Dear Colleagues,

You are invited to submit a paper for possible inclusion in a Special Issue of Literature (ISSN: 2410-9789) entitled “American Sci-Fi”. Literature is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on literature and cultural studies published quarterly online by MDPI. The journal welcomes original research articles and reviews. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a platform for science fiction afficianados to present new research and insights into a ever-evolving genre with increasingly significant socio-cultural impacts. The theme is intentionally broad and open-ended, with potential research areas noted below.

Science fiction has become one of the most popular and influential genres of literature. It affects real-world innovations, approaches, and reactions to scientific and technological advancement (and/or regression). While the genre is prevalent globally, the American science fiction subgenre reflects not only what it means to be human but what it means to be American (or not), to live in America (or not), and to compete and/or collaborate with America. For example, American sci-fi is more likely than Japanese sci-fi or manga to represent robots as evil. Why? How did the “evil robot” narrative develop in American sci-fi, and what narrative counterpart developed in Japan? How have those narratives influenced cultural views on robots?

This Special Issue aims to explore the evolution of American science fiction and the impact it has had and continues to have on readers. The goal is to have a collection of at least 10 articles, and the Special Issue may be printed in book form if this number is reached.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Proto-American sci-fi (Hawthorne, Poe, Twain, Melville, Bierce, and more)
• “Dime novels” of the 1860s–1870s
• “Pulp” sci-fi of the late 1800s (Burroughs, Merritt, etc.)
• Space opera
• American “New Wave” sci-fi (mid 1960s–mid-1980s)
• Cyberpunk and/or steampunk
• Modernist influences (and/or challenges or subversions of them)
• Dystopian/apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic literature
• Examinations of the “other” (aliens, robots, AI, etc.)
• Themes/tropes particularly prevalent in—or missing from—American sci-fi
• Political/military sci-fi
• Social criticism/commentary (racism, sexism, xenophobia, imperialism, etc.)
• Human evolution
• Space exploration/colonization
• Parallel universes/alternate worlds
• Relationships between sci-fi and historical/cultural events

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editor (jrenstro@bu.edu). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

• Abstract submission deadline: 15 December 2022
• Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15 July 2023

Joelle Renstrom
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Literature is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• science fiction
• sci-fi
• speculative fiction
• new wave
• cyberpunk
• dystopia
• robots
• aliens
• technology
• SFF