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Otherwise Award
An award encouraging the exploration & expansion of gender.
Formerly the Tiptree Award
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The Otherwise Award is pleased to announce that the award ceremony for the 1993 Otherwise Award winner(s) has been held, and the winners have received their award and accolades.
Award Year: 1993
Award Year Number: Year 3
Conference: Readercon 7
Location: Worcester, MA
Award Sections
1993 Honor List
1993 Jurors
1993 Award Ceremony
The 1993 jury chose 1 work for the Otherwise Award.
Ammonite by Nicola Griffith (Del Ray, 1993)
Griffith details a civilization-several generations old-composed entirely of women. Her novel displays uncommon skill, a compelling narrative and a sure grasp of the complexity of civilization. While avoiding rhetoric, cant and stereotype, Griffith's politics run subtle and deep. — Steve Brown
A well-written first novel of a world on which there are no males, the men having been killed by a virus long ago. The story is told through the eyes of a woman who goes there to study the society that has evolved. This is the story of how people interact, and the evolution and adaptation of the protagonist to a world that is different from the one she's always known. Also a novel which postulates that a society composed of only women would not be fundamentally different from one containing both genders. A real page-turner with beautifully well-drawn characters. — Susan Casper
Ammonite is an interesting rite-of-passage novel in which the main character-Marghe-works out who she is and what she wants to do with her life. The culture of the planet Jeep-influenced by a virus fatal to most women and all men, that also facilitates genetic mixing and not-really-parthenogenic births-was fascinating and believable. This book is not based on "difference" gender philosophy (i.e., that women and men are basically psychologically different), and therefore, the women-only culture wasn't portrayed as a utopia for its lack of men. Greed and mindless violence exist in this culture as in ours. Its gender-bending message was that sexuality is only a minor part of human relationships. The characters all seem to take it for granted that sexual preference is an almost irrelevant aspect of understanding one another. In fact, the lack of men in this world is important only for the fact that because of it, Jeep is quarantined from the rest of the (mainly corrupt) Federation, until and if an vaccine is discovered. The human women on Jeep are never referred to as a lesbian community. They are simply a community of people, all of whom happen to be women.— Jeanne Gomoll
A self-assured, unself-conscious, convincing depiction of a world without men, this is perhaps the strongest pure science fiction on the list-doing what only SF can do, and doing it with skill and brio. Is it a gender bender? It answers the question "When you eliminate one gender, what's left?" (a whole world, is the answer). but a lot of books like Moby Dick, eliminate one gender, and yet nobody thinks anything about it. I believe Kate Clinton has the answer: "When women go off together it's call separatism. When men go off together it's called Congress." — Ursula K. Le Guin
When plague wipes out all the men and many of the women of a contingent of marines, a planet is declared quarantined. Marghe is sent to study the "natives," women left from an earlier colonization attempt which was also infected. Ammonite could have been a didactic novel or a utopian fiction, but Griffith has made her world of women complex and full of people both good and bad. — Maureen F. McHugh
Title: AmmoniteAuthor: Nicola Griffith
Publisher Name: Del RayCountry: USYear: 1993
Work Type: NovelOriginal Language: EnglishView on ISFDBGet it at Powell's
Nicola Griffith – Ammonite
Award Honor List
See full details about the 1993 Honor List
The 1993 jury chose 10 works for the Honor List
Ring of Swords, Hwarhath Book 1, Eleanor Arnason (Tor, US, 1993)
A novel about human interaction with a culture where cross-gender relations are forbidden, and even contact is kept to a minimum. A lovely book, though the violent male, non-violent female aspects were a tad heavy-handed. Also suffers slightly from a read-the-next-book-in-the-series sort of ending. — Susan Casper
This novel is both a rousing page-turner and idea-turner. The aliens in this book might be the technically advanced version of the aliens from Arnason's Tiptree-winning novel, Woman of the Iron People. In both books, Arnason created an alien race whose social stability stems directly from the separation of male and female cultures. Both books are also based on the arguable premise that the male tendency toward violence differentiates gender. Given that premise, the culture and story that follows are fascinating. Both Hwarhath and Human culture must re-examine all their assumptions when the two races meet one another and begin negotiations to avoid war. — Jeanne Gomoll
Both the narrators of this book use an understated, slightly self-mocking, casual tone which may lead the reader to take the story lightly. It is not a lightweight story. It is intellectually, emotionally, and ethically complex and powerful. A great deal of it is told by implication only, and so the moral solidity of the book and its symbolic and aesthetic effectiveness may pass a careless reader right by. The characters are mature, thoughtful, imperfect people, the settings are vivid, the drama is tense, and the science-fictional reinvention of gender roles is as successful as any I have ever read.
The only physical gender difference between human and Hwarhath is that alien women are a little larger than the men; but the cultural gender differences are immense and their implications fascinating, both as a device for questioning human prejudice and convention, and as the basis for a very good novel. The shadowy presence of a third species runs through it both unifying its ideas and always putting all assumptions back in question-a beautiful symbolic device. A beautiful book. — Ursula K. Le Guin
A story of alien contact where the male of the species is considered too volatile to have at home. Arnason examines some of our assumptions of gender by creating an alien race whose assumptions are just enough different than ours to bring ours into high relief. — Maureen F. McHugh
The Robber Bride, Margaret Atwood (Bantam Books, US, 1993)
Two young girls, minor characters in The Robber Bride, demand that all storybook characters-good and evil-be read as female. So too does Atwood portray all the main characters of The Robber Bride-good and evil-as female. This fictional warping of gender role expectations forces an understanding that is ironically more complex than the so-called real world in which behavior and archetype are frequently divided into two sets, female and male. The hint of possibly supernatural motivations, give me the excuse to include this wonderful novel on the Tiptree shortlist. — Jeanne Gomoll
Though in this book Atwood does not extrapolate from gender construction as she did in Handmaid's Tale, gender construction and the behavior and relationships forced on people by their gendered sexuality is always one of her central topics. In this case we have a major artist at the height of her powers telling a very grimm's fairytale about what a Bad Woman does to Good Men and Good Women. It is a splendid novel, and far and away the funniest book this jury got to read. — Ursula K. Le Guin
In the Garden of Dead Cars, Sybil Claiborne (Cleis Press, US, 1993)
To me this is the most original book we read, and the most honest. The grim, repressive urban future seems familiar, conventional, but it grows less so as we read: its vivid, gritty reality is not borrowed, but discovered. What has happened to men, how women have adjusted to it, who the "carnals" are, all this complex matter is told with a mature and subtle simplicity, as the background to a strong love story and to the yet more powerful relationship of a daughter and a mother. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Motherhood, Etc., L. Timmel Duchamp (Bantam Spectra, US, 1993)
Considers the very interesting premise that human sexual dimorphism (e.g., gender) is a physiological accident that might be swept away by a virus. A young girl reconsiders her body, her self and her relationship with everyone around her when she catches this virus. — Jeanne Gomoll
A nineteen year old girl ! discovers that her boyfriend has given her a virus that makes her something not human, maybe not female, and the government wants to keep her quarantined. This story could have been the story of a victim but Duchamp has made Pat, her nineteen-year-old, both nineteen and anything but a victim. — Maureen F. McHugh
This story is in Flying Cups and Saucers.
The Other Magpie, Rodrigo Garcia y Robertson (Bantam Doubleday Dell Magazines, US, 1993)
Robertson has crafted a vivid portrait of a Native American society-the Sioux, at a time when the events of Little Big Horn are occurring just over the horizon. His main characters are two women, one enacting a warrior role and the other transvestite, that seem startlingly unlikely to our eyes. Robertson fearlessly avoids presenting his Sioux with politically correct Noble Savage stereotyping, giving us several thoughtless, cruel, even stupid examples, and ends up with a three dimensional picture of a fully human milieu. — Steve Brown
A vivid story about Indian Wars of the last century that explores gender in both its look at a young woman who takes on the role of warrior to assuage her brother's ghost, and her transvestite friend who has his eyes set on the white soldiers. — Susan Casper
This story is interesting for its message that cultures based upon different understanding of humanity create dissonant communication when individuals from those cultures try to understand one another. Indians and Whites; women and men; White men and Indian women… — Jeanne Gomoll
Chemistry, James Patrick Kelly (Bantam Doubleday Dell Magazines, US, 1993)
In Kelly's vivid story, all of the interactive negotiations that transpire between lovers have been reduced to chemical transactions. One might think that this love story would end up as interesting as the purchase of a used car, but ultimately it is love story and a touching one. — Steve Brown
A lovely story which makes the distinction between love and sexual attraction in a different way. A sweet love story and good science fiction. If gender-bending can be construed to mean the way men and women relate to each other sexually, as well as socially, this one nicely fills the bill. — Susan Casper
a short story that starts by talking about love as if it were the interaction of chemicals and ends by making the interaction of chemicals a sweet and poignant story of love. — Maureen F. McHugh
Dancing Jack, Laurie J. Marks (DAW Books, US, 1993)
Dancing Jack is a wonderful fantasy, with a very unusual portrayal of magic and powerful portrayals of three women characters-the heroes who rescue their post-plague world. This is a wasteland story: saved not be a fisher king or a single knight, but by the combined magics of a riverboat pilot, a farmer, and a toymaker. The land is infertile, crops are not growing, animals die; people have mostly given up. The magic with which these three women reclaim life for themselves and their land is the lesson that acceptance of pain brings the possibility of joy. It turns inside out the formula of the quest and the knight-hero with gender-bending insights. — Jeanne Gomoll
I thoroughly enjoyed this very realistic fantasy, but found no genderbending in it: just a fine depiction of competent, independent women working, and a very satisfying, lesbian love-story. Fantasies about grown-ups are very rare; and this is one. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Some Strange Desire, Ian McDonald (OMNI Books, US, 1993)
McDonald has taken a well-worn fictional path, that of the non-human race that has always lived in parallel with us (usually responsible for the generation of vampire mythology), and reworked it into something new. His "vampires" have a sophisticated form of pheromonal communication and an ambiguous concept of gender. Their interaction with humans is compelling, and tragic. — Steve Brown
Aliens/changelings/an unrecognized third sex? McDonald doesn't quite say where these gender-shifting people come from, but they pay a high price for a desirability far beyond that of full-time women. Touching and well-written. — Susan Casper
Any story that includes in its first sentence, "Mother says he can remember Grandmother taking him…" grabs my genderbending radar. It's a suspenseful story about aliens-among-us who change their gender at will from female to male to hermaphrodite, and who are subject to an awful AIDS-like disease. I liked it a lot. — Jeanne Gomoll
Illicit Passage, Alice Nunn (Woman's Redress Press, Australia, 1992)
One of my favorite novels of recent years, Illicit Passage concerns the actual mechanics of a feminist revolution, a revolution from within. As the individuals in the asteroid mining town in Nunn's novel learn self-confidence, their lives change. And as the people organize, the social order changes. The establishment panics and looks for "the usual suspects"-the revolutionary agitators, the bomb-throwers, and entirely misses the secretaries, mothers, factory workers, and servants plotting radical change right under their noses. Illicit Passage is a novel of mistaken assumptions, misdirected expectations. In fact, we never actually hear the main character (Gillie) speak. We only learn about her from characters who dislike or are intensely jealous of her. That we end up liking her very much anyway, in spite of the strongly biased points of view of the other characters, only strengthens our admiration for her. — Jeanne Gomoll
Coelestis, Paul Park (Harper Collins, UK, 1993)
This novel of an alien surgically transformed into a human woman who is gradually reverting-sloughing off one human attribute after another-and the confused human man who thought he was in love with her, is a dark and wrenching experience. Park explores the shadowy alleyways of the city of gender and studies the age-old imperialist clash between rich and poor civilizations. — Steve Brown
To me this ambitious and complex book is ultimately a failure both as a novel and as an exploration of gender. The self-conscious tonelessness of the narrative voice imposes a real lack of affect. As gender exploration it is seriously handicapped by the fact that there are no women in it, except a girl who is fucked on page 46 and killed on page 49. The alien called "Katherine" is supposed to have been transformed into a female or a woman, but appears, to me, merely genderless from beginning to end. The setting and mood is standard neo-Conrad-on-distant-planet. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Simon, a human diplomat, falls in love with Katherine, a gifted pianist and more importantly, an alien who in 'her' natural state is not female. As a series of events deprive Katherine of the drugs that keep "her" human, she becomes less and less so. The book is written from multiple points of view and it becomes clear that while Simon continues to find human motivations in her actions, Katherine is more alien than he wants to know. — Maureen F. McHugh
Award Long List
The 1993 jury chose 24 works for the Long List
Crashcourse, Crashcourse Book One, Wilhelmina Baird (Ace/Berkeley, US, 1993)
I enjoyed this book for its idea about three characters trapped in a movie, not sure which events are real and which are part of the script. I especially liked the gumption of the main character, Cass, who-when it became clear that her movie was a dangerous one-didn't just sit around waiting for the next plot development, but went out (and behind the scenes) to find out more about the genre that was trapping her, and then defended herself against the movie makers rather than the script. The relationship between Cass and her two male housemates/lovers was an interesting one. — Jeanne Gomoll
X, Y, Michael Blumlein (Abyss / Dell, US, 1993)
The cover says "A psychosexual thriller," and though I very much wanted it to be more, that's what this book is. Starting with a self-perceived "man in a woman's body," it promises a subtle exploration of an anomalous psychology, but as sadomasochism takes over the story it loses direction, becoming disappointingly predictable. — Ursula K. Le Guin
The more I think about it (and possibly rewrite it in my head so that it makes some sort of sense to me) the more I am convinced that there was no strange phenomenon in this story at all, simply an abused woman who wanted to fight back. But since she is convinced that society defines women as being incapable of the kind of worldview and behavior she aspires to, her subconscious provides her with an release for her "inappropriate" feelings: she's not a woman after all…. I was disappointed however, that male behavior, for the purpose of this story, was almost totally defined as sadomasochism. — Jeanne Gomoll
Glory Season, David Brin (Bantam Spectra, US, 1993)
I was first impressed by how eager Brin seems to be to enter into the discussion of feminist issues in SF, enough so that he signaled his intentions by labeling various towns and groups "Ursulaburg," "Vondaites," "Tiamatians," "Perkites," and "Herlandia." Brin's main thesis seems to be that feminist utopian writing endorses the idea that technology is evil and the pastoral culture is the only good culture. At one point in Glory Season, the male hero says that the galactic federation will not allow the pastoral, anti-technological culture to continue once it regains control of its lost matriarchal colony. Brin says throughout the novel that pastoral culture can only be maintained at the expense of humanity, history and finally, of survival. He says, by implication, (with all those towns and groups of women named after well known feminist SF writers) that feminist SF fiction endorses an anti-human, anti-historical, anti-survival ethic.
If anything, Brin attempts to strengthen the familiar gender assumptions. There is little gender-bending in this novel. — Jeanne Gomoll
A very ambitious book with a courageous program of gender-exploration, seriously weakened by the author's dislike or distrust of his own invention. It is worth asking why male authors inventing a society of women tend to make the women all alike: the old "hive worlds" of the pulp days, or, in this case, clones. It is worth asking why the male assumption so often is that a society genuinely run by women (as opposed to one run by women under the control of men) would be static, rigid, closed to change, closed to thought, needing to be saved from itself by a man. And it is worth asking why male authors so often show women as inherently anti-technological. Brin begs this last question in his afterward, saying that "This novel depicts a society that is conservative by design, not because of something intrinsic to a world led by women." All the same, he chose to depict that society.
Though the book is unnecessarily long, the storyline is plausible and fast-moving, with well-imagined details; the social institutions of Stratos are carefully worked out; it is in the characters and the language that the book fails. p. 44: "Among the ambitions she shared with Leie was to build a hall of their own, where she might yet learn what delights were possible-unlikely as it seemed-in mingling her body with one such as those, so hirsute and huge. Just trying to imagine made her head hurt in strange ways." p. 55: "'I knew him,' Odo went on. 'Virile, summer-rampant in frost season, a sick envy of my own sisters!' Odo leaned forward her eyes loathing, 'He never touched you, yet he was and remains yours. That, my rutty little virgin, is why I'll have a price from my Lysos-cursed clan, which I served all my wasted life. Your company in hell.'" The silliness of the language faithfully renders gender-stereotyped emotions (a woman irresistibly drawn to men; a woman hating another woman because of a man). This world of women is totally male-centered. Despite his excellent apparatus of clones and clans and sexual seasons, Brin hasn't really got us any farther than about 1955. It is too bad, because the book has a likable freshness and optimism. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Drawing Blood, Steve and Ghost Universe Book 5, Poppy Z. Brite (Abyss / Delacorte Press, US, 1993)
Brite mixes artists and rock and roll, New Orleans, comic books, computer hackers and a slow and sleepy southern town. The main characters are gay or bisexual, but not particularly gender bending. Horror isn't my balliwick, but if you like your books full of atmosphere and your heros decadent in the long tradition that began with Lord Byron, you'll eat this one up. — Maureen F. McHugh
Lost Girls, Pat Cadigan (Mark V. Zeiseing Books, US, 1993)
A cute story in which Pan returns for generation after generation of Wendys, finding each less and less willing to take the convenient role of cook and housekeeper until finally one sets herself up in competition. A nice updated look at the Barrie legend. — Susan Casper
This is a fun story. I've always been fascinated by Peter Pan: a play in which the main character is nearly always played by a female actress. I think of Peter as a splintered character. Peter and Wendy are two parts of the same whole, splintered by the society which carefully segregates boys' behavior from girls' behavior. I liked Cadigan's take on this strange story in which it is suggested that eventually Wendy's descendant won't be content with her limited role. — Jeanne Gomoll
The Rising of the Moon, Flynn Connolly (Del Rey / Ballentine, US, 1993)
Women lead this Irish revolution, but I found them unconvincing both as women and as revolutionaries. Merely changing the hero's gender does not undo the heroic fallacy; and a long history of women's collision with their oppressors can't be credibly reversed by a few fits of righteous indignation. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Rainbow Man, M. J. Engh (Tor, US, 1993)
A culture in which an infertile woman is called, and treated as a man: this is a promising place to explore gender in. Somehow the exploration never seems to happen, perhaps because it is derailed by religious issues. I wanted this book to have the kind of power Handmaid's Tale has; but it doesn't-it somehow slides away from its own central issues. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Harm's Way, Colin Greenland (Avon, US, 1993)
Harm's Way is farcical Dickensian fantasy set in a universe that might have been constructed by Kepler or Jules Verne, A young girl plays the part normally played by the male adolescent-the outrageously, naive youth who has picaresque adventures, learns the Shocking Truth about her ancestry and Grows Up. — Jeanne Gomoll
Touching Fire, Nicola Griffith (TTA Press, UK, 1993)
This is a great SF love story. The SF element-the light-activated orchestral machines, and a person who can "play" it with her body-is a fascinating one. But does the fact that the lovers are lesbians make this gender-bending? — Jeanne Gomoll
The Assimilation of Leah Wennover, Stephanie T. Hoppe (Evoe Press, US, 1993)
This is the story of Holdfast and her two fellow time-travelers, Tai and Heart's-ease who attempt to rescue the spirits of women killed as witches in the Burning Years. The trio also play the roles of the three female archetypes: spinner, weaver, and cutter; symbols of birth, life and death. Invisibly they bear witness to the crushing of a woman's spirit (Leah Wennover) and assimilate her spirit, rescuing it from a time she was not allowed to live. The idea of this story bears a resemblance to the idea behind the Tiptree Award: to look again and rescue. — Jeanne Gomoll
Schrodinger's Cathouse, Kij Johnson (Mercury Press, Inc., US, 1993)
A cute little story about a metaphysical cat house where the prostitutes may or may not be female or male; one never knows until they come. The image of these androgynous creatures is nicely done. — Jeanne Gomoll
"Forever," Said the Duck, Jonathan Letham (Bantam Doubleday Dell Magazines, US, 1994)
A funny little tale about the uses we'll put our past and present lovers to, once we have the ability to make a virtual, keepsake copy of them. — Susan Casper
Songs of Chaos, Shariann Lewitt (Ace Books, US, 1993)
The story impressed me less than the setting-this fantastic, organic cyberpunked Brazilian rainforest transplanted onto a space station in which parrots act as living monitors, sort of. The outsider, Dante, discovers that the very thing that makes him an outcast in one world makes him a powerful genius in Mangueira. Skinny Fatima thinks she's an outsider and different from everyone else in Mangueira, and she too discovers that the thing that makes her different turns out to be her most valuable contribution to the community. Bisexual relationships on board the Mangueira are accepted as the norm. — Jeanne Gomoll
Highly competent and enjoyable, with a nice, original take on virtuality, great parrots, good men characters, good women characters; but no bending of gender that I could see. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Evolution Annie and Other Stories, Rosaleen Love (ed.) (The Women's Press, UK, 1993)
Imaginative, funny, spirited, subversive, many of these stories explore and play with gender and gender-roles in one way or another. The title story sets the stuff about Man the Hunter and the Ascent of Man and all that on its ear: "The Daughters of Darius" is a haunting tale/meditation; and "Strange Things Grow at Chernobyl" packs immense power into six understated pages. — Ursula K. Le Guin
The Year the Horses Came, Earthsong Trilogy Book 1, Mary Mackey (HarperCollins, US, 1993)
The story of The Year the Horses Came-a matriarchy demo posing as an adventure travelogue-is set at the crux of change, just before the patriarchal, misogynist, horse-riding hordes sweep across the continent from the east. The main character travels from the far western edge of the matriarchy, east into the territory of the marauders. I was sympathetic with Mackey's conviction that culture is molded by the way its members raise their children and by its cosmological assumptions, but less impressed by the ponderous storyline. — Jeanne Gomoll
Woman-centered, goddess-worshipping, free people of prehistoric Western Europe meet up with the male-dominant, aggressive horse-riders of the Steppes. The rather naive "agenda" overwhelms the novel, but there are some vivid scenes and good moments of culture-shock. — Ursula K. Le Guin
An Eye for Dark Places, Norma Marden (Little, Brown, US, 1993)
Norma Marden's An Eye for Dark Places is an extraordinary book. Its portrayal of a woman stifled in an unrewarding marriage reminded me strongly of Perkins's The Yellow Wallpaper. Through a possibly imagined journey into a fantastic, utopian world beneath London, she comes to understand the kind of relationship and life she wants, and when she returns, she leaves her family and starts a new life. — Jeanne Gomoll
I did a cover quote for this book, saying "This spare, radiant book emotionally exact and profoundly imagined, is an extraordinary first novel." As a genderbender I think it breaks no new ground; but as an exploration of human/sexual/familial relationships up to and perhaps over the edge of madness, it is very fine. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Deerskin, Robin McKinley (Ace Books, US, 1993)
Deerskin reexamines fairy tale archetypes (the perfectly beautiful princess who falls in love with the perfectly handsome prince and the happily-ever-after period that is presumed to naturally follow such a perfect match). It's a great story, and its genderbending aspect has to do with the way fairy tale archetypes get under our skin and get confused with morality and gender definitions. Its plot follows the child of the perfect royal couple after her father rapes her, and her recovery from that experience. — Jeanne Gomoll
A strong-indeed a superhumanly endowed and unerring-female protagonist does not in herself constitute a genderbending novel, even when she is an abuse survivor. This fantasy might be a good "role-model" book for girls, but I found the heroine way too tall, beautiful, gifted, etc. to identify with. — Ursula K. Le Guin
The Best Lives of Our Years, A. R. Morlan (Bantam Spectra, US, 1993)
Set in the next century after one of those pesky, gender-specific diseases has struck down most of the men in the world. At first, everyone expects that the world will become a more sane-or at least a less violent-place. Instead, war becomes more terrible than it ever was, because women feel they must prove themselves in the absence of men. The story is told by way of letter excerpts written by successive generations of women soldiers. Pretty depressing script, but jolting reminder that when the powerless gain power, they frequently adapt their behavior to their new role. — Jeanne Gomoll
