Geek Out!: Queer Pop Lit Art & Ideas

Editors NoteThe word geek means different things to different people. Merriam-Webster defines it as: An enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity. MacMillan defines it as: Someone who is boring. Oxford defines it as: An unfashionable and socially inept person and A knowledgable and obsessive enthusiast.*Queer is even more nebulous a term if thats possible. Formerly signifying the mere difference of a person or group from the norm it has evolved to apply to specific differences of sexuality and gender-identity. Despite this distinction however an enormous overlap obviously exists between the two terms. Many people who self-identify as queer also self-identify as geeks. For that matter so too are many people labeled queer by others also perceived as geeks. The commonality if it can be pared down to a single factor is a lack of belonging. Being queer and being a geek are each belonging to a group distinguished by its failure to belong or to fit the dominant paradigm. In their own realms they--we--are each alone together living in societys margins.The Urban Dictionary defines geek out as: The act of becoming emotionally and physically aroused by the sight or the thought of a technicality of a certain topic of major interest. It resembles an orgasm of the mind. For the writers and artists here it may be science fiction fantasy fairy tale westerns fanfic or experimental poetry. It may be opera drag synesthesia urban planning or board games. For all of us involved in this book it is also a play on words suggesting queer geeks coming out as both. So what do you geek out about? This book and all subsequent volumes in this series are dedicated to all the wild and wonderful geeks freaks nerds dweebs outcasts and yes queers out there in the world. This means you.--Sage Kalmus Editor