Steampunk Month on Tor.com

If you’ve cleaned your goggles this morning, you may have noticed something a little different about Tor.com. Namely, there’s a shiny new logo and masthead at the top of this page. The fancy duds mark an exciting development for our little website: October 2009 is Steampunk Month on Tor.com.

I have a strong suspicion that this pronouncement has prompted some of our readers to sigh, “Steampunk! That’s so [1987/1990/2008]!” But there are just as certainly others who are saying, “Steampunk? What the heck is steampunk?” There’s no simple definition that works for everyone—at our staff meeting the other day, we wound up reverting to that old saw about pornography—but I usually start off with something along the lines of “a Victorian-influenced speculative fiction subgenre set in a world where steam power is still in common use; and the aesthetic derived thereof.” But for the full story, I strongly recommend you to Cherie Priest’s formidable “Steampunk FAQ.”

One thing that almost everyone can agree on is that steampunk is really damn cool. So cool, in fact, that a half-joking suggestion at a meeting several months ago has turned into one of the biggest events in Tor.com’s history, incorporating nearly a dozen new bloggers, original fiction, scads of giveaways, and So. Much. More.

Here’s a list of just some of the things in store during Steampunk Month:

• Musings on the genre from a host of esteemed guest bloggers, including G. D. Falksen, Stefania Forlini, Lev Grossman, Jah’Meia, Jay Lake, George Mann, Joe Monti, Cherie Priest, Ann VanderMeer, and Jeff VanderMeer, as well as steampunk posts from many of our regular bloggers.
• Original steampunk (and steampunk-esque) fiction from Eileen Gunn & Michael Swanwick and G. D. Falksen, plus a rarely-seen comic by Sydney Padua of “The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage” fame.
• Coverage of the steampunk exhibit at Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science, Steamcon (Seattle’s first Steampunk convention), and the Brooklyn Indie Market Steampunk II event.
• Interviews with luminaries such as Tim Powers, Scott Westerfeld, and Keith Thompson.
• Process posts from steampunk writers, artists, designers, costumers, and tinkerers.
• Articles on and reviews of new, upcoming, and classic books/movies/etc., including Boilerplate, Candle Man, Dream of Perpetual Motion, Leviathan, and Tetsuo.
• Steampunk wallpapers!
• An absurd amount of giveaways, including books, posters, buttons, costume elements, and gadgets.

Here’s a running tab of what’s already been posted:

10/1: “Steampunk Month on Tor.com” (this post) by Liz Gorinsky

10/1: “Interview with Steamcon Vice Chair Diana Vick” by Jason Henninger

10/1: “Has Anybody Seen the Bridge? George Mann’s The Affinity Bridge” by Lou Anders

10/1: “How Stubby, the Tor.com rocket, became the H.M.S. Stubbington” by Irene Gallo

10/2: “Hello and Good Morning (Technically, Here in West Coast Time)” by Cherie Priest

10/2: “The Post-Modernity of Steampunk” by Jaymee Goh

10/3: “Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Steampunk Edition: ‘Jasper Morello,’ ‘The Aeronaut,’ and ‘The Gentleman’s Duel’” by Irene Gallo

10/5: “The world is not enough...but it is such a perfect place to start” by G. D. Falksen

10/5: “What's the Soundtrack of Steampunk?” by Brian Slattery

10/6: STORY: “Zeppelin City” by Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn, illustrated by Benjamin Carre

10/6: “The art of Leviathan, part 1: An interview with Scott Westerfeld” by Irene Gallo

10/6: “Steampunk as Subculture” by Jaymee Goh

10/6: “Announcing Discounts on the Tor.com Store for Steampunk Month!” by Pablo Defendini

10/7: “Prescription: Zombies” by Cherie Priest

10/7: “Four Reasons to Watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” by Genevive Valentine

10/7: “Steampunk 101” by G. D. Falksen

10/8: “The Past (and Future) of Steampunk Music” by Joshua Pfeiffer

10/8: “Steampunk Gaming: Getting in the Mood” by David Pucik

10/9: “No Elitism Please, We’re Steampunk” by Jaymee Goh

10/11: “Steampunk Plot Bunnies for Adoption” by Jaymee Goh

10/12: “In An Alternate World, I Could be ‘Cosmic Goddess’” by Jaymee Goh

10/12: “The art of Leviathan, part two: Interview with Keith Thompson” by Irene Gallo

10/12: “All this stuff totally happened (except for how it didn’t)” by Cherie Priest

10/12: “A Few of My Favorite Things: Top Steampunk Media” by Joshua Pfeiffer

10/13: “Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan” by Megan Messinger

10/13: “An Interview with James Ng” by Jaymee Goh

10/13: “Get Your Steam On: Steampunk Events the World Over” by Liz Gorinsky

10/13: “Tor.com’s Steampunk Meetup” by Management Services

10/13: “Steampunk goes viral: Riese the Webseries” by John Ottinger III

10/13: “Steampunk has taken over Oxford” by Evelyn kriete

10/14: “The Steampunk Office” by G. D. Falksen

10/14: “Living the Vita Steampunk: Whisper Merlot” by Jaymee Goh

10/12: “How to steam up your old goth wardrobe” by Cherie Priest

10/15: “Lovelace and Babbage at the Museum of the History of Science” by Management Services

10/16: “An Ode to Lady Ada” by Jaymee Goh

10/16: “Gears Good Enough to Eat” by Megan Messinger

10/16: “The Revolution Will Not be Telegraphed: The Sociopolitical side of Steampunk” by Joshua Pfeiffer

10/19: “There is Totally Punk in Steampunk” by Jaymee Goh

10/19: “Cog Ex Machina” by Lou Anders

10/20: STORY: “The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday” by G. D. Falksen, illustrated by David Malki

10/20: “Wallpaper giveaway: Eric Freitas” by Irene Gallo

10/21: “Steampunk Needs a Shot of—Wait for It—Romance” by Heather Massey

10/21: “Catching Up With Steampunk Artist Dan Hillier” by Geoffrey H Goodwin

10/21: “Everybody Line Up!: Berít New York” by Jaymee Goh

10/22: “Wallpaper giveaway: Thom Tenery” by Irene Gallo

10/23: “Tor.com Announces the Steampunk Month Photo Contest!” by Liz Gorinsky

10/23: “Crafting the Continuum Bracelet: A DIY How-To” by Chrononaut Mercantile

10/23: “New Lit! About Sir Thomas Riley” by Jaymee Goh

10/25: “A New Car With Some Old-Fashioned Hardware” by Megan Messinger

10/26: “Steampunk Wardrobe Customizations for the Lazy, the Poor, or the Crafty” by Cherie Priest

10/26: “Speed Weed Comes Clean: Steampunk and NCIS: Los Angeles” by Jeff VanderMeer

10/26: “Experiments in Comics with Sydney Padua” by Jaymee Goh

10/26: “The Steampunk Bible Wants You!” by Pablo Defendini

10/27: “The Roundtable of DOO- I mean, of Race and Steampunk” by Jaymee Goh

10/27: “Wallpaper giveaway: Jon Foster and Boneshaker” by Irene Gallo

10/28: “Gogglicious: A Steamcon Report” by Jason Henninger

10/28: “Steampunk Blogging, aka Tit-Tat” by G. D. Falksen

10/28: “The Steampunk Cold War, Part One: The Pax Europaea, or, ‘Tommy’s got my bank account, Ivan’s got the bomb’” by G. D. Falksen

10/28: “With this Steam-Powered Prosthetic Arm, I Could Be As Strong as...a Normal Person” by Jaymee Goh

10/28: “Can Dirigibles Slouch Along? Can They Saunter?” by Jeff VanderMeer and Ann VanderMeer

10/28: “The Brooklyn Indie Market goes Steampunk” by Genevive Valentine

10/28: “Bioshock: Social Sci-Fi in a Steampunk Veneer?” by David Pucik

10/29: “How to Convert an Ordinary Suit Coat into a Tail Coat” by Evelyn kriete

10/29: “It's the Great Pumpkin, And It's Going to Eat You” by Megan Messinger

10/29: “The Steampunk Cold War, Part Two: The Great Game, or ‘the British are still in Afghanistan’” by G. D. Falksen

