Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #SirensAtHome

2021: Sirens will challenge what it means to be a villain—and especially of what it means for people of marginalized genders and other identities to so easily be cast as villainous. Here are 10 wicked works (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. A FEAST OF SORROWS by Angela Slatter: “My father did not know that my mother knew about his other wives, but she did. It didn’t seem to bother her, perhaps because, of them all, she had the greater independence and a measure of prosperity that was all her own.” #SirensAtHome

2. AMERICAN HIPPO by Sarah Gailey: “Winslow Remington Houndstooth was not a hero. There was nothing within him that cried out for justice or fame. He did not wear a white hat—he preferred his grey one, which didn’t show the bloodstains.” #SirensAtHome

2019: Sirens considered heroes in all their forms, and explicitly rejected the hypermasculine notions of heroism—and discussed a pantheon of more revolutionary heroes. Here are 10 magnificent heroes works (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. A PALE LIGHT IN THE BLACK by K.B. Wagers: “Commander Rosa Martín Rivas pasted another smile onto her face as she wove through the crowds and headed for her ship at the far end of the hangar. She and the rest of the members of Zuma’s Ghost...” #SirensAtHome

2. A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow: “It feels redundant to be at the pool on a rainy Saturday, even though it’s spring, and even though it’s Portland, but maybe I’m just more of a California snob than I want to be.” #SirensAtHome

2017: Sirens deconstructed magic and those of marginalized genders who want it or wield it—and how magic is so often an analog for power. Here are 10 magical books of witches, sorcerers, enchanters and more (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab: “Kell wore a very peculiar coat. It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, but several, which was, of course, impossible.” #SirensAtHome

2. LABYRINTH LOST by Zoraida Córdova: “The second time I saw my dead aunt Rosaria, she was dancing. Earlier that day, my mom had warned me, pressing a long, red fingernail on the tip of my nose, ‘Alejandra, don’t go downstairs when the Circle arrives.’” #SirensAtHome

2016: Sirens examined lovers and representations of romantic and erotic ideas in speculative spaces, including the notion of taking those things—or not—on your terms. Here are 10 beautiful stories of love (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. ANCIENT, ANCIENT by Kiini Ibura Salaam: “Sené. Pregnant Sené. Sené of the tired skin. Sené whose face held a million wrinkles, each one etched deeply as if carved over the course of forty years. Sené whose blood was only twenty-four years young.” #SirensAtHome

2. EMPIRE OF SAND by Tasha Shuri: “Mehr woke up to a soft voice calling her name. Without thought, she reached a hand beneath her pillow and closed her fingers carefully around the hilt of her dagger. She could feel the smoothness of the large opal...” #SirensAtHome

2015: Sirens analyzed stories of rebels and revolutionaries—and cast a wide net, seeking both traditional fantasy uprisings and more revolutionary rebellions as well. Here are 10 world-shattering tales (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. ALIF THE UNSEEN by G. Willow Wilson: “The thing always appeared in the hour between sunset and full dark. When the light began to wane in the afternoon, casting shadows of gray and violet across the stable yard below the tower where he worked...” #SirensAtHome

2. AN ACCIDENT OF STARS by Foz Meadows: “Sarcasm is armour, Saffron thought, and imagined she was donning a suit of it, plate by gleaming, snark-laden plate...’” #SirensAtHome

2014: Sirens interrogated the history of hauntings books and what it means to be haunted—and the vital impact that hauntings stories have had on gender studies. Here are 10 ghostly tales (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. A DASH OF TROUBLE by Anna Meriano: “Leo sprinted to the hallway bathroom, slammed the door, and locked herself in, just in time. An angry knock followed, ‘Hey, hurry up in there!’ Leo let out a cackle to match her Halloween witch costume.” #SirensAtHome

2. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake: “The grease-slicked hair is a dead giveaway—no pun intended. So is the loose and faded leather coat, though not as much that as the sideburns. And the way he keeps nodding and flicking his Zippo open and closed...” #SirensAtHome

TALES RETOLD

2012: Sirens interrogated retellings of myths, legends, and fairy tales from around the world, including what they have to say about our own real world. Here are 10 complex retold tales (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. ASH by Malinda Lo: “Aisling’s mother died at midsummer. She had fallen sick so suddenly that some of the villagers wondered if the fairies had come and taken her, for she was still young and beautiful. She was buried three days later beneath the hawthorn tree...” #SirensAtHome

2. CIRCE by Madeline Miller: “When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and thousand cousins. Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest...” #SirensAtHome

2011: Sirens deconstructed monsters and the monstrous feminine—and how frequently society deems both femininity and a refusal to conform to feminine “ideals” monstrous. Here are 10 magnificent monster books (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. LIAR by Justine Larbalestier: “I was born with a light covering of fur. After three days it had all fallen off, but the damage was done. My mother stopped trusting my father because it was a family condition he had not told her about. One of many omissions...” #SirensAtHome

2. MONSTRESS: AWAKENING by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda: “It took three years to find a name. Another two years to find the person. And now I’m here.” #SirensAtHome

2010: Sirens analyzed faeries in both traditional and new texts, as well as the myriad roles that faery literature permits people of marginalized genders. Here are 10 thorny faery books (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. A FACE LIKE GLASS by Frances Hardinge: “One dark season, Grandible became certain that there was something living in his domain within the cheese tunnels. To judge by the scuffles, it was larger than a rat and smaller than a horse.” #SirensAtHome

2. ALL OF US WITH WINGS by Michelle Ruiz Keil: “Pallas sat sidesaddle on the kitchen counter, velvet ankle boots resting daintily in the deep porcelain sink. Pressing her nose against the dark kitchen window, she glared at the hulking cyclops creeping steadily...” #SirensAtHome

2009: Sirens delved deep on what it means to be to a warrior, especially as that construct intersects with gender and gender expression. Here are 10 amazing warrior books (with more books/info here: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…): 1/

#SirensAtHome

1. A BLADE SO BLACK by L.L. McKinney: “Alice couldn’t cry. She couldn’t scream. All she could do was run.” #SirensAtHome

2. CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi: “Pick me. It’s all I can do not to scream. I dig my nails into the marula oak of my staff and squeeze to keep from fidgeting. Beads of sweat drop down my back, but I can’t tell if it’s from dawn’s early heat or…” #SirensAtHome

@faye_bi

And now it's time for Here Be Dragons: Gender and Speculative Spaces!

@faye_bi introduces our guests -- @LyssaDee, @AAhairto, @reniwamoto, @ausmazehanat, @nilaffle, and @writersyndrome -- and asks "What does feminism mean to you?"

#SirensAtHome

Collins and Hairston begin with a discussion of Black feminism and its importance. Hairston: being Black is inherently speculative.

#SirensAtHome

Iwamoto: Gender should be something we build, not something deconstructed. Tools to a more equal landscape.

#SirensAtHome

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@amytenbrink

It's time for #SirensAtHome!

@amytenbrink welcomes us all and tells us that over FIVE HUNDRED folk are joining us this weekend!

Amy admits that the staff is a little nervous about translating the energy of Sirens online.

"In 2008, when we built Sirens, we were lucky, because we got to build something from scratch. ... We wanted to build a space FOR people of marginalized identities."

#SirensAtHome

Amy stresses the importance of conversations -- not just in presentations, but at lunch, on the dance floor, in the hallways.

Also, the importance of snacks! And people who take care of each other, watch out for each other, and commit to safety and understanding.

#SirensAtHome

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THREAD: Did you know we track the thousands of new books by women, nonbinary, and trans authors in the fantasy + speculative space? Here we highlight data for 1,600 of them, gathered from 2016-2020, with some thoughts and analysis on the patterns we’ve observed. #SirensAtHome

We use this data to make our book lists, and of course, fill our magical, once-a-year pop-up bookstore. If we were gathering at Sirens in-person this year, this would be around the time we’d be opening our community room doors. 😭

For a few days each year, we make real our kind of bookstore—one that is queer, diverse, intersectional, and fiercely inclusive. It takes a year to exhaustively research and our entire on-site conference staff a half day to lovingly unpack and arrange.

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Even thought #SirensAtHome hasn’t even started yet, it’s never too soon to talk about #Sirens21. Because while you might be gearing up to pack your bags and fly to Denver for Sirens next fall, others might not be able to. So let’s talk scholarships. #SirensAtHome #Sirens21

To make our community representative of the full breadth of amazing work in this field and to make our conversations truly intersectional, we need to make it possible for people of diverse identities, experiences, and vocations to attend Sirens. #SirensAtHome #Sirens21

We raised money and awarded scholarships for our now-postponed 2020 conference earlier this year—and those are valid for #Sirens21. But we think that the postponement gives us an opportunity to do more good, so we’re raising money for additional scholarships. #SirensAtHome

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Earlier this month, we published a series of essays from members of the Sirens community on what speculative fiction means to them. These pieces are eloquent, smart, and often heartbreaking. As we're preparing for #SirensAtHome to start tomorrow, check them out. 1/

@ajhackwith

Side Quests on Dying by A.J. Hackwith (@ajhackwith): sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/s…

You Have a Dragon to Impress by Chelsea Cleveland: sirensconference.org/news/2020/10/y…

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