Liberator, Linda Nagata (Mercury Press, Inc., US, 1993)
The foreground of Nagata's story is a Moslem society in which the women characters struggle against powerful religious constraints. With the placement of a memory chip containing a mother's personality into the brain of a daughter, Nagata also is able to speculate on some unusual potentials in the mother/daughter relationship. — Steve Brown
Burning Bright, Melissa Scott (Tor, US, 1993)
An entertaining novel about a spacer and famous gamer/author, Quinn Lioe, who takes leave on the planet Burning Bright during its annual storm festival, in order to play "the game." The game is played across several empires in the galaxy and involves one fictional world and several plot lines (empire, revolution, court intrigue, psi wars, etc.) which are mirrored in the situation Lioe finds herself enmeshed in real life on Burning Bright. In fact, by the end of the novel, it is clear that she has brought the game's plot to a conclusion and will begin a new game that involve players in active commentary and involvement in the real world. The genderbending element of this novel has to do with the society's tolerance of all sexual preferences. There are lots of ways to bet into trouble in this world, but none of them involve personal sexual behavior. Most of the characters appear to be bisexual. — Jeanne Gomoll
A Defense of the Social Contracts, Martha Soukup (Sovereign Media Co., US, 1993)
Maybe the world would be a better place if everyone was required to wear nametags identifying their sexual preferences. Soukup extrapolates upon this idea and imagines a world in which everyone must declare themselves monogamous, non-monogamous, celibate, or group family types. Fascinating. I couldn't figure out whether she believed that such categorization was doomed from the start-because we can't enforce who falls in love with whom; or whether she thinks that such a system would at least start to sort out the confusion. I liked this story a lot. — Jeanne Gomoll
The Story So Far, Martha Soukup (Bantam Spectra, US, 1993)
This story is a sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern based upon 1950s romances rather than Hamlet. The main character of this story is a mere spear-carrier in another story which centers around her husband, Dennis. Throughout "The Story So Far," Emily tries to figure out the plot of the short story in which she is enmeshed, and is dismayed to learn that the main plot line proceeds entirely while she is offstage. She learns that both she and another woman character are entirely superficial to Dennis and the plot, but despite this revelation the two fictional woman characters strive for actual existence. This genderbending story concerns itself with gender as defined by (B-rated) literature rather than by life. — Jeanne Gomoll
A Plague of Angels, Sherri S. Tepper (Bantam Spectra, US, 1993)
Like many of Tepper's novels, it contains a chunk of gender commentary. In nearly all of her books, and she deals with gender in a very interesting ways. A Plague of Angels further develops Tepper's favorite idea of gods created by people and the worlds they inhabit-sort of a self-conscious Gaean system, applied to all worlds with intelligent life. In Plague, the self-conscious earth deity intervenes in human history to repair the human/nature balance-so badly skewed that people are on the brink of extinction. Along the way, Tepper delves into the idea that men and women cannot live together without damaging one another-given the way women and men are currently socialized. One of the few hopeful communities in this world is one in which men and women live mostly separately, getting together now and then, and learning-within their subgroups-to change their ideas about gender. — Jeanne Gomoll
I wish Tepper would spend more time rewriting. There's great stuff in this, but it's shapeless and repetitive. As in so many of her books, a great beginning goes dry in pointlessly complex plotting about the villainous fools who run things. The paranoid element that was part of the strength of her real gender-exploring novel, The Gate to Women's Country, here is a weakness; and the gender roles are conventional. — Ursula K. Le Guin
Virtual Girl, Amy Thomson (Ace/Berkeley, US, 1993)
Virtual Girl is a re-working of the Pygmalion myth, of a man creating his idea of a perfect woman, who then turns into a real person and leaves him. In this case, the male creator is a nerdish hacker who creates a cyborg woman. In a moment of crisis, the cyborg hears only a portion of a command/programming input, "You are the most important thing to me." All she hears is "You are the most important thing," and from that, she entirely re-programs herself. Self-actualization saves her life, but dooms the odd couple's relationship. — Jeanne Gomoll
Commentary was harvested from correspondence among the judges and attributed by the judges' names.
Jeanne Gomoll (chair)
Susan Casper
Maureen F. McHugh
See full details about the 1993 Ceremony
The 1993 Otherwise Award was given to Nicola Griffith at ReaderCon 7, July 10, 1994, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Posted on April 13, 2017 by Debbie Notkin October 30, 2019
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Otherwise Fellowships
Applications will open in early to mid 2020 for the 2020 Otherwise Fellowships. Watch this space.


Autor: CCAA Publishing date: 05.06.2018.
Croatian Civil Aviation Agency is hosting The Dangerous Goods European Liaison Group Meeting which will take place in Zagreb on 12 and 13 June 2018. 24 representatives of European states and 10 representatives of industry will participate the meeting. The Dangerous Goods European Liaison Group (DGELG) was formed around 20 years ago to promote co-operation between States in the investigation of dangerous goods incidents. Participation at that time was limited to small number of European States. Today membership has been extended to include all European States, European operators and number of other organizations.
DGELG is unique group where representatives of industry and States discuss together about issues regarding the transport of dangerous goods by air. European States and stakeholders are sharing their views, information and news, which contribute to the harmonised implementation of the ICAO standards in the national legislation. In Europe, this is partly done by EASA.
One of the DGELG tasks is to act as an Dangerous Goods Expert Group to EASA.


Mississauga, Ontario―March 11, 2019―With over 29 years of experience in providing superior ergonomic seating and an exemplary reputation for being able to accommodate virtually 100% of the workforce, ergoCentric Seating Systems has been selected as an official Office Seating Vendor for the State of Oregon (#PA8312).
