Marilyn Sides
Senior Lecturer in English
Teaching focuses on creative writing, mainly fiction and travel writing.
My teaching ranges from creative writing (fiction and travel writing) to the study of and critical writing about literature, both poetry and fiction. My first published story, "The Island of the Mapmaker's Wife," appeared in the 1990 O. Henry Prize Stories collection. A collection of stories, The Island of the Mapmaker's Wife and Other Tales, appeared in 1996 (Harmony) and my first novel, The Genius of Affection (Harmony) was published in August 1999.
Education
- B.A., University of Utah
- M.A., University of Utah
- Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Current and upcoming courses
Weird Fiction
WRIT150
When fiction blurs or crosses the line between our "real" world and "other worlds," the reader (as well as the narrator or main character) has entered the realm of "weird fiction," a genre that (broadly interpreted) contains "horror," "fairy tale," "science fiction," and "magical realism." We will read, write about, and write some of our own "weird" short stories by twentieth-century and twenty-first writers from all over the world.
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Women* Write Weird Fiction
ENG119
From the mid-20th century to 2021, women writers have been major players globally in the upsurge of what is now referred to as speculative fiction--a literary supergenre or umbrella term for a spectrum of “what if” fictions: fairy tale, science fiction, horror, dystopian, magic realism, surrealism, fantasy. We will explore together short stories and novels written in the last four decades. Class discussions will aim at interpretation and appreciation of these peculiar and powerful literary texts as well as reflection on their particular historical and cultural context.In particular, we will be curious about how these authors play with a spectrum of gender - in their own lives and in their writing. The texts include fiction written in English and fiction translated into English; we will address the issue of reading works in translation. Speakers and students of languages other than English, are encouraged to offer their insights into the necessary friction between an original text and its English translation.. Among the authors to be read: Octavia Butler, Nnedi Okorafor, N.K. Jemisin, Samanta Schweblin, Ursula Le Guin, Basma Abdel Aziz, Eden Robinson, Vandana Singh. Fulfills the Diversity of Literatures in English requirement. (CPLT 119 and ENG 119 are cross-listed courses.)