On Friday, September 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m., MARK RICH reads from his new book, C.M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary. This biographical study sets out a great many previously unknown facts about the life of the quite elusive Cyril Kornbluth (1923-1958), who wrote under the name C.M. Kornbluth. The study also attempts to identify what “science fiction” was prior to its perceived death in the middle 1950s and to establish the place of Kornbluth’s works within the field of popular fiction. Robert Silverberg has called Rich’s biography “magisterial”. The book sets out factual information concerning the composition of several novels that are central to the history of American science fiction, including Gravy Planet and The Space Merchants. Rich’s published books range from explorations into toy history to collections of his own science fiction stories. He lives in Cashton, Wisconsin. Visit him at www.sff.net/people/mark.rich/.
On Thursday, October 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m., P.C. HODGELL reads her fiction. Ms. Hodgell is the author of the novels God Stalk and Dark of the Moon, recently republished by Baen in the omnibus volume The God Stalker Chronicles; Seeker’s Mask and To Ride a Rathorn, reissued together by Baen as Seeker’s Bane; the new novel Bound in Blood; and the story collection Blood and Ivory: A Tapestry. Her novels and most of her stories deal with Jame, a young woman with a hidden past and unusual powers, in and out of the wonderful city of Tai-Tashtigon. Her work freely mingles humor with the macabre. She taught literature for many years at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and now writes full time. She is also an artist, working mainly in fabric and stained glass. Visit her at www.pchodgell.com/site/.
On Friday, November 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m., JASON D. WITTMAN reads his fiction. Mr. Wