Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
When Joanna Russ was an undergrad at Cornell University, she studied with Vladimir Nabokov, the man who penned the controversial Lolita. (Source.)
Richard T. Foster's "Round House" isn't just an architectural marvel; it may also have inspired Jael's "old round lollipop-on-a-stick" (8.9.1). (Source.)
Before The Female Man came out in print, Russ published a short story called "When It Changed," which also takes place on Whileaway. The story brought Russ some serious recognition. In 1973 it won a Nebula Award and was nominated for the Locus Award and Hugo Award, too. And when The Female Man won a retrospective James Tiptree, Jr. Award in 1995, "When It Changed" was given one too. Those are some serious props, gang. (Source.)
Russ once penned a screenplay for a little-known television series called The Hidden Room. The show starred Canadian-born Mimi Kuzyk and, by the sounds of things, must have been a little like Are You Afraid of the Dark?. (Source.)