BE Allatt

BE Allatt is an independent scholar, author, occasional film crew member, and freelance editor and proofreader who regularly contracts for a hybrid press. They hold an M.A. in Literature with a concentration in science fiction studies from Texas State University, which they earned by writing a thesis on Frank Herbert’s Dune. BE introduced the social sciences concept of mononormativity as a critical lens through which to view SFF in a chapter in the critical anthology Exploring the Fantastic: Genre, Ideology, and Popular Culture (eds. Batzke et al.), and BE’s academic track presentation on Heinleinian Non-Monogamies at the San Jose Worldcon was awarded a prize by The Heinlein Society. Currently, BE serves as Public Information Officer for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA) and as Lead Editor for At-Con Publications for Seattle Worldcon, as well as Editor-in-Chief for the Worldcon’s Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow blog. Most importantly, at least as far as the cat is concerned, BE is a dedicated servant to a bossy tuxedo cat named Eimear.

Fantastic Fiction: Washingtonian Influences in Frank Herbert’s Duniverse

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The text Fantastic Fiction against a retrofuturistic design of a rounded triangle shape with a gold swirl pattern.

Authors write what they know, and Frank Herbert was a voracious reader and lifelong learner, so naturally many of the things he explored found their way into his works. If one looks closely at the Duniverse, as seen in Frank Herbert’s Dune novels, there’s plenty of Washingtonian influences to be found in the Known Universe.

Around Seattle: Tacoma: Birthplace of Frank Herbert

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The text Around Seattle against a retrofuturistic design of a rounded triangle shape with an orangey swirl pattern.

By now, almost everyone knows something about Dune, but did you know that Dune‘s author was born just south of Seattle on October 8, 1920, in the blue-collar city of Tacoma? Here are some enjoyable things to know about, or explore in, this neighbor of Seattle—including a way the city honors one of its most famous former residents, Frank Herbert.