Suzette Haden Elgin

Suzette Haden Elgin is an American science fiction author. She founded the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and is considered an important figure in the field of science fiction constructed languages. Elgin is also a linguist; she publishes non-fiction, of which the best-known is the "Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" series.

Born in 1936 in Missouri, Elgin attended the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the 1960s, and began writing science fiction in order to pay tuition. She has a Ph.D. in linguistics, and was the first UCSD student to ever write two dissertations (on English and Navajo). She created the engineered language Láadan for her "Native Tongue" science fiction series. A grammar and dictionary was published in 1985. She is a supporter of feminist science fiction, saying "women need to realize that SF is the only genre of literature in which it's possible for a writer to explore the question of what this world would be like if you could get rid of [X] , where [X] is filled in with any of the multitude of real world facts that constrain and oppress women. Women need to treasure and support science fiction." [http://www.womenwriters.net/editorials/hadenelgin.htm]

In addition, she has published works of shorter fiction. Overlying themes in her work include feminism, linguistics and the impact of language, and peaceful coexistence with nature. Many of her works also draw from her Ozark background and heritage.

Elgin became a professor at her "alma mater's" cross-town rival, San Diego State University (SDSU). She retired in 1980, and currently lives in the Ozarks in Arkansas.

Bibliography

Fiction

Coyote Jones series

*"The Communipaths" (1970)
*"Furthest" (1971)
*"At the Seventh Level" (1972)
*"Star-Anchored, Star-Angered" (1979), ISBN 0-385-13564-5
*"Yonder Comes the Other End of Time" (1986), ISBN 0-88677-110-2

The Ozark Trilogy (1981)

*"Twelve Fair Kingdoms", ISBN 0-385-15876-9
*"The Grand Jubilee", ISBN 0-385-15877-7
*"And Then There'll Be Fireworks", ISBN 0-385-15878-5

Native Tongue series

*Native Tongue (novel) (1984), ISBN 0-87997-945-3
*"The Judas Rose" (1987), ISBN 0-88677-186-2
*"Earthsong" (1993), ISBN 0-88677-592-2

Other

*"Peacetalk 101" (2003), ISBN 1-59021-030-1

hort stories

*"For the Sake of Grace" - "Fantasy & Science Fiction", 1969
*"Old Rocking Chair's Got Me" - "Fantasy & Science Fiction", 1974
*"Modulation in All Things" - "Reflections of the Future" anthology, 1975
*"Lest Levitation Come Upon Us" - "Perpetual Light" anthology, 1982 (reprinted in "" anthology, 1983)
*"Magic Granny Says Don't Meddle" - "Fantasy & Science Fiction", 1984
*"School Days" - "Light Years and Dark" anthology, 1984
*"Chico Lafleur Talks Funny" - "A Treasury of American Horror Stories", 1985
*"Lo, How an Oak E'er Blooming" - "Fantasy & Science Fiction", 1986
*"Hush My Mouth" - "Alternate Histories" anthology, 1986
*"Tornado" - "Fantasy & Science Fiction", 1989
*"What the EPA Don't Know Won't Hurt Them" - "Fantasy & Science Fiction", 1990
*"Only A Housewife" - "Fantasy & Science Fiction", 1995
*"Soulfedge Rock" - "Space Opera" anthology, 1996
*"Weather Bulletin" - 1999
*"Honor Is Golden" - "Analog", 2003
*"We Have Always Spoken Panglish" - "SciFi.com", 2004

Poetry

*"The Less Said: A Book of Poems" (1965)
*"McLuhan Transposed" - "Burning with a Vision" anthology, 1968
*"Lexical Gap" - "Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine", 1985
*"Presuppositional Ghostbusting" - "Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine", 1985
*"Rocky Road to Hoe" - "Star*Line", 1987
*"Binary Addendum" - "Star*Line", 1989

ongs (partial list)

*"Dead Skunk Song"
*"Song at the Ready"
*"When I Was a Young Girl" (lyrics only, to the tune of "The Ash Grove")
*"Where the Emerald Kudzu Twines"
*"The World They Call Terra"
*"Down In Holes" (lyrics only, to the tune of "Frère Jacques")
*"The Firelizard Song"

Non-Fiction

The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense

*"The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" (1980), ISBN 0-13-351080-8
*"More on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" (1983), ISBN 0-13-601120-9
*"The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense Workbook" (1987)
*"The Last Word on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" (1987), ISBN 0-13-524067-0
*"Language in Emergency Medicine" (1987), ISBN 0738812277
*"Growing Civilized Kids in a Savage World" (1989)
*"The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense for Business Success" (1989), ISBN 0-13-921032-6
*"Success with the Art of Verbal Self-Defense" (1989), ISBN 0-13-688581-0
*"Staying Well with the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" (1990), ISBN 0-13-845116-8
*"GenderSpeak" (1993), ISBN 0-471-58016-3
*"The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense" (1993), ISBN 1-56731-113-X
*"The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense Letter Book" (1993), ISBN 0-13-350422-0
*"Language in Law Enforcement" (1993), ISBN 1-878709-04-6
*"Linguistics & Science Fiction Sampler" (1994)
*"BusinessSpeak" (1995), ISBN 0-07-020000-9
*"You Can't Say That To Me!" (1995), ISBN 0-471-00399-9
*"The Gentle Art of Communicating with Kids" (1996), ISBN 0-471-03996-9
*"How to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable" (1997), ISBN 0-471-15705-8
*"How to Turn the Other Cheek and Still Survive in Today's World" (1997), ISBN 0-7852-7249-6
*"The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense at Work" (2000), ISBN 0-7352-0089-0

Other

*"A Guide to Transformational Grammar" (with John Grinder) (1973), ISBN 0-03-080126-5
*"What is Linguistics?" (1973), ISBN 0-13-952390-1
*"Bully for Us" (with John Grinder) (1974)
*"Pouring Down Words" (1975), ISBN 0-13-686857-6
*"A Primer of Transformational Grammar for Rank Beginners" (1975), ISBN 0-8141-3693-1
*"Never Mind the Trees" (1980)
*"The Great Grammar Myth" (1982)
*"A First Dictionary and Grammar of Láadan" (1985, 2nd ed. 1988), ISBN 0-9618641-0-9
*"Try to Feel It My Way" (1997), ISBN 0-471-00670-X
*"The Grandmother Principles" (1998), ISBN [http://www.abbeville.com/bookpage.asp?isbn=0789205858 0-7892-0431-2]
*"The Language Imperative" (2000), ISBN 0-7382-0254-1

External links

*isfdb name|id=Suzette_Haden_Elgin|name=Suzette Haden Elgin
* [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/index.html#Biography Suzette Haden Elgin's website]
* [http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=ozarque Her blog]
*Read [http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/elgin/elgin1.html "We Have Always Spoken Panglish"] online
*Read [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/Weather.html "Weather Bulletin"] online
*Read [http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/epa.htm "What the EPA Don't Know Won't Hurt Them"] online
* [http://www.filk.info/filkdb/suche_song.php?offset=0&suche=elgin database search for recordings of her songs]

Native Tongue Trilogy
Native Tongue - http://feministpress.org/book/?GCOI=55861100995090
The Judas Rose - http://feministpress.org/book/?GCOI=55861100738530
Earthsong - http://feministpress.org/book/?GCOI=55861100988010