a discussion and Q&A.
Panellists:
Dr Caroline Edwards is Senior Lecturer in Modern & Contemporary Literature at Birkbeck, University of London. Her research focuses on utopian and science fictions, apocalypticism and theories of temporality. She is author of Utopia and the Contemporary British Novel and is currently writing a book about science fiction and ecocatastrophe.
Bee Scott is an asexual writer and voice artist. Originally from California, she moved to London five years ago and holds an MA from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. An associate artist of Cyborphic Theatre, Bee's writing combines elements of queer identity and science fiction. Her play Mission Creep ran from October 15th-19th at the White Bear Theatre. For more about her work, visit bee-scott.com
Iona Datt Sharma is a writer specialising in bittersweet literary SFF. Their work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, and their debut short story collection, Not For Use In Navigation, was published in March 2019. They live and work in London.
Chris McCrudden was born in South Shields (no, he doesn’t know Cheryl) and has been, at various points in his life, a butcher’s boy, a burlesque dancer and a hand model for a giant V for Victory sign on Canary Wharf. He now lives in London and, when not writing comic science fiction, works in PR, so in many ways you could describe his life as a full-time fiction. If you like SF, graphs and gifs from RuPaul’s Drag Race you can follow him on Twitter for all three, sometimes at once @cmccrudden.
Adam Smith is literature programmer for Fringe! 2019. He is working on his first novel through Spread the Word’s London Writers’ Awards programme 2019-20. He is the producer of the podcasts The Log Books and Karl’s Kaschemme. He has written short films, shown at film festivals around the world, and a theatre show called Estigma with his collaborator Luis Amalía. He is formerly a journalist and social media editor.
Presented in partnership with SCI-FI-LONDON