Steampunk has reached critical mass. At least, that’s the assumption in the greater SFF community. We’ve gotten to the point where a dozen different newspapers write an article per week explaining the subgenre to the mainstream. TV shows base episodes off the community (some better than others). Stores now have pre-fab Halloween outfits for sky pirates and adventurers.
With steampunk “hitting the mainstream,” the big question nowadays has changed from “What is steampunk?”* to “Where is it going?” To help address this question, Liz Gorinsky has kindly passed the mantle of Tor.com steampunk curator to me this year. Although this is only a week-long theme, I’ve packed it to the brim with contributions from both established and up-and-coming voices in the steampunk community. I’m especially proud of the diverse range of voices worldwide who offer a look at steampunk from various angles—from Eurocentric to multicultural, artsy to lowbrow, politics to fandom, and everything in between. Hopefully, you’ll have as much fun reading this week as I’ve had assembling it.
* For those who have been living in a cave and have no idea what steampunk is, I suggest checking out Tor.com’s previous blogging events: Steampunk Month in 2009 and Steampunk Fortnight in 2010 for some clues.
So hop on board the H.M.S. Stubbington and enjoy the ride!
Here’s a peek at what to expect this coming week:
- Articles, interviews and intellectual explorations from myself and by guest bloggers Margaret Killjoy, Lord Bobbins, Andrew Fogel, Captain Donna Ricci, Janus Zarate, Ekaterina Sedia, Kaja Foglio, Lee Ann Farruga, Fabio Fernandes, Simon J. Berman, John Coulthart, Nisi Shawl, Gina Gagliano, Jaymee Goh, Cat Rambo, John R. R. Leavitt, Tyson Ness, Jess Nevins, Mike Perschon, Glenn Freund, and Pablo “Mr. Saturday” Vazquez III.
- An added bonus: a tie-in to B&N spotlight reviews, who are highlighting various steampunk titles.
- Sweepstakes galore for the hottest steampunk items, gift certificates, and books every day this week.
You can keep track of everything that’s posted by bookmarking the Steampunk Week index. Everything posted will automatically show up there!
If you’re looking for even more steamy goodness, check out these articles on the topic we’ve done earlier this year:
- Gearing up for 2011: A Steampunk Convention List by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- Steampunk Links and Resources by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- An Independent Bookstore Just Off the Beaten Path by G.D. Falksen
- Is Boston the hub of steampunk? by Ethan Gilsdorf
- Pan’s Labyrinth Takes to the Runway: A Review of Kristin Costa’s Fashion Show “Monstrous” by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- Happy 183rd Birthday Jules Verne by G.D. Falksen
- Steampunk Kitchens & More at the Alternative Living Expo by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- Steampunk Music Video: “Eye of the Storm” by Lovett by G.D. Falksen
- The Film Zenith Bends Both Reality and Your Suspension of Disbelief by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- Panic! At the Disco Goes Steampunk in “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” by G.D. Falksen
- Twelve Steampunk Sonnets by Roz Kaveney
- The Steampunk Bible Tour Series by S.J. Chambers: book launch in Austin, TX, Steampunk Bible Book Tour Extravaganza Part 1, Steampunk Bible Book Tour Extravaganza, Part 2
- Quite Dreadful (Penny Dreadful): Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar by Mike Perschon
- Reporting from Steampunk World’s Fair, Part Deux: The Fairening by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- Burning High-Action Brilliance: Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- All This and a Steampunk Volkswagon: The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder by Mike Perschon
- The Pooping Duck: Marvel of 18th Century Robotics by Robert Lamb of Howstuffworks.com
- Lost in Translation, Even with a Map: The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma by Mike Perschon
- Short, Sweet, and Less Than a Buck: Exceeding Expectation in the Ulysses Quicksilver Short Story Collection by Mike Perschon
- Beach Reading and Water Zombies: Dead of Veridon by Tim Akers by Mike Perschon
- Bartitsu: More Fashionable than Fisticuffs by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- Puzzle Your Way Out of Nemo’s Submarine in 5 Wits’s “20,000 Leagues” Interactive Adventure by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- The Birth of Steam-WoT: Steampunk Perrin by Richard Fife
- Comedy, Play, and Mad Science: All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen by Lee Mandelo
- Tumultuous Travels Around a Steampunk’d World in Scott Westerfeld’s Goliath by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
- Will this Sub Sink their Battleship? Cherie Priest’s Ganymede by Ay-leen the Peacemaker
Ay-leen the Peacemaker runs Tor.com Steampunk on Facebook and Twitter, along with the multicultural steampunk blog Beyond Victoriana.
Huzzah! I got into steampunk three years ago and have now progressed to the point where my group, the Apparition Abolsihers, is hosting a Steampunk Exposition later this month. You can check out our stuff at http://www.apparitionabolishers.com
We’d love for everyone who is interested to come by.
It is a shame I did not know of this before, as I surely would have liked to get involved, being the editor of the new eBook series, Space: 1889 & Beyond, a steampunk series based on the RPG created by Frank Chadwick. It fully licenced and published by http://www.untreedreads.com
“Nickel Children” Weird West Steampunk Adenture series – http://www.facebook.com/NickelChildren – http://nickelchildren.eslingerfilm.com
Nothing says “genre” and “October” like…uh, steampunk.
I’m so glad TOR is throwing itself into the steampunk movement this way and I’m looking forward to steampunk week!
Check out my blog, http://brassbolts.blogspot.com/
A lot of that fashion show stuff looked like it could have been on Regretsy.
I was first introduced to steampunk (more or less) by author Jules Verne as “20000 Leagues Under the Sea,” as well as by the Disney movie of the same name. Lots of steampunk in the book and the Disney movie, even though it wasn’t called that at the time.