The company's product line includes the tCentric Hybrid™ and airCentric™ high-performance task seating series, as well as upCentric® height adjustable tables, and multiple additional ergonomic accessories. ergoCentric holds many patents and patents-pending for ergonomic task seating.


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Varronia campestris är en strävbladig växtart som först beskrevs av Warm, och fick sitt nu gällande namn av A. Borhidi. Varronia campestris ingår i släktet Varronia och familjen strävbladiga växter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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Strävbladiga växter
campestris

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The Mine- John Heldt
John Heldt's The Mine is an enjoyable contemporary take on historical fiction, mixed with the time-travelling aspects usually found in science fiction novels. The novel has a strong opening chapter which offers context and interest to the novel as a whole, and has a clear and concise structure which is always appreciated by a reader. In particular, Heldt makes good use of descriptive vocabulary. The location and time setting of chapters set both in the past and the future is well researched, regarding the eras chosen and fits well with the chosen characters.
The characters throughout The Mine come across as easy-going and laid-back, making it a lighter and therefore easier novel to read. However there is also enough of an authoritative tone so that the plot does not get lost in being too laid back. There is also a sturdy and continuous flow between events.
Despite all the above positive traits of this novel, there are some syntax issues which occasionally spoil an otherwise good paragraph. One such example can be found in Chapter 8, 'Helene proper did nothing'– but there are not enough of these errors to warrant writing off this novel. It is still very much worth reading. I also picked up on a few colloquial terms which were either written incorrectly or were too specific to the American culture, so that they put distance between the two most important relationships forged in a novel: characters and the reader, and the reader and the author.
Character development is somewhat hit and miss in The Mine. By Chapter 11 although the plot has developed smoothly and consistently, at this point the character development, specifically of the main character Joel Smith, is still very limited. It is as surface deep in chapter 11 as it is was when the reader is first introduced to Joel. I enjoyed all of the characters I was introduced to through the novel, but I wish I could have gotten to know them on a deeper, more intimate level. Whilst the supporting roles embodied by characters such as Ginny and Katie were evenly and appropriate developed and explored in fitting scenarios. Although the novel is seen through Joel's perspective, by the end of the novel I found it easier to picture Ginny rather than Joel. Perhaps this is suggestive that Held has more confidence in his female character. To encompass this point, the development of Joel's character was slow at best, and although this reflected the other character's limited knowledge base of Joel; I found it very frustrating to consistently not know very much about him. When I'd reached the end of The Mine Joel Smith was still just a time-travelling stranger- albeit one with an interesting story to tell.
Moving on, the pace of The Mine is consistently quick which does make it more interesting to read. But perhaps it is too quick. It almost feels as though the author was in such a rush to tell his story, which as a result half the details which allow that deeper level of knowledge are left out.
For me The Mine is a good example of a feel good historical romance, not just historical fiction. There are enough contemporary references, such as Back to the Future, allowing the reader to identify with Joel and his 2001 life; even when he's living in the 1940's. However for future projects Heldt should be careful of syntax and grammar issues. The discrepancies I encountered would not alter the reader's understanding of the overall plot, but they could isolate readers from the characters; thus dampening their total enjoyment of the book.
Overall I enjoyed reading The Mine. It has a good and consistent flow, well thought-out and structured plot. Heldt is offering readers a novel which has a slightly romantic view of 1941. I just wanted to carry on reading and find out what would become of Joel and his love interest Grace. The final plot twist of role reversals between Joel and Grace was truly lovely to read. The time-travel concept adopted from science fiction is always fascinating and it's especially exciting when you're able to read a new take on it. Heldt stays true to the belief that time-travellers must not affect history too much, but his characters most certainly do not! In short, The Mine is well worth you taking the time to read it. Both the plot and (for the most part) the characters are easily identifiable and the pace reflects the adventures found within- so why not enter The Mine.
© Gemma Feltham 13th July 2013
Check out author John Heldt's blog here: http://johnheldt.blogspot.com/
Tagged as historical fiction, Historical romance, John Heldt, Science fiction, The Mine, Time travel
Shopaholic to the Rescue – Sophie Kinsella
My not so Perfect Life – Sophie Kinsella
The Alchemist – Paul Coelho
The Ghost Fields – Elly Griffiths
Far from the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
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I welcome contributions on any subject relating to books, reading, publishing, fiction, creative writing, self-publishing and anything in between.
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Gemma Feltham
gemmafeltham
I love to read, I love to write, and I love cross stitching

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Philosophical views of the highly influential rationalist philosophers Benedict (or Baruch) Spinoza (1632-1677) and G. W. Leibniz (1646-1716). Topics to be treated include: the nature of God and the question of his providential care for human beings, the concept of substance and its extension, the ontological relation of finite beings to God, the mental and its relation to the corporeal, and the nature of human freedom.
(Graduate students register for 225.) The founding work of Kant's critical philosophy emphasizing his contributions to metaphysics and epistemology. His attempts to limit metaphysics to the objects of experience. Prerequisite: course dealing with systematic issues in metaphysics or epistemology, or with the history of modern philosophy.
Instructors: De Pierris, G. (PI)
PHIL 125 | 4 units | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II | Class # 18890 | Section 01 | Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit | LEC | Students enrolled: 1
04/02/2018 - 06/06/2018 Mon, Wed 1:30 PM - 2:50 PM at 420-245 with De Pierris, G. (PI)
(Graduate students register for 226B.) Kant's moral philosophy based primarily on the Groundwork of Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, and The Metaphysics of Morals.
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
(Graduate students register for 227A.) The role of autonomy, principled rational self-governance, in Kant's account of the norms to which human beings are answerable as moral agents, citizens, empirical inquirers, and religious believers. Relations between moral values (goodness, rightness) and aesthetic values (beauty, sublimity).
(Graduate students register for 228.) The founder of the German Idealist movement who adopted but revised Kant's project of transcendental philosophy basing it on the principle of awareness of free self-activity. The awareness of other selves and of ethical relations to them as a necessary condition for self-awareness. His writings from 1793-98 emphasizing the place of intersubjectivity in his theory of experience.
