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Australian New Wave Science Fiction: Micheline Cyna-Tang 'Erotic Shower' & SF Commentary

('The View From The Edge', ed. George Turner, Nostrilia Press 1977, pg. 81- 85)

The short story 'Erotic Shower' by Micheline Cyna-Tang was published in the collection 'The View From The Edge', the resulting works from a weekend science fiction writers workshop conducted by George Turner, Vonda McIntyre and Christopher Priest at Monash University in 1975. The collection is largely made up of amateur science fiction authors, though it also includes an early work by Sam Servajas (of Melbourne punk band The Ears, who also provided the inspiration for parts of 'Dogs in Space'). Michelines sole work is a slice of dry/sly piece of 'new wave' science fiction that is markedly different from anything else in the collection (or much other Australian science fiction from the period for that matter), unsurprisingly editors Vonda McIntyre and George Turner weren't sure how to take the story. 'Erotic Shower' seems to be in part influenced by the feminist and lesbian separatist movements taking shape in 1970's Australia (incidentally, lesbian separatism was the site for a rich vein of self published and small run science fiction work throughout the 1970's and 1980's) and a riff on post-hippie pleasure culture. Michelene Cyna-Tang did not publish any further works as far as I am aware, though in the editors notes there is mention that 'Erotic Shower' was part of a proposed collection of work dealing with a future world  with a "changed and withdrawn culture". 

(SF Commentary, from ISFDB)

As far as I can ascertain she was associated with the general 'scene' surrounding Bruce Gillespie & the SF Commentary fanzine in Melbourne, contributing to their 'Letters' forum. SF Commentary was an important vehicle for Australian science fiction culture and existed within the literary tradition of science fiction (the pre-Star Wars world, so to speak) and embraced the more counter cultural/radical aspects of science fiction and imaginative fiction of the period. For example reviews in one issue included Richard Braughtigans 'In Watermelon Sugar', Anna Kavans 'Ice' and Norman Spinrads 'The Iron Dream' while another featured multiple reviews of J. G. Ballards 'Crash'. Gillespie was also responsible for Nostrilia Press, who published 'The View From The Edge' anthology as well as Gerald Murnane's 'The Plains' (which has subsequently been republished via Text) Gillespie was also the original champion of Philip K Dick in Australia via SF Commentary and the first work published by Nostrilia Press was a collection of essays by Australian writers on Dick, 'Philip K. Dick: Electric Shepherd'. Gillespie begun publishing SF Commentary in 1969 and continues to publish e-editions to this day, available here.

(Tang photographed in George Turners apartment with science fiction artist Stephen Campbell, from eFNAC Supplement, Jan. 2002)