*All programming panels and events are subject to change*
Title: Book Blogs: Are they Shaping How We Find New Reads?
Description: Bloggers appear to be making impact with their social media influence in a variety of areas. Are they having any influence on people discovering new reads in the science fiction, fantasy, and related genres, or not? This discussion tackles the topic from a variety of angles.
Participants: Shannon Muir, Aviya Amir
Title: Classics of Science Fiction – The Lanthanide Series: Andromeda Nebula
Description: Poetic, lyrical. Sold 20 million copies. Changed Soviet science fiction. A thousand years in the future when Earth is a Communist paradise, starships at 5/6 the speed of light meet alien challenges and we struggle against Time. Published in Russian 1957, G. Hanna tr. (as Andromeda) 1959, M. Kuroshchepova tr. 2014.
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Participants: John Hertz
Title: Classics of Science Fiction – The Lanthanide Series: Starship Troopers
Description: Starship Troopers (1959) was Robert A. Heinlein’s second Hugo-winning novel; Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) his third. When asked how he wrote such contradictory books, he said “I’m a science-fiction author. I make things up.” Troopers may get praise from those who feel drawn to its world, blame from those who feel repelled. Is that all there is?
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Participants: John Hertz
Title: Classics of Science Fiction – The Lanthanide Series: The Sirens of Titan
Description: Inventive, check. Novel about the meaninglessness of it all, check. The Times Literary Supplement said “He is doing something unique to science fiction.” This may be true. No one else seems to have done anything like this to us. Extra credit: more, or less, didactic than Troopers? Than Andromeda? Why?
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Participants: John Hertz
Title: Great SF Literature – Reading Aloud!
Description: Listen as great scifi literature is read aloud to you – the very same stories which will be featured in John Hertz’s discussion panel, plus others.
Participants: Will Morton (M), Yvonne Morton, Tim Cassidy-Curtis, Jamie Cassidy-Curtis, John Hertz
Title: The Pantheon among Hogwarts Professors
Description: The Hogwarts teachers as they sit along their long table reflect the ancient mythologies, from Dumbledore, Zeus to Professor Sprout as Demeter or Hathor. Argus Filch is guardian of the gates at Hogwarts, Minerva is its font of wisdom. Dour Snape, always excluded, has many correspondences to Hades as he lurks underground. But which archetypes are missing from the “Hogwarts Pantheon”? Are they just reenacting the Roman gods, or are there other, closer correspondences? Exploring all these archetypes can deepen our understanding of the characters when the Hogwarts pantheon is revealed as a chorus of quibbling gods and Harry their appointed hero.
Participants: Valerie Estelle Frankel