Top Ten Intellectual Epiphanies I Had at ICFA
I just spent the past five days soaking up the Florida sun soaking up the intellectual stimulation of the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (aka as ICFA, pronounced “ick-fah”). This is an academic conference that also invites writers and editors in the field of science fiction, fantasy, and horror to be in the mix. It’s a-dare I say-fantastic opportunity to get away from the frozen snowy north be deeply intellectually stimulated. The research papers being read range from close textual readings of fantastic literature to sociopolitical analyses of films, to Marxist deconstruction of video game music, to fan studies and transformative works.
With such a panoply of choices before me, and no particular agenda, I sampled from many different tracks and topics, and I find myself unable to write one coherent narrative recap. Instead, I’ll resort to that tried and true staple of our age, the Top Ten List.
I learned:
1. Elves Must Die
2. Sexism is Lazy
3. Magic is Privilege
4. Cyberpunk is Dated
5. Shopping is Work
6. Personal Growth is not Activism
7. Sidekicks are Oppression
8. Anthropomorphising is Oppression
9. Improbable Sexuality is Ironic
10. God is a Pantser
Details under the cut:
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