Please join me in celebrating my soon-to-be-released book by Palgrave titled Women’s Agency in the Dune Universe: Tracing Women’s Liberation through Science Fiction at a virtual book launch on Monday, December 20 at 1pm PST / 4pm EST / 6pm BRT / 9pm GMT / 10pm CET. I will be joined in conversation with co-host Dr. Russ Sloan from Doc Sloan’s Science Fiction Station. Register on the event page or click below! This book is the first major study of female characters in Frank Herbert’s original Dune series and takes a historical approach to exploring the representation of the women of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. More information will
Read moreDune (2021) Board Game Review
My review of the Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy released in 2021 has been posted at Dune News Net, which is a site all about Dune, including the movies, books, and other materials in the expanded universe.
Read moreDune Spice Cookies
Imagine you’ve somehow entered the science fiction universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune and you’re on the planet Arrakis… What does it smell like? What does the precious spice or ‘melange’ on which so many things depend taste like? Cinnamon. At least ten references to the odor or taste of cinnamon appear in the book. When Duke Leto and Paul are checking out the spice mining operations and open the door of their ornithopter, “Immediately, their nostrils were assailed by the odor of cinnamon—heavy and pungent.” When a sandworm pursues Jessica and Paul in the desert, “Cinnamon yelled in their nostrils.” Infused with melange, coffee
Read moreNewspaper Interview and Illustrations
My first newspaper interview on my research on Frank Herbert’s Dune series has hit the press, including a preview of some of my book’s illustrations: “What makes a world work? Exploring the groundbreaking universe of Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’“. Thanks to David Herkt and the Sunday Star Times for the opportunity to share some of my work with the public.
Read moreBene Gesserit and Dune Article on Tor.com
I’m pleased to have my piece on the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood in Frank Herbert’s Dune published on the science fiction and fantasy site Tor.com. The content is based on my forthcoming book on Bene Gesserit women in the Dune series, which takes an agency approach to analyzing these female characters.
Read moreGertrude Bell and Jessica of Dune: Influencers in the Halls of Power
The parallels between the life of Gertrude Bell, British archaeologist and writer, and the character Lady Jessica in Frank Herbert’s Dune make for an interesting study of how women can successfully carry themselves in unfamiliar territory and exert influence. Although T.E. Lawrence (1888 – 1935) is more well-known, in no small part due to the popular movie based on his time in the Middle East (Lawrence of Arabia (1962)), Gertrude Bell (1868 – 1926) was a significant Western figure in the Middle East in the 20th century and arguably more extraordinary in terms of her influence. Known as a queen or daughter of
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