In 1975, Janice Bogstad and Jeanne Gomoll—who would later go on to create WisCon, the leading feminist science fiction convention—created a feminist sci-fi fanzine called Janus. Featuring articles by Samuel R. Delany and Joanna Russ, and interviews with Octavia E. Butler and Suzy McKnee Charnas, Janus (later renamed to Aurora) examined sci-fi for and by women, the depiction of sexuality in sci-fi, and female fandom. It was the most prominent fanzine of its kind from 1975-1990, nominated for three “Best Fanzine” Hugos from 1978-1980.
And now you can read it online! In 2013, The Society for the Furtherance & Study of Fantasy & Science Fiction (or SF3) published PDFs of all 26 issues on its website for your perusal. Read through the archives and relive the Second Wave of feminism with these ‘zines. May we suggest pairing it with this recent piece from The Atlantic about female representation in sci-fi?
