Firefly

In April, BenBella Books, the cool folks who gave us the essay collections Stepping Through the Stargate, Seven Seasons of Buffy, Five Seasons of Angel, What Would Sipowicz Do?, Alias Assumed: Sex, Lies, and SD-6, The Anthology at the End of the Universe, and more, will be publishing Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds, and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon’s Firefly.

This collection, edited by BenBella’s Glenn Yeffeth and Mutant Enemy writer Jane Espenson, will include essays on a variety of subjects relating to Firefly and the upcoming Serenity. The contributors include scientists, philosophers, fans, artists, editors, and authors (including me *grin*) — oh yeah, and Jewel "Kaylee" Staite wrote one, too.

Here’s the table of contents...

Introduction by Jane Espenson (writer of "Shindig"; Jane also writes short intros to each essay)
"The Reward, the Details, the Devils, the Due" by Larry Dixon (artist)
"The Heirs of Sawney Beane" by Lawrence Watt-Evans (author)
"Asian Objects in Space" by Leigh Adams Wright (fan)
"The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Firefly (the Behind the Scenes Story)" by Glenn Yeffeth (editor/publisher of this book)
"Who Killed Firefly?" by Ginjer Buchanan (editor)
"’The Train Job’ Didn’t Do the Job: Poor Opening Contributed to Firefly’s Doom" by Keith R.A. DeCandido (author/editor, Serenity novelizer)
"Serenity and Bobby McGee: Freedom and the Illusion of Freedom in Joss Whedon’s Firefly" by Mercedes Lackey (author)
"Firefly vs. The Tick" by Don DeBrandt (author)
"We’re All Just Floating in Space" by Lyle Zynda (philosopher)
"More than a Marriage of Convenience" by Michelle Sagara West (author)
"’Thanks for the Reenactment, Sir’: Zoe: Updating the Woman Warrior" by Tanya Huff (author)
"Whores and Goddesses: The Archetypal Domain of Inara Serra" by Dr. Joy Davidson (sex therapist)
"The Captain May Wear the Tight Pants, but It’s the Gals Who Make Serenity Soar" by Robert B. Taylor (TV critic/journalist)
"I Want Your Sex: Gender and Power in Joss Whedon’s Dystopian Future World" by Nancy Holder (author)
"Just Shove Him in the Engine, or, The Role of Chivalry in Joss Whedon’s Firefly" by John C. Wright (author)
"Mirror/Mirror: A Parody" by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad (author)
"Star Truck" by David Gerrold (author/screenwriter)
"Chinese Words in the Fireflyverse" by Kevin M. Sullivan (linguist)
"Listening to Firefly" by Jennifer Goltz (musician)
"Kaylee Speaks: Jewel Staite on Firefly" by Jewel Staite (actor)
"Unofficial Glossary of Firefly Chinese," created by Kevin M. Sullivan

BTW, it turns out that Jewel Staite will be a guest at I-Con 24 from 8-10 April, where I will also be a guest, and the book should be out in time for that.