About the Site

Beyond the requisite authorial “online presence” stuff, this site provides an informal (re: not exclusively academic) look at the areas I research.

I write (mostly) speculative fiction, and I’ve taught a number of classes at the University of California, Davis and University of Kansas that cover pop music and science fiction tropes. Topics covered here include:

• connections between science fiction and popular music
• thoughts on steampunk, retro-futurism, and other nostalgia-related speculative fiction
• info from my research on 19th-century American science fiction (Edisonades, technocratic dime novels, “steampunk prime,” or whatever we’re calling it)
• insights from my UC Davis students about nostalgia, steampunk, and fantasy literature
• occasional posts about my own music-related nostalgia

Thank you for visiting.