There’s long been a debate among those looking at steampunk from the outside if steampunk can really be anything but Victorian England.
I, for one, would argue YES. (And really this has nothing to do with the fact that my steampunk books in The Legend Chronicles are set in some part in the Wild Weird West–honestly.) If Jules Verne can write about being 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, then that isn’t Victorian England, is it? If H.G. Wells can write about the New York of the future in his work The Time Machine, that isn’t exactly London either, is it?
I choose to espouse the view that steampunk is more of a time period than a particular setting. You can write about or design costumes from any area of the globe (and a few beyond our own stratsophere) during that golden age and still be steam. The punk comes from being your own little creative mad genius self. So why not have dragon ladies, courtesans of the far east? What about appearing as a Maha Raja or one of his veiled lovey wives? Certainly you could even been a Plantation owner from the Caribean or a Cattle Baron from South America. Truly the combinations are endless.
But I digress.
What really has me 
excited is the steampunk movement into the Wild Weird American West. If you haven’t already heard about the Wild Wild West Steampunk Con going on at Old Tucson Studios in Arizona in March, you should check it out. It’s the first large steampunk gather in Arizona. Not only will Abney Park and the League of S.T.E.A.M. be there, but there’s nothing quite like venturing into Arizona to get the authentic feel of the old west. (I lived there for nearly a decade–trust me.)
Not only do you get the Miner ’49er, but the cowboy, the saloon girl, the rancher, the townie,the gunslinger, carpetbagger and cardshark; so many new and fun ways to express all the goodness that is steampunk. I don’t know about you, but I have a LOT of sewing to do to prepare for the con. And Lolita Elizabeth will be there as well!
If you were going to be one character from the Wild Weird West, what would it be?
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I am going as a Mexican revolutionary. I know the time period lurks between steam and dieselpunk, but I am more diesel anyway.
Works for me! I’m currently working on a faux-leather duster for one of my characters (I like to be a different one every day of the con.)
How do I find the legend chronicles?
The Legend Chronicles (which is currently a trilogy) starts with The Hunter which will be out in bookstores in Nov. this year (and be making its debut at Steamcon III).
I have written a feature article on Western-flavored Steampunk for the March issue of True West Magazine. It goes on sale Feb. 15th (and will be posted on their website, too, I’m sure.)
It should be a fun issue. In addition to my piece, which runs 7 pages, they will have a fashion spread and interviews related to the old Wild, Wild West TV show.
I blog on what I call “the Victorian West.” Hope you’ll stop by for a visit. : )
–Michelle Black, http://www.TheVictorianWest.com
Sounds fantastic, Michelle! Can’t wait to read the article. Theresa Meyers
_www.theresameyers.com_ (http://www.theresameyers.com/) Discover The Truth About Vampires 3-1-11 Find me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Theresa_Meyers
I love this post! Though I am currently constructing a sky pirate costume, I have been thinking of attempting a steampunk geisha. I’ve just seen so many pirates…but geisha? I can’t wait to start, and this post is such a motivator.
I must admit though, I am surprised that the “Victorian West” is just now gathering a following. I would have thought Will Smith and all of his film glory in the Wild Wild West would have given the movement a bigger push when the movie came out years ago.
I can’t wait to see the costumes that come up at this convention! The female styles of the American West were awesome! I would like to see a woman combine the style of those dresses with a bit of the men’s fashion as well. And the guns are going to be great!
The League of S.T.E.A.M. is so excited to be a part of Wild Wild West Con! It’s going to be so much fun…
On this topic, I thought I should mention that the first episode of our “STEAM Geeks” podcast talks in-depth about American Western influence in the steampunk genre.
iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steam-geeks/id414617243
RSS link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SteamGeeks
I really, really like the idea of steampunk blended with the wild, wild west. I am in the midst of writing a middle grade steampunk novel set in the midwest of American, attempting to blend Americana with all things steampunk.
Check out a taste of my project here: http://www.teenwritersbloc.com/2011/01/24/steampunk-americana/
Dhonielle Clayton
teenwritersbloc.com
This whole trend is timely for me as well. This summer I’ll be releasing my dieselpunk weird western, Fist Full of Reefer. The themed conferences and the planned reboot of the Wild, Wild West have me hopeful.
http://www.davidmarkbrownwrites.com/reefer-punk/