(Formerly 122/222; graduate students register for 230.) Introduction to Hegel's philosophy, emphasizing his moral and political philosophy, through study of his last major work (1821). May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: course in the history of modern philosophy.
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum | Repeatable 2 times (up to 8 units total)
The radical changes in ideas of God between Hegel and Heidegger, arguing that their questions about theism and atheism are still pertinent today. Texts from Hegel, Feuerbach, Marx, Nietzsche, and Heidegger: on God, history, and the social dimensions of human nature. N.B.: Class size limited. Apply early at tsheehan@stanford.edu.
(Graduate students register for 234.) Readings from Husserl, Stein, Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty on subjects related to awareness of others. Topics include solipsism, collective experience, empathy, and objectification of the other.
Focus is on the existentialist preoccupation with human freedom. What constitutes authentic individuality? What is one's relation to the divine? How can one live a meaningful life? What is the significance of death? A rethinking of the traditional problem of freedom and determinism in readings from Rousseau, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, and the extension of these ideas by Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus, including their social and political consequences in light of 20th-century fascism and feminism.
Last offered: Spring 2014 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-ER
(Formerly 147/247; graduate students register for 236.) Theories of knowledge in Frege, Carnap, and Quine. Emphasis is on conceptions of analyticity and treatment of logic and mathematics. Prerequisite: 50 and one course numbered 150-165 or 181-90.


Don't set the clock when you're tired, set it when you are planning your day. Don't whittle away at your sales goals right after a serious rejection, set them when you're on a roll.
The discipline is in obeying the rule you set when you were in a different mood than you are now. That's what makes it a rule as opposed to a guideline.


RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — It was a tale of government meddling that outraged radio talk show hosts and a pair of Congress members: A 4-year-old was forced to dump her packed lunch and eat a state-dictated cafeteria lunch of chicken nuggets. Now school officials are blaming a teacher's error in making sure the child had a nutritious meal.
The incident happened two weeks ago at an elementary school in Raeford, near Fort Bragg. The girl's parents anonymously tipped off a Raleigh TV station and a conservative blogger after the girl brought home her packed lunch uneaten.
Conservatives who see it as yet another example of government overreach leaped on the story, and it reached a pair of North Carolina's U.S. representatives, Republican Renee Ellmers and Democrat Larry Kissel. They wrote a letter asking U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to investigate.
"The content of a school lunch provided to a child by their parents should be governed only by the child's parents, not another government bureaucrat," they wrote in the letter.
"This is also kind of adding on to a lot of things that we're seeing coming out of the Obama Administration" that conservatives oppose, like requiring insurance coverage of contraceptives, Ellmers' press secretary Tom Doheny said. "We're joining this bipartisan call to get any and all information. It's one of those things that if it looks like a rat, and smells like a rat, odds are it could be."
A Kissell spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
The cafeteria details are true, but rather than an example of government "lunch bag police" overruling a family, it's an embarrassing lapse by a teacher, Hoke County Schools Assistant Superintendent Bob Barnes said Thursday.
The girl's teacher should have handed the child a carton of milk to round out the turkey-and-cheese sandwich and banana she brought from home. Instead, the teacher erred by telling the tyke to get a cafeteria lunch, Barnes said.
"We do not go over and stare down every child's lunch," Barnes said. "If you looked at the lunch the child had, I'd love to have that lunch today. However, there are occasions that kids bring lunches that aren't that complete, and that's why we try to supplement them with the things that they need to make it a complete lunch."
The North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten is a state-run enrichment program to help 4-year-olds at risk of starting school lagging behind their peers. Ninety percent of the children qualify for free or reduced lunch.
The program has 1,100 sites serving 25,000 children and is required to supply a healthful lunch. The U.S. Agriculture Department defines that as a serving of milk, two servings of fruits or vegetables, one serving of grain, and one serving of meat or protein.
The federal agency had no involvement in the case involving a local school district and state supervision of nutrition policies, USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe said.
USDA does not "regulate sack lunches or any other food children bring from home to eat at school. That is a responsibility for parents, not the federal government," Rowe said.
Barnes said the school is apologizing to the child's parents for startling the girl and sending her through a cafeteria line she was unaccustomed to.
"I am so sorry this happened to this little girl," Barnes said. "On that day, the policy wasn't followed, and hey, we're the grown folks here. That's our fault. The teacher never should have sent that little girl into that line. She should have gone over and picked up the missing item and brought it to her."
The girl's name was withheld for her privacy, Barnes said. A state legislator contacted by the family did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The mistake isn't a sign teachers are delving into diet details where they don't belong, Barnes said.
"We're not trying to force government down anybody's throat. All we're trying to do is make sure that our children get a good education and a nutritious meal every day," Barnes said. "It comes back to: We had an employee who made a mistake."


The Eagles can now add another accolade to their unparalleled resume - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the best-selling album of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which recently certified the album 38x Platinum, accounting for sales and streams of more than 38 million copies since its release in February of 1976. Later that same year, in December, the band followed up with Hotel California, which is now the third best-selling album of all time, certified 26x Platinum by the RIAA for sales and streams of more than 26 million copies.
In today's faddish, fractured, rock landscape, the Eagles retain an appeal that transcends both generation and genre, cementing the band's role as enduring musical icons. As the best-selling American band of the '70s, and one of the top-selling acts of all time, the Eagles have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, scored six #1 albums and topped the singles charts five times. They have won six Grammy Awards, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, in their first year of eligibility, and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016.
The Eagles - Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Deacon Frey and Vince Gill - are currently on tour through October 2018. The band has performed for more than half a million fans since the latest tour began on March 12th.


The dragonfly is a symbol of change and self-realization which makes it a perfect design for the KLEO initiative. A dragonfly's power and grace adds to its universal appeal across cultures, as does its representation of our collective quest for the meaning of life. Post style earrings with earring backs included.


Since 1977, Concordia Conservatory has offered music programs for early childhood, youth, and adults in Bronxville, New York. Concordia Conservatory, a division of Concordia College-New York, is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt educational institution.
