Tiptree Bake Sale at Arisia

 

The Arisia Bake Sale benefits the James Tiptree Jr. Award, an annual literary prize for speculative fiction that expands or explores our understanding of gender.

 

Arisia Saturday 9:30-12:30

The Arisia Bake Sale is held on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (or until we sell all the food).

 

Please consider bringing something to be sold: all non-refrigerated foods are welcome (particularly those that also suit dietary restrictions - e.g. gluten, lactose, egg-free). If you are thinking of donating please drop off during the sale itself or at Team Arisia HQ ahead of time. Even if you are not a baker, please mark your calendars and spread the word! If you are planning on donating or if you would like to volunteer to help with the bake sale, please contact us at @email.

 

What is the Tiptree Award?

In February of 1991, award-winning SF author Pat Murphy announced the creation of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, an annual literary prize for speculative fiction that explores and expands our understanding of gender. Pat created the award in collaboration with author Karen Joy Fowler.

 

The aim of the award is not to look for work that falls into some narrow definition of political correctness, but rather to seek out work that is thought-provoking, imaginative, and perhaps even infuriating. The Tiptree Award is intended to reward those women and men who are bold enough to contemplate shifts and changes in gender roles, a fundamental aspect of any society.

 

The Heroes

The people who made the bake sales, contributed to and produced the cookbooks, designed the t-shirts, sewed the quilt, donated unsolicited cash, attended the annual ceremonies, and otherwise contributed to the ongoing life and saga of the Tiptree organism. The energy and enthusiasm the award engenders is incontrovertible proof of just how hungry the science fiction community is for this award, and how ready everyone has been to make it happen and make it keep happening.

 

Why the Name “Tiptree”?

The award is named for Alice B. Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr. By her impulsive choice of a masculine pen name, Sheldon helped break down the imaginary barrier between “women’s writing” and “men’s writing.” Her fine stories were eagerly accepted by publishers and won many awards in the field. Many years later, after she had written some other work under the female pen name of Raccoona Sheldon, it was discovered that she was female. The discovery led to a great deal of discussion of what aspects of writing, if any, are essentially gendered. The name “Tiptree” was selected to illustrate the complex role of gender in writing and reading.