Gary Westfahl
| Gary Westfahl | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 7, 1951 |
| Occupation | Writer and reviewer |
| Language | English language |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Claremont University |
| Subject | Science fiction |
Gary Wesley Westfahl (born May 7, 1951) is a scholarly author and reviewer of science fiction. He has written reviews for the Los Angeles Times,The Internet Review of Science Fiction and Locus Online. He worked at the University of California, Riverside until 2011 and is now an Adjunct Professor at the University of La Verne.
Westfahl was born in Washington, DC, in 1951. In 1986 he graduated from Claremont University with a PhD in English.
He currently resides in Claremont, California, with his wife Lynne and cats Darwin and Desmond. His daughter, Allison, is a lawyer, his son-in-law, Steven Kong, is a doctor, and his son, Jeremy Anson, is a mathematics graduate student at UC Irvine and professional Super Smash Bros. Melee player known as Fly Amanita.
Westfahl coordinates English programs at the university's Learning Center and "has written or edited 24 books of scholarship on science fiction". He teaches science fiction, but has not written any. His wife Lynne is a professor in the theater department at Cal State Fullerton. Westfahl also taught at Heman G. Stark Correctional Facility for young adults, which closed in 2010.
Westfahl edited the The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy published in 2005. He also edited Science Fiction Quotations. Both books are described as useful and fun.
In his essay "For Tomorrow We Dine: The Sad Gourmet at the Scienticafe", Westfahl, co-editor of "Foods of the Gods: Eating and the Eaten in Fantasy and Science Fiction" (University of Georgia Press) discusses terrible food depicted even in "wonderful futures". He also notes the bland buildings and "overall atmosphere is one of cleanliness and sterility" resembling a hospital, attributing this to depictions of civilizations that "tend to maintain large populations" that "take on the characteristics of institutions."
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