JANUS/AURORA

   US feminist sf FANZINE (1975-90) ed from Madison, Wisconsin, by Jan Bogstad, Jeanne Gomoll and Diane Martin (\#1-\#3 by Bogstad, \#4-\#17 by Bogstad and Gomoll, \#18-\#26 by Martin). Janus (which became Aurora with \#19) was born as FEMINISM began making itself felt in sf in the mid-1970s. It carried articles by Samuel R. DELANY, Suzette Haden ELGIN, Joanna RUSS and Jessica Amanda Salmonson (1950-), and interviews with Octavia E. BUTLER, Suzy McKee CHARNAS, Jo CLAYTON, Elizabeth A. LYNN, Clifford D.SIMAK, John VARLEY, Joan D. VINGE and Chelsea Quinn YARBRO. Through reviews and articles, J/A examined critically the depiction of sexuality in sf, WOMEN AS PORTRAYED IN SCIENCE FICTION, sf by women, women in fandom and the feminist SMALL PRESSES. Right up to its demise it worked to prevent the contribution of WOMEN SF WRITERS being ignored. In the penultimate issue Gomoll wrote an "Open Letter to Joanna Russ" pointing out that the dismissal of 1970s sf by CYBERPUNK writers was the sort of attempt to erase the contribution of women that Russ had highlighted in How to Suppress Women's Writing (1983). Many, such as Delany and SarahLEFANU, who used J/A extensively in her own researches into sf and feminism, agreed. J/A is likely to remain one of the best sources for research into the discourse between sf and feminism that took place in the 1970s and 1980s.

   RH