Roz Kaveney (born 9 July 1949) is a British writer, critic, and poet, best known for her critical works about pop culture and for being a core member of the

Midnight Rose Midnight Rose was a name taken by a group of United Kingdom science fiction and fantasy writers for a series of shared world anthologies published by the Penguin Books imprint Roc. The group's "core members" were Alex Stewart, Roz Kaveney, Neil ...

collective. Kaveney's works include fiction and non-fiction, poetry, reviewing, and editing. Kaveney is also a civil liberties and

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

rights activist. She has contributed to several newspapers such as ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. She is also a founding member of

Feminists Against Censorship Feminists Against Censorship (FAC) is a large network of women founded in 1989 in the United Kingdom to present the feminist arguments against censorship, particularly of sexual materials, and to defend individual sexual expression. FAC originall ...

and a former deputy chair of

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

. She was an editor of the transgender-related magazine ''META''.

Early life and transition

Kaveney attended

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

, where she participated in a poetry group that had a particular interest in Martian poetry and shared a flat with Christopher Reid. Kaveney is a

transgender woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

, who began transition in her last year at Oxford. In the early 1970s, Kaveney was part of the

Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK, Australia and Canada. The GLF p ...

's Transvestite, Transsexual and Drag Queen Group. Along with several other individuals, including

Rachel Pollack Rachel Grace Pollack (August 17, 1945 – April 6, 2023) was an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot. Early life and education Pollack was born on August 17, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York to a Jew ...

, she contributed to the 1972 essay "Don't call me mister, you fucking beast", which has been described as Britain's "first trans manifesto". This was published alongside other works in the second women's issue of ''Come Together'', the newspaper of the Gay Liberation Front. After being "persuaded to desist by feminist friends", Kaveney delayed her transition for several years. She eventually transitioned around 1978.

Cultural criticism

Since the late 1970s Kaveney has been a prolific cultural critic. She has written reviews and essays for numerous publications, including

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

periodicals such as

Vector Vector most often refers to: * Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction * Disease vector, an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematics a ...

and

Foundation Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

, and

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

. Kaveney is also known for editing books which contain a range of essays about popular films and television shows, including

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

and

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

Literary career

Kaveney's first novel, ''Tiny Pieces of Skull'', was published in 2015 by Team Angelica Press, 27 years after she originally wrote it in the 1980s. The story follows trans protagonist Annabelle Jones, who travels from London to the United States in 1978 to join a friend, only to find herself isolated in Chicago. An early draft was read by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

, who wrote in 2016 that he "was saddened and horrified that publishers wouldn’t publish it". In a review for ''

'', Lucy Popescu describes ''Tiny Pieces of Skull'' as a work which "deserves to be recognised as a seminal fictional work on transgender identity and

transphobia Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender or transsexual people, or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to socia ...

... hilarious and chilling". It won the 2016 Best Trans Fiction

Lambda Literary The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

Award. From 1982-1984 Kaveney was an editor for the British fantasy and science fiction magazine Interzone. She later edited the short story collections ''Tales From the Forbidden Planet'' (1987) and ''More Tales From the Forbidden Planet'' (1990), which featured contributions from authors including

Iain Banks Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of '' The Wasp Fact ...

, Gwyneth Jones,

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...

, and

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...

. As part of the

collective, Kaveney wrote various short stories for the group's series of

shared world A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...

anthologies through the 1990s, and (with

Mary Gentle Mary Rosalyn Gentle (born 29 March 1956) is a British science fiction and fantasy author. Literary career Mary Gentle's first published novel was ''Hawk in Silver'' (1977), a young-adult fantasy. She came to prominence with the '' Orthe'' duol ...

) co-edited ''The Weerde Book 1'' and ''Book 2'', plus ''Villains!''. In 2012 ''

Rituals A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...

'' was published, the first of five novels in Kaveney's fantasy series ''Rhapsody of Blood''. It was short-listed for the

Crawford Award The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford Award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantasy book was published during the preceding calendar year. It's one of several awards presented by the International Associat ...

, and made the Honor Roll for the Tiptree Award.

Poetry

Kaveney gave up poetry in her twenties, not resuming until reaching 50. Kaveney's poetry was originally written in a rhythmic free verse, although her work later shifted into formalism. Kaveney cites a number of bereavements as the trigger for returning to poetry. Speaking to

PinkNews ''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning community (LGBTQ+) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in July 2005, initially released in print, b ...

, she said: "When my friend Mike Ford died, suddenly and tragically, I organised a memorial meeting for him and wrote a poem for it completely out of the blue.” In 2012, Kaveney's first two poetry collections were published by A Midsummer Night's Press. ''What If What's Imagined Were All True'' is a book of poems with science fiction, fantasy, and

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

themes. ''Dialectic of the Flesh'' collects Kaveney's poetry about

queerness ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non-cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to r ...

, trans experience, and the body, and was shortlisted for the

Lambda Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

. In 2018 Sad Press published ''Catallus'', Kaveney's translation and reimagination of the Latin works of Roman poet

Gaius Valerius Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; ), known as Catullus (), was a Latin neoteric poet of the late Roman Republic. His surviving works remain widely read due to their popularity as teaching tools and because of their personal or sexual themes. Life ...

. Reviewing ''Catallus'' for Tears in the Fence, Antony John praises Kaveney's "very rude translations" of Catullus' "very rude poems". In the

Bryn Mawr Classical Review ''Bryn Mawr Classical Review'' (''BMCR''), founded in 1990, is an open access journal that as of 2008 published reviews of scholarly work in the field of classical studies including classical archaeology. The journal describes itself as the sec ...

