A few weeks ago, we took a look at the long history of women in horror. Today, we look at women’s past (and present) in the speculative fiction genres of science fiction and fantasy.
Our Speculative Roots
Our relationship with these stories goes back, once again, to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and beyond. Whether writing as themselves or often under pseudonyms, women have been there from the beginning. Virginia Woolf wrote fantastical sci-fi under the nom de plume E.V. Odle including the works The Puppeteer God (an influence for The Matrix) and The Houyhnhnm (an inspiration for The Planet of the Apes). Other notable early foremothers include Gertrude Bennet who wrote as Francis Stevens and is seen as the inventor of “dark fantasy,” Continue reading
The Whistler Film Festival is like the Sundance of Canada – at least it’s en route. What a great opportunity to participate in a festival, spearheaded by Paul Gratton, that goes the extra mile to champion Canadian films and filmmakers. 
My love of genre cinema began early, between my mother’s love of Mad Max and my father’s of Star Trek. My interest in genre cinema led me to take an MA in film studies at University of Toronto. At the same time, I became the Operations Director at 
Amanda Tapping is best known for her role as Colonel Samantha Carter on Stargate SG-1. She went on to produce, direct and star in Sanctuary, which lasted for 4 seasons and is seen in over 170 countries. She continues to act in film and television, but has been spending the majority of her time directing for such shows as Continuum, Primeval: New World, Arctic Air, Strange Empire and Olympus.