Gender Warriors take over Elliott Bay Bookstore

A full house of feminists and gender warriors attended the release party of a new biography of James Tiptree Jr. at the Elliott Bay Bookstore Tuesday night. Julie Phillips is the author of James Tiptree Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon, an examination of a remarkable woman who wrote genderbending science fiction stories while leading, in effect, a double life. Writing as James Tiptree, Jr., she led editors and readers alike to believe that she was a man for ten years. Robert Silverberg famously wrote an introduction to an anthology of her work in which he dismissed rumors about Tiptree's gender because of the 'ineluctably masculine' nature of 'his' writing. Soon afterward, Tiptree was revealed to be 'an old lady in Virginia' named Alice Sheldon.

In the years since her spectacularly odd death (a murder-suicide), Tiptree has become something of a feminist icon. The Tiptree Award, funded by bake sales, recognizes works of "science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender."

Phillips read several passages from the book highlighting some of the more colorful incidents in Tiptree's life: childhood safaris in Africa, an elopement the night of her debut party, and a career with the CIA. She expressed surprise at the big turn-out, and confessed to being a former Elliott Bay employee; for four weeks many years ago, she wrapped Christmas gifts. It's good to know that there's life after temp jobs.