, Tori Lee argues that Kaveney "upends traditional understanding of what Catullus—in all his aggression, obscenity, and sexuality—represents", and describes the collection as a "light, readable, enormously fun Catullus that will delight classicists and non-classicists alike".

Other work

In 1988, Kaveney made an extended appearance on the television discussion '' After Dark'' with among others

Andrea Dworkin Andrea Rita Dworkin (September 26, 1946 – April 9, 2005) was an American radical feminist writer and activist best known for her analysis of pornography. Her feminist writings, beginning in 1974, span 30 years. They are found in a dozen sol ...

and

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, dy ...

. Kaveney wrote later: In 2021 Kaveney appeared in the documentary ''

Rebel Dykes ''Rebel Dykes'' is a 2021 documentary film directed by Siân A. Williams and Harri Shanahan about the lesbian scene in London during the 1980s and 1990s. In 2021 the film won the Iris Prize Best Feature Award, the Best Documentary Award at Por ...

'', which explores the history of a radical lesbian subculture in 1980s London, England.

Creative influences

Kaveney has cited

Marilyn Hacker Marilyn Hacker (born November 27, 1942) is an American poet, translator and critic. She is Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York. Her books of poetry include ''Presentation Piece'' (1974), which won the National Book Award, ...

Thomas M. Disch Thomas Michael Disch (February 2, 1940 – July 4, 2008) was an American science fiction writer and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book—previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book"—in 1999. He had two other Hugo nominations and n ...

, and

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ; born April 1, 1942) is an American writer and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays on science fiction, literature, sexual orientation, sexuality, and ...

among her literary influences.

Bibliography

Novels

*''Tiny Pieces of Skull'' (2015). London: Team Angelica. .

Rhapsody of Blood

* ''Rituals'', Rhapsody of Blood, Volume One (2012). San Francisco: Plus One Press. . * ''Reflections'', Rhapsody of Blood Volume Two (2013). San Francisco: Plus One Press. . *''Resurrections'', Rhapsody of Blood Volume Three (2014). San Francisco: Plus One Press. . *''Realities'', Rhapsody of Blood Volume Four (2018). San Francisco: Plus One Press. . *''Revelations, Rhapsody of Blood Volume Five (2023).'' San Francisco: Plus One Press. ''.''

Poetry anthologies

* ''Dialectic of the Flesh'' (2012). Dover, Florida: A Midsummer Night's Press. *''What If What's Imagined Were All True'' (2012). Dover, Florida: A Midsummer Night's Press. *''Catullus'' (2018). Bristol: Sad Press. *''Selected Poems: 2009-2021'' (2021). London: Team Angelica. *''The Great Good Time'' (2022). London: Team Angelica.

Short stories

*"A Lonely Impulse" (1991). *"A Wolf to Man" (1992). *"Bellringers' Overtime" (1992). *"The Lady and/or the Tiger" (1992). With

. *"Totally Trashed" (1992). *"Raised Voices in a Reading Room" (1993). *"Ignorance of Perfect Reason" (1993). *"Brandy for the Damned" (1997). *"Instructions" (1998). *"A Shamble of Zombies" (2012).

Edited anthologies

*''Tales from the Forbidden Planet'' (1987). London: Titan Books. *''More Tales from the Forbidden Planet'' (1990). London: Titan Books. *Villains! (1992). New York:

Roc Books Roc Books is a fantasy imprint of Penguin Group, as part of its New American Library. It was launched in April 1990 after Penguin Chairman Peter Mayer asked John Silbersack, the editor in chief of New American Library's science fiction (SF) pro ...

. With

. *''The Weerde: Book 1'' (1992). New York: Roc Books. With Mary Gentle. *''The Weerde: Book 2'' (1993). New York: Roc Books. With Mary Gentle.

Edited non-fiction

*''Reading the Vampire Slayer - The New, Updated Unofficial Guide to Buffy and

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' (2001). London:

Tauris Parke Paperbacks I.B. Tauris is an educational publishing house and imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. It was an independent publishing house with offices in London and New York City until its purchase in May 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing. It specialises in non- ...

. *''From Alien to

the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

: Reading Science Fiction Film'' (2005). London:

I.B. Tauris I.B. Tauris is an educational publishing house and imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. It was an independent publishing house with offices in London and New York City until its purchase in May 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing. It specialises in non- ...

. *''Superheroes!: Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films'' (2006). London: I.B. Tauris. *''Teen Dreams: Reading Teen Film and Television from 'Heathers' to 'Veronica Mars (2006). London: I.B. Tauris. *''Battlestar Galactica: Investigating Flesh, Spirit, and Steel'' (2010). London: I.B. Tauris. With Jennifer Stoy. *''Nip/Tuck: Television That Gets Under Your Skin'' (2011). London: I.B. Tauris. With Jennifer Stoy.

Other published work

* Introduction to ''Scratch Monkey'' by

Charles Stross Charles David George "Charlie" Stross (born 18 October 1964) is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy. Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Between 1994 and 2004, he was also an active writer for the magazine ' ...

(1993, introduction 2011). Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press.

References

External links

*
Official website
*
SF Encyclopaedia Entry Meta Magazine launch announcement
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaveney, Roz 1949 births Living people 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British novelists 21st-century British women writers Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford British agnostics British book editors British fantasy writers British film critics British science fiction writers British women poets British women journalists British women novelists British LGBTQ journalists British LGBTQ novelists British LGBTQ poets British transgender women Lambda Literary Award winners Science fiction editors Transfeminists Transgender rights activists Transgender women writers Transgender journalists Transgender novelists Transgender poets British transgender writers British women film critics British women science fiction and fantasy writers Gay Liberation Front members