Despite stated intentions to focus on women and expand their roles, the new Dune film adaptations disappointingly fall back on stereotypes for the Bene Gesserit and undermine the political, religious, and maternal agency of Jessica in particular. Cast and Crew Intentions Director Denis Villeneuve has discussed in numerous interviews that he wanted to focus on the women in his adaptation. Before Dune: Part One, he said: “For me, it was important to bring more femininity to the story. I am fascinated by the relationship of femininity and power, the place of women in society…. [Lady Jessica]’s a fascinating character, one
Read morePodcast Interview on the Bene Gesserit
In this interview with Haitch and Jason from the Dune Pod podcast, we discuss my book on the women of Dune and other Dune topics. They were great hosts to chat with about science fiction! Check out the episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Read moreBook Release
My book on women in Frank Herbert’s Dune series has been published! Women’s Agency in the Dune Universe: Tracing Women’s Liberation through Science Fiction is the first major study of the female characters of the Bene Gesserit. Check out the press release and the virtual book launch (recording). Please visit the Publications page to find links to purchase (and the latest coupon codes) that support me as the author.
Read moreVirtual Book Launch
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 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 morePodcast Interview on the Bene Gesserit of Dune
I’ve been researching and writing about the women of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood of Frank Herbert’s Dune for a while, but haven’t had the opportunity to discuss it verbally much outside of conferences. So I was appreciative of Dune Talk – A Dune News Net Show for the chance to be interviewed on their podcast and talk about my favorite topic and aspects of analysis from my forthcoming book on Dune, based on my PhD research. We also talked about the new Dune film and our thoughts on how it will handle the characterization of key women in its adaptation. I hope people
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