Sandra Miesel
{{Short description|American medievalist writer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
Sandra Louise Miesel (born Sandra Louise Schwartz on November 25, 1941) in New Orleans[https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/miesel_sandra Science Fiction Encyclopedia website] is an American medievalist, writer, editor and fiction critic. Her early work was in science fiction and fantasy criticism, while her later writings focus on religious critiques.
Writing career
Miesel was a member of science fiction fandom (a connection which sprang from a letter she had published in IF magazine{{cite web |author= |title=Catholics & Science Fiction: An Interview with Sandra Miesel |url=http://ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/smiesel_sfintervw1_mar05.asp |access-date=January 19, 2011 |website=ignatiusinsight.com |publisher=Ignatius Insight}}). She published several critical articles in the science fiction fanzine Yandro, especially on Anderson and Dickson, as well as other fanzines such as Granfalloon.
She started her career as a critic in 1970s with Myth, Symbol and Religion in The Lord of the Rings (1973 chap) on J R R Tolkien.
She was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer three times (1973, 1974 and 1975)[http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/HugoNomList.html Hugo Nominees Database] and had two monographs published by Fannish small presses: Myth, Symbol and Religion in The Lord of the Rings (T-K Graphics, 1973) and Against Time's Arrow: The High Crusade of Poul Anderson (Borgo Press, 1978).Reid, Robin Anne. Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy: Volume 1: Overviews Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2009; p. 284
Miesel has written many articles for the Catholic press, chiefly focusing on history, art, and hagiography. She wrote regularly for the Crisis Catholic magazine and is a columnist for the diocesan paper of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut.
Miesel is also a public speaker, having spoken at religious and academic conferences, appeared on EWTN, and given numerous radio interviews.
Highlighted works
Miesel has co-authored, The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code, with Carl E. Olson. This is a detailed critique of the popular novel based on her knowledge of Catholic history and teachings.
She is also the co-author of The Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy with Catholic journalist and canon lawyer Pete Vere. The book, published by Ignatius Press, offers a detailed critique of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy from a Catholic point of view.{{cite web |url=http://www.AtheismForChildren.com/ |title=Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy |author=Miesel, Sandra and Pete Vere |work=www.AtheismForChildren.com |publisher=Ignatius Press |access-date=October 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516115712/http://www.atheismforchildren.com/ |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}
Personal life
Miesel holds master's degrees in biochemistry and medieval history from the University of Illinois. She lives in the Indianapolis, Indiana area.[http://efanzines.com/CPG/CPG01.pdf Burton, David. "'Credentials?' We Don't Need No Stinkin' Credentials" Catchpenny Gazette #1 (February 2004), p. 2] She was married to John Miesel for 42 years until his death in 2006.[http://www.sfsite.com/vault/news0609.htm Silver, Steven H. "News: Obituary" SF Site September 2006]
Selected works
=Fiction=
- {{cite book|author=Miesel, Sandra|title=Shaman|publisher=Baen|year=1989|isbn=0-671-69844-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/shaman00mies}} Speculative fiction. An earlier version was published as Dreamrider (Ace Books, 1982).
=Non-fiction=
- {{cite book|author=Miesel, Sandra | title=Myth, Symbol, and Religion in The Lord of the Rings|publisher=T-K Graphics|year=1973|id=OCLC: 1242807 }}
- {{cite book|author=Miesel, Sandra |title=Against Time's Arrow: The High Crusade of Poul Anderson|publisher=Borgo Press|year=1978|isbn=0-89370-124-6}}
- "The Fan As Critic" in Science fiction fandom Joe Sanders, ed. (Contributions to the study of science fiction and fantasy, no. 62) Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994. {{ISBN|0-313-23380-2}}
- {{cite book|author=Olson, Carl E. |author2=Sandra Miesel|title=The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code | publisher=Ignatius Press|year=2004|isbn=1-58617-034-1}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- [http://ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/smiesel_sfintervw1_mar05.asp Catholics and Science Fiction], a short interview between Miesel and Ignatius Press.
- {{isfdb name|id=Sandra_Miesel|name=Sandra Miesel}}
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Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers
Category:20th-century American novelists
Category:20th-century American short story writers
Category:20th-century American women journalists
Category:20th-century American women writers
Category:20th-century Roman Catholics
Category:21st-century Roman Catholics
Category:American fantasy writers
Category:American Roman Catholic writers
Category:American science fiction writers
Category:American women literary critics
Category:American women medievalists
Category:American medievalists
Category:American women novelists
Category:American women science fiction and fantasy writers