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Dispatches from Hogwarts G.S.A.: Tropes we’d like to see

A famous writer once said: “There is no such thing as a new idea.” That writer was Mark Twain, who is pretty hard to argue with (especially since he’s dead), and here’s his elaboration, which, naturally, is wise and brilliant: “It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.” … Read more

Dispatches from Hogwarts G.S.A.: In tribute to a Hero: Perry Moore

Perry Moore

For this month’s dispatch, we thought we’d write about an innovator and an activist in queer fantasy who left us much too soon. Perry Moore (1971-2011) was an author, screenwriter, and a film director. He was probably best known for The Chronicles of Narnia franchise. Widely regarded as smart, influential, and not incidentally a handsome guy, Moore accumulated an impressive Hollywood resumé by his mid-thirties. Though his work was behind the scenes, he seemed to fit the moniker “golden boy” in a lot of ways. Moore was also an openly gay man in an industry where, if being gay was … Read more

Dispatches from Hogwarts G.S.A.: When is queer tragedy cliché?

Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

We were recently drawn into pondering this question while reading Kai Ashante Wilson’s The Sorcerer of Wildeeps and looking at the book’s Goodreads reviews. One review stood out because it gushed about the book, but the reader said the tragic ending kept her from giving it five stars because (paraphrased) hasn’t gay tragedy been done enough already? Spoilers: One interpretation is that the main character Demane’s love interest dies at the end, though our take was the story left a sliver of hope he could have survived. Reviews of course are subjective, every reader is entitled to her opinion, and … Read more

Dispatches from Hogwarts G.S.A.: A Game of Thrones Report Card

We love HBO’s Game of Thrones. It’s some of the best storytelling on premium cable, possibly the best production quality ever for a TV series (DRAGONS!), and the directing and acting are pretty darn awesome to boot. We’re also really happy the phenomenally popular show has increased interest in high fantasy on the small screen, big screen, and in books. Another thing we love about GoT is that it has gay, lesbian and bisexual characters and decent portrayals of women. The Hogwarts G.S.A. believes gender equality and LGBTQ equality go hand-in-hand, so strong, diverse female characters are important to us … Read more

Dispatches from Hogwarts G.S.A.: Hello QSFers!

When Scott posted an open invitation to write a column for QSF, I thought: “Cool opportunity!” Then I thought, “What the hell am I going to call it?” That question followed me around for a while like a storm cloud, sending me hiding for cover, too filled with angst to even try to tackle a response. I mean, A: I’m an author, so whatever I called this column had to be clever and good. And B: QSF is a site for sci fi and fantasy fans and writers, so the expectation for cleverness is especially high. Then, C: Whatever I … Read more