Lawrence C. Connolly's Blog, page 31

Don’t Sleep: Nightmares are coming!

They enter the Rialto only to have their darkest fears brought to life by The Projectionist – a ghostly figure who holds the horrifying futures of all who attend his screenings. And b y the time the viewers realize the truth, escape is no longer an option. For once the ticket is torn, all fates are sealed… [more at The 21st-Century Scop].

Putting on the Music Hat

The 21st-century scop wears many hats. It’s not like the old days, when the traveling minstrel-storyteller showed up at the mead hall with a repertoire of poetry and epic tales uploaded to his personal memory. Today stories are delivered through books, films, digital downloads, spoken-word and musical performances. The most recent posts at this site have covered some of the former … now it’s time for the music hat.

First, a few words about the actual hat (left).

It’s what haberdashers call a...

Yesterday Today:SF’s Roots on View at Milford Festival

My previous post concluded with mention of the grand finale at this year’s Milford Readers and Writers Festival and the promise of a follow up post. Here, then, are some of the talking points from our three-hour program at the Milford Theatre, a conversation that considered how science fiction came of age in Milford during the middle of the 20th century. [Read more at The 21st-Century Scop.]

Bi-Coastal Weekend: Stories & Nightmares

Writers do most their traveling at home. It’s inward travel, exploring memory and imagination in the creation of stories that might one day enter the real world as published stuff.

But sometimes the draw of outside events cuts through the reverie, and that’s the way it was last weekend when I had writing-related gigs popping on both coasts: a guest of honor appearance at the Milford Festival on the east … [read more at The 21st-Century Scop].

Looking Ahead:This Weekend at the Milford Festival

Sixty-four years ago, science fiction writers Virginia Kidd and James Blish moved to Milford, PA, into a home that they called Arrowhead. It was there that Virginia Kidd founded the first literary agency devoted to the sf genre and where James Blish and colleagues such as Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm wrote stories that helped define modern sf.

Given Arrowhead’s proximity (less than a six-hour drive from my home) and the fact that that The Kidd Agency has been representing me for the past 17...

Big Things Cooking in September:Milford Writers & Son of Monsterpalooza

Big things are brewing this month, with the Milford Readers and Writers Festival on the east coast and Son of Monsterpalooze on the west – both on the same weekend (September 15-17) and 3,000 miles apart.

Makes me wish I had a teleporter.

Nevertheless, despite the distance and the impossibility of two places at once … [read more at The 21st Century Scop].

Big Things Cooking in September:Milford Writers & Son of Monsterpalooza

Big things are brewing this month, with the Milford Readers and Writers Festival on the east coast and Son of Monsterpalooze on the west – both on the same weekend (September 15-17) and 3,000 miles apart.

Makes me wish I had a teleporter.

Nevertheless, despite the distance and the impossibility of two places at once, I’m eagerly looking forward to both.

As science-fiction guest of honor at the Milford Festival, I’ll be taking part a program that will include a marathon screening of the origin...

Celebrating the Roots of the Genre:Pennsylvania’s Place in SF History

Next month, I’ll be helping celebrate the roots of modern science fiction by heading east to Milford, Pennsylvania, where some of the genre’s biggest names helped establish sf as we know it today. It’s an exciting history that will be commemorated on September 15-17 at The Milford Readers and Writers Festival.

I’ll be attending as this year’s science-fiction guest of honor. Needless to say, I’m jazzed.

In the days ahead, I’ll be posting more information about the event. For now … [read more a...

Celebrating the Roots of the Genre:Pennsylvania’s Place in SF History

Next month, I’ll be helping celebrate the roots of modern science fiction by heading east to Milford, Pennsylvania, where some of the genre’s biggest names helped establish sf as we know it today. It’s an exciting history that will be commemorated on September 15-17 at The Milford Readers and Writers Festival.

I’ll be attending as this year’s science-fiction guest of honor. Needless to say, I’m jazzed.

In the days ahead, I’ll be posting more information about the event. For now, here’s the of...

Confluence: One of the Great Regional Cons

Confluence, one of the great science fiction conventions, was held last week at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. As always, it provided an opportunity for fans to connect with professionals in the field and for professionals to get out from behind the desk to spend some real-world time with folks they see all too seldom.

This year I served on a number of panels (see previous post) and got the chance to hang out with some of my favorite … [more at The 21st-Century Scop].