Fiona Kelleghan (born April 21, 1965, in

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

) is an American academic and critic specializing in

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

. She was a

metadata Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: * Descriptive metadata – the descriptive ...

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

and a cataloguer at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

's Otto G. Richter Library. She left the university in 2011.

Career

Writing in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', critic

Michael Dirda Michael Dirda (born 1948) is a book critic for the ''Washington Post''. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993. Career Having studied at Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree in 1970, Dirda took an M.A. in 1974 and ...

called Kelleghan "an expert on humor in genre fiction," and she was listed on the University of Miami's website as its official expert on "Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror." She is also interested in film both inside and outside the science-fiction genre, and is an amateur

ethologist Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objective ...

. 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 Gregory Frost (born May 13, 1951) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy, and directs a fiction writing workshop at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa. A g ...

James Patrick Kelly James Patrick Kelly (born April 11, 1951 in Mineola, New York) is an American science fiction author who has won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. Biography Kelly made his first fiction sale in 1975. He graduated magna cum laude from ...

John Kessel John Joseph Vincent Kessel (born September 24, 1950) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. He is a prolific short story writer, and the author of four solo novels, '' Good News From Outer Space'' (1989), ''Corrupting Dr. Nice'' ( ...

Jonathan Lethem Jonathan Allen Lethem (; born February 19, 1964) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His first novel, ''Gun, with Occasional Music'', a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was publishe ...

James Morrow James Morrow (born March 17, 1947) is an American novelist and short-story writer known for filtering large philosophical and theological questions through his satiric sensibility. Most of Morrow's oeuvre has been published as science fiction ...

Kim Stanley Robinson Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American writer of science fiction. He has published twenty-two novels and numerous short stories and is best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Many ...

Robert J. Sawyer Robert James Sawyer (born April 29, 1960) is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 24 novels published and his short fiction has appeared in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'', ''Amazing Stories'', '' On Spec'', ''Nature'', and numerou ...

, Tim Sullivan, and

Connie Willis Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945), commonly known as Connie Willis, is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards than ...

, with introductions to each by Kelleghan. That essay, "A Definition of Savage Humanism, with Autobiographical Anecdotes," is reprinted as the cover story in the November 2008 edition of ''

The New York Review of Science Fiction ''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarship ...

'', and takes up most of that issue of the magazine. Kelleghan's other books include ''

Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct ...

: 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). Her scholarly work has appeared in ''

Extrapolation In mathematics, extrapolation is a type of estimation, beyond the original observation range, of the value of a variable on the basis of its relationship with another variable. It is similar to interpolation, which produces estimates between know ...

'', ''Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts'', ''

'', ''

Nova Express ''Nova Express'' is a 1964 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. It was written using the 'fold-in' method, a version of the cut-up method, developed by Burroughs with Brion Gysin, of enfolding snippets of different texts into the nove ...

'', ''ParaDoxa: Studies in World Literary Genres'', ''

Science Fiction Studies ''Science Fiction Studies'' (''SFS'') is an academic journal founded in 1973 by R. D. Mullen. The journal is published three times per year at DePauw University. As the name implies, the journal publishes articles and book reviews on science fic ...

'', and ''SFRA Review'' (a publication of the

Science Fiction Research Association The Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA), founded in 1970, is the oldest, non-profit professional organization committed to encouraging, facilitating, and rewarding the study of science fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media. ...

, of which she is a member). She has contributed to the reference books ''American Women Writers''; ''Contemporary Novelists th Edition' (for which she is the authority on

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

, and

, among others); ''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; ''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''; and, with

Daryl F. Mallett Daryl Furumi Mallett is an American author, editor and publisher. Writing In the writing world, some of Mallett's duties include being a contributing writer for ''Water Conditioning & Purification''; editor, copyeditor and proofreader for Gryph ...

