Tag Archives: Edisonades

Science Fiction Studies New Issue: Nostalgia & Reviews

Posted on March 8, 2021 by nathanielwms

The new issue of Science Fiction Studies came out this month. I’m calling attention to it for two reasons: First, it’s a special issue focused on nostalgia in SF, a topic near to my heart and mind. Guest editors Aris … Continue reading →

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Gears and God Reviewed in Extrapolation

Posted on August 2, 2020 by nathanielwms

My book on 19th-century American science fiction was reviewed in the journal Extrapolation. I’m linking to the review’s first page, although the rest of it is behind an academic paywall that will prevent most folks from reading the whole thing. … Continue reading →

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Cambridge History of Science Fiction is Out!

Posted on March 9, 2019 by nathanielwms

I received my contributor’s copy of The Cambridge History of Science Fiction this week. This book is a thorough, thoughtful collection of essays about key developments in the history of SF worldwide. Gerry Canavan and Eric Carl Link have done … Continue reading →

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C19 in Albuquerque: A Great Conference

Posted on April 6, 2018 by nathanielwms

I got back from the biennial C19 conference last week. It was an excellent four-day event, with presentations from many scholars who focus specifically on American literature of the 19th century. That said, transnational approaches were in abundance, including my … Continue reading →

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Upcoming Mark Twain Lecture

Posted on September 1, 2017 by nathanielwms

Here are final details on my upcoming presentation at Elmira College’s “Trouble Begins” Mark Twain Lecture Series: “Mark Twain and the Inventor Fiction Boom: Technology Meets American Conceit, 1876-1910” Wednesday, October 11 at The Barn at Quarry Farm Elmira, NY … Continue reading →

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Dime Novel Sci-Fi at “God and the American Writer” Symposium

Posted on February 1, 2015 by nathanielwms

At the end of February, I’ll be presenting a paper on the Frank Reade, Jr. dime-novel inventor series at a special symposium on “God and the American Writer” sponsored by the American Literature Association. What do those early science-fiction stories–best … Continue reading →

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Jack Wright in D.C., Twain and Faulkner at ALA

Posted on May 22, 2014 by nathanielwms

I spent most of Wednesday reading two Jack Wright dime novels at the Library of Congress.  Both are great examples of proto-science fiction that imagines inventors making a difference in real-world affairs. In “Running the Blockade; or, Jack Wright Helping the Cuban … Continue reading →

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Steampunk Dogs – ConQuesT and ASLE

Posted on May 24, 2013 by nathanielwms

Dogs in Old-Time Science Fiction.  That’s what my next two weeks will be about. On Sunday the 26th, I’m giving a fiction reading at ConQuesT (the Kansas City Science Fiction Convention) that will include my “steampunk dog” tale.  It’s a … Continue reading →

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A Kansas City Labrick in California, Part 2 (Sci-Fi edition)

Posted on January 18, 2013 by nathanielwms

Two days after teaching Tom Sawyer (see Part 1), I find myself writing a grant proposal to visit libraries with Twain collections.  So, I’m thinking about him in the scope of my research, not just as a fan or a … Continue reading →

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You Sell Wonderment?

Posted on December 25, 2012 by nathanielwms

I write (mostly) speculative fiction, and I’ve taught science fiction classes at University of California, Davis, including a “Nostalgia and Desiderium” novels class covering pop music and science fiction tropes.  I will intermittently post material that encompasses those endeavors. Posts usually cover one or more … Continue reading →

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