Heiresses of Russ Series by JoSelle Vanderhooft, Jewelle L. Gómez, Michelle Labbé, Tanith Lee, Rachel Swirsky, Ellen Kushner, Kleinheincz Csilla, Zen Cho, Catherine Lundoff, Nora Olsen, N.K. Jemisin, Tenea D. Johnson, Wendy N. Wagner, Malinda Lo, Nisi Shawl, Carrie Vaughn, Lee Mandelo, Megan Arkenberg, Richard Bowes, Benjanun Sriduangkaew, J.L. Merrow, Connie Wilkins, Katherine Fabian, Anna Meadows, Sunny Moraine, Lisa Nohealani Morton, Erin Sheppard, S.L. Knapp, David D. Levine, Lindy Cameron, Amal El-Mohtar, Laird Barron, Desirina Boskovich, Nalo Hopkinson, An Owomoyela, Jean Roberta, M. Bennardo, Melissa Moorer, Susan Jane Bigelow, Ruthanna Emrys, Ken Liu, Darcie Little Badger, Seanan McGuire, Vivien Jackson, Shannon Connor Winward, Stacia Seaman

Welcome to a new annual anthology created in honor of the late Joanna Russ, American writer, academic, and feminist whose work shone brightly in the male-dominated field of speculative fiction of the latter half of the twentieth century. Heiresses of Russ offers readers in one volume the best lesbian-themed tales of the fantastical, weird and otherworldly, published during the prior year... moreWelcome to a new annual anthology created in honor of the late Joanna Russ, American writer, academic, and feminist whose work shone brightly in the male-dominated field of speculative fiction of the latter half of the twentieth century. Heiresses of Russ offers readers in one volume the best lesbian-themed tales of the fantastical, weird and otherworldly, published during the prior year. Editors JoSelle Vanderhooft (Sleeping Beauty, Indeed and Other Stories) and Steve Berman (the Wilde Stories series) read countless books, periodicals, and webzines to collect a range of talers--from new voices as well as award-winning authors--that celebrate the spirit of Russ's fiction: stories of sorceresses and spectral women, lost daughters and sisters of myth. The transformative power of the written word becomes magic and tests the boundaries of gender, identity and a woman's dreams. less

In this, the second release in the annual Heiresses of Russ series, Lambda Literary Award winning editor Connie Wilkins joins Steve Berman in choosing the best of the prior year's published speculative fiction with lesbian themes. An unexplained astronomical phenomenon brings a woman and her grandfather closer while she questions the meaning of faith. African villagers are sent automatons rather than human relief workers... moreIn this, the second release in the annual Heiresses of Russ series, Lambda Literary Award winning editor Connie Wilkins joins Steve Berman in choosing the best of the prior year's published speculative fiction with lesbian themes. An unexplained astronomical phenomenon brings a woman and her grandfather closer while she questions the meaning of faith. African villagers are sent automatons rather than human relief workers. Mermaids devour men drawn by their song but what will happen to a steampunk submersible piloted by a woman? Two teenage girls discover that memories are held in the fine aromas of perfumes. A family of sisters in Mexico discover a fallen angel. These are tales of the strange, the wondrous, the eerie but all are richly told stories of women facing the unknown and how they are changed by the experience. less

The 2013 edition of the annual series showcasing the best tales of lesbian-themes fantasy, science-fiction, and the weird, includes such acclaimed authors as Jewelle Gomez, Nisi Shawl, Carrie Vaughn, and Brit Mandelo. The editors have ensured that a variety of voices and styles present imaginative fiction encompassing the love between women.

A book such as this spins not only words but also whole worlds: eighteen of them, representing the best lesbian-themed stories of the fantastic or futuristic published the prior year: An artisan who tests the skills and wares of her friends in the hope of finding the ideal housing for an idealized love. A shape-shifting sidekick ensures that the heroine, who might not even be aware of her, saves the day... moreA book such as this spins not only words but also whole worlds: eighteen of them, representing the best lesbian-themed stories of the fantastic or futuristic published the prior year: An artisan who tests the skills and wares of her friends in the hope of finding the ideal housing for an idealized love. A shape-shifting sidekick ensures that the heroine, who might not even be aware of her, saves the day. The device on a young girl's wrist that counts down the years until she will meet her soul mate poses the ultimate challenge of delayed gratification. A daydreamer wonders how she will face the coming Stone Moon and its gathering when her culture demands fertility yet her heart belongs to her best friend, who is not only female but of a higher caste. The women to be met in these pages will find themselves tested not because of their sexual identity but rather the identity they have composed, constructed, and spun. less

Stories about lesbians, women who choose women as primary partners, lovers, playmates, and co-conspirators, tend to go where few men have gone before. Most of the real-life issues that lesbians must deal with, as women and as members of non-mainstream communities, appear in these stories in metaphorical form or as plausible scenarios in a future or alternate world. Lesbianism itself was routinely described by the conservatives of the past as "impossible... moreStories about lesbians, women who choose women as primary partners, lovers, playmates, and co-conspirators, tend to go where few men have gone before. Most of the real-life issues that lesbians must deal with, as women and as members of non-mainstream communities, appear in these stories in metaphorical form or as plausible scenarios in a future or alternate world. Lesbianism itself was routinely described by the conservatives of the past as "impossible." The formula of "woman + woman" is thus logically connected with other phenomenon formerly considered impossible: magic, witchcraft, folk cures, scientific discoveries, alternate methods of producing offspring, space travel, communication with beings who are not human or not living in human bodies, historical accounts that have been suppressed or denied. The Heiresses of Russ series seeks to offer readers the best lesbian-themed speculative fictions stories published the prior year. Jean Roberta, M. Bennardo, Melissa Moorer, Susan Jane Bigelow, Ruthanna Emrys, Ken Liu, Darcie Little Badger, Seanan McGuire, Shannon Connor Winward, Nicola Griffith, B R Sanders, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Sarah L. Byrne, Vivien Jackson, Annabeth Leong, Stacia Seaman, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, Seth Dickinson, Benjanun Sriduangkaew less