Fiona Kelleghan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fiona Kelleghan

Born April 21, 1965
West Palm Beach, Florida
Residence Miami, Florida
Nationality American
Alma mater Florida State University
Occupation Science-fiction scholar, librarian

Fiona Kelleghan (born West Palm Beach, Florida, 21 April 1965)[1] is an American academic and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy; she is also the metadata librarian at the University of Miami's Otto G. Richter Library.

Writing in The Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Michael Dirda called her "an expert on humor in genre fiction,"[2] and she is listed on the University of Miami's website as its official expert on "Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror."[3] She is also interested in film both inside and outside the science-fiction genre, and is an amateur ethologist[4].

She has identified a secular, satiric literary movement within the science-fiction genre that she calls "Savage Humanism." Her critical anthology The Savage Humanists (Robert J. Sawyer Books, 2008) begins with a 17,000-word essay by her describing the movement and its practitioners, and collects stories by Gregory Frost, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, Jonathan Lethem, James Morrow, Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert J. Sawyer, Tim Sullivan, and Connie Willis, with introductions to each by Kelleghan[5].

Her other books include Mike Resnick: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to His Work (Farthest Star, 2000), and, as editor, 100 Masters of Mystery and Detective Fiction (Salem Press, 2001, 2 volumes) and Magill's Choice: Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature (Salem Press, 2002)[6].

Her scholarly work has appeared in Extrapolation, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, The New York Review of Science Fiction, Nova Express, ParaDoxa: Studies in World Literary Genres, Science Fiction Studies, and SFRA Review (a publication of the Science Fiction Research Association, of which she is a member)[7].

She has contributed to the reference books American Women Writers[8]; Contemporary Novelists [7th Edition] (for which she is the authority on Ray Bradbury, Jonathan Lethem, and Connie Willis, among others)[8]; Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature; Fantasy and Horror: A Critical and Historical Guide to Literature, Illustration, Film, TV, Radio, and the Internet, edited by Neil Barron[9]; St. James Guide to Crime & Mystery Writers; St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers; Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror; and Twentieth-Century Literary Movements Dictionary[7][8]; and, with Daryl F. Mallett, to Genre and Ethnic Collections: Collected Essays, and she and Mallett were largely responsible for the completion of Pilgrims & Pioneers: The History and Speeches of the Science Fiction Research Association Award Winners (Borgo Press, 1999). Her book reviews have appeared in The Washington Post and as official commissioned reviews for BarnesandNoble.com, and she has contributed numerous plot summaries and mini-biographies to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).[10]

Kelleghan is a book-review editor for the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts[11] (since 1999) and an editorial consultant to Science Fiction Studies (since 1994). She was on the advisory board for and a contributor to The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders (edited by Gary Westfahl, Greenwood Press, 2005)[12], and has been a judge for the William L. Crawford Fantasy Award, given by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts to emerging writers.

In March 2008, she presented a paper entitled "The Intimately Human and the Grandly Cosmic: Humor and the Sublime in the Works of Robert J. Sawyer"[13] at the 29th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts[14]. Her works in progress include Alfred Bester, Grand Master: An Annotated Bibliography [15] and further research on Savage Humanism.

Kelleghan is an Associate Professor[3] at the University of Miami. She has been on the faculty there since 1989, and tenured since 1995[1]. She holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Florida State University (1988) and an M.A. in English from the University of Miami (1996)[1].

She is a graduate of the Clarion West science-fiction writing workshop (1995). Her short story "The Secret in the Chest: With Tests, Maps, Mysteries, & Intermittent Discussion Questions," which plays with the conventions of damsel-in-distress fairy tales [16], appeared in Realms of Fantasy (October 1998)[17], and earned an Honorable Mention from editor Gardner Dozois in The Year's Best Science Fiction: 16th Annual Collection (1999).

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Fiona Kelleghan (2000). Fiona Kelleghan Biography. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
  2. ^ Michael Dirda (7 April 2002). Serious Fun: Touching Down at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  3. ^ a b University of Miami (2007). Reporter's Sourcebook. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  4. ^ Miami New Times (2005). Selected Events for the Week of May 26, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  5. ^ Robert J. Sawyer (2008). Blog entry on The Savage Humanists. Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
  6. ^ Amazon.com (2007). Fiona Kelleghan Books. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
  7. ^ a b Fiona Kelleghan (2000). Fiona Kelleghan Science Fiction Activities. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
  8. ^ a b c University of Miami (2004). UM Faculty Publications 1998-2002. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
  9. ^ Neil Barron (1999). Fantasy and Horror: A Critical Guide Table of Contents. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  10. ^ IMDb Pro (2007). Contributor Zone: Top Contributors. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  11. ^ International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (2006). Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts masthead. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  12. ^ Gary Westfahl (2007). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Contributors and Their Entries. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  13. ^ Fiona Kelleghan (2008). The Intimately Human and the Grandly Cosmic: Humor and the Sublime in the Works of Robert J. Sawyer (MP3). Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
  14. ^ International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (2008). ICFA 29 Conference Schedule. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
  15. ^ Fiona Kelleghan (2000). Fiona Kelleghan Works in Progress. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
  16. ^ Douglas Cohen (2008). Review of Realms of Fantasy: October 1998 (Issue 25). Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
  17. ^ Charles N. Brown and William G. Contento (2004). The Locus Index to Science Fiction (1984-1998). Retrieved on 2007-08-12.

[edit] External links