Membership

Joining the Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) brings more than just membership in the oldest professional organization for the study of science fiction and fantasy literature and film. Whether you choose to participate in our annual conference or exchange ideas via our Listserv, membership in the SFRA will allow you to engage like-minded scholars, writers, teachers, and enthusiasts all over the world.

Our current roster includes students, teachers, professors, writers, librarians, futurologists, readers, authors, booksellers, editors, publishers, archivists and scholars in many disciplines.

Members are encouraged to vote in association elections, serve on committees, hold office, participate in conferences, and contribute to association journals and online discussions.

Please note that academic affiliation is not a requirement for membership.

Benefits

Annual Conference

All SFRA members are welcome to attend our annual conference meeting, held in a different location each year; this meeting brings science fiction and fantasy writers, scholars, critics, enthusiasts and a guest of honor together for four thought-provoking days. Whether as members or guests, attendees are encouraged to present papers, discuss common interests, and share knowledge and perspectives in a relaxed, informal environment. Several prestigious awards for achievement or service in the field are presented at the conference banquet.

Annual Directory

All members receive the SFRA Annual Directory once per year, featuring member names, contact information, and special interests.

Journals

Yearly membership entitles you to receive:

Extrapolation

Three issues per volume year.

The oldest journal in the field, with critical, historical, and bibliographical articles, book reviews, letters, occasional special topic issues, and an annual index.

Science-Fiction Studies

Three issues per volume year.

Includes critical, historical, and bibliographical articles, review articles, reviews, notes, letters, international coverage, and an annual index.

SFRAReview

Four issues per year.

Includes extensive book reviews of both non-fiction and fiction, review articles, listings of new and forthcoming books, letters, SFRA internal affairs, calls for papers, works in progress, and an annual index.

Members are also eligible to receive the following journals at discounted rates:

• Foundation, a British journal with critical historical, and bibliographical articles, reviews, and letters.
• The New York Review of Science Fiction (NYRSF), which includes reviews and features.
• FEMSPEC, an interdisciplinary feminist journal dedicated to critical and creative works in the realms of SF, fantasy, magical realism, surrealism, myth, folklore, and other supernatural genres. Irregularly published.
• JFA - Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, an interdisciplinary quarterly devoted to the study of the fantastic in Literature, Art, Drama, Film and Popular Media.
• Locus, publishes news of the Science Fiction publishing field with extensive reviews and listings of new science fiction books and magazines.

SFRA-L

SFRA-L, the association's listserv, is a collegial environment for serious discussion of science fiction in papertext, hypertext, television, and cinema. Members regularly debate issues of scholarship and interpretation, share information about their teaching and writing, and otherwise conduct both the social and intellectual work of the society. More importantly, they have fun while they're doing it.

If you wish to join the discussions and see the announcements on our list, please send your email address to the Listserv Manager, Ellen Rigsby at: erigsby AT stmarys-ca.edu

Support a Scholar program

Through this program, SFRA members help promising young scholars in North America and overseas to continue their study of science fiction and fantasy.

The Scholar Support Fund was established originally to provide SFRA memberships for worthy, financially exigent scholars living outside the US and Canada. In recent years, the fund has supported memberships for needy graduate students and faculty scholars. The Fund is donated by members of SFRA. Applications or nominations may be made to the President of SFRA.

The Executive Committee has set aside a separate fund to underwrite conference fees and provide modest travel grants for graduate students and faculty scholars presenting at the annual conference. Applications and nominations may be made to the President of SFRA.