Tag Archives: stories

Stories about the stories behind the stories…

Posted on 14 July 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

It’s Hugo voting time!  Last year, my partner and I added Worldcon to our annual calendars, and that means we get to vote for the Hugos, the prestigious awards for the best new works in science fiction and fantasy.  We … Continue reading →

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Summertime thoughts on Star Trek, Santa Claus, and God

Posted on 22 June 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

An old friend, someone whom I like and respect, recently told me they hated something I wrote.  I believe he was sincere in what he had to say.  And although I was startled to read his email, I am also … Continue reading →

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A bigger “we”?  Humanity as a group, not a category

Posted on 14 February 2026 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Lately I’ve been pondering the notes I have for Chapter 3 of my current work-in-progress, and I think I’ve had an interesting insight.  In this blog, I usually write about “societal meta-narratives,” the background “stories” (really just story-like frameworks) for … Continue reading →

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If only we had elves (or timelords)…

Posted on 25 November 2025 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

One of my favorite things is making fun connections between the things I’m watching and reading, and this past week has been great for that.  I’ll start with Brigands & Breadknives, the third in a series by Travis Baldree.  His … Continue reading →

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Why horror?

Posted on 31 October 2025 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

October is a great month for spooky reading!  I decided to pass on our online book club’s selection this month, Dracula, as I’ve already read it many, many times.  Instead, it seemed like a great opportunity to finally tackle The … Continue reading →

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The retconning of America

Posted on 13 October 2025 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

This past weekend, it was great fun to discover that the bookstore clerk-owner I know as “Steve at Tsunami” has written a new book!  It’s a fun book, too, a Jungian look at Star Wars, and on Saturday we attended … Continue reading →

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Doomed to keep learning the same lessons?

Posted on 19 October 2024 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

So there’s this novel. I haven’t read it myself, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to identify it – but it was written by an Oregon-born author, published in 2020, became a best-seller, and won awards. Many people love … Continue reading →

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Why do we have “human rights”?

Posted on 21 November 2023 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Where did we get the idea that all people, not just those most like ourselves, should have basic, fundamental, “self-evident” rights? The historian Lynn Hunt has a theory – she credits the novelist Samuel Richardson. In her book, Inventing Human … Continue reading →

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Shocked by Mary Shelley

Posted on 31 October 2023 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Until this month, I had never read Frankenstein. I always thought that I had, but, nope. Dracula is another matter – I bought my first copy from the Scholastic Book Club in sixth grade, and my life revolved around it … Continue reading →

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Living in suspense

Posted on 9 May 2023 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

A few weeks ago, I was eagerly awaiting the final episode of Sanditon. It was a Masterpiece Theater series based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel of the same name – she’d introduced the characters and the setting, but didn’t live … Continue reading →

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