Russell Davis, author, editor, and recent President elect of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, kindly gave SpaceWesterns.com an interview. — ed, N.E. Lilly

Russell Davis is the author of more than a dozen novels, forty short stories and a handful of poems. He’s been the editor or co-editor of numerous novels and anthology titles in every fiction genre published today. His most recent anthology title is Lost Trails and his next anthology is Ghost Towns of the American West. He is an active member of both the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the Western Writers of America, and has served both the Science Fiction and Western writer’s communities in positions ranging from the Western Regional Director for SFWA, to acting as a judge for the Spur Awards and the Western Heritage Awards. In 2008 he was elected to the office of SFWA President.

You can discover even more about Russell Davis and his work at westernsensibility.blogspot.com.

  1. Introduction by N.E. Lilly
  2. (00:54) When did you begin writing?
  3. (01:33) How did you get involved with the Science Fiction genre?
  4. (02:20) How did you get involved in publishing?
  5. (03:37) What was your first introduction to Space Westerns?
  6. (04:51) How do you define “Science Fiction”?
  7. (06:30) How do you define “Western”?
  8. (08:24) How do you define “Space Western”?
  9. (09:36) How has your interest in Westerns influenced your Science Fiction writing?
  10. (10:34) You’ve been quoted as saying: “The Western isn’t gone… it’s changing and evolving.” How do you think Space Westerns fall into this?
  11. (12:15) Time and time again both the Western and the Science Fiction genres have been declared dead or dying. What is your outlook on this?
  12. (15:37) Ridley Scott recently said in an article on the Times Online that Science Fiction is as dead as Westerns. What is your response to that?
  13. (17:37) On your blog Westerns for Today you wrote an article entitled “How the West was Lost & How We Can Find it Again” that cites three key problems of Western genre publishing (focusing on the past of the genre, apathy, and resistance to change) and covers six points that the WWA should follow to help the Western genre be more relevant to modern readers. How much of this do you think applies to Science Fiction as well?
  14. (24:42) What do you think the attraction is to Space Westerns?
  15. (27:28) Can you tell me more about the “Read the West” program?
  16. (29:10) Can you let me in on any exclusive information, unknown insights, or trade secrets?
  17. (31:58) What else can we expect to see from you in the near future?

Nathan E. Lilly is the editor-in-chief of SpaceWesterns.com and a man who wears many hats.

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