Tag Archives: speculative fiction

Why is Anne in Space? On Reading L.M. Montgomery’s Realistic Novels as Fantasy

Posted on September 16, 2025 by

Right now, I am prepping for a conference panel tomorrow that I announced last week: “Cinderella Anne, Paranormal Emily, and Astral Heroines Everywhere: L.M. Montgomery and the Fantastic.” I’m working with with three fantastic scholars (see what I did there?): … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, L.M. Montgomery, News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Emily of New Moon, fantasy, fantasy literature, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane of Lantern Hill, L.M. Montgomery, literature, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, The Blue Castle, VICFA, worldbuilding, writing | 7 Comments

Cinderella Anne, Paranormal Emily, and Astral Heroines Everywhere: L.M. Montgomery and the Fantastic (Virtual Conference Panel Wed, Sept 17, 8:00-9:30am ET)

Posted on September 9, 2025 by

Hello dear readers, here is a kind of Pilgrim in Narnia crossover moment: a panel on L.M. Montgomery and the Fantastic. Drs. Heidi Lawrence, Abigail Heiniger, Trinna Frever, and I are gathering in deep cyberspace to approach this topic from … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, L.M. Montgomery, News & Links | Tagged fantasy, fantasy literature, L.M. Montgomery, literature, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, VICFA, worldbuilding, writing | 6 Comments

Happy 125th Birthday C.S. Lewis! (#CSLewisReadingDay)

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Brenton Dickieson

“It’s my 125th birthday!” C.S. Lewis might cry out in celebration to a gathering of a few dozen of his closest friends. If he could have lived until he was 125, that is. And if he was a rather remarkable … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, cultural criticism, fairy tales, J.R.R. Tolkien, literary history, literature, Narnia, Poetry, speculative fiction, The Screwtape Letters, theology | 11 Comments

Thoughts on Classic and Contemporary SF vs. Fantasy Hugo Best Novel Award Winners while Failing to Write a Review of a Great Book that was not Nominated

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb Series is a discovery from my stint as a Hugo Award panellist in 2020 and 2021–the years that Gideon the Ninth (book 1) and Harrow the Ninth (book 2) were nominated. As much as I loved these books–and … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging the Hugos, Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged A Canticle for Leibowitz, Alix E. Harrow, allegory, apocalyptic literature, Arthur C. Clarke, Dune, Ender's Game, Gene Wolfe, Gideon the Ninth, Harrow The Ninth, Hugo Awards, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Mary Doria Russell, N.K. Jemisin, Nona the Ninth, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Tamsyn Muir, Ursula K. Le Guin | 9 Comments

CFP: “Gardeners of the Galaxies: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One” by Sørina Higgins and Brenton Dickieson (Academic Deadline Extended to May 30th)

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

I am about to talk about gardening while my own garden is suffering from busy-related neglect. Even my little seedlings, planted with plenty of time for our last frost day (usually about June 10th in Prince Edward Island) have not … Continue reading →