The Evolution of the Steampunk Aesthetic

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For Your Pleasure A Letter From The Editor

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Talent Tapping: Mad-Hattery A Corset Manifesto Editor’s Choice On Steampunk Fashion A Sartorial History Notes The Early Days of Steam

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An Introduction A Night Under the Big Top Media: The Modern Marvel Inventions of Imagination On The Validity of Steampunk

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En Vogue:

Artistic Movements:

A Selection Of Entries Editorials:

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The Lady of Steampunk Ruins Reclaimed An Affair of Adventurers

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Steampunk Celebrations On Race & Steampunk Classic Confections Flights of Fancy

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Jim Butcher Wes Studi Steamgirl Kato Credits

Social Excursions:

The Players:

E D I T O R S

The Evolution of the Steampunk Aesthetic started as a dream. My love of Steampunk began in high school. As I dove further into the deep end, I encountered more people who often asked, “Steam-what?”

This is for the friends and family of a Steampunk, as well as the generally curious.

Dive into the discussion of what Steampunk is, and isn’t, where it came from, why it isn’t new and isn’t going anywhere, and how it serves as both, an escape from, and a mirror of, reality.

L E T T E R

What Then A A Collection C People Is Steampunk?

Steampunk is a vibrant culture of DIY crafters, writers, artists, and other creative types, each with their own slightly different answer to that question. And this difference is a good thing. Already we are seeing the cross-pollination of ideas among participants; one person creates something cool, then another takes the idea and runs perpendicularly. As each new iteration of the idea be-comes more ambitious, the mutations are delightfully limitless and unpredictable. This is how culture is formed, we contend, not by codified law or canonized text.

Take as example, if you will, when a certain Jake von Slatt entered into the field of musical kitbashing with his Steampunk Stratocaster. It featured a beautifully etched brass pickguard bearing a stunning clockwork design. Robert Brown (of the band Abney Park) modified guitarist Nathaniel Johnstone’s Ibanez RG-7620 guitar with real clock gears and antique wood trim shortly thereafter. This year, Thunder Eagle Guitars fully hacked a Rhoads Jackson V to create The Villainizer, a music machine coated in copper tubing and inlaid plasma balls. Each of these artists used similar themes and materials as a basis for their work, but the end results

were entirely inimitable.

Steampunk art is changing steampunk fashion into its own singular look, as well. Just last year many of us wore simple, sleek, purchased pocketwatches, and now people like Haruo Suekichi drive us to brainstorm and create fantastical wearable pieces that do more than basically tell time. Last year’s fashion trends amongst many emerging steampunks borrowed predominantly from neo-victorian and goth clothing, and more recently, the in-ternet has displayed steam fashion hacking at full force. Hand-drawn patterns for aprons, hats, spats, and petticoats are popping up like daisies. It is this organic process, this near-literal blossom-ing of ideas, that means that DIY maker sites like Etsy.com and train-hopping street vendors will forever be more fruitful sources of steampunk garment inspiration than Hot Topic.

Like so many subcultures before it, however, steampunk is beginning to go through some growing pains.

Ought our mini-societies exist as mere spin-offs from the mainstream, our social interactions functioning in much the same manner? For better or worse, we have been socially conditioned and the behaviors ingrained

by the mainstream spill over into our proverbial steampunk creek. Many people who are beginning to define themselves as steampunk tend to behave in a fashion that mirrors our icy and judgmental outer world. Elitism and exclusion are two devilish habits that no one knows how to break, particularly on the internet, where steampunk currently flourishes. Even online, we are not mere faceless avatars—as commonplace behavior on message boards and blogs seems to assume—but creatures of flesh, blood, and emotion. Why do we seem to have this nagging desire to define this culture in terms of yes or no, black or white? What is steampunk? What isn’t steampunk? Why do we keep asking this question of ourselves?

In long, looping threads, people attempt to set the boundaries of some steampunk nation.

We believe it is a constructive, curious urge that drives individuals to interrogate steampunk. Steampunk should definitely be questioned, but it should not be systematically restricted. Steampunk is not a pure notion; its inherent mutability and organic inclinations are what keep it beautiful and inviting. When an outsider inquires “What is steampunk?” of an insider, it is the insider’s duty to the nature of steampunk to speak in terms that are descriptive rather than definitive. Steampunk can blur into clockpunk can blur into sandalpunk can blur into biopunk can blur into goth can blur into punk can blur into metal, and nobody needs to get hurt in the process!

Certainly, we may refine of the idea of steampunk, but we ought not build our own cages. Indubitably, some of steampunk’s natural vagueness can be attributed to the fact that it has only recently organized itself subculturally and as of yet there are no serious rules, but it is also intrinsically whimsical. It is fantasy made real.

The main problem with fixating on what isn’t Steampunk is that the constant nitpicking hinders unbridled creativity. We begin to lock ourselves in brass boxes of homogenized, pre-packaged aesthetic. Steampunk loses its rusty allure when it becomes simple. A major reason

as to why steampunk is happening and is necessary right here, right now, is because there is a desper-ate need to revive the DIY in a time of ossified, shattered, banal iPod culture. ...

It’s also been said, “those who say it can’t be done need to get out of the way of those who are doing it.” The internet is a powerful communication tool for us as an international culture, but the internet isn’t our culture; our culture is in garage laboratories, on our easels, in our quills, typewriters, and word processors. Our culture is on the streets, in clubs, on city rooftops, in suburban parlors.

There will always be the folks who will see steampunk as a successful lifestyle when they can easily buy their faux-vintage goggles and toppers at the mall, and there will be those people who don’t want to actually work at this, and it will be spirit-dampening. We will press on. We will not back down in fear of judgment or fear of being just plain silly. We will not allow the naysayers to terminate our imaginations.

Banter, debate, and disagreement are certainly encouraged—lest us be a culture of mindless say-nothings!—but so is a tip of your hat when you see a fellow steampunk on the street or at a club. “My,” you may think, “I was the first to don a top hat in this town!” But does this give you right to lambaste your fellow, who was so clearly inspired by your bold act? These times in which we wish we did not live in are cruel; let us not be so.

We leave you with a quote from Jake Von Slatt: “Last year I scribbled a multi-page ‘Steampunk Manifesto’ in a moleskine notebook. The exercise was valuable in that it got it out of my system, and I lost the urge to pursue it further: Is light a particle or a wave? I don’t really care, but I love the way it shines through your hair...”

On Steampunk Fashion

Illustrated by Colin Foran “Dear Locus, Enclosed is a copy of my 1979 novel Morlock Night; I’d appreciate your being so good as to route it Faren Miller, as it’s a prime piece of evidence in the great debate as to who in “the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter fantasy triumvirate” was writing in the “gonzo-historical manner” first.

Though of course, I did find her review in the March Locus to be quite flattering.

Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like ‘steam-punks’, perhaps.

—K.W. Jeter”

A Sartorial History Kaitlin W. Blaylock

Steampunk can mean a lot of things, depending upon who you ask.

This subculture is most often encountered by the public when they stumble upon an unknown convention. “Steam what?” is arguably the most common question fans and lifestyle enthusiasts face. To discover where the fashion came from, understanding where the genre came from is necessary.

That letter was written by author Kevin Wayne Jeter, and published in the April 1987 Issue of Locus Magazine. This is the first time the term steampunk was ever used, as a tentative suggestion to set the works of three authors apart from established cyberpunk authors.

Tim Powers, J. P. Blaylock, and K. W. Jeter were the first authors of the literary genre that is steampunk. Two important distinctions are to be made here:

1) Authors and works before 1987 could not have possibly been knowingly writing Steampunk literature, firmly placing Sir Arther Conan Doyle and Mary Shelley and their contemporaries in Classic fiction status. They were writing in a Victorian setting because they were living in the Victorian era, not making a conscious choice.

2) The “punk” in Steampunk has no connection to the 1970s subculture personified by designers the caliber of Vivienne Westwood. The Steam refers to the steam-powered Industrial Revolution of the Victorian age, and use of Victorian is not set in stone in terms of dates, but rather used a reference point for aesthetics and social norms.

Per the G.D. Falksen website, “Steam more generally signifies a world in which steam technology is both dominant and prolific. … “punk” in the context of punk rock was the product of very specific circumstances following the Second World War, which makes it fundamentally distinct from the Victorian aesthetic that inspires steampunk.”

“The “punk” in “Steampunk” comes from going against convention that, through creativity and declaration of one’s individuality be it through style, gadgets, or attitude, sets one apart,” reads the website for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.

So, the literary genre did not exist before 1987, and it has no connection to the Punk fashion movement. Where, then, did the fashion come from? The original four novels of the genre weren’t all flash and bang with the accessories. Goggles and gadgets are sparse, but when used, are used to full advantageous character-enhancing effect.

“The look pre-dated the term,” writes William Higham for the Huff-

ington Post, UK Edition in 2011. “High tech Victoriana can be found in Disney’s ‘50s and ‘60s adaptations of Jules Verne’s Around The World In 80 Days and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, the contraptions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s Caractacus Potts, and even in our very own Bagpuss. More recently, maverick creatives like Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton and Alan Moore took up the style and made it their own, in films like Baron Munchausen and Alice In Wonderland, and comics like The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”

The fashion of Steampunk takes the very best that Victorian society has to offer. Adventurers, Military Officers, Pirates, and Lords and Ladies and Dandies. Brocade and lace, gloves and parasols, stoles and jewels, and of course a spiffy pocket watch make the ensemble all the more appealing.

But how?

“It took twenty years for “Victorian fantasies” to become “the next big thing,” but once the genre had a name it did become a small thing. Several books were published during the early nineties. I think of this as the second, or post definition, wave of steampunk. There was third wave around the year 2000,” writes librarian Johnathon Greyshade.

So the 2009 wave of couture runway shows, including Dolce & Gabbana and John Galliano, would fall into the 4th wave of Steampunk.

The 4th Wave is personified by flashy brocades and delicate laces, with fancy Mad-Hatter toppers and feather fascinators.

The first edition book covers of The Steampunk Chronicles series by authoress Kady Cross are prime examples of the fashion of the 4th Wave of Steampunk. While the series is Young Adult fiction, the Steampunk elements in the storyline are a bit contrived and unmistakable. Velocycles for the modern motorcycle, the Aethernet for the modern Internet, and the Thinking Engine used to access the Aethernet mirrors the modern personal computer.

Steamgirl Kato was the first mainstream Steampunk fashion model, and is an icon to the subculture. She was a main judge on the Game Show Network’s competition design show “Steampunk’d” and continues to push the genre to its creative limits. As a lifestyle choice, Steampunk appeals to thousands of people worldwide looking for a more courteously structured world in which the limit is a blending of science and creativity as far as your mind can take you. Fairytales, comics, and other popular stories from television to gaming can take on a new skin in Steampunk clothing, because “being normal is vastly overrated,” said Agatha Cromwell in the Disney Channel Original Movie Halloweentown.

Notes

The goggles...everybody asks about the goggles. Possibly no more I. than a way of getting a leather-’n’-brass fetish right up there on the face, where everybody can see it, first thing. But maybe more the rest of a styling steampunk ensemble might take a little while to be fully absorbed into the mundane observers’ consciousness, but hit them right off the bat with either those perfectly circular optometrist-escapee lenses, with their disquieting mad scientist associations - yes, its come to this; you’re not only unhip, not caught up with this whole steampunk mishegas that has started bubbling up through the pages of the New York Times and the slick, glossy fashion magazines, but now you’re being examined like a not-particularly-interesting bug under a microsope - or those bigger teardrop-shaped jobs , perhaps with the additional glass segments at the side so they curve around the head a little bit, like something an insanely laughing terrorist-motorcyclist out of Fritz Lang’s Spione would wear while vaulting right over you, on his way to blow up whatever die Anarkisten are annoyed about today. So yes, if the un-’punked onlooker is at least a little unnerved - which of course is the intent all along, “Epater le bourgeois!” always the battlecry as the fashionistas mount the downtown barricades then fine, mission accomplished. There’s that whiff of incipient violence that comes with accessorizing oldschool military gear. Or if not violence, then at least action, more or less the same thing. Even with the goggles pushed up to the ribbon band of a stylishly furry top hat, the effect is as if Amelia Earhart’s adventurish great-grandmother has crashed your tea party.

The Limoges cup might be held with pinkie properly extended, but the goggled young lady is prepared for chaos. Anything could happen.

II. Anarchists, indeed. Steamp;unk fashion, with its home-grown DIY ethos, seems at least dem-

ocratic - anyone can play - but the rebellious streak goes deeper than that. Basic unwritten and unquestioned tenets are thrown out the window. The tyranny of the body type is o’erthrown, something that my way cooler and hipper wife pointed out to me. Whereas Cosplay 1.0, happily percolating and gestating away in its Asian Urgrund, was predicated on its practitioners being insanely cute, five-footnothing, ninety-five-pound Japanese teenage girls, working out their manga fixations in some public park in Tokyo, steampunk lays down no such strictures. Everybody looks good in it. To the degree that there are strictures, they’re of the corset-’n’-laces variety, Scarlett O’Hara’s holding-on-to-the-bedpost undergarment all kinked out now in studs and glossy black leather. Which is, of course, a look that requires a certain degree of what politcally incorrect admirers of the female form would once have rudely described as “meat on the bone.” If those clods aren’t saying that now, it’s because they’ve discovered along with other men that they can get in on the action as well, be they whippet thin or sturdy as an ox, or even several oxen combined.

Bristly tweeds and Dr. Watson-ish waistcoats slung with chains heavy enough to pull the Queen Mary to port- it all fits the steampunk aesthetic. Why should the girls have all the fun?

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III.

But even as we try to put our finger upon it and say, This is what it is - it’s slithering out from under our anaylytical digit like quicksilver. If there were no prescriptive rules at the beginning of steampunk fashion, then by now there are anti-rules, a relentless push and mad rush toward mutation and a furious inventiveness. As the mode’s adherents have vaulted forward into a past that never was buth should have been, the further escape routes lie along an orthogonal axis.

Even in duller reality, there was a whole world beyond Victorian London’s cityscape. The sun might never have set on Kipling’s Empire, but in refusing to do so, it also revealed everything else that was going on at the same time. To smash history and reassemble the pieces - which is what steampunk literature attempts to do, at least some of the time leaves the prison of our hitherto stifled imagination much more fragile

than before. Anything can push its way through the hissing cracks now. If someone considers herself or himself free to dress not just anachronastically - outside of Time, as it were then it’s just as possible to dress anti-chronastically: not just outside of Time as it happened, but outside of Time as we’ve been taught it must have happened.

This is a liberating thing to bring into one’s mind.

Steampunk fashion, as a way of having fun, is all it has to be; it doesn’t need to be any deeper than that. But maybe, just maybe, it might be a little more. We don’t just look at someone wearing goggle.s; someone is looking back at us, through those lenses.

What does she see?

K. W. Jeter Ecuador 2013

H Early Days C Steam I’m no expert, but it seems to me that the core element of Steampunk is Victorian London. There have been Steampunk adventure stories set in other countries and alternate timelines and even imaginary worlds, but there’s a flavor of 19th Century London in all of the variations that I’m aware of. It’s the spidery gas-lamps illuminating patches of brickwork through trailing fog, the urban-centaur silhouette of an advancing hansom cab with hooves and wheels below and a caped figure in a bowler hat on top, and bells ringing out on a river bobbing with steam-launches and spanned by insanely intricate bridges. Figures like Sherlock Holmes, Mister Hyde, and Bill Sykes are so strongly implied that they almost take shape in these narrow alleys by spontaneous generation.

At least that’s how it looked to K.W. Jeter, James Blaylock, and me in 1976.

All three of us had graduated from CSUF, and we were trying to establish ourselves as science fiction writers. We spent many long afternoons over pitchers of beer at O’Hara’s in the Orange Circle, thinking up plots for proposed books. Jeter and I each had a couple of novels published by a Canadian company called Laser Books, and Blaylock was writing what eventually became his novel The Digging Leviathan, which in fact is a not-unsteampunk-like story about a vehicle designed to tunnel to the center of the earth. ...

Jeter had drawn the Victorian London slot, and he had written a book called Morlock Night, which was subsequently published by DAW Books in 1979 and is currently in print from a division of HarperCollins. Jeter was already familiar with a lot of Victorian writ-

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ers - William Harrison Ainsworth, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, George Gissing - and he recast the world of those writers with a science-fictional squint.

And he found, and shared with Blaylock and me, a couple of books called Mayhew’s London and London’s Underworld, both selections from the monumental three-volume London Labour and London Poor, by the journalist Henry Mayhew. Mayhew’s writings are a goldmine for anyone interested in writing about Victorian London - he described in encyclopaedic detail the secret economies and eccentric occupations - legal, extralegal, or illegal - of all the below-the-radar population, together with almost Dante-esque descriptions of their covert dwellings and gathering places.

Tim Powers Steampunk: The Beginning 2012

Editor’s Choice A/W

All over the Runways, trends remniscent of days gone by reigned supreme this Autumn/Winter 2016 Season. Fall Florals, Velevet Everything, and the Midas Touch are the must have looks in rich jewel tones. Here are some of my favorite pieces for this season, that bring the Steampunk Vibe to your everyday wardrobe, from work to play.

2016

This season is all about depth and texture. The embellishment can serve many functions at once. The suit from Alice + Olivia is both high shine metallic & intricate embroidery, giving a sence of elegance and elitism. For a truly steampunk look, try the Georgette Silk Flolunce blouse from Gucci, and pair with the velvet Jimmy Choo corset pumps for stunning effect.

While these designers, and looks, are not inherently Steampunk that doesn’t mean it can’t work for you. I’ve worn a Juicy Couture velour crossbody with a full bustle skirt because it worked. The purse itself isn’t Steampunk, but made the perfect accessory to conceal my iPhone 7 without breaking character.

Of course there are plenty of talented inventors who can provide you epic camouflage for your non-Victorian tech, but the point is effortless elegance. And if you aren’t 1) playing an aristocrat or 2) made of money, I understand these choices are pricey. But if it hits a runway, decently priced inspired designs will be appearing in your price point just in time for the holidays.

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Under HAtlanta Big Top:

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Kaitlin W. Blaylock

Atlantic Station is in the swanky part of Atlanta Midtown, according to my companion for that evening, one Courtney Elyse Corbin. We were both dressed for an evening at the theater, in full Steampunk corsets and all the accoutrements.

I went for an Inventer vibe as she went for a Writer vibe. (Driving in a corset is no easy feat!) We cruised by fancy apartment buildings and wondrous architecture housing retailers and restuarants.

To say the show was amazing is cliche, expected, and does not do the performance justice. I showed the ushers our tickets on my iPhone, and we went into the tent. Per my usual Cirque experience, I immediately purchased a program and a soundtrack. I was delighted to find the album available in a 2-disc Vinyl with Digital Download. My companion purchased cotton candy, and I contented myself with a bottle of water.

As the seating opened, I was again delighted to find that my pair of 3rd row seats were in fact, Front Row. (The second such occurrence for me from the performance troupe.) In excited anticipation, I took note of the round stage in the middle of the arena, not three feet in front of us.

Then the fun began. A man dressed in the ways of Magicians and Oracles, complete with a large exposed electronic cranial device, wove his way through the crowd, emulating the reading of minds, which were then displayed on screen for the entire audience to bear witness. My companion was suddenly nervous that she might be called to the stage, only then realizing that Cirque du Soleil is an Audience Participation experience.

Each scene showcased a unique and individual talent in perfect Victorian fantastical style. Dancers, gymnasts, contortionists, and a live band poured their hearts (and sweat) out on that stage right up until intermission.

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At which point, I was elated to note that the crew could not be invisible due to the nature of the setup, thus they were dressed in Steampunk submariner jumpsuits. The crew was part of the show.

They layed a net out across the stage, anchored to four pillars holding the tent up, and it raised right over the heads of my companion and myself.

When the show resumed, we watched men flip and somersault across that net...through the net. The acrobatics, the costumes, and the cheeky, playful attitudes made for an unforgettable performance.

I was truly in a moment of suspended disbelief...a moment that stretched 2 hours of articulate, colorful performance. I did not want to leave when it was over. I do believe I could have stayed and watched the artistry for hours unending.

Having attended nearly a dozen Cirque performances, this one stood out for two reasons: 1) this was a true circus experience, in that the show was act after act with no real storyline and 2) the elusion of fantasy was utterly complete.

By that, I mean I could not be distracted by other audience members, conversation, noise. I was whole-heartedly and willingly enthralled, ready and waiting to devour the next set.

On HValidity CSteampunk A Heather Pund

I’ve started seeing a great deal of goggle-rattling about how Steampunk is dead and oh noes, it’s been co-opted by the masses and is no longer cool.

To which I wish to say, in brief: Get stuffed.

the new interest. “Why, when I crawled out of my Daddy’s Vat in the Mad Scientist Lab” they start, “no one even knew what Steampunk was! You whippersnappers!”

Great, fine; Get stuffed.

Let me tell you something about being co-opted; I am a belly dancer.

My art form, my chosen passion, has been adopted by both Disney and Fredericks of Hollywood. You can find coin belts at Hot Topic, zills in the mall, and harem pants are required as part of the standard Halloween costume. Every single person on the Earth can hum that “nee ne nee ne neee” song and mime headslides. Little Sorority girls tell me gleefully that they’ve “done bellydance” or have a tape or took a class that one time; so they know all about what I do.

And that’s just the civilians. I go to workshops, conventions and performances and there’s always a Belly Bunny to be found—all dressed up in something expensive, not knowing good posture from her posterior. There are infinite people who flock to the banner of dance to be sexy, seductive or sensuous, all the while not knowing one damn thing about the God Technique. They flail on stage, look for quarters, or start dropping names as if holding them in their mouths will burn a hole. Tip of the iceberg, folks. We won’t even go into the confusion about belly dance and the sex industry.

And you know what? Who cares?

My choice to be a dancer isn’t lessened or im-pacted by some ditz in a fringe belt who doesn’t even know there are different styles of dance, let alone different styles of belly dance. (Tribal what?? *hairtoss*) The work I’ve put into learning the art and performing, the hours of practice, costuming and gaining my chops aren’t suddenly moot just because that person over there has decided to try on the “persona” of a belly dancer. I’m not in this for them, or you, or what you think of me.

I’m in this for me. Because it’s something I love. Because it’s something that matters to me. Because it’s something that I feel is worthwhile and something that satisfies me on a deep level.

And as surely as you get the N00bs with the endless questions, sometimes shallow interest, and assumptions—you get the Crusty Old Grump who Has Been Here Since The Start and bitterly resents all

There are a lot of people who dance and there are a lot of people who are interested in Steampunk. Some of these people will stay and some will go but deciding that something is over or invalid just because a lot of people are talking about it is not only short-sighted but a huge slap in the face to those of us who are passionate about it. I don’t care if I can walk into Kmart and find bustle skirts with gears hanging off—they still won’t fit me because I have a huge butt and a pot tummy. So I’ll still go home and make my own. I don’t care if I can go into the mall and find things with gears stuck on or teadyed or with excessive amounts of brass. That kind of stuff is pretty—but not the totality of what I personally think of as “Steampunk”.

My point being: just because someone borrows the trappings of your art or passion does not cheapen or kill that thing you are passionate about. And if it does—well then. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing for you after all?

As for the newcomers—we all started some-where. Ask questions, challenge assumptions, combine new stuff, but absolutely learn what’s already here. In the world of dance, things are a little more laid out and set because it’s so physical. You have to learn good posture or you’ll hurt yourself. You have to learn the rules before you can start challenging or breaking them.

We learn by asking and we learn by doing and we learn by teaching. If the Belly Bunny bothers you, teach her good posture. If the N00b with gears glued to his face annoys you, start up a conversa-tion and teach him something. Share your passion, share your fire because that only makes it grow. And yes, absolutely, you’ll find people who won’t understand it but you’ll also find people who will.

And they are worth the time, effort, and occasional disappointment hands down.

This art, this movement is what we make it. It’s as simple as that.

And this particular artist has decided that her interests are still quite viable, thank you.

Ruins Reclaimed A dilapidated train station sits by the river in a deep mountain valley, the brick and stone covered in spray-paint vignettes from a hundred unknown artists.

These expressions of souls are covered again as nature grows over what man created and abandoned. As man holds a certain disregard for Nature, Nature always Reclaims what once was hers... the Ruins of mankind.

A Post-Apocalyptic Fairytale

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A Juan Navarro

On Race &Steampunk: A Quick Primer AJaymee Goh

Introduction to the Concept of Race

ple, in a very real system that most people go about without seeing. One person suffering discrimination on account of There are three very important things you need to know race is an exception. A few, a coincidence. But when whole about the concept of race. groups are at a disadvantage, it is a pattern. Parts of the pattern are manifested in how, even today, employers are The first and least important of the three is that race is likely to dismiss a resume on the basis of a foreign-sounding a construct. It has no true biological basis. A man who is name, or how prisons have a large percentage of Africonsidered “black” can very much resemble a man who is can-Americans which does not reflect the general popu“white”. In fact, the term “Caucasian” does not actually refer lation of the USA, or the “white flight” phenomenon. James to “white” people, but rather to a range of peoples coverJoseph Scheurich and Michelle D. Young’s article, “Coloring ing European, African and Asian geographical ranges. In Epistemologies” (available on JSTOR), they lay out three the American context, the terms “white” and “black” were levels of racism: created to polarize working-class people after slaves were emancipated, with goalposts moving around — Italians, Jews “The first is institutional racism, which ‘exists when instituand Irish were not considered “white” at first. Even the term tions or organizations … have standard oper-ating proce“Oriental” was applied first to the Middle East and India. dures (intended or unintended) that hurt members of one Over time, it spread to encompass the Far East, but it is only or more races in relation to mem-bers of the dominant called “Oriental” insofar as it refers to the Occidental point race.’ of view, and thus, still centers one specific experience over another.

The second is societal racism, which ‘exists when prevailThe second, more important thing you need to know about race, is that we all see it. This isn’t that cute little “everyone’s a little bit racist” refrain, but a reminder that racism benefits or harms whole groups of people. You (the general you), whether white or non-white, may claim that you “don’t see race”, that it isn’t important to you, or that you don’t discriminate based on skin colour. When you do that, you erase what is possibly a large part of who I am and my history, deny what is important to me, and ignore the fact that this racism thing isn’t just about individual me and individual you: it’s an institutional thing that encompasses much more than just how you think you see or treat me.

The third, and most important thing you should know about race is that, even though it is a construct and a term with fluid meanings, race has very real effects on very real peo-

ing societal or cultural assumptions, norms, concepts, [or] habits … favor one race over one or more other races.’ For example, the OJ trial revealed societal racism.

The third is epistemological racism, which ‘comes from or emerges out of what we have labeled the civilization level— the deepest, most primary level of a culture of people. The civilization level is the level that encompasses the deepest, most primary assumptions about the nature of reality (ontology) …’”

This essay is a simplification, of course, and meant to be an introduction. The issue of race is much more nuanced. It re-quires a great deal of time and patience to understand, and a willingness to learn and accept that one is more / less advantaged than others, even if it’s not felt.

The Presence of Race in Steampunk

Race is as difficult a topic to discuss as cultural appropriation, systemic oppression, and privilege. Many steampunks don’t really think about it, and indeed, what role does race play in costuming, in DIY, or in roleplay? The excuses for not thinking about race are vast and varied — we assume that since everything is made up, we’re free to create spaces as we please.

There are other realms of marginalization noted in steampunk. Discussing class is easily done: the upperclass elite oppressing the poor is well recorded by the likes of Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett-Browning and other Victorian writers of the time. Gender is also easily subverted, as many women reimagine the steampunk world to be a more gentle time for their gender, unfettered and unlimited. There are many women who play sky captain, or other roles that would, in more realistic play, be denied to them.

However, race is a bit more diffucult to discuss, and a bit more difficult to portray. If a visible minority dresses in high Victorian fashion, inspired or derived from English or American sources, is it a sign of overcoming the ills of the time period? Owning the fashion of the oppressors? Or is it a form of assimilation into the dominant culture? If a visible minority creates a steampunk persona based on his or her heritage, is s/he bucking the overwhelming Victorian trend?

Exoticising themselves? Are they even recognizably steampunk? What about a member of a recognizably dominant group using fashions of the subordinate group? Is it a sign of taking inspiration from a foreign source? A respectful tribute? Is it cultural appropriation? A flippant dismissal of the importance of a cultural artifact and trivializing of a fashion as “exotic”?

We do well to ask these questions of ourselves, no matter what group we belong to. As steampunk is a pastiche made of many elements, it is difficult to categorize something as

The Importance of Race in Steampunk

There are arguments and questions deployed to deflect honest discussions of race. The first runs thusly: If steampunk is so rife with these problems, why participate at all?

If there is nothing for visible minorities, then why not find something else to be interested in?

quintessentially steampunk, and thus difficult to categorize something non-Victorian as steampunk unless it incorporates elements that are absolutely recognizable. (Gears and cogs do not count.)

Then there is the obvious dearth of steampunk media derived from non-Victoriana sources, often eclipsed by the overwhelming variety of Victorian-derived steampunk that feature a certain kind of people, who are clearly not a minority in steampunk. There are a few examples of steampunk works and subcultures — James Ng, for example, is heralded as a great example of Chinese steampunk. Bruno Accioly is a spokes-person for the Brazilian steampunk subculture. Yet, these examples are notable because they spring from people and places who are not immersed in Victorian / North American steampunk to begin with — James Ng only heard of steampunk after he produced his famous works; Bruno Accioly filters Victorian steampunk through his uniquely Brazilian perspective. Where does this leave steampunks of colour living in white-dominated cultures, such as North America and Britain?

Like in any other mainstream spaces, discussions of race are far and few in between. If race is even discussed at all, it is in simplistic terms — how awesome it is, for example, that there are steampunks of colour stepping up to express their heritage. The racism that is discussed is obvious: like how awful it was that slavery existed, and we certainly don’t want to reproduce those attitudes. There is very little room for more nuanced discussions about cultural appropriation, microaggressions or unconscious prejudices made manifest.

The presence of race in steampunk, for many, is often theoretical, and not a messy reality that the average steampunk has to deal with. Even steampunks of colour would prefer not to have to deal with the problems of race, because steampunk is a fantasy, a made-up world, an escape.

This one is simple to answer: ask a woman why she participates in recreating an era where she would have been oppressed, and she will tell you that within the recreation, she can play as an equal. History is altered and adjusted by

whole groups of participants so that women can participate meaningfully, in a way that fulfills gender-egalitarian fantasies.

The actual oppression is not really all that important: Steampunk has many attractive facets, and steampunks of colour are not immune to the aesthetic, the love of history, or the love of crafting. That we can create spaces where we can participate meaningfully is a bonus. (That it is a bonus is pretty pathetic, as it is something we should be able to take for granted if the genre was as egalitarian as folks claim it to be.)

The second argument is a bit more insidious, and harder to tackle: If steampunk is an escape, a fantasy, a made-up world, then why is it so important to discuss race? Why bring in problems from reality and mar the fantasy?

Allow me to draw up the argument for gender again: Understanding how gender has played a role in the actual history, how gender obstructed and constructed a woman’s life, and learning the bound-aries, enables us to break them. It is a bonus if gender in the present day is deconstructed for further subversion in the steampunk world, and not unusual.

Whether or not we are conscious of it, we carry prejudices and racial biases wherever we go. It touches everything we do, say, or think. Without examining these unconscious biases, it is incredibly difficult to create a space where everyone is equal in a meaningful way. Without questioning how Orientalism is damaging, speculation of Asian steampunk can be tinged with racial caricaturing and stereotypes and also blot out the voices of those who are actually Asian. Without confronting how the institution of slavery has set white people at an advantage today by holding black people back, it is hollow to assert that the fantasy is in any way better than reality. In a discussion of multiculturalism, it is ironic for the voices of a single group to dominate, while the voices of marginalized groups are silenced or unheard.

If we allow the problems of reality to permeate our fantasy, we continue the marginalization of specific groups, which in turn limits the genre and playing ground, alienating the very people we claim to welcome.

Resisting Racism in Steampunk

It is incredibly difficult to prevent or eradicate racism, as

racism is internalized starting in childhood. Moreover, contemporary racism is not as overt as it was before, making it harder to identify racist predilections within personal interactions or public actions. Research on Aversive Racism shows that even while people vocally denounce overt forms of racism and deny personal prejudice, they can still hold negative feelings and biases unconsciously.

Yet, there are a great many things that people can do to recognize and critique racism in steampunk. With the advent of the Internet, steampunks, even those in isolation, can find ways to connect and speak to each other. We also live in an age where we can access information more easily. This same tool gives us access to spaces which exist to educate people on the possibilities. The following are Google-able phrases which will lead any intrepid adventurer into the challenges that anti-racist activists navigate on a frequent, if not daily, basis: “Resist Racism”, “Racism 101”, “invisible knapsack”, “race and pop culture”, “IBARW” (the latter term stands for “International Blog Against Racism Week”).

More readings will lead to more nuanced discussions, although it is vital to understand the basics before jumping into these discussions. Persons to seek out and read include Tim Wise, Latoya Peterson, K. Tempest Bradford, and Edward Said.

It is to the imaginative credit of many steampunk participants that today we attempt to incorporate elements of cultures beyond the conventional, Victorian Era Europe into manifestations of steampunk. (Or, conversely, we attempt to inject elements of steampunk into cultures beyond Victoriana.) And yet, this must be undertaken with a strong sense of caution and sensitivity. While it is commendable for steampunks to claim that the movement is anti-racist and anti-imperialist, it is necessary to recognize the current hegemony that pervades literature and global consciousness.

Steampunks are, as a specific community, under no special onus to educate themselves. Yet as a creative community, indulging in a form of historical revisionism, we are uniquely placed to examine closely the effects that history has had on the present day.

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The Lady of Steampunk

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A Corset Manifesto

A Katherine Casey IllustratedA Allison Healy

Were you to seek an international measure of a woman’s value, you would need look no further than her appearance. Across history, women have been treated as china dolls in glass cases, judged only for their beauty, and no era is more guilty of this than the one we build upon; the smog-choked alleys of Victoria’s Empire that are our inspirations hid women trapped in parlors and kitchens, bound in gilded cages of silk and steel.

we are free to define ourselves as we choose.

We do not measure ourselves by the dresses in our closets or inches pulled from our corsets; instead, we draw beauty in the margins The costumes we create from ruffles and tea-stained lace of our stories and summon images of the garment-restraints worn by the womembroider it on the en we claim as our inspiration. Their identities were bound in sleeves of our blouses. laces criss-crossing up their spines; their creativity and passions We refuse to be display were labeled hysteria and locked away, leaving them with musty pieces, our skirts and parlors and parasols to keep their delicate skin from the sun curls confined to the should they, God forbid, find the need to step outside. Their young frames of sepia-toned daughters were dressed like dolls in heavy skirts, and quickly photographs. We are not mere dolls to be costumed—we are learned that the price of a stain or tear outweighed any wish to explorers and inventors, philosophers and madwomen. The climb a tree. women of the Empire gave us computer programs before the computer, cross-dressing surgeons before women could even atWe imagine a world of endless potential, where anyone could tend medical school, and volumes of writing under names given invent a flying machine, discover a country, or overthrow an and assumed, detailing adventures never imagined for a lady empire. We do not see the women whose husbands locked the of the day—we take them for our inspiration, casting aside the library door and left for work, leaving their wives to flip through assumptions of docile submissiveness assumed by “proper” ladies. catalogs selling penny-farthings for gentlemen and tricycles for Our goal is not to return to a time of oppressive morals, but to ladies. challenge the assumptions sewn in long hems and high necklines: no longer are our dresses a uniform of domesticity (or our trouAnd so we come to steampunk, re-creating the Duskless Empire. sers a pass to play with the boys). We define ourselves creatively, For us, adventure knows no gender, and possibility knows no in ribbons that hold our goggles, and frills that hide dangerous bounds. As we create our future from the past, how are we to gadgets. cast ourselves? Shall we throw aside our petticoats, accept the chopping off of our braids as prerequisite to liberation?

Steampunk will never be a mere revision of Victoria’s longgone London. The walls of tradition (which long held women No! This world we make for ourselves exists at the juncture of cloistered) have crumbled, the first cracks made by the brave fashion and function. Our mad scientists’ sketches are annotated women of bygone eras. Let us take the stones and build a world with lines of poetry, our steam-spitting inventions play stirring of equality and possibility, the likes of which was unimagined just symphonies, and our dirigible captain’s hair is tied with satin a century ago. We stand before women who broke their ribs for bows. beauty. Now, we shall lace our corsets only as tightly as we want to, able to breathe deeply as we prepare for adventure that will No longer trapped by standards that crushed ribs and spirits, take our breath away.

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Media: The Modern Marvel

By: Kaitlin W. Blaylock Steampunk is seemingly everywhere in this modern society, including television and cinema, be it a dramatization of authentic Victorian persons or reinterpretations of original Victorian characters in literature. Take into account the following: A reality competition show featuring makers of artifacts and costuming called Steampunk’d aired for a single season on Game Show Network in 2014.

Lifetime network filmed a movie and subsequent series called The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.

Not to mention the highly critically acclaimed Showtime series Penny Dreadful, a startling 3-seasons of mysticism, mystery, and a dash of well-intentioned misogyny weaving several classic tales into a single storyline, from Dracula to The Picture of Dorian Gray.

And who could forget the Tim Burton reinterpretations of Lewis Carroll’s iconic characters of Alice in Wonderland in 2010 and 2016?

Each is a brilliant and unique take on Victoriana in its characters, codes of behavior, and authentic historical figures.

Fox Network is currently showing Houdini & Doyle, a dramatized Steampunk draws heavily upon the real people who shaped fictionalization of the actual relationship between Sherlock today’s future and equally upon the familiar characters of their Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and stage magician es- authors, from the aforementioned Holmes to the iconic Alice cape artist Harry Houdini, in the context of investigating surreal and Frankenstein to the tragic Dorian Gray. and supernatural crime with London’s first female cop.

This humble author revisited the literary works from which Add to that the many incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, from these characters originate to find them still relevant to today’s the notably Steampunk films casting Robert Downey, JR and to world. the BBC’s modern adaptation starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and the inspired medical mystery diagnosis phenomenon of Alice is unable to think logically because her education was House. merely one of rote memorization without the skill of reason.

Carroll’s initial point in writing the children’s series remains a

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poignant social criticism even a century later, as the American public school system is yet inadequate in its teachings of logic and reason to many students today.

The archetype of Frankenstein and his monster are publicly redefined and read true to Mary Shelley’s work in the Showtime work of Penny Dreadful. Calaban, aka John Clare, is eloquent, empathetic, and tragic. His rage and exile are heartbreaking, contemptible, and comprehensive. Frankenstein’s fear of his first creation is also disturbingly understandable, bringing to light Shelley’s point in writing the work. Entering the “Bride of Frankenstein” pop culture mythos, these two characters maintain Shelley’s point further as Victor falls in love with his first feminine creation intended to match his first creation.

Dorian’s vanity is ever-present, if somewhat stereotypical, of the modern man’s challenges in sexuality, success, and seduction. A man of Dorian’s beauty might today be assumed gay or effeminate on sight, his joviality with the artist notwithstanding modern prejudice. His portrayal in Penny Dreadful is mysterious, accurate, and relevant.

In the world of animation, Steampunk began in the aughts with films like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet.

Igor, Hugo, and The Golden Compass are all beloved children’s films that follow the spirit of Steampunk: a mixture of science and adventure.

Lovers of artistic and classic hand-drawn animation rejoiced at the announcement of a new project: Hullabaloo is the first hand-drawn 2D animated film since the prominence of CGI and computer-animation took over the film world. Created by former Disney artists, a team of more than 200 people, the film is a decidedly Steampunk tale with a sassy female heroine, Victoria Daring. She’s pretty, she’s adventurous, and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, being an engineer and all.

In so much as Steampunk refers to the Victorian spirit rather than the actual dates of the era, even beloved characters from non-Victorian literature have found incarnations in this creative phenomenon, such as the Wizard of Oz, beautifully remade in a Syfy mini-series called Tin Man starring Zoey Deschanel.

As Season Three takes us to the Wild West of America following the Werewolf story arc, we find an intriguing surprise. An Apache medicine man who is also a werewolf, played by Cherokee actor Wes Studi of Dances with Wolves notoriety. The portrayal of Native Americans in this era is well done, largely avoiding the pitfalls of Hollywood stereotypes. The show even went so far as to include actual Apache language.

One might even consider Fox Network’s Sleepy Hollow and ABC’s Once Upon A Time a part of Steampunk by that definition, leading to an ultimate conclusion that BBC’s Doctor Who is at minimum inspired by the fantasy of Steampunk, as the T.A.R.D.I.S. travels through not a wormhole, but a scientific theoretical construct called a Tipler Cylinder, but that’s another article entirely (for more on this, visit Film Theory’s Youtube channel).

Steampunk draws upon the Science of the age, which Shelley and her fellow public found terrifyingly close to playing God. These advancements were marvelous and mysterious, explained to children in the form of fairy-tales like The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley. This method of teaching modern science in stories children understand and devour was a brilliant tactic of education, yet due to the circumstances of economy and industrialization that defined the era, many children remained uneducated and forced into labor.

Steampunk exists to take the best of the Victorian era, an appreciation of beauty and an almost painful cordiality in social interactions of every kind, while leaving behind the pitfalls of racism, misogyny, and classist prejudices. “The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire” allows for indigeneity and multiculturalism within a fun and creative subcultural space.

In media, the simple fact is that Victoriana is the modern romanticized time, when the world was seemingly filled with beauty, adventure, and wonder.

She’s a mechanic, livingin Smoke.

He’s a librarian, living in Glass.

An Affair of Adventurers

Reality?

Reflection?

Steampunk Celebrations: Recipes for Rejoicing Menu

For a Company of Six Angels on Horseback Nested Eggs Lobster Bisque Devilled Scallops London Veal Cutlets Walnut Croquettes Stuffed Cucumbers Orange Ice Baked Pears Lemon Fromage Charlotte Russe Chocolate Souffle

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White Wine Sherry Champagne Claret

Brut

Madeira

The following recipes are from Mrs. Seely’s Cookbook, a facsimile reprinting of the 1904 edition. The tome gives necessary and intriguing advice on hiring servants, maintaining a household, and how to properly entertain Manhattan’s social elite, from a luncheon of 6 to a dinner of 16. I have translated these Victorian recipes into modern form, and made minor alterations for modern convenience. Please note that before the appetizer course is served, each guest upon their arrival is offered an aperterif, that is a pre-dinner cocktail from whence the modern cocktail hour was born. Each course is to be served with an appropriate drink, outlined in the menu on the opposite page. And after dessert is served, men would retire to the study and women to the library, for after dinner drinks and to allow the men time to smoke if they chose.

Scotch or Whiskey are the traditional after-service drinks.

Hors-d’oeuvres Angels on Horseback Large Oysters Sliced bacon Salt Pepper

1) Clean and season the oysters with salt and pepper.

2) Wrap each oyster in a slice of thin bacon, pinning with a toothpick.

3) Cook in the pan until the bacon is crisp.

Nested Eggs A dozen eggs A dozen rounds of toast Prepared Chicken Salad Chopped Parsley to garnish

Medium Bowl Electric Mixer Baking Sheet Spreading knife & spoon

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Open the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Keep the yolks in the shell in the refrigerator until needed. Pour the whites into a medium-size bowl.

2) Using the mixer, beat the egg whites until firm and stiff.

3) Spread the chicken salad on the rounds of toast and place on the baking sheet. Drop the stiffened egg whites on top of the chicken salad, using a spoon to create the nests. Carefully drop the egg yolks into the nests.

4) Bake in the oven until light brown, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley over each yolk and serve.

Soup Lobster Bisque 2 1.5 lb lobsters 1 head of celery 1 Tbsp salt 1/2 onion 6 whole peppers 1 Tbsp butter 1 oz flour 1 qt hot milk Salt Pepper 1 large pot 1 large knife Sieve 1 saucepan 6 tureens

1) Place the lobsters in the large pot and cover with water. Add a tablespoon of salt, the head of celery, the half onion, and the six whole peppers. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, until the claws easily pull apart.

2) Remove the lobsters from the pot, allowing to cool enough to touch. Cut down the back of each lobster, and remove the meat from the body and claws. Remove the coral and green fat as well, setting aside for later.

3) The tough parts, small claws, and shells are added back to the pot, boiling for an-

other 20 minutes, considerably reduced.

4) Dry the coral and rub it through the sieve.

5) In a saucepan, mix the butter and flour over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, stir in the hot milk, returning to a boil. Add one pint of the broth from the pot. Return to a boil, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the coral.

6) Chop the lobster meat in fine pieces.

Place with the green fat in the tureens for serving. Pour the hot mixture over them, and serve.

Entree Devilled Scallops 1) Put the scallops in a saucepan on medium heat until just beginning to boil. .

2) Drain, save the liquor, and chop the scallops fine.

3) Set aside 1 Tbsp of butter from the half cup. Pour the remaining into the large bowl, beating until creamed, adding salt, cayenne, and musard. Mix with the hot white stock thoroughly.

4) Stir the chopped scallops and reserved liquor into the sauce and let stand for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 5) Pour the scallop and sauce mix into the escalop dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and dab with remaining butter.

6) Bake for 20 minutes, let stand for 5, and serve.

1 Qt Scallops 1/2 cup butter 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp cayenne 1 tsp mustard 1 cup hot white stock 1/4 cup breadcrumbs Knife Saucepan Electric mixer Large bowl Escalop dish

Le Plat Principal London Veal Cutlets 6 Veal Cutlets Egg Wash Frying oil 6 strips bacon Bread crumbs Herbs to taste

1) Gather the herbs you want for seasoning and mix with the bread crumbs. Set aside. (Rosemary, sage, and thyme are recommended).

2) Beat two eggs in a small bowl as if for scrambling and mix a dash of salt and pepper.

1 Deep pot 1 brush 1 Pan Tongs Small Bowl

3) Trim the cutlets thin, to a 1/4 inch thick, trimming the skin and fat. Brush with the egg wash, coat in the bread crumb herb mix, and fry in the deep pot of oil until light brown.

4) Crisp the bacon in the pan. Lay on a hot plate, alternating with the cutlets on their edge.

18 small onions 1.5 oz butter .75 oz flour 1/2 cup stock 1 cup claret 1 can mushrooms Salt Pepper

Mushroom Sauce 1) Brown the onions in the pan on low heat with the butter. When beginning to caramelize, stir in the flour gradually, absorbing the butter. Stir for a few more minutes.

2) Stir in the stock and claret. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

3) Drain the can of mushrooms, rinse thoroughly, and chop into small, not fine, pieces. Add to the sauce and boil for 10 minutes.

4) Pour in the middle of the hot dish of veal cutlets and bacon, and serve.

1 Pan 1 spoon 1 knife

Stuffed Cucumbers 3 medium cucumbers Dry salt Sliced Onion Chili pepper Horseradish Sugar Stick cinnamon Allspice 2 Cloves Cold Vinegar Black & White Mustard seeds Olive Oil

1) Three weeks before intending to serve, pack the cucumbers in dry salt and seal in a jar. Leave in a cold, dark place for a fortnight.

2) Remove the cucumbers from the brine and soak in fresh cold water in the second jar for a day. The next day, change the water.

And again on the third day.

2 large jars 1 kettle Cheese cloth 1 knife

3) On the fourth day, do not rinse, but place in the kettle. Lay a cucumber in the kettle, then a slice of onion, a bit of chili pepper, strips of horseradish, and a bit of suger, then lay the next cucumber. Layer in this manner until the kettle is half full.

4) In the middle of the kettle, place a bundle of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, tied in cheesecloth. Cover with cold vinegar.

Bring to a slow boil and immediately remove from heat.

5) Open the cucumbers lengthwise, cut a small piece out of each half, and fill with horseradish, mustard seeds, and wet with olive oil.

6) Tie the halves together with cheese cloth and store in the vinegar jar until needed. Serve after removing the binding.

1 pint bread crumbs 3/4 pint milk 1 tsp salt 1.5 cups chopped walnuts 3 Tbsp Sherry 4 egg yolks, beaten Egg wash Frying oil Chocolate sauce or syrup

Walnut Croquettes 1) Fill the base of the double boiler with water. Place the top of the double boiler in the base, and place on low heat until it begins to steam.

2) Stir in the top of the double boiler the breadcrumbs and milk into a smooth batter. Add the salt and walnuts.

3) Stir in the sherry and egg yolks until well mixed, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

4) Form the cool mix into croquettes, brush with egg wash and coat in remaining breadcrumbs. Fry in the deep pan of hot oil until golden brown.

5) Place on a serving dish and garnish with chocolate sauce to serve.

1 Double-Boiler 1 spoon Tongs

Entremets Orange Ice 1 Qt water 1 Pint granulated sugar 2 whole orange rinds, grated 1 pint fresh orange juice 2 whole lemons juice Salted ice

6 large pears Water Molasses

1) Boil the water and sugar for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

1 pot 1 bowl 6 shaped ice molds

2) Mix in the grated rind, orange and lemon juices together in a bowl, strain, and add to the pot of boiling sugar-water. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3) When cool, move to the bowl and freeze. Then pack into the molds, cover with the salted ice, and let stand 2 hours before serving.

Baked Pears 1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

1 Porcelain baking dish 1 brush

2) Wash the pears carefully. Place in the porcelain baking dish, stalk ends up. Barely cover with water and add enough molasses to sweeten the pears.

3) Bake covered for several hours, occasionally using the brush to baste the pairs in the juice.

4) Remove when tender and let stand a few minutes before serving.

1 cup granulated sugar 1.5 Pints Water 3 lemons juice 1 lemon peel whole 1 oz gelatin 1 pint whipped cream

Lemon Fromage

1) In the bowl, soak the 1 oz gelatin in a half pint of water. Set aside.

2) In a pot on low heat, dissolve the sugar in the remaining pint of water. Add the lemon peel and juice. Boil five minutes.

3) Pour the gelatin water into the boiling pot, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

4) Remove from heat and strain. Allow to cool.

5) When the liquid begins to thicken, stir in the pint of whipped cream, pour into the form, and freeze for at least two hours before serving.

1 pot 1 bowl 2 wooden spoons 1 strainer 1 chilled form

Dessert Charlotte Russe 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup cold water 1/2 cup boiling water 3 eggs 3/4 cup sugar, divided 1 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 8 ladyfingers, split lengthwise 1.5 cups whipping cream Candied cherries

1) Disolve gelatin in cold water. Add to boiling water, stirring constantly, and set aside.

2) Combine eggs and half cup sugar in saucepan.

Beat until thick and lemon colored. Stir in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat.

3) Stir in vanilla and gelatin mixture, then press through a sieve. Cool to room temperature, then chill until partially thickened.

4) Grease the charlotte mold and line with waxed paper. Arrange six ladyfingers round the edge of the mold and set aside.

5) Beat the whipping cream until foamy, gradually add remaining sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Fold into gelatin mixture and spoon into prepared mold. Cover and chill overnight.

1 pot 1 saucepan 2 bowls 2 wooden spoons 1 Sieve 2-Qt Charlotte mold Waxed paper Chilled serving platter

6) Unmold charlotte on chilled serving platter, garnishing with remaining ladyfingers and candied cherries. Chill until ready to serve.

Chocolate Souffle 4 eggs 3 tsp lump sugar 1 tsp flour 3 oz grated chocolate

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 2) Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs. Add the sugar, flour, and chocolate to the yolks. Beat for five minutes and set aside.

3) Beat the egg whites until stiff, then lightly add to the yolks.

When the mix is smooth and light, pour into the buttered tin.

4) Bake for 5 minutes and serve immediately. or it will fall.

2 bowls Electric mixer 1 baking mold

Classic Confections: Venusian Delights

AEmilly Ladybird

1 tsp Sunflower oil 8 oz white granulated sugar 2.5 fl oz water 2 oz corn flour 3.5 oz icing sugar 1/2 pint water 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 2 Tbsp absinthe 1 tsp liquid glucose, corn or golden syrup Green food coloring (optional)

1/2 oz corn flour 1/2 oz icing sugar

7�x4� loaf tin 2 Saucepans Wooden spoon Sugar thermometer Foil Substitute absinthe and green food coloring for any of these delectible combinations: Creme de cassis with dark pink Curacao with blue Creme de violette with purple Peach schnapps with orange Apricot brandy with yellow

1) Line the tin with foil and oil well with sunflower oil.

2) Add granulated sugar and 2.5 fl oz of water to a saucepan and heat on a very low flame, stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar completely dissolves.

3) Bring to a boil, up to 240 degrees F on a sugar thermometer. Remove the pan from heat as soon as it reaches this maximum temperature.

4) In the second saucepan, add corn flour and icing sugar, then add 1/2 pint of water gradually, stirring until fully blended. Gently heat stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps from forming. Continue to heat until thick like glue. If it becomes lumpy, remove from the heat and beat until the lumps are absorbed. Keep heating and starting until the mixture can get no thicker, about 2 minutes.

5) Pour the first syrupy mixture very slowly into the second, stirring continuously to mix evenly and avoid lumps.

6) Add the cream of tartar and continue to heat and stir frequently over a low flame for 20-30 minutes.

The mixture should be very thick, hard to stir, and pale lemon yellow in color.

7) Remove from heat and beat in the liquid glucose and absinthe. Add a few drops of food coloring to desired green hue.

8) Pour into the lined tin and leave over night to set.

9) Remove from tin and cut into squares. Toss in the dusting mix of remaining icing sugar and corn flour.. Allow to dry for a few hours.

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Flights C fancy JH Green Fairy

Enter any self-proclaimed gastropub worth the bar, and you’ll find a most unusual concoction served with a grand flourish in the pouring. I’m speaking, of course, of that antiquated and alluring emerald green liquid known as absinthe. Rumoured to produce wild hallucinations, most commonly the Little Green Fairy, accorded to the high content of a single ingredient steeped in folklore: wormwood.

Many a conversation have centered around the sensationalism, made all the more fascinating by the modern service. A traditional absinthe is served according to the recipe of the opposite page, found in The Drunken Botanist by one Amy Stewart, altered for this publication.

a light, iridescent green as a white cloud blooms within the glass. This transformation sometimes resembles the unfolding of wings, giving life to a fairy.

The drink’s storied hallucinogenic properties are attributed to the ingredient of wormwood. While wormwood does contain thujone that is known to cause seizures and death at incredibly high doses, the actual composition of wormwood alcohols is not enough to produce any dangerous effects.

Mistakenly believed to be banned in certain countries, including the USA, the thujone content might be regulated by governments in the finished product of absinthe, but remains unmonitored in other natural ingredients containing considerably higher amounts of thujone such as sage.

Yet the fashionable and daring new serving of this storied aperitif involves lighting the doused sugar cube on fire, so as to caramelize and improve the sweetness. As As for the hallucinations, if they are in fact honest, can Stewart points out, purists refuse to even add sugar, and most likely be attributed to absinthe’s high alcohol conburning of the alcohol is deeply frowned upon by the tent, which on average is double that of vodka or gin. liquor’s devotees.

Absinthe can in fact be made at home with a still, and The legend of the green fairy has a multifaceted origin: one can even grow their own wormwood. At the nursery or garden center, request Artemisia absinthium to The louching process of adding ice cold water, (or plant in the garden, invite your artist friends over, and cream soda for a cocktail twist, per Emilly Ladybird’s cut a few fresh sprigs to evoke the spirit of the green Steampunk Tea Party) transforms the dark green into fairy as a garnish to your absinthe.

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Absinthe Traditionale The addition of water causes a chemical reaction that releases flavor and changes color; this phenomenon is known as the louche, although you might think of it as the arrival of the green fairy.

1 oz Absinthe 1 sugar cube (optional) 4 oz ice-cold water mixed with ice cubes

Clear, fluted glass Slotted metal spoon Pitcher with spout

1) Prepare the pitcher by filling with ice cubes and filling with water. Allow to chill.

2) Place the glass on the counter. Place the slotted spoon across the top of the glass. Place the sugar cube on the spoon.

3) Pour the 1 oz absinthe carefully over the sugar cube into the glass.

4) Carefully and slowly, drip the ice water from the pitcher over the sugar cube, dissolving it on the spoon.

5) When the glass is nearing full and the sugar partially or mostly dissolved, use the spoon to stir the remaining sugar into the glass.

If you’re skipping the sugar entirely, simply drip ice water, one drop at a time, into the glass.

The esential oils from the plants are very unstable in the alcohol solution, so adding cold water breaks the chemical bonds and releases the oils. You’ll see the absinthe change to a pale, milky green as those oils are released - that’s the louche. Because different flavor molecules are released at slightly different rates of dilution, going slowly allows the flavors to emerge one at a time.

Continue dripping the water in, as slowly as you can, until you’ve mixed one part absinthe to three or four parts ice water. Then drink it at the same leisurely pace, without going to any extra lengths to keep it cold.

As the drink warms, the flavors continue to emerge.

Inventions of Imagination

Les Machines des Lile On the historic Nantes banks of the Loire River lives a gorgeous modern marvel: The Machines of the Isle, a fully functional Steampunk Amusement Park bringing to life the creations of Jules Verne and Leonardo da Vinci.

You can ride any number of massive, creepy wonders of engineering modeled after Nature’s creatures, like the Elephant, the Inch Worm roller coaster, and the Soaring Heron. The entire family will enjoy the spectacle of Machinist Performances in the Gallery, have lunch at the Cafe, and take in the industrial majesty of the giant metal Tree.

Founded in 2011 by François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice as the ultimate in Performance Artistry, each attraction is handcrafted on-site in the former Naval

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Warehouses, and gradually introduced to the public for delights never seen before. For the 2016 Season, the Mechanical Spider is the newest edition, and the park opens on November 3rd and runs through December 31st. The park closes for the Holiday and reopens January 4th through Aprl 7th. Ticket prices range from approximately $5-10 per person depending on how much time you want to spend and which Exploration package you choose.

Whether you’re a die-hard Steampunk or have a vague interest in engineering, Les Machines des Lile should be at the top of your French vacation to-do list. It is definitely on the Editor’s bucket list.

Tapping Talent

For the crafty and hands-on types, it my be fun to try your hand at Mad-Hattery. An iconic staple of any Steampunk wardrobe is the over-accessorized Top Hat, which you can attempt to make yourself here, or can find any number of for sale on Etsy.com This simple process provides you with a basic Steampunk Staple, which you can later accesorize to your heart’s content.

The best Steampunk hats are unique, funky, and indicative of your Steampersona’s personality. Clocks, cogs, and moving parts might indicate an engineer or mechanic, while goggles and glasses might indicate an Airship pirate or captain, and lace and feathers generally indicate an Aristocrat.

By following the simple tutorial in the pages that follow, you’ll have a simple and naked Top Hat with which to play. While I have never attempted to make my own top hat, because I’m clumsy and ill-inclined to all things domestic, I have managed to create my own OOAK Steampunk Hat by assembling accesories onto an existing base, pictured below.

I bought the base and corset of this hat from Crimson Chain Leatherworks at the Anime USA convention in Washington, DC a few years back. What I love about this hat is the audacity of the corset and the ability to customize it to my heart’s content. The strap you see is actually a pair of goggles on the other side, giving the appearance that I can see through the back of the hat, presumably using hidden aether-based technology.

Other things I’ve done with this hat include antique hatpins, peacock feathers, and a vintage silver filigree child’s belt. One could even use flowers or a pocketwatch on a chain.

The possibilities are only limited by your imagnation. There’s no such thing as a boring Steampunk, even if you decide to leave your awesome DIY Hat bare.

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Mad-Hattery By: Jennifer Nelson

You Will Need: rivet setter hammer knife or rotary cutter cutting mat rulers leather hole punch marking pencil leather dye and a dauber 20 or so rivets mink oil leather finish bailing wire sewing machine

Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4:

Step 4

Take measurements. The circumference of the wearer’s head and a height measurement, either from an existing hat or a desired height.

The Brim. If you’re an inexperienced or nervous type, draw your pattern out on paper first, until you’re satisfied. The circumference measurement should be an oval shape, and add about 3/4” for hemming. Cut this out of a piece of leather.

The Top. If you’re an OCD type, cut the top to fit exactly in the brim hole you just made, with an added 1/2” for hemming. If you’re a flamboyant/dramatic type, cut the top much larger than the brim hole. Cut this piece also from leather.

The Sideband. The next piece you’re cutting from your leather is a rectangle 2 1/2” taller than your pre-determined desired hat height. The length should be the same measurent as the circumference.

Step 5

Step 5: Step 6:

The Shape. That rectangle you just made? Cut it into 2 Waves, and then in half.

The high part of the wave mark the front and back of the hat, and the low part marks the sides.

Triangles. Cut two large triangle inserts. These are the tie-together pieces.

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Step 7 Assembly. Center the side-pieces on the top of the hat, and sew together. Next, sew the Triangles to the Top of the hat to cover the gaps. DO NOT sew them to the sides.

Pull the Brim over the sides, lining up the oval long points, and sew together. Roll the outer edeges of the Brim and hem, slowly running the Bailey Wire through. Slower is better.

All of the cut pieces, laid out, ready to assemble!

Step 8

Carefully mark the overlap of your Sides and Triangles. Punch your rivet holes where marked and set the rivets.

If you’re dying the hat using the dauber method, do so before proceeding to Step 9, as it can cause loss of shape otherwise

Step 9 Steam, Set, Shape! Using old-fashioned water vapor, iether from a tea kettle or a professional garment steamer, hold the hat over the steam for 20 secends. Bend into shape as it cools. Repeat section by section until desired shape is reached.

Step 10 Step 10: Apply the dye color to the hat as desired. Then apply an appropriate finish, such as a heavy coating of mink oil, and let dry 24 hours. Buff away excess oil.

Honorable Mentions Amazing Alice and Wonderland steampunk, mad hatter hat. Made with the highest quality top hat and antiqued metal steampunk goggles. This piece of art makes a wonderful statement. Battery operated butterfly for cool effect!

- Custom Costumes Caprio Leather, copper sheets and copper wire. Each part was meticulously placed with the idea that everything has a purpose and interacts with other facets to create a piece that looks like it would function as a victorian high tech gadget and be fashionable as well; right down to the clock hand “feathers�.

- The Emporium of Wonder

Ivory felt top hat with with baroque black lace overlay, buttoned corset work front section, merry widow face veil, fine tulle rear mid back veil, black ostrich feathers and black and ivory satin ribbons. Handmade in Scotland.

- Blackpin

Steamgirl Kato Who exactly is Kato? She is the Steampunk supermodel if ever there was one. She comes from humble beginnings in Wales, an artist father and school principal mother raised four daughters. Born Kate Lambert, she decided to become a Fashion Illustrator and attended art school. In 2007, she moved to the United States. Los Angeles and then Portland. Illustrating turned into Designing turned into Steampunk Couture, the world’s first Steampunk clothier. Modeling her own designs gave way to steamgirl. com, the world’s first Steampunk Erotic Photography pay site. Think Suicide Girls a la Victoriana. Steampunk Couture designs can be purchsed from Dracula Clothing, based in Romania. Kato owns an S Corporation, which organized all of her brands, including contracts with Dark Horse Comics and Ladies of Steampunk.

In a 2011 interview with author Emma Jameson, Kato was asked what led her to Steampunk Fashion. She said, “I was designing in this style for many years prior to discovering the term “steampunk”. It was around the time that I first heard the term, that I began taking the demand for my work seriously and as it was primarily couture, there was no better name to give it than “steampunk couture”. I continue to design in a style that I personally want to see created, so I’ve not been following or influenced by other steampunk fashions. Steampunk fashion takes many forms and I think that my style allows for accessorizing and further customizing by the wearer. The Do-It-Yourself mentality is the heart of the steampunk culture.”

“My vanity table. This sits at one end of my sewing room and it’s mainly used for shoots. I found the vanity, painted the stool and re-purposed an Ikea frame that I painted and used to frame the mirror.” -Kato Facebook Caption

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Then, in a 2012 interview for Hollywood Noir, she opened up a bit more about her life, her ambitions, and her achievements.

I also play the piano a lot, but nothing spectacular, just lots of Chico Marx impressions. You’ll rarely hear me playing any Beethoven. I like nailing film scores and tv show themes like Q: When did your love of steampunk culture first emerge?

Dexter too and although I could read music as a kid, I neglected that ability over the years but luckily have been blessed A: I’d been fascinated with the Victorian aesthetic I lived in and with a pretty musically-tuned ear, so it doesn’t take long to around in the UK and then the sci fi world of Mad Max and my work something out. It’s a nice break from the sewing machine Tank Girl comics from a very early age, so it was this combina- too. tion that cultivated my love for the Steampunk culture. It was nice to discover that this style had a name.

In a Tumblr interview for Alt Girl Botherer, Kato revealed that her interests, and body of works, were expanding into other Q: Besides fashion design what else are you passionate about? artistic avenues.

A: Gardening! Oh my god, I’m crazy-passionate about spending hours pulling up weeds, planting flowers, and tending my vegetable patch. If left to my own accords, I’d spend the whole day out there in my wellies with my big, stupid sun hat and probably a glass a wine. I’ve finished many a gardening session slightly drunk. But yes, that’s one of my biggest passions. I’m also a fitness nut and I get really excited about going to the gym every afternoon, like a little dog all quivering and riledup by the front door before going for it’s daily walk!

Q: You started off making couture clothing from your kitchen table. What was it that made you begin this incredible journey in the first place?

A: I’d been designing in this certain style that I had no set name for, for many years, until I was introduced to the term “steampunk” by the only other steampunk-sporting people at the time [Magdalen Veen, aka Eliza Guager of the band] Abney Park. Then when I emigrated to the US, I had steady work that allowed me the freedom and time to pursue my career in

fashion design, so I learned to sew and focussed on starting the world’s first steampunk clothing company.

Q: What does the phrase “steampunk” mean to you?

A: I immediately see fashion before I think of everything else steampunk encompasses, so to me It’s basically taking the Victorian style and dumping it in the modern day.

Wearing your beautiful bustle dress with some raggedy, fingerless leather gloves and spraying your hair up into a mohawk. That’s the punk part.

Q: There is a real sense of drama in the clothes you produce. Have you ever been approached to work in the film and TV industry?

A: Project Runway bug me every year. It’s very flattering, but I’m quite anti-television show. I have not watched TV for over 6 years. I have been approached to work on costumes for films but nothing major and it’s not really of interest to me because I’m not excited about working to someone else’s brief.

Q: It’s important to realise you not only produce steampunk clothing, but a wide range of Victorian, period, sci fi, and more traditional everyday garments. Everything has the signature Kato quality and individuality, and the clothing is simply gorgeous and offers something that isn’t out there anywhere else. Are there any styles or particular genres of fashion you would like to branch out into, or do you feel you can explore all elements within your current style?

A: I felt that I’d pigeon-holed myself with the name Steampunk Couture and that I had to keep to a steampunk style regardless of which direction my tastes moved, so this is why you see some of my work looking very traditional or sci-fi. I would like to move more in to the futuristic, sleeker side of fashion and bring out some show-stopping, utterly unique in every stitch, designs but keep it wearable. Stay tuned!

Q: Do the stylistic choices and flair present in all your clothes infiltrate into other elements of your life? For instance, what is the décor like in your home?

A: I’m renting the house I live in right now, but I pay an extra $50 a month in order to do whatever the hell I want with it! So every room is a live-in set from a grand Victo-

rian-style, from open living room/dining room and tea room to a Pirate cabin to a laboratory. I used to build sets for TV and film so am a dab hand with a power tool and also know how to make something look a million bucks on a shoe string budget. I gave myself three months to complete my house when I moved in this year, but it ended up taking over five. Thankfully it’s finished now and I’ve been able to utilize each room as a backdrop for my work and still have rooms and corners to shoot in.

But what really brought Kato into the limelight was the website, Steamgirl. In an interview with The Steampunk Chronicle in 2013, she spilled the beans on everything about the erotic project.

Q: What inspired you to launch Steamgirl?

A: The demand for my photography was as strong as it was for my clothing and people were requesting more than mere posters and prints. As there was no one creating Steampunk erotic photography or videos, and I have years of experience in fashion, styling, hair, makeup and photography, I decided to go for it.

Q: What was the creative process in bringing Steamgirl from idea to live site?

A: I first put a little word out about the idea via a private, admin facebook page and immediatelty received a bite from someone who had experience in creating adult websites. He put me in touch with the current web developer that I work with today. He built the site based on my designs and then referred me to a webmaster who updates it each week with the content that I send him. During this time, I shot about 72 photo sets and 13 videos ready for editing and adding to the site for its launch day. I should mention that this is the “prettier, shorter version” of the story. The reality of spending just over a year trying to create something that, in reality, should have been very simple, was in actual fact, gruesome, expensive, and officially the uttermost stressful thing I have ever dealt with in my entire life. I saw my work and money being stolen, dealing with frauds and a whole host of other issues. But it was a learning experience and one that I obviously needed to go through in order to teach me what to look out for in future and how to avoid another nervous breakdown! lol. The happy ending is that I was able to launch it, 90% finished, on Valentine’s Day of all days, and it was, thankfully, a hit.

Q: What has been the fan / public response?

A: Wonderful. It’s been met with great response. Like any brand new idea, it took some people by surprise and took a while for them to wrap their head around, but overall, it’s been met with great respect and appreciation.

Q: What is Steamgirl’s relationship with Steampunk Couture?

A: Steamgirl, in all honesty, is my break from running the clothing company. It’s my change of pace and excuse to do something different, keep ideas fresh and my creativity alive. But in saying that, there is a lot of cross-over in regards to the clothing that I design and make and ultimately, use for both venues.

Just a short year later at Wild Wild West Con 2014, Geek News Network got a fantastic look into one of the most famous creative minds of the Steampunk movement.

Q: So what are you currently working on? Other than Steamgirl of course.

They’re really interested in expanding the Steamgirl brand which is wonderful. I didn’t really have to pitch anything to them, they were like, “what have you got? Give us something” and I was like, “My God you’re Dark Horse comics.”

Q: So the graphic novel is going to be based off Steamgirl as well?

A: Yes. I’ve written the synopsis for it already and I’m just kind of looking for an illustrator at the moment. I wanted to shoot straight for the top and ask J. Scott Campbell to illustrate it but I don’t know if I can afford him. But Joe Benitez and Brian Kesinger, they’re both very interested. They’re hoping that Campbell is going to turn me down so that they can get the job.

In October of 2010, Joe Benitez published Lady Mechanika, a Steampunk comic based on Kato’s modeling work. The series was originally planned in six parts, published infrequently, but is stil ongoing.

I didn’t really have to pitch anything to them, they were like “What have you got? Give us something, and I was like “My God you’re Dark Horse Comics!”

A: Oh, well right now I’m focusing on as much licensing as possible but I’m also working on a graphic novel as well.

Q: So when does that come out?

A: Hopefully soon. These things take so much time, so much longer than you’d expect they would. But I’m working on a really nice figure as well. I had a little action figure come out, it’s a posable Kato doll that came out just a few months ago and sold out which is quite wonderful.

I’m working on my own Steamgirl figure that’s non-posable, it’s sort of a small 12” statue and that’s almost finished. It’s being painted by Kat Sapene down in Los Angeles at the moment and then Dark Horse comics is going to be my manufacturer distributing on that.

Also in 2014, Kato opened her home to Gothic Beauty Magazine.

“The first floor is an open-plan living and dining room with a tea nook,” Kato explains. “The dining room is a vintage train carriage complete with luggage cases and car number, and the tea nook is just a little, no-fuss Gibson-girl decorated area for the ladies to enjoy their afternoon tea.” Kato went on to explain her bedroom, workspace, and the quite intriguing laboratory, which is “dark and delicious and packed floor to ceiling with shelves of curiosities. It’s become everyone’s favorite room in the house.”

And despite her anti-camera protests, in 2015, Kato became a judge for Game Show Network’s “Steampunk’d.” In a 2-part interview with Airship Ambassador, Kato revealed how the show was accidentally her idea and how she came to be appointed.

Q: How did you first hear about the show and the opportunity to actually be on it?

A: The network kept pestering me! Actually, Pink Sneakers ap-

proached me a year prior in regards to wanting to create a docu-follow show around my photography company. They were looking to house me and several of my models in one abode and film us “getting along” with each other. It was to be called “The Steampunk House”.

The outline and character bios were established for the show but then it inspired something even bigger and they asked me if I’d like to be a contestant on this new show. I said, “no, but if you need a judge let me know” and I got the part.

Q: What was your interest or motivation to be on the show?

A: My erotica work utterly dominates everything else I do as a professional business person, so my personal motivation to be on this show was to let the Steampunk community know that I do a lot of other things than just get my huge knockers out sometimes and that I actually know what I’m talking about when it comes to the steampunk work and creative, multi-media practices.

Q: Haha, it’s certainly reassuring to most, and probably confusing to some, that lurking behind the supermodel looks is a savvy and creative entrepreneur. All steampunks can take inspiration and motivation from what you’ve accomplished. Once you were selected to appear on the show as a judge, what preparations did you have to make before you left for Los Angeles? What were you leaving behind or had to put on hold while you were away for filming?

A: I take pride in being a little savvy when it comes to my business running itself in my absence, so I just had to debrief my awesome staff a couple of times before I abandoned them for a whole month. I had, however, just bought my first house so it pained me to leave that behind when I’d only just moved in days prior to leaving.

Q: As a judge on the show, what were the factors you used in assessing each contestant’s work?

A: heir understanding of the steampunk aesthetic, their ability to apply their own take on it and their craftsmanship with creating something of quality with limited tools and materials.

Q: How often was there some involved discussions amongst the judges in choosing a winning, or losing, design?

A: Every bloody episode! The amount of back and forth between Matt, Thomas and I was insane. We were allocated on-camera time to deliberate but the behind-the-scenes discussions continued and often ended in yelling at each other.

Q: Now THAT would be entertaining to watch! Of course, all the viewers would be yelling back from their couches and chairs, too. What are some memorable moments you had during filming?

A: The energy became more and more intense each episode as the contestants were put under greater pressure, so in attempt to counteract that, there was often a lot of banter and humour between the other judges and I and sneaky jokes with the contestants. By the end of filming, we had several inside jokes and quotes and the audio tech people had to put up with all of it as we were miccd the entire time.

Q: When people watch Steampunk’d, what would you like for them to take away from the show and what was created that they could apply to their own work?

A: I would hope that this show will introduce mainstream America to the genre of Steampunk and inspire people to create their own pieces and apply it to their own homes and lives.

Wes Studi

Cherokee actor Wes Studi has nearly 100 film and television credits to his name. While he is most recognized for his roles in Last of the Mohicans and Dances with Wolves, pop culture, and the Steampunk community, will forevermore know him as teh Werewolf who made Ethan Chandler an American Werewolf in London on Showtime’s Penny Dreadful.

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Wes has many hobbies, titles, and awards. He is a musician, a horse trainer, a sculptor, and a First Speaker of the Cherokee Language. He is a Vietnam War veteran and an activist of the American Indian Movement. He was arrested at Wounded Knee, and later in life played the main role in Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee.

So what does it mean to a Native American to have representation on the Big and Small screens? Everything. Even as Hollywood perpetuates the stereotypes of Natives as historic people, which Wes has portrayed, most of Indian Country is just happy to have someone on screen who looks like them.

As I was growing up, I remember watching Pocahontas for the first time. I was just happy to finally see a kids cartoon with people who looked like me, my family, and my community. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized how horrifically wrong the Disney story got the facts, blatantly ignoring the cultural context willingly provided by the Powhatan Nation of Virginia.

Wes’s portrayal of an Apache medicine man turned werewolf is both authentic and accurate. For one, the show actually uses the Apache language. For another, they carefully considered the culture and attitudes of the time in regards to racism in the Victorian age, which is also seen in the African character of Sambene.

Wes’s role in Penny Dreadful is more than accurate historicism. It is an open door for Native cultures in the Steampunk community, as well as the comicon and cosplay realms. He is able to pull on the emotions of war, siege, anger, betrayal, and facing extinction because he actually served in the United States Armed Forces and came home to join the American Indian Movement following his honorable discharge for his service.

He’s seen where his people were forcibly moved to Tahlequah, OK during the Trail of Tears and he’s seen his homeland, Kituwah, in Cherokee, NC. He is grounded in his culture, in the crimes of his country, and in the modern attitudes of how the world sees Native People.

“It’s good for our young peoplenay, Wes was humble, concise, and to know that yes, we as a people “I was so honoured and amazed are a part of the world, and weby the fact that [John Logan] had thought about me in terms of an ongoing script, perhaps a year before we actually started work,” Studi reveals from his Santa Fe, NM always have been.” home.

In discussing the role of Kaeteeye-opening.

“I really love the story in that it’s so inclusive as far as American Indians are concerned. To me, it was a surprise to be asked to be a part of this traditionally gothic bunch of characters. Everything here is extremely Anglo. Of course, the story was that Ethan had experiences in North America at the time, but then to flesh it out from the American Southwest – and all of a sudden we have an Apache character going through the story ­– in London and throughout the world. So I found it to be extremely inclusive, and with a new twist to a traditional storyline.”

“We as American Indians rejoice each and every time we see a portrayal, and certainly a positive portrayal, of our people in a mainstream show that Penny Dreadful is. Any time we see ourselves on the big screen or the little screen, it’s a wonderful thing,” Studi says.

“And it’s good for our young people to know that yes, we as a people are a part of the world, and we always have been. And this particular storyline – the inclusiveness of it and the diversity of the story – adds to that.”

The depth of his characterizations is unapolagetically authentic. At nearly 70 years old, Studi is still going strong and staying busy.

He assisted in the creation of the Na’vi language for James Cemeron’s Avatar, in which he also played the familiar role of Chief, in charge of the welfare of his people. Whether historical or fictional, Studi has studied his culture through the lens of both an actor for the screen, and an educator to his own people.

Though he did attend a boarding school, Studi is a rare breed for his people: a First Speaker. That is, his first language, the only language he knew before age 5, is the Cherokee Language, which has allowed him to give back to Indian Country through advocacy,

the re-startup of America’s first bilingual newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix, and a phonetics specialist to film projects.

Wes Studi is Hollywood’s go-to authority on Native American authenticity, and it is because of his life’s work to improve the lives of modern Native Americans that films like The Revenant are rising to critical acclaim and films like The Ridiculous Six are flopping at the box office. The public is tired of the same old romanticized stereotypical tropes, and coming to recognizde the beauty and validdity that lies in authentic portrayals of Native Americans as a modern people.

Assisting in this view is the efforts of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation to hold the United States government accountable to historic treaties and respect their cultural and spiritual beliefs by opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline, aka DAPL. The slogan “Mni Wiconi” is Lakota for “Water is Lif” and has taken on a global presence from indigenous communities the world over. The movement has found support in celebrities like Shailene Woodley of the Divergent film series and several actors from Marvel Studios Avengers films, as well as elders in Guatamala, the Maori of New Zealand, and children of Japan.

When the town of Bismarck, ND voted against the proposed pipeline running north of their town due to concerns of polluting the water supply in the event of an oil spill, Energy Transfer Partners rerouted south, through protected lands given in treaty to the Lakota tribe, Standing Rock. As early as April of this year, hundreds of Native Americans flocked to the reservation in support and protest of the pipeline. Ignored by mainstream media until August, the protest grew to thousands, with representatives of hundreeds of separate Sovereign Nations and tribes.

Through the turmoil and the eventual media attention, the American public on social media is overwhelmingly behind the Standing Rock and their fight. Currently, there are discussions of rerouting the pipeline again, but the controversy keeps getting bigger because the State of North Dakota enacted an emergency pact made with 6 states to call in other State departments of Law enforcement against the protestors, who call themselves Water Protectors. This is seen as a misuse of the law, and an expensive one. North Dakota has taken out $6 Million in loans to support this effort, and is asking for another $4 Million in taxpayer funded loans.

It is because of the tireless efforts of Wes Studi and other Native public figures like him, including Adam Beach of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and rapper Litefoot that Indian Country is receiving so much love, support, and sympathy from a people descended from invaders.

Jim Butcher

The New York Times Bestselling author is famous for his Codex Alera and Dresden Files series, but last year, he decided to foray into the origins of Steampunk, literature, with the Cinder Spires Series. The first novel, the Aeronaut’s Windlass, is an air-pirate’s dream come true.

Bein an avid fan of the Dresden Files has no bearing on how this Editor feels about the new venture, because the voice, writing style, and world-built from Butcher’s vast imagination is literally worlds away from anything else he’s written.

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“Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.

Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.

And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…”

Chills, right? I was so excited about this adventure to fill the Jackelian World void Stephen Hunt left behind that I pre-ordered at my local independent bookstore a month, or more, in advance. (Thanks, Chris!) At the same time, I was sorely disappointed that this monster of a book, 630 pages, was not an installment of my beloved Dresden Files. Still totally worth it.

While I got emotionally attached to the Predator and a few other characters, I have to wonder, just how in the world did he come up with this? Butcher has proven himself to be an authentic builder of worlds, as The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera have absolutely nothing to do with each other, yet offer rich, textured, nigh tangible experiences with relatable character perspectives.

For 15 novels and countless short-stories betweeen, devoted readers have followed Harry Dresden, Wizard from magical case to magical case. Expanded into graphic novels, a short-lived TV series, a table-top RPG and Card Game, The Dresden Files is a world in which many fans reluctantly leave, and revist often. From the intricacies of the Fairy Courts to the various types of Vampires, and the unique and difficult situations Harry finds himself in, it is with the help of lovable sidekicks Detective Murphy, Medical Examiner Butters, and a few Werewolf RPG buddies, Harry always comes out on top. (Yes, even that time he hired his own hit man) Butcher’s writing style is snarky, intelligent, and fun. He doesn’t skimp on the suspense or the horror of some of what he faces, kidnapping, attempted murder, and overall destruction at times. Yet the way the story is told, from Harry’s point of view, is natural and believable. He’s self-deprecating and incredibly lucky. He has a murky past, regrets, but always stands in the Light, which many readers indentify with and are inspired by.

Naturally, expectations were high on the announcement of a new series, The Cinder Spires. Butcher is incredibly talented at conveying in excrutiating detail, the most emotionally-gratifying tales in the seeming of a blink of an eye. This is the largest book he’s published yet, and still felt like no time passed at all. The reader is fully immersed in his worlds, regardless of series, which is only a Master Talent.

So how did he break into being published? By tracking down Laurell K Hamilton’s publisher for some original face time. While I’m also a huge fan of The Anita Blake Series, and there’s a lot of modern-day supernatural case files going on, it is not Steampunk in any way. Though in recent cover pictures of the author herself, Hamilton is both a Steampunk and a Whovian.

“I wrote my first book when I was 19.

It was horrible. Really bad.

I wrote another. And one after that. And then I took three novels worth of experience, and rewrote the first one!

And they were still terrible.

I wrote my fourth novel (or fifth, depending on how you look at it), breaking away from standard fantasy to write this paranormy X-files like thing.

A real stinker. Big time. But evidently THAT was when I had started putting together enough craft skills to overcome the lack of inborn talent.

I wrote the first Dresden book for a writing class. I wrote the second one for the next semester, then started on the third one. I submitted the manuscript for the first Dresden to several agents and editors and got rejected and/or ignored pretty much unilaterally. The rejections varied from standard form letters to actual letters that were vaguely encouraging as they crushed my hopes and dreams, to one downright insulting rejection.

That took about two years.

Anyway, after that, I started trying to make it out to conventions to actually meet the editors and agents I was trying to get in the door with. I actually had to slink past literal Klingon Convention Security to get into one limited-acess meet-the-editors coffee thing, because their sign-up process for it was totally unfair, so I decided that it was morally acceptable to go around it. I did get to meet a few people that way, and while it didn’t pay off at the time, it is paying off now, as I try to get more things written and more projects going.

Anyway, after some of that, I decided to take the advice of a friend — go out and track down the specific people I wanted to do business with. I decided who it needed to be based on a fairly simple premise. Laurell Hamilton was writing material a lot like mine. Ricia Mainhardt had liked Laurell’s stuff enough to represent her. Maybe she would like my material too.

So I applied to Ricia’s agency and got rejected.

“Sweet tiny baby Rowl being inspected by his brother Bowie (left) and sister Mirl (right) for the first time!!! I get to take home these precious babies soonish! Rowl and Mirl are being named after the two main cats in the first Cinder Spires book, The Aeronaut’s Windlass!

Look at that precious meow!!!!”

- Kitty Krell, fiance of Jim Butcher, posted to Tumblr

Not to be deterred, I found out which convention she was going to be at, and went there with a fistful of questions from the LKH mailing list, using them to strike up a conversation with Laurell and Ricia. Laurell was really nice to me for no darned reason at all and asked me along when everyone went out for lunch. I met some other writers, a couple of editors and another agent over lunch. By the end of the day, Ricia had offered to represent my work, and another agent (Jennifer Jackson, in fact) had asked to take a look at some of my other work.

I got to have this conversation with Jennifer Jackson (my current agent after parting ways with Ricia) that day at the convention: Hey, why are you interested now? You just rejected me like two months ago?

“Well yeah,” says Jennifer. “But that was before I met you.”

Ricia read the first Dresden manuscript, thought it fine enough to send out, and had it sold to Jennifer Heddle at Roc about six months later. Reportedly, the esteemed Ms. Heddle was wavering until she heard that I had three books already finished, and then she was a lot more interested.”

As he’s currently writing the 16th installment of The Dresden Files, I’d say he’s a successful author. Having completed the Codex Alera series in 6 novels, and starting Cinder Spires, it would seem by all accounts that Jim Butcher is a professional author. His advice to other woould-be professional authors is to simply keep going. When you see your competition of other wannabes give up, that’s when you keep going. Eventually someone will notice the work you’ve done, and will champion your cause.

Kind of like some of the characters in Aeronaut’s Windlass champion each other. So what sparked The Cinder Spires for Butcher’s mind?

“It started off as a thought experiment, because I decided I wanted to work on a story world where steampunk goggles were absolutely necessary. It was also influenced by a moment when I was on the way back from an event and had a carful of sleeping teenagers. It was right around dawn when we were driving, and there was a big lightning storm coming across the Kansas plains. I found myself racing it, trying to get to a section of the highway where I could turn east and get in front of it. The storm got closer and closer, and I was listening to Nine Inch NailsThe Downward Spiral. It was a really industrial sounding album playing while I was driving 85 mph to get in front of this storm. The first airship scene of the book popped into my head while I was driving,” Butcher tells Paste Magazine.

As for the most popular element of the story, the talking cats, Butcher says they were the most fun to write.

“I knew I wanted talking cats. I didn’t want to miss out on it, because I thought it was a great opportunity. As I was writing it, I realized, “I can’t just have talking cats. I’ve got to develop their society and culture. How are cats different in one place than they are in another?”

Eventually, I decided that they don’t really live among people that much, because they’re smart enough not to. But they do have associations with people, and they’ll deal with them on equal terms.

It was interesting how much I had to do. I had to understand these cats and what they’re dealing with. And I had to figure out who were the last generation of cats, how did they make the current generation of cats how they are, and so on. We’ll see more cat characters in the future. I would like to think that the story world will draw in a lot of people, but it’s those cats that will get all of the attention for the series.

There’s an actual real world Rowl and a real world Mirl. Real world Rowl is a ladies man. He’ll get in my fiancée’s lap and snuggle her for hours. It’s adorable, it really is. But he’ll walk by me, and I’ll lean down to pet him, and he’ll be like, “Sorry, Jim, it’s a sausage fest over here. I’ve got to go find a girl to hang out with.”

As for the longevity of the series? Butcher currently has a three book contract for the Cinder Spires, but could write it in six or nine novels if it does well enough with readers. Keep an eye out for The Olympian Affair, after the release of Peace Talks in 2017.

Content

Special Thanks to An Amazing

“What Then Is Steampunk” by A Collection of People, Steampunk Magazine, Issue No. 3 “Notes on Steampunk Fashion” by K.W. Jeter for Anatomy of Steampunk, Race Point Publishing Illustrations by Colin Foran, Steampunk Magazine, Issue No. 2 “The Early Days of Steam” by Tim Powers for Steampunk: The Beginning, California State University of Fullerton exhibition program A/W 2016 Images from: gucci.com, altardstate.com, nordstrom.com, saksfifthavenue.com, and Vogue Runway.com Shoes by Saint Laurent and Jimmy Choo, gold velvet jeans by 7 For All Mankind. Runway images from Alice + Olivia, Zuhair Murad, and Ralph Lauren.

KURIOS Images courtesy of CirqueduSoliel.com “On The Validity of Steampunk” by Heather Pond, Steampunk Magazine, Issue No.5 Ruins Reclaimed: Location: Riverview Station, Asheville NC HMUA Tracy Walker, Photographer Craig Burgwardt, Assistant Tommy Propest, Models Kai Camillo, Alicia Whiteside, Spencer Callahan, Mari Miljour, and Lindsey Yow, Clothing from Avant Geek, Organic Armor, Enchanted Forrest, Royal Peasantry, Uber Kio, Crimson Chain Leatherworks, Elementality, Magnolia Beauregaurd’s, Vintage Moon, The Honeypot, and Karen Kane.

“On Race & Steampunk: A Quick Primer” by Jaymee Goh, Illustrated by Juan Navarro, Steampunk Magazine, Issue No.7 The Lady of Steampunk: Location: The Crow & Quill, Asheville NC HMUA Tracy Walker, Photographer Craig Burgwardt, Assistant Tommy Propest, Model Emma D, Clothing from: Madame Butterfly’s, Bellagio, Swarovski, Crimson Chain Leatherworks, The Honeypot, Elementality, Rue 21, Frederick’s of Hollywood, Chadsworth Antiques, The Jeweler’s Workbench, Altar’d State, Fifi’s Consignment, and Seamstress of Steam Etsy.com “A Corset Manifesto” by Katherine Casey, Illustrated by Allison Healy, Steampunk Magazine, Issue No.6 An Affair of Adventurers: Location: The Cut Cocktail Lounge and Sassy Frass Consignment, Sylva NC HMUA Tracy Walker, Photographer Craig Burgwardt, Models: Emma D and Jaze Uries, Clothing from: McKinney Gough, Fifi’s Consignment, The Honeypot, Vintage Moon, Chadsworth Antiques, and Royal Peasantry “Steampunk Celebrations” recipes from Mrs. Sealy’s Cookbook facsimile 1904 Edition, adapted by the Editor “Venusian Delights” recipe by Emilly Ladybird, Steampunk Tea Party, published by David & Charles “Absinthe Traditionale” recipe by Amy Stewart, The Drunken Botanist, published by Algonquin Books Inventions of Imagination images courtesy of MachinesdeLile.com “Tapping Talent” images from listed Etsy.com shops and Instructables.com “Steamgirl Kato” images courtesy of Steamgirl.com, Kato’s Facebook page, and GSN.com “Wes Studi” images courtesy of Wes’s Facebook page, Showtime.com, and Marty Two Bulls

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Array of Contributing Parties

Research

The Steampunk Bible by Jeff Vandermeer and S.J. Chambers The Steampunk Users Manual by Jeff Vandermeer and S.J. Chambers The Anatomy of Steampunk: The Fashion of Victorian Futurism by Katherine Gleason Steampunk Magazine: The Early Years anthology edition, Creative Commons License The Steampunk Chronicles series of novels by Kady Cross The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher Steampunk’d by Game Show Network Penny Dreadful by Showtime Sherolock by BBC Doctor Who by BBC Houdini & Doyle by Fox Sleepy Hollow by Fox 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Dracula by Bram Stoker The Portrait of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum TinMan Miniseries by Syfy Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Film Adaptation & Sequel by Tim Burton Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Film adaptation by Tim Burton Secret Commissions: An Anthology of Victorian Investigative Journalism edited by Stephen Donovan & Matthew Rubery Mrs. Sealy’s Cookbook facsimile 1904 Edition Jackelian World series by Stephen Hunt Grandiloquent Word of the Day Facebook page The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers The Digging Leviathon, Homunculus, and Lord Kelvin’s Machine by James P. Blaylock Morloch Night by K.W. Jeter How To Be A Victorian: A Dawn to Dusk Guide to Victorian Life by Ruth Goodman Zen & Tonic: Savory and Fresh Cocktails for the Enlightened Drinker by Jules Aron The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart Steampunk: The Beginning by the California State University of Fullerton KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities performance by Cirque du Soleil Steampunk Tea Party by Emilly Ladybird Vintage Tomorrows documentary by Samuel Goldwyn Films

Music

Lindsey Stirling Nightwish Beats Antique The Pentatonix Epica

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Fin

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