Dr. Phoenix Alexander, the Jay Kay Klein and Doris Klein Science Fiction Librarian at the UCR Library, has had a whirlwind few months. 

Between organizing events, managing the Eaton Collection, and engaging with the local community, his schedule has been packed. "The last few months have been a whirlwind. So much exciting stuff is happening," Phoenix says.

One of the activities that has kept Phoenix busy these last few months was his involvement with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) and the 2024 Nebula Awards, an awards ceremony recognizing published science fiction and fantasy works, voted on and presented by SFWA.

Phoenix played a crucial role as a volunteer organizer at the awards ceremony held on June 8. “I was a liaison to the Grand Master, Susan Cooper. I also was the assistant to the Toastmaster Sarah Gailey," he says. “I had a headset, got instructions from the back, and made sure people were on stage when they needed to be.”

The 2024 SFWA Nebula Conference, which coincided with the awards ceremony, was held June 6-9 and saw Phoenix speak and serve as moderator for the panels, When Clank! Clank! Meets Pew! Pew!: Combining Fantasy and Sci-Fi Elements and Write Well, Stay Well: Self-Care for Authors.

SFWA is an organization for professional science fiction writers and Phoenix has been deeply involved in the organization, even serving as a member of its History Committee for over a year. “The History Committee helps authors, and the institution itself, with things like records management, providing resources to authors, organizing and preparing their papers for donation to different institutions, and keeping track of the history of the award ceremonies.” Phoenix says.

Phoenix sold his first short story in 2018 and describes his own writing as predominantly science fiction/horror. His stories have been published in outlets such as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Escape Pod, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. He secured his literary agent, Angeline Rodriguez from WME, after a rigorous process of submissions and queries. “Finding the right agent took about 100 applications, but the persistence paid off,” he says.

Despite his busy schedule, Phoenix remains passionate about his work and the Riverside community. His involvement in local events, such as tabling at the Mini Comic Fest Featuring Black Kirby in Downtown Riverside this summer, highlights his commitment to engaging with the local community.

In August, Phoenix presented at Worldcon, the longest-running science fiction convention in the world, in Glasgow and looking ahead, he will be moderating a panel discussion of science fiction authors at USC Fisher Museum of Art at an event titled Radical Imagination: Queer Stories through Sci-Fi Storytelling.

Do you want to learn more about the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy? Learn about the Eaton Collection from Phoenix in the short video below: