A Paris Writers News Interview by Dimitri Keramitas
I first discovered Rachael Acks when researching female science fiction writers, I came across her astonishing blog post. In it Acks, a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, denounced the way certain male science fiction editors treated women both visually and verbally. I asked PWW contributor Dimitri Keramitas, film critic at BonjourParis and fiction writer, to speak to Ms. Acks to find out what is going on in sci-fi .Is there a war between the men and the women? Where is sci-fi going? And what was it about those male editors' words or actions that made Rachael Acks so very, very angry? - Laurel Zuckerman
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Rachael Acks writes science fiction and fantasy. Her most recent book is The Curious Case of Miss Clementine Nimowitz and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog. A member of the Northern Colorado Writer’s Workshop and an associate member of the SFWA, Acks has a masters from the University of Colorado at Boulder, focusing on climate change as recorded in the fossilized soils of the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming, USA.
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Dimitri Keramitas: Why did those editors upset you so much?
Rachael Acks: Initially, I wasn't upset as such. This started with the SFWA Bulletin issue with the infamous barbarian woman cover. My reaction to that was a protracted, annoyed sigh. This is not the first time I've witnessed women being reduced to their looks, and it is nowhere near to being the last. I joined in with the complaints on the SFWA forum, and posted about it on my blog, as did a lot of other people. (None of which was done anonymously.) I became angry with the issue #202 Malzberg/Resnick (NB the two editors in question) dialogue, where they used their space to whine about "anonymous" attackers and belittle every point many of us went out of our way to patiently make. Well that, and the "liberal fascists" remark.
Making yourself out to be the victimized party because people had the gall to object so something you’ve said from a position of relative power is also definitely out. Complaining, from a platform that we are literally funding, that the mean people are trying to censor you should be beyond the pale.
I've admittedly never had a lot of patience for people who refuse to engage in honest discussion, and lately I've had even less when I see the experience and feelings of a large subset of the population being airily dismissed by those who are used to theirs being the only voices that matter.
Does sci-fi have intrinsic attitudes about gender which you must constantly fight against or otherwise deal with?
I don't think there is necessarily an intrinsic attitude to the genre. Sci-fi is always an exercise in what if. But there's also the truism that sci-fi isn't really written about the future--it's written about today. So ultimately what we're dealing with are the attitudes of the present day in which the story was written. And stories can come from within those attitudes, reinforce them, explore them, or challenge them.
So the answer is really not that we're fighting attitudes intrinsic to sci-fi--we're fighting attitudes intrinsic to the modern culture as a whole.
Even ADWEEK is asking when the fantasy genre will "grow up and ditch the chainmail bikinis"
What is the situation of women in sci-fi—as writers and readers?
Here's an example: the number of woman selling scripts is cratering. Yes, it's the film industry and not traditional publishing, but I think it indicates that there's a serious issue for women who write. One of the most popular sci-fi shows out there, Doctor Who, currently has no women on the writing staff. That's a symptom of a more pernicious problem. In the publishing industry, women are underrepresented as both writers and critics. And in scifi and fantasy particularly, there's a regular (though improving) imbalance in award short lists and top author/book pick lists.
Our contributions to spec fic in general are mocked by a certain wanky, misogynistic sector, with arguments that boil down to "girls can't write sci-fi" because girl brains can't handle science. Frankly, I think that kind of overt nastiness is less worrying than the more subtle problems. There's still a question as to whether women authors are given a fair shake by potential readers. And it's not because we can't write. All you need to do to lay that to rest is look at the historic record of women who have done just fine for themselves by hiding behind masculine or gender-neutral names.
As a reader, I feel less grim about the subject because I have the power to go looking for a more diverse array of voices. There are a lot of creative people out there doing amazing writing, and you can find them. The fact that there are markets (e.g.: Crossed Genres, Waylines) trying for diversity is an enormous improvement over how things were when I first became a reader. It's becoming easier to find books written by and with protagonists who are women, who are LGBTQ, who are people of color. It's not anywhere near perfect, but it's definitely improving.
If we're talking more broadly about sci-fi as the sweep of books, comics, movies, etc. I think the gap is wider. Try finding any kind of spec fic sourced movie with a woman in the lead. It's not easy, and most are small independent films. Anywhere there's a visual representation of a female character, be it in comics, on the screen or on the cover of a book, there's the never-ending presence of the male gaze beauty standard--the very thing that made me sigh with annoyance over the issue No. 200 cover.
Sometimes it feels like two steps forward, one step back. But as a consumer of speculative fiction in all media, I'm heartened that we're starting to discuss these things.
Do you have a particular perspective as a female sci-fi writer?
Every writer has his or her own perspective and life experience, and that tends to be the lens through which we write. I would caution against treating me as an everywoman; my experience does not speak for anyone but myself. (Which is why, incidentally, "I have a female friend and she is not bothered by X," is nothing but a cheap, ass-covering excuse.) It's more accurate to say I have a particular perspective as a white, masculine-presenting, bisexual woman. Which would be why hyper-feminized book covers have bothered me from day one, while the issue of racial diversity in protagonists didn't even register until the disparity was pointed out. It's incredibly easy to not notice a monotony of viewpoint when everyone looks like you.
Where do you think sci-fi in general is moving?
I'm desperately hoping we're finally moving out of everything being a dystopia, because man that gets depressing after a while. I don't have my finger on the pulse of the genre, but I'm starting to hear more about genre mash-up work, which I can get behind because it's generally fun. I think more attention is being brought to underrepresented voices and stories, and I feel like writers are consciously making their worlds more diverse places.
What is the particular attraction of steampunk?
I like steampunk because it's a hopeful genre. It feels like this has been the decade of the dystopia and the post-apocalyptic story. I've enjoyed having an opportunity to write something that celebrates the idea of human ingenuity as opposed to making our overdeveloped brains the thing that condemns our planet to fiery perdition. It's also a flexible setting, since you can go full gonzo and have adventures, or you can write heartfelt or thinky pieces and they all work within that context.
What got you interested in sci-fi and steampunk?
I've always been interested in scifi and fantasy. I'm a second generation nerd; one of the books my mother read to my brother and me was The Hobbit. So it's always been something I've loved. I've been writing stories as long as I've known how to write, and they've all been speculative fiction.
Steampunk is a more interesting question. I'd long had the impression that it was a place for amazing cosplay, and since I have the crafting abilities of the average brick it didn't really hold my attention. Then I started running into manifestations of the aesthetic – the new Sherlock Holmes movies, Girl Genius, Boneshaker, and so on. That was what caught my attention, because the underlying attitude was so different from everything else I was reading and watching at the time. And since then, I've tried to get deeper into the punk portion of Steampunk. It's a subgenre with much more depth than it's often credited.
How open are you to other genres?
I'm willing to try anything once. I don't have deeply ingrained prejudices, and I've enjoyed books in a lot of different genres. That said, I've never been into romance or erotica, though I'm always willing to have my mind changed if there are good books people would like to recommend. I do not do horror, because I'm a giant, pathetic wimp. (My best friend writes horror, so I spend a lot of time sobbing, "Why would you do this to me I thought we were friends" whenever I critique her stories.)
Is American fiction become too fragmented/tribalized in terms of genre or are the genres intermingling?
I don't know if it's necessarily more fragmented, or if more subgenres are being recognized and advertised. Our classification schemes have changed, and I'm sure the internet is to blame for the bulk of that. I think the more detailed genre classification has had the effect of helping writers make a more conscious effort to bridge genres and thus tap into multiple potential audiences. (For example, the Steampunk I write also gets put in the mystery and LGBT bins.)
Do you make a big distinction between popular fiction and more experimental, lit-mag fiction? (I’m thinking of your short, Comes a Huntsman, which I liked very much.)
Not really. I try to write fiction that I feel challenges me as a writer. A lot of it never sees the light of day because it fails. Comes the Huntsman was a special story to me. I wrote the rough draft of it in two hours, and was literally sobbing over my keyboard the entire time. I don't think I can write stories like that too often, because it's draining and intensely difficult. At the end of the day I sit down and empty out whatever creative bucket I have that's full, and it takes longer for that intense stuff to recharge. I think both styles are valuable and offer different experiences to readers and writers.
You’re not only a sci-fi writer but a science professional/academic. What is the situation now for women (at least in the US) in the sciences and technology? Is there a difference between hard science and tech in that regard?
I didn't let the door of academia hit me on the way out of University. I'm in the private sector now. And it's kind of a complicated question. In some sciences (biology) women are doing really well in the workforce. My area, geoscience, is still lacking.
My personal experience is in line with that. There are way, way more men as working scientists in my industry than there are women. On the other hand, the number of women is going up. More are graduating, and more are getting hired in the private sector. My impression from the companies I've worked for (three different ones) is that what they're looking for are people with the chops to do the job, and they're not concerned what gender comes with that. I acknowledge that I may have gotten very lucky in regards to the companies I've worked for and the co-workers I've had. I worked in tech before I went back to school and got my degree, and I noticed a dearth of women, particularly in the older crowd. Whenever new hires are brought in, it seems inevitable that there will be more women. That things are so different now from twenty years ago when our senior co-workers were hired is very encouraging.
What are your current projects?
I've got two Steampunk novellas that I'm contracted for with Musa, and those are my top priority. I've got three novels in various stages of completion, and short stories. I'm always writing something new so I don't go crazy. I'm also involved with a documentary focused on British Film (The Reel Britain http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-reel-britain) and I'm incredibly excited about that. In the shorter term, I'm training to ride a full century (100 miles) on July 21st, and using that as an opportunity fundraise for UNICEF UK (http://www.justgiving.com/Team-Loki).
Are you happy with your current balance of writing and other work?
I feel like I could use more writing time no matter what. I only recently emerged from the salt mines of graduate school and started working in the private sector. I'm not sure where I got the misguided impression that I'd have more spare time once I'd graduated, but I've now realized that was a happy lie I told myself.
To what degree is being a writer a solitary thing for you, and to what degree is it social?
It's solitary to the extent that when the rubber meets the road, only you can write your story. No one else can write it for you. I've never done well at group writing sessions--I find the presence of other people distracting. Outside of the actual putting words on the page, I've found writing to be intensely social. Despite having moved to Texas, I'm still part of the Northern Colorado Writers Workshop and regularly go back to visit and critique. When I'm trying to hash out a plot line, I have a tendency to sit down and talk it out with someone (normally my husband, but not necessarily) so I can get it straightened out in my head. And at conventions, I end up hanging out with other writers and just talking. They're a fascinating, clever bunch.
Who are your favourite writers, sci-fi and otherwise?
That could end up being a really long list. My first real genre love was William Gibson, and I still drop everything and pick up his new books whenever they come out. I love the way he uses words. Lately I've been tracking down and reading everything I can find of Lois McMaster Bujold's. I wish I'd heard about her earlier. Other people that I follow so I can pounce on their books the moment they're out: Nnedi Okorafor, John Scalzi, NK Jemisin, Ian Tregillis, Naomi Novik, Haruki Murakami, Anne Bishop, and Tamora Pierce.
You seem to have explored the current diversity of media for writers—social media, on-line publication, etc. How do you see this in terms of your writing career?
I was doing the social media stuff before I started writing seriously. I think the only thing the writing career has done is forced me to make a Facebook author page. The social media is first and foremost what it has always been: a fun way to communicate with other people. I have strong objections to viewing it solely or primarily as a marketing tool. (And in fact, when I run across people who do view it that way, I don't follow them because they're incredibly annoying.) This is something I put a lot of fun time into, and turning it into another business practice would kill a big part of my social life. I'm not interested in doing that, and I've yet to see compelling evidence that it would be worth the personal cost.
What is the relationship between sci-fi in fiction and sci-fi movies? Are you influenced by the movies?
I think the way in which they tell stories is significantly different, because the media have different strengths. There are stories that are better suited to movies than to books, and vice versa. That said, I don't think they're two completely different beasts. They both want to do the same thing at their most fundamental level: Communicate. Tell a story.
There's cross-pollination between them, more often it seems like the movies taking ideas from fiction. (And lagging behind literature’s current edge.) I don't think it's a one way street, however. Even if writers aren't borrowing plot ideas from movies, the movies may drive some of the aesthetic choices we make. Movies take what we describe and (normally) make it a bazillion times cooler than we had imagined it. Images are powerful, and they stick with you.
Or maybe that's just me, since many of my stories start with an image that I write the story around.
I unashamedly have cinematic influence running through what I write, even if it's subtle. Heck, I write a lot of my stories with movie soundtracks as background music! I think it's a healthy thing to look to other art forms for inspiration and to incorporate what you find into your own understanding of your work. Though we are all influenced by the media, this makes the dearth of female leads in science fiction movies worrying on a whole new level.
What are the challenges for writers at the current moment? Is it a good time to be a writer?
The biggest challenge for any writer is that it really sucks to try to make a living in the arts right now. Arts funding has taken huge hits in recent years, and even if you go full commercial it feels like you're fighting for an increasingly small slice of the pie. So you end up working full time doing something else, and it's difficult to feel productive as a writer. On the other hand, there are a lot of exciting opportunities between the new small presses and ebooks, though I'm still not buying the gospel that self-publishing is going to save us all. (Let the bloodletting begin!)
What advice would you give to the budding writer?
Four words: Shut up and write.
Are you at all impacted by ideas or ways of thinking from outside the US?
I would like to think that I am, but from my perspective firmly inside the US it's hard to tell. When I was doing my undergraduate degree I ended up with a dual major-- Geology and Japanese Language/Culture. (Guess which of those I regularly use.) I'd like to think that the second major did help me step outside of the American box and look at things from a different perspective. Also, I grew up watching far more British television (on PBS) than American shows, and that's done something decidedly un-American to my sense of humor.
Have you ever lived outside the US, if not would you consider it?
I've never lived outside the US, but I would really love to. The longest I've stayed out of country has been a month (once in England, and close to a month in Japan). Being in another country, even just long enough to shake off the "vacation" feeling and find a daily routine, is a powerful reminder of human diversity, but also of the myriad of small, everyday things that tie us together. I generally get my news from either the BBC or the English edition of the Japan Times because I think it's important to have a daily reminder that there is plenty of life outside of America, and we're not the center of the world.
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Rachel Acks is the author of The Curious Case of Miss Clementine Nimowitz and Her Exceedingly Tiny Dog, Murder on the Titania, and The Ugly Tin Orrery from Musa Publishing and other stories. She writes scifi and fantasy and is a member of the Northern Colorado Writer’s Workshop and an associate member of the SFWA. She wrote her Masters thesis at the University of Colorado at Boulder, focusing on climate change as recorded in the fossilized soils of the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming, USA. See also: Books available from Musa, The Reel Britain: Fundraising site for my Century for UNICEF UK:
Dimitri Keramitas. operator of a training company and translation agency, film reviewer, and lecturer in law, Dimitri Keramitas also writes film criticism which has been published in literary reviews in the US, UK, and France. His film reviews appear regularly in BonjourParis and he is a contributing editor for Movies in American History. He is currently working on his a novel about a Native-American gambling casino.