, to ''Genre and Ethnic Collections: Collected Essays'', and she was largely responsible for assisting Mallett and Hal Hall with the completion of '' Pilgrims & Pioneers: The History and Speeches of the Science Fiction Research Association Award Winners'' (Borgo Press, 1999). Fiona's book reviews have appeared in ''

'' and as official commissioned reviews for BarnesandNoble.com, and she has contributed numerous plot summaries and mini-biographies to the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

(IMDb). Kelleghan was a book-review editor for the ''Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts'' (since 1999) and an editorial consultant to ''

'' (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), 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, Kelleghan presented a paper entitled "The Intimately Human and the Grandly Cosmic: Humor and the Sublime in the Works of

" at the 29th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. In March 2009, she presented a paper entitled "Time and the Fiction of

: Flash Forward to the End of an Era" at the 30th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. In the 1990s, she had given talks at the same venue on the feeding of cats in science fiction and fantasy and on camouflage in books and films such as ''

Toys A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

'' and ''

Predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

''. Her works in progress include ''

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, inclu ...

, Grand Master: An Annotated Bibliography'' and further research on Savage Humanism. Kelleghan was an Associate Professor at the University of Miami. She was on the faculty there from 1989 to 2011, and tenured since 1995. She holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

(1988) and an M.A. in English from the

(1996). She is a graduate of the

Clarion West Clarion West Writers Workshop is an intensive six-week program for writers preparing for professional careers in science fiction and fantasy. It runs annually from late June through the end of July. The workshop is limited to 18 students per year. ...

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, appeared in ''

Realms of Fantasy ''Realms of Fantasy'' was a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Sovereign Media, then Tir Na Nog Press, and Damnation Books, which specialized in fantasy fiction (including some horror), related nonfiction (wit ...

'' (October 1998), and earned an Honorable Mention from editor

Gardner Dozois Gardner Raymond Dozois ( ; July 23, 1947 – May 27, 2018) was an American people, American science fiction author and editing, editor. He was the founding editor of ''The Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of ...

in ''The Year's Best Science Fiction: 16th Annual Collection'' (1999).

Personal life

She is a thirteenth-generation granddaughter of

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

and

John Rolfe John Rolfe (1585 – March 1622) was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia in 1611. Biography John Rolfe is believed ...

of Jamestown,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Through these family lines, she is also related to actors Glenn Strange and

Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe (born Edwin Arthur Rolfe, 27 December 1911 – 19 October 2003) was a British actor. Career Rolfe was born in Kilburn, London. Before turning to acting at the age of 24 he was a professional boxer and racing driver, making his stage ...

References

Publications

*''100 masters of mystery and detective fiction''. , *''Classics of science fiction and fantasy literature''. , *''Drinks with the Spider King''. *''Mike Resnick : an annotated bibliography and guide to his work''. , *''Pilgrims and pioneers : the history and speeches of the Science Fiction Research Association Award winners''. *''Science fiction, horror and the supernatural''. *''The savage humanists''. *''The savage humanists. Educator's guide''.

External links

Fiona Kelleghan presenting her paper "The Intimately Human and the Grandly Cosmic: Humor and the Sublime in the Works of Robert J. Sawyer
(MP3)

* ttp://www.depauw.edu/sfs/interviews/feehan59interview.htm Fiona Kelleghan (writing as Ellen Feehan) interviews John Kesselbr>Fiona Kelleghan interviews Jonathan Lethem

* ttps://www.imdb.com/search/name?bio_author=Fiona%20Kelleghan%20%3Cfkelleghan@aol.com%3E&view=simple&sort=alpha IMDb mini-biographies written by Fiona Kelleghanbr>IMDb plot summaries written by Fiona Kelleghan
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelleghan, Fiona Science fiction critics Science fiction academics American speculative fiction critics American literary critics Women literary critics American librarians American women librarians Florida State University alumni American science fiction writers American fantasy writers University of Miami alumni University of Miami staff 1965 births Living people People from West Palm Beach, Florida American women academics Women science fiction and fantasy writers Writers from Florida American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American short story writers American women short story writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women American women critics