CFP: “Kick *ss” Moms: Mothering and Reproduction in SF

Deadline: Dec. 15 2011

Femspec is an interdisciplinary feminist journal dedicated to sf, fantasy, magical realism, surrealism, myth, folklore, and other supernatural genres. We have been in print since 1999 and boast of an advisory board that includes Suzie Charnas, Pamela Sargeant, and Samuel Delany. We are currently seeking submissions for a special issue or themed section dedicated to women who balance the worlds of adventurer and caregiver, with a focus on mothering and reproduction in sf. 

Most female characters in sf, fantasy, and other supernatural genres do not have children.  Those who do are often relegated to a peripheral role until the children are grown.  However, characters who balance raising a child and saving the world can be fascinating.  Why aren’t there more of them? We are interested in works that explore these issues, as well as writings about mothers and parents who have attempted to rearrange childrearing through creation of intentional community and work about the reconstruction of the breeding process socially in various genres.  We are also looking for works that address the intersection of mothering and adventuring – including the adventure of construction of a new society freeing women from reproduction according to traditional norms. 

We are hoping to find works which look beyond the stereotype of the mom who will protect her children to the death and investigate mothering at multiple levels including the creation of utopian and dystopian societies in which mothering is arranged differently.  We are also interested in papers about teaching any of these works that experiment with reproduction and treatment of reproduction and mothering in early sf.

We would welcome works from the following genres, which address these issues:

• Critical papers
• Fiction
•  Non-fiction
• Poetry
• Book Reviews
• Art Work

Please submit two copies of your piece to: 

Valerie Guyant
625 Hibbard Hall
English Department
U of Wisconsin Eau Claire
Eau Claire WI 54701


or guyantvl@uwec.edu

Since Femspec is double anonymously peer reviewed, submissions must exclude any indication of your name. Along with your submission, include a separate sheet with:

• The title and genre of your piece
• Your name
• Address
• Email Address
• Phone number
• A two sentence abstract 

If your work passes the first round, you will be asked for an electronic submission. All submissions should conform to current MLA guidelines, which can be found online at http://www.mla.org.

Any submission that does not arrive with sufficient copies will not be sent through the review process. Please note that only subscribers may submit to Femspec. To subscribe, please visit our website at http://www.femspec.org. Subscription must be in hand in order for the submission to be reviewed, and it must be maintained throughout the submission, review, and publication process.

If you have any questions, please visit our website or contact femspec@aol.com.

All copyrights will be maintained by Femspec.

The cover artist will receive two free copies of the issue.