For the last two years, I have had my head down on some big editing projects. In 2021, I received invitations to submit a few book proposals to academic publishers, and now I’m happy to say that 2023 promises to be a big year for publications for me.
And the first resulting book has now arrived! My good friend, teacher and one of my partners in editing, Amy H. Sturgis (visit her website here) and I are proud to announce that our first co-edited volume, Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier is now published by Vernon Press! The book is available at the publisher’s website here, on Amazon, and other places academic books are sold.
Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier is a scholarly anthology of essays that “explore Star Trek from its debut in 1966 to its current incarnations, consider its implications for and collaborations with fandom, and trace its ideas and meanings across series, media, and time” (from the book’s introduction, by the editors). Scholars from all over the world contributed excellent chapters to this volume, and each chapter was rigorously peer-reviewed, a painstaking process that promotes quality and thoroughness in scholarly writing. Above all, this book both represents and furthers the ongoing conversation among academics and fans about Star Trek: a long-loved franchise that, as it enters the streaming era, continues to “boldly go,” exploring and testing our ideas and assumptions, our expectations and our anxieties about the future, technology, the environment and what it means to be human. And so much more!
This is an academic volume, published by an academic press, so the price point is high, as books go ($87 for the hardcover; keep in mind the target consumer here is often academic libraries). However, Vernon Press is offering a 24% “new release” discount for a limited time; use code CFC10822213C4 at check out. If you are affiliated with an academic institution, please ask your academic library to purchase a copy. We’d appreciate it, and you’ll love having access to this important contribution to Trek scholarship.
Stay tuned: Amy Sturgis and I have another anthology waiting in the wings. Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away is expected from Vernon Press later this year. In addition, my Potterversity partner Katy McDaniel and I will have another scholarly collection of essays to present in 2023 as well, this one published by McFarland Books.
But right now, it’s time to celebrate Trek. What’s your favorite Star Trek show or film? Leave a comment below telling us which and why. (It’s hard to choose for me, but right now I’m devouring Voyager and loving every moment. Favorite characters are Chakotay and Seven of Nine.)