TAMUC Faculty Co-Edits Award-Winning Book on Furry Fandom

Book cover featuring a cartoon anthropomorphic cat-like scientist holding a brain with a fox tail attached.

“Furscience,” a book co-edited by A&M-Commerce faculty Dr. Stephen Reysen, has been selected for the 2023 Ursa Major Award for “Best Non-Fiction Work.”

Reysen is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Special Education at A&M-Commerce. One area of his research is fanship and fandom, including fans of anthropomorphic art and stories, known as furries. “Furscience” highlights a decade of psychological research on the furry fandom.

Presented annually by the Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts Association, the Ursa Major Awards—also known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Awards—are bestowed for excellence in the furry arts and literature. They are the furry fandom's fan-driven equivalent of prestigious genre awards such as the Hugo Award® for science fiction works and the Bram Stoker Award for the horror genre.