Speculating Canada: Canadian Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy

September 6, 2014

Spectres of Homophobia

Review of Michael Rowe’s Ghosts (Postscripts to Darkness 2014, http://pstdarkness.com/2014/08/08/ghosts-by-michael-rowe/ ) LGBTQ2 populations are haunted by the spectre of violence. Our lives are inscribed with threat and many of us have been victims of multiple violent attacks. Stories like that of Matthew Shepard who was beaten and left to die in a field by homophobic groups haunt queer experience, even,...

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September 3, 2014

The Abduction of Women’s Voices

A review of Nancy Johnston’s “The Rendez-Vous: The True Story of Jeanetta (Netty) Wilcox” in Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction (The Overlook Press, 1999) By Derek Newman-Stille Nancy Johnston’s “The Rendez-Vous: The True Story of Jeanetta (Netty) Wilcox” is a wonderful feminist discourse on the tendency of men to overwrite the narrative and words of women. This is a story...

Fiction Book Reviews Comment: 1

September 1, 2014

Speculative SEXtember: September 2014

This September, Speculating Canada will be a Speculative SEXtember, focused on the theme of the exploration of sexualities in Canadian speculative fiction with a particular interest in representation of LGBTQ2, Queer, or QUILTBAG people. There will still reviews of books that do not highlight sexuality and sexual identities during the month, but a higher than average representation of sexual diversity....

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August 28, 2014

Quote – Walking Through Fear Makes You Stronger

“Walking through your fear makes you stronger. It makes you able to walk through other fears. It gives you courage. It gives you faith that there are bigger powers in the world than you fear. When you walk through fear, you… become a bigger power than the fear. It is its own medicine in the end.” -Richard Wagamese – Him...

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August 26, 2014

Quote – Measuring Value by Who Has Been Loved

“”These days, I can quantify my remaining decades. I can measure them out in life-events. I can gauge my value as a man by who I’ve loved, who has loved me, and by the ones I didn’t love nearly enough.” -Michael Rowe, “Ghosts” (Postscripts to Darkness, http://pstdarkness.com/2014/08/08/ghosts-by-michael-rowe/ )

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August 24, 2014

Northern Heroes With Grit

A review of the Heroes of the North webseries produced by Christian Veil (http://www.heroesofthenorth.com/index.php ) By Derek Newman-Stille There has been an increase in Canadian speculative fiction shows lately with programmes like Lost Girl, Sanctuary, and Orphan Black, and they have been fantastic… but I have found myself searching for a really good Canadian superhero show. Although only a webseries...

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August 22, 2014

Quote – Considering Ourselves Greater than Nature

“That they should envision themselves greater than nature, that they believe they can control eventualities with their industries both amazes and amuses you, the latter in a grim way. You survey the skyline of London, blotted with inky smoke from their factories, fumes that choke the air, and you wonder: are they insane? They cannot breathe. They die of illnesses...

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August 20, 2014

How to Download Audio Files of Speculating Canada on Trent Radio

Well the summer radio season is over, so Speculating Canada on Trent Radio will be on a brief break so now is a great time to catch up on any episodes that you missed. I have heard from a few of you that you would like to download episodes of the programme so that you can listen to them when...

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August 18, 2014

Speculating Canada on Trent Radio Episode 16: A Discussion About the Author Readings of Ian Rogers and Sandra Kasturi with Leif Einarson

In this episode of Speculating Canada on Trent Radio, Dr. Leif Einarson and I discuss the works of Ian Rogers and Sandra Kasturi. We play audio files of author readings by Ian Rogers and Sandra Kasturi and then follow up with a discussion of these works. Dr. Einarson researches medieval literature, Norse literature, and Canadian literature. Ian Rogers is the...

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August 16, 2014

Superheroic Questions

A review of Northguard Book One: Manifest Destiny by Mark Shainblum and Garbriel Morrissette (Caliber Press, 1989) Comic books are often treated as a lower form of culture and considered to be pure pleasure reading without intellectual interest, but comic books, like any other form of text, offer a vision of the world around us and the speculative nature of...

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