CAT FITZPATRICK & CASEY PLETT (ED.) - "MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE: SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY FROM TRANSGENDER WRITERS" BOOK

LULU'S:

Originally released by the now legendary publishing imprint Topside Press, "Meanwhile, Elsewhere" became an instant classic before quickly falling out of print due to Topside's untimely end; it's reputation only growing as copies became more and more sparse and second-hand editions ballooned into triple figures. Edited by poet Cat Fitzpatrick (editor at Topside and author of the poetry collection Glamourpuss), and Casey Plett (author of A Safe Girl To Love, Little Fish, and A Dream Of A Woman), "Meanwhile, Elsewhere" was the first collection of it's kind to attempt an anthology of speculative fiction by trans writers.

Spec fic, maybe more than any style of fiction, is uniquely positioned to explore the ~potential~ of trans bodies, minds, and experiences. By no means an unworn path, queer writers have often looked to a potential future or alternate world to explore themes or ideas maybe too complex or full of baggage to project onto the current day. Ursula Le Guin's "Left Hand Of Darkness" is well known for it's at-the-time radical explorations of gender, and (in a Lulu's personal favourite) Samuel Delaney took the potentials of the "scare-quote" sex change "scare-quote" to it's logical, ridiculous, fascinating conclusion with his delightfully spicy "Trouble On Triton" in 1976.

As a modern evolution of (and perhaps response to) these explorations, the stories in "Meanwhile, Elsewhere" glisten with their originality, charm, and depth. The prospect of a multi-author anthology is often a daunting one, but Plett and Fitzpatrick have done an incredible job of curation, and as a reault the book feels like a cohesive whole, and has deservingly stood the test of time and remains a modern classic.

Featuring contributions from the likes of Imogen Binnie, Ryka Aoki, Morgan M Page, Sybil Lamb, Jeanne Thornton, and literally twenty other people, "Meanwhile, Elsewhere" is a tome. Lulu's is beyond stoked to be able to offer the book in Australia via LittlePuss Press, a new publishing house started by Plett and Fitzpatrick to (in part, though I'm sure they have lots of other exciting plans), republish the book and make it available once again. Big, huge, enthusiastic recco.

LITTLEPUSS PRESS:

In 2017, Meanwhile, Elsewhere, a large, strange, and devastatingly touching anthology of science fiction and fantasy from transgender authors was released onto the world. The collection received rave acclaim and won the ALA Stonewall Book Award Barbara Gittings Literature Award. When its original publisher went out of business, the book fell out of print, and LittlePuss Press is now pleased to bring this title back to life for a new audience of readers.

What is Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy From Transgender Writers? It is the #1 post-reality generation device approved for home use. It will prepare you to travel from multiverse to multiverse. No experience is required! Choose from twenty-five preset post-realities! Rejoice at obstacles unquestionably bested and conflicts efficiently resolved. Bring denouement to your drama with THE FOOLPROOF AUGMENTATION DEVICE FOR OUR CONTEMPORARY UTOPIA.