Today is a free-for-all newswise. ^_^

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Other News

Contributors wanted for Encyclopedia of World Comics. A new excyclopedia covering manga, Bande dessinée, and comics everywhere outside the USA is looking for contributors. The deadline is March 1st, so head on over to the site and take a look at the guidelines.

Last year Lightspeed magazine published a very popular issue called “Women Destroy Science Fiction!” highlighting contributions from a diverse pool of female sci-fi editors and writers. Clearly, it was meant to make a point – and the point has been made and really absorbed by the sci-fi community of authors. (Fans who aren’t happy will just have to drag behind.) This year, Lightspeed is taking on LGBTQ sci-fi with Queers Destroy Science Fiction. Their Kickstarter has 9 days to go and has exceeded it’s original goal by oh, about $30K.

This sea change is really quite important. For every one rant about how not-white, not-males are “ruining” whatever, rest assured that there are plenty of voices saying “Actually, it’d be kind of cool to have more options.” Gaming is the loudest/most visible, but science fiction has been going through similar cramps. The Science Fiction Writers of America have just amended their membership rules to allow self-published authors. This is not an insignificant change. As with so many things, men are likelier to get writing contracts than women in sci-fi. It’s unconscious bias that plagues us all in many ways. And so, the previous rule of no self-published authors (which had merit for other reasons) was noted as unfairly anti-women writers. SFWA had a fair amount of discussion – some argument, hissy fits on both sides, drama, the usual – and  in the end, has amended the policy.

The lesson here? If you don’t see the kind of diversity you want in the media you consume, keep asking for it, keep creating it. Change happens when people make it happen.

While I’m on Kickstarters, you should totally take a look at this comic by queer WoC creator  Maïmouna Younglai-Case, Flavours of Life, about 4 people and their journeys of self-discovery. Maïmouna is a Yuri fan and very pleasant. Check it out!

Tying in nicely to today’s sci-fi theme, from YNN Senior Correspondent Erin S. is this webcomic,  30 Minutes to Live by Joyana McDiarmid.

On a completely different topic,  Theodore Jefferson, a former marketing consultant with DiC, has written the The Incredible Untold Story of Sailor Moon.  “Fans will learn how Sailor Moon set a new market for comics, games and animation in motion in the early 1990s, how the show helped bring girls and women into what was once a male-only world, and how companies from Marvel to Disney to Blizzard built multi-billion dollar empires that might never have been possible without the show’s influence.” It’s ebook only and kind of high-priced, but sounds super-interesting for those of us whose lives were influenced by Sailor Moon on Cartoon Network. Jefferson wrote a fascinating article on The Mary Sue, Did You Know Spider-Man And Sailor Moon Have A Shared Enemy? with excerpted info from the book, which gives you some idea of industry thought. (His thoughts about Sailor Moon Crystal, are particularly interesting. In essence, Viz is acting as a localizer for Bandai and nothing more.)

American Libraries Magazine offers this interesting video from the ALA mid-winter meeting: Four comic authors share their early influences and the comic books every library should own. Do not let *anyone* tell you librarians hate comics. The ALA has been a hugely positive influence in getting comics and manga into libraries and classrooms.

Also from the Mary Sue, Marvel Announces New All-Female Avengers Team – and with a creative team that is competent, rather than sincere, this look like it isn’t going to suck.

NYC-area folks on Twitter – go follow WomeninComicsNY. Events, exhibitions, discussions and other stuff that sounds too cool to miss.

Last up, you should check out this comic drawn and narrated by Alison Bechdel about her and her mother’s reaction to Fun Home, the Musical. It includes musical bits from the play. .

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Know some cool Yuri News you want people to know about? Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

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