The school's mission is to inspire, instruct, and enrich lives through music offering excellence in education and performance. Financial aid and active community outreach partnerships provide access for all.
Concordia Conservatory is governed by a 20-member advisory board with three-year terms and reports to the President of Concordia College.


At just 30-inches-tall, this electric smoker from Masterbuilt takes up less space in your home or anywhere else you want to use it.
Each of the four shelves inside has a special coating that keeps smoke from sticking to the metal and makes those shelves easier to clean. You can also remove each shelf as needed to make room for larger items.
Digital controls located on the top of the smoker also make it easier to use. You can set a timer and let your ingredients smoke in the middle of the night or while you're at work in the middle of the day. The included instructions walk you through the process of turning on the smoker and using all its features.
Masterbuilt designed a great chip system for this model too that allows you to check on the amount of smoke produced and add more chips without opening the door first and losing smoke.
When you want to use less smoke, you can adjust the damper. This model also has a fully insulated interior and a drip pan that catches anything dripping off your food, including grease and natural juices.
Those who love smoking meats and other types of foods often prefer models that feature a window like this one from Smoke Hollow.
That window runs the full length of the machine and allows you to keep an eye on your food as it cooks without opening the door to peek inside. You'll know when to take the food out, when to empty the dripping pan and even when to add more smoke.
The heating element on this model uses 1,500 watts of power to evenly heat anything place inside. Located on the side of the smoker is a temperature unit that allows you to increase and decrease the temp inside. This unit also comes off, which makes it easier to store the smoker.
This model comes with a cabinet that uses double panels of insulation inside to maintain the temperature. It also comes with three metal cooking shelves that easily slide in and out of the smoker to give you all the space that you need.
You will also get a water pan with a porcelain coating and a wood chip box covered with a temperature-resistant paint that can stand up to high temperatures.
Not everyone who enjoys smoking stays at home as they cook. If you're the type of person who loves camping and spending time outside but also wants to smoke, you'll like this portable model from Masterbuilt.
As an electric model, it plugs right into an extension cord or any outlet you can find and lets you smoke foods at home and on vacation.
Though this model doesn't give you the specific temperature control that others do, it does let you select a low, medium or high setting. This simplifies the process and allows you to pick a setting based on what you want to smoke.
The gauge located on the outside of the cabinet helps you keep an eye on that range and ensures that you get the cook time and smoke that you want.
Designed for use in any setting, this smoker has small metal legs that unfold when you want to set it up and fold flat for easy storage. It also comes with both a water pan and a chip tray that fit inside the smoker as you travel. You can remove either or both pans for cleaning and filling later.
SmokeHouse Products makes another affordable electric smoker that will fit your budget. Called the Little Chief, this model has a front-loading design that lets you add your water and chips before putting any food inside and latching the door in place.
Despite its small size, this smoker has space inside for four metal shelves and can accommodate any type of meat, seafood or poultry.
A 120V heating element inside the smoker maintains a consistent 165-degrees Fahrenheit temperature, which many smoking enthusiasts claim is the best temperature for most meats.
The cabinet on this model features two handles on the sides and one on the top that let you carry and move it to any location.
We really like some of the included accessories and other items that come with the Little Chief. SmokeHouse Products gives you a 1.75-pound bag of hickory chips that add a subtle and slightly sweet flavor to your food.
You also get a fuel pan that can hold a large amount of wood chips and a water pan that you can remove and clean in your dishwasher.
Though the Electric Bullet Smoker from Masterbuilt might be the last model on our list, you shouldn't count it out. Its small size gives you the freedom to cook and smoke anywhere you want to go.
The handle on the top and the two handles on the side let you move the smoker to set it up, but if you wear oven mitts or gloves, you can move it while it is still hot.
As the Bullet is a little smaller than other models, Masterbuilt put the temperature gauge on the top instead of on the front.
This lets you look down and make sure that it reached the right temperature. You can also use this gauge to get an idea of when you need to add any wood chips.
We like that the drip pan, water pan and chip tray all have a porcelain coating as well. That coating makes cleanup easier because smoke and grease won't stick to those accessories. This model allows you to smoke at a maximum temperature of 400-degrees Fahrenheit.
Finding a good electric smoker that costs less than $200 is easier than you might think. Masterbuilt makes several models that are worth your money, but we highly recommend the 30" model from the company.
This smoker has digital controls that help you easily reach the temperature that you want and a chip system that lets you add more wood chips without constantly opening and closing the door.
We think that many shoppers will like the insulated body too because it keeps smoke from leaking out and ensures that any ingredients inside get a light and even coating of smoke.
While you can find larger models that hold more food, this Masterbuilt model is the top smoker for those on a tight budget.


The following are stocks or mutual funds tagged as remote backup service. When researching companies, it is important to know what companies have a similar focus. The stocks below have been categorized as "remote backup service" by either user submission or electronic means.


Beck, F., Legleye, S., Chomynova, P. and Miller, P.
The study examines groups of 15-16-year-old students whose attitudes toward drug use are out of line with the prevailing norms. It analyzes data from eight countries from the 2003 European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD): Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Malta, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In those countries, 22,900 15-16-year-old pupils answered the ESPAD questionnaire. Groups of subjects whose responses are far removed from the modal value are sought and studied. The aim is to explore "rare answers" compared to what is perceived by the majority of students. In order to explore what can lead a pupil to an atypical perception of risk, a cluster analysis, based on the risk perceptions of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use, was run to isolate the groups in which pupils tend to answer differently. Six clusters were established classifying students into those who failed to respond, deny the risks, do not know about the risks, see any drug use as great risk, see regular use as great risk, and who see a moderate risk for most frequencies of use. The nonresponders, risk deniers, and those ignorant of the risks are infrequent making up, in all, only 16.9% of the total sample. Gender, country, alcohol use, cannabis use, tobacco use, and friends' consumption were used to describe both the individual risk perceptions and the clusters based on them. Both global context (country) and "micro" context (frequencies of drug use, peers lifestyle, and parental permissiveness) appear to play a major role in the risk perception of drug use.