Critical Essays and Books on Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy

Valerie Frankel Announcement
Subject Fields
Humanities, Jewish History / Studies, Literature, Popular Culture Studies

Hello, everyone. I'm editing a series with Rowman & Littlefield/Lexington on a line of academic books critically analyzing elements of Jewish science fiction and fantasy (that's the series title). https://rowman.com/action/series/les/lexjsf As such, I’d love some authors with concepts to write about.

At this stage, a paragraph-long proposal emailed to valerie@calithwain.com with a subject of JEWISH SPEC-FIC would be great. Here are some examples:

 

The Secret Jewish Roots of Star Wars (or some other top franchise)

Batwoman to Felicity: Jewish Characters in the Arrowverse

Rewriting the Narrative: Jewish Fairytale Novels

Jewish Alt-History

Kabbalah in Pop Culture

Israeli Dystopian Cinema

Jewish-Flavored Filk

Halacha in Space

Pop Culture Haggadahs

Revising the Big Franchises through Jewish Fanfic

The Works of _______.

I’m looking for topics that haven’t been done to death, so Jews and Comics seems a little too obvious, but most other topics are open. Along with all the subgenres, writing about any mediums (novels, short stories cartoons, webcomics, fanfic, films) and works from any countries/cultures are acceptable. As the examples show, you might go big or small, including a single franchise, author, issue, or genre. Treatment of Jews in science fiction (including by non-Jewish authors) would be acceptable as would something on fandom, current or historical. Interdisciplinary/film criticism/literary criticism/fan studies/minority studies are all welcome. Anthologies are also possible.

I’m also seeking essays for several anthologies that will go in the series. 

 

ANTHOLOGY: BALANCING JEWISH PRACTICE AND FANDOM

What does Jewish fanfic look like? Or Orthodox cosplay? Is it tough attending Saturday conventions?  Talk about the Judaism and Harry Potter classes, summer camps, themed Bar Mitzvahs, crafting, ren fair characters, or anything else you’ve got. (Certainly these can be personal stories, though it’s a scholarly anthology and more distant studies of these are fine too). Essays may be in first or third person for this one.  

 

ANTHOLOGY: JEWISH FANTASY WORLDWIDE

(I need to work on the title, but basically, can we get away from the top ten American Ashkenazim and analyze some other stories). Update: I’ve gotten lovely proposals but still would appreciate analysis of works from Eastern Europe (like Stanislaw Lem and the Strugatsky brothers), Western Europe, and South America. I could also use more from Israel. Sephardic American series like the Mangoverse and The Blue Thread would also be welcome.

 

Contact Information

Deadline of July 31, 2021 for anthology essay proposals (a paragraph on your topic is fine, additional materials welcome but not required) emailed to valerie@calithwain.com with a subject of JEWISH SPEC-FIC. Book proposals are ongoing and welcome anytime.

Questions at valerie@calithwain.com are also welcome.

Contact Email
valerie.frankel@wvm.edu