Sandra Louise Miesel (born Sandra Louise Schwartz on November 25, 1941) is an American
medievalist
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
, writer, and
science fiction and fantasy fan. Her early work was in science fiction 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 ...
criticism, fields in which she has remained active.
Writing career
Miesel was a member of
science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
(a connection which sprang from a letter she had published in
''IF'' magazine), with critical articles in the
science fiction fanzine ''
Yandro
''Yandro'' was an influential science fiction fanzine published from 1953-1986 by Buck and Juanita Coulson. Over that period, they published 259 issues, the final issue not being distributed until 1991. The headquarters was in North Manchester, Ind ...
'', especially on Anderson and Dickson, as well as other fanzines such as ''
Granfalloon
A granfalloon, in the fictional religion of Bokononism (created by Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 novel ''Cat's Cradle''), is defined as a "false karass". That is, it is a group of people who affect a shared identity or purpose, but whose mutual asso ...
''. She was nominated for the
Hugo Award
The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...
for
Best Fan Writer three times (1973–1975) and had two monographs published by Fannish
small press
A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably.
Independent press is general ...
es: ''Myth, Symbol and Religion in ''The Lord of the Rings (
TK Graphics, 1973) and ''Against Time's Arrow: The High Crusade of Poul Anderson'' (
Borgo Press
The Borgo Press was a small publishing company founded by Robert Reginald in 1975 funded by the royalties gained from his first major reference work, ''Stella Nova: the contemporary science fiction authors'' (1970).
That same year Reginald met Ma ...
, 1978).
Miesel has written hundreds of articles for the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
press, chiefly on history, art, and
hagiography
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...
. She wrote regularly for the now-defunct
''Crisis'' Catholic magazine and is a columnist for the diocesan paper of the
Diocese of Norwich,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. Miesel is also a well-known speaker. She has spoken at religious and academic conferences, appeared on
EWTN
The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...
, and given numerous radio interviews.
She has co-authored a book, ''
The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in
The Da Vinci Code'', a detailed critique of the popular novel based on her knowledge of Catholic history and teachings.
She is the co-author of ''The Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy'' with Catholic journalist and
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
yer Pete Vere. The book, published by
Ignatius Press
Ignatius Press is a Catholic publishing house based in San Francisco, California, US. It was founded in 1978 by Father Joseph Fessio, a Jesuit priest and former pupil of Pope Benedict XVI. Ignatius Press also produces ''Catholic World Report'', ' ...
, offers a detailed critique of
Philip Pullman's ''
His Dark Materials'' trilogy from a Catholic point of view.
Personal life
She holds master's degrees in
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
and
medieval history from the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
. Miesel lives in the
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
area, with her husband John. They were married 42 years until his death in 2006.
Silver, Steven H. "News: Obituary" ''SF Site'' September 2006
/ref>
Selected works
*
*
* Speculative fiction. An earlier version was published as ''Dreamrider'' (Ace Books
Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns, and soon branched out into other genres, publishing its first scienc ...
, 1982).
* "The Fan As Critic" in ''Science fiction fandom'' Joe Sanders, ed. (Contributions to the study of science fiction and fantasy, no. 62) Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994.
*
References
External links
Catholics and Science Fiction
a short interview between Miesel and Ignatius Press
Ignatius Press is a Catholic publishing house based in San Francisco, California, US. It was founded in 1978 by Father Joseph Fessio, a Jesuit priest and former pupil of Pope Benedict XVI. Ignatius Press also produces ''Catholic World Report'', ' ...
.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miesel, Sandra
1941 births
20th-century American novelists
American fantasy writers
American literary critics
Women literary critics
American science fiction writers
American women short story writers
American women novelists
Living people
Roman Catholic writers
American women journalists
Women science fiction and fantasy writers
20th-century American women writers
20th-century American short story writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
American medievalists
Women medievalists
21st-century American women
American women critics