Roz Kaveney (born 9 July 1949) is a British writer, critic, and poet, best known for her critical works about pop culture and for being a core member of the

Midnight Rose Midnight Rose was a name taken by a group of United Kingdom science fiction and fantasy writers for a series of shared world anthologies published by the Penguin Books imprint Roc. The group's "core members" were Alex Stewart, Roz Kaveney, Nei ...

collective. Kaveney's works include fiction and non-fiction, poetry, reviewing, and editing. Kaveney is also a transgender rights activist. She has contributed to several newspapers such as ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. She is also a founding member of

Feminists Against Censorship Feminists Against Censorship (FAC) is a large network of women founded in 1989 in the United Kingdom to present the feminist arguments against censorship, particularly of sexual materials, and to defend individual sexual expression. FAC originall ...

and a former deputy chair of

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. She was deputy editor of the

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

-related magazine ''META''.

Early life and transition

Kaveney attended

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located at Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale, and was named after ...

, where she participated in a poetry group that had a particular interest in

Martian poetry Martian poetry was a minor movement in British poetry in the late 1970s and early 1980s, in which everyday things and human behaviour are described in a strange way, as if by a visiting Martian who does not understand them. Poets most closely as ...

and shared a flat with

Christopher Reid Chris Reid (born 1971) is a Scottish football goalkeeper. Chris or Christopher Reid may also refer to: People *Christopher Reid (rapper) (born 1964), American actor, comedian, and former rapper *Christopher Reid (writer) (born 1949), Hong Kong-bor ...

. Kaveney is a

transgender woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and som ...

, who began transition in her last year at Oxford. After being "persuaded to desist by

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

friends", Kaveney delayed her transition for several years. She eventually transitioned around 1978.

Literary career

Kaveney gave up poetry in her twenties, not resuming until reaching 50. Kaveney's poetry was originally written in a rhythmic free verse, although her work later shifted into formalism. Kaveney cites a number of bereavements as the trigger for returning to poetry. Speaking to

PinkNews ''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in 2005. It closely follows political progress on LGBT rights aro ...

, she said: "When my friend Mike Ford died, suddenly and tragically, I organised a memorial meeting for him and wrote a poem for it completely out of the blue.” ''Dialectic of the Flesh'' was shortlisted for the

Lambda Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

; ''Rituals -

Rhapsody of Blood ''Rituals: Rhapsody of Blood'' is a 2012 fantasy novel by Roz Kaveney, released by Plus One Press. The book is the first entry in a four-part series, with the second entry expected to release in 2013. Of the novel, Kaveney stated that the book ...

, Volume One'' was short-listed for the

Crawford Award :::''See also'' Crawford Medal The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantasy book was published during the preceding 18 months. It's one of several awards presented by ...

, and made the Honor Roll for the

Tiptree Award The Otherwise Award, formerly known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science f ...

. Kaveney's first novel, ''Tiny Pieces of Skull'', was published in 2015 by Team Angelica Press, 27 years after she wrote it. A contributor to ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'' (24 July 2015) reviewed ''Tiny Pieces of Skull,'' describing the book as a work which "deserves to be recognised as a seminal fictional work on transgender identity and

transphobia Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...

... hilarious and chilling". It won the 2016 Best Trans Fiction

Lambda Literary The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBT literature, LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, prese ...

Award.

Other work

In 1988, Kaveney made an extended appearance on the television discussion '' After Dark'' with among others

Andrea Dworkin Andrea Rita Dworkin (September 26, 1946 – April 9, 2005) was an American radical feminist writer and activist best known for her analysis of pornography. Her feminist writings, beginning in 1974, span 30 years. They are found in a dozen solo ...

and

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, d ...

. Kaveney wrote later: In 2021 Kaveney appeared in the documentary '' Rebel Dykes'', which explores the history of a radical lesbian subculture in 1980s London, England.

Creative influences

Kaveney has cited

Marilyn Hacker Marilyn Hacker (born November 27, 1942) is an American poet, translator and critic. She is Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York. Her books of poetry include ''Presentation Piece'' (1974), which won the National Book Award, ...

Thomas M. Disch Thomas Michael Disch (February 2, 1940 – July 4, 2008) was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nomination ...

, and

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...

among her literary influences.

Bibliography

*''Tales from the Forbidden Planet'' (1987) (editor) *''More Tales from the Forbidden Planet'' (1990) (editor) *''Temps'' (1991) (short story: "A Lonely Impulse) *''Eurotemps'' (1992) (novella: "Totally Trashed") *''The Weerde: The Book of the Ancients Book 2'' (1993, co-editor and contributor) *''Reading the Vampire Slayer - The New, Updated Unofficial Guide to Buffy and

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'' (2001) *''From

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

: Reading Science Fiction Film'' (2005) *''Superheroes!: Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films'' (2006) *''Teen Dreams: Reading Teen Film and Television from 'Heathers' to 'Veronica Mars (2006) *''Battlestar Galactica: Investigating Flesh, Spirit, and Steel'' (2010) * Introduction to ''Scratch Monkey'' by

Charles Stross Charles David George "Charlie" Stross (born 18 October 1964) is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy. Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Between 1994 and 2004, he was also an active writer for the magazine '' ...

(1993, introduction 2011) *''Nip/Tuck: Television That Gets Under Your Skin'' (2011) *''Tales from the House Band, Volume 1: A Plus One Music Anthology'' (2011) *''Rituals'',

, Volume One (2012) *''Dialectic of the Flesh'' (2012) *''What If What's Imagined Were All True'' (2012) *''Reflections'',

Volume Two (2013) *''Resurrections'',

Volume Three (2014) *''Tiny Pieces of Skull'' (2015) *''Realities'',

Volume Four (2018) *''Catullus'' (2018) *''Queer: LGBTQ Writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday'' (2021) *''Selected Poems: 2009-2021'' (2021) *''The Great Good Time'' (2022)

References

External links

*
Official website
*
SF Encyclopaedia Entry Meta Magazine launch announcement
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaveney, Roz 1949 births Living people 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British novelists 21st-century British women writers Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford British agnostics British book editors British fantasy writers British film critics British journalists British poets British science fiction writers British women novelists British LGBT novelists British LGBT poets Lambda Literary Award winners Science fiction editors Transfeminists Transgender women Transgender writers Transgender rights activists British women film critics Women science fiction and fantasy writers