My life in books

This is what you need to know about Letters to Tiptree, edited by Alisa Krasnostein and Alexandra Pierce:

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Alice Sheldon’s birth, and in recognition of the enormous influence of both Tiptree and Sheldon on the field, Twelfth Planet Press is publishing a selection of thoughtful letters written by science fiction and fantasy’s writers, editors, critics and fans to celebrate her, to recognise her work, and maybe in some cases to finish conversations set aside nearly thirty years ago. [1]

Either you know who James Tiptree Jr. - the primary pseudonym used by Alice Sheldon in her writing - was, what she did, what she wrote, how she was viewed, or you don't. If you do, you will understand and celebrate this book. If you don't.... Well, I am sorry that you have not yet encountered some of the greatest and most provocative short stories in the canon of science fiction, and that you have missed out on a long, thoughtful and vital conversation on the meaning of gender. I heartily recommend that you join the conversation by reading Tiptree immediately.

The book is divided into four parts:

Section one, “Alice, Alice, Do You Read?”, is composed of letters written to Alice Sheldon, James Tiptree Jr., or Raccoona Sheldon (or all of them). The second section, “I Never Wrote You Anything But The Exact Truth”, presents selected letters exchanged between Sheldon and Ursula K. Le Guin, and Sheldon and Joanna Russ. Sheldon had had a long paper relationship with both women as Tiptree, and this continued well after the revelation of Tiptree’s identity. ... In “Everything But The Signature Is Me”, we have reprinted academic material on Tiptree’s work and identity.

Finally, the editors include their own letters, and their thoughts on the process of editing this volume, in the fourth section, “Oh Joanna, Will I Have Any Friends Left?”

The contributors to the first part of this volume speak to the person, the work and the conversation. They speak to each contributor's personal thoughts on gender, identity and writing, and on how Tiptree's life and work relates to that. They raise questions about the things we cannot know about Tiptree, and speculate on possible answers. They show us where others, touched by the fire in Tiptree's words, are taking us. Each of these letters to Tiptree - or Alice, or Raccoona, or some combination of all the personas - is unique and fascinating, but I must mention Rachel Swirsky's contribution, a marvellous tribute of a poem that draws on the images in Tiptree's story titles to make her own contribution to the conversation.

In the next section, Tiptree's correspondence with Le Guin and Russ opens windows into all three women's hearts, a generous and intimate sidebar to the conversation.

The third section contains introductions to Tiptree's works by Ursula K. Le Guin and Micheal Swanwick, an excerpt from Justine Larbalestier's The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction which discusses one of Tiptree's iconic stories, "The Women Men Don't See," an excerpt from Helen Merrick's The Secret Feminist Cabal discussing the evolution of the James Tiptree Jr. Award, an essay by Wendy Gay Pearson on "The Text of this Body: “Reading” James Tiptree Jr. as a Transgender Writer" and finally, an article on being Tiptree by Tiptree/Sheldon herself.

The final letters to Tiptree from the editors wrap up and revisit the themes expressed in earlier letters in the volume.

When she was outed as being Tiptree, Sheldon wrote to friends, wondering if she would have any friends remaining after the science fiction world learned of her "deception." I, like others, wish she had lived long enough to see this book and know how many friends her work has made, and continues to make.

[1] http://www.twelfthplanetpress.com/products/ebooks/letters-to-tiptree

James Tiptree Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon, Julie Phillips

I remember when James Tiptree Jr burst onto the SF scene as a writer of absolutely amazing, mind-bending, gob-smacking short stories. There was no question that he was one of the finest SF writers of his time, possibly of all time. I remember when he became known as she - as two shes, actually, since Alice Sheldon was discovered to be writing as Raccona Sheldon as well. I don't actually remember being all that astonished, the way many others were. Maybe I've forgotten, maybe I didn't really care at the time whether a man or a woman had written those wonderful stories. I remember being shocked and saddened when she died, at the thought of no more stories like that - although I had, sort of, noticed that there had been less and less Tiptree since Tiptree became Sheldon, too.

And now Julie Phillips has written a much welcomed biography of the person who was Alice Bradley Sheldon and became Tiptree and Raccoona. I felt a strong sense of connection with Alice/Alli/Tip as I read this book. Partly it's the skill of the author, and partly it's the elements of brother/sister/outsiderhood that bring most SF people, writers and fans, together in the end. Plus, I really understand what it's like to grow up female in the shadow of an overpowering and highly accomplished mother, especially if you have some gifts of your own but no confidence in them.

I found the unfolding of Sheldon's life as a writer compelling, the exploration of her not-very ordinary life as a woman of her times quite fascinating, and the examination of her sexuality, and her awareness (or not) of her sexuality, both intriguing and sad. Again, I have some idea of what it's like to spend time wandering the the ambiguous waters of not-being-straight at a time when there's not a lot of information available about what that is, or means (and fortunately, I managed to work out what I am, which Sheldon never really did, it seems).

The source material for this book is rich, and the interpretation is penetrating, insightful, caring and respectful. The selections from Tiptree/Sheldon's correspondence with other writers of SF, including Joanna Russ and Ursula K. LeGuin, make one long desperately for a collected edition of her letters.

If you read SF, if you know Tiptree, this book will have something for you.


Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, James Tiptree Jr.
Meet Me at Infinity: The Uncollected Tiptree, James Tiptree Jr.

And of course, having read the bio, I had to go back again and read her. My two choices, very clever ones, I thought, were Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, which is a collection of many of her finest stories, under both of her writing names, and Meet Me at Infinity, a posthumous collection of previously unpublished or uncollected stories and essays. If you want a survey course on Tiptree, this fills the bill.

If you haven't read Tiptree, go out and read Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, as soon as you can. If you know her work well, but haven't read Meet Me at Infinity, I think you'll enjoy it getting to know her in some different lights and places.