10/29: “Making the Tor.com Steampunk Month letterpress poster” by Irene Gallo

10/29: “Wallpaper giveaway: Gregory Manchess” by Irene Gallo

10/29: “A Moment for My DIY Peers” by Jaymee Goh

10/19: “Was Poe Steampunk?” by S. J. Chambers

10/30: “Wallpaper giveaway: H.M.S. Stubbington” by Irene Gallo

10/30: “The Steampunk Cold War, Part Three: The Dreadnought Arms Race, or ‘Kaiser Wilhelm gets a boat’” by G. D. Falksen

10/30: “Return to the Written Word” by Jaymee Goh

10/30: “An Interview with Scott Westerfeld on Barking Spiders, Steampunk, and All Things Leviathan” by Joe Monti

10/31: “Steampunk anime: Steamboy” by Eugene Myers

10/31: “The Steampunk Cold War, Part Four: Alliances of Convenience, or ‘Autocracy is like democracy if you say it in Russian’” by G. D. Falksen

10/31: “Thanks To All At Once, and To Each One” by Management Services

Giveaways

10/1: “George Mann’s The Affinity Bridge Giveaway!” by Torie Atkinson

10/7: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Filigree Clockwork Ring” by Torie Atkinson

10/9: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker” by Torie Atkinson

10/19: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Jeweled Windup Bird Ring” by Torie Atkinson

10/20: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: James Blaylock’s The Ebb Tide” by Torie Atkinson

10/21: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Modded Book Locket Necklace” by Torie Atkinson

10/22: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Kage Baker’s The Women of Nell Gwynne’s” by Torie Atkinson

10/23: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Chet Phillips’ Steampunk Monkey Cards” by Torie Atkinson

10/26: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Socks from Sock Dreams!” by Torie Atkinson

10/27: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: $40 Gift Certificate to Retroscope Fashions” by Torie Atkinson

10/27: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Stephen Hunt’s The Court of the Air and The Kingdom Beyond the Waves” by Torie Atkinson

10/28: “Steampunk Blogging: tit-tat for a giveaway!” by Torie Atkinson

10/28: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Antique Watchwork Swarovski Crystal Pendant” by Torie Atkinson

10/29: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Sweet Libertine Set of Eyeshadows” by Torie Atkinson

10/29: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Jay Lake’s Mainspring and Escapement” by Torie Atkinson

10/30: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Steampunk Keyhole Plate Pendant” by Torie Atkinson

10/31: “Steampunk Month Giveaway: Jeweled Spider Brooch” by Torie Atkinson

Finally, lest you think we’ve just caught on to this whole steampunk craze, here are some highlights from Tor.com’s existing steampunk coverage:

• 10/10/09: “Review: Shane Acker’s 9” by Bridget McGovern
• 8/7/09: “Steampunk novellas from Kage Baker and James P. Blaylock” by Mark Graham
• 7/9/09: “Steampunk Tales: More fiction for the iPhone Crowd” by Rajan Khanna
• 5/20/09: “SF Theater: Futurity” by Megan Messinger
• 3/8/09: “CG Society Steampunk Myths & Legends winners announced” by Irene Gallo
• 1/20/09: “CG Society’s Steampunk Challenge” by Irene Gallo
• 12/31/08: “The Shattered Teacup” by Lou Anders
• 12/18/08: “The Oldest Computer in the World (That’s Not My Desktop)” by Genevieve Valentine
• 11/15/08: “Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello and World War” by Irene Gallo
• 11/16/08: “We’re living the steampunk of the future” by Rowena Cherry
• 10/1/08: “Warren Ellis Talks Freakangels” by Pablo Defendini
• 9/13/08: “Weekend Getaway: Dr. Roundbottom” by John Klima
• 8/18/08: “Eric Freitas” by Irene Gallo
• 8/17/08: “Steampunk in the Hamptons” by Irene Gallo
• 8/15/08: “Design Observer Humbugs Steampunk” by Irene Gallo

Happy Steampunk Month! Keep it brassy.

Liz Gorinsky is an editor at Tor Books. She is spending way too much time these days attempting to fine-tune her steampunk publisher costume before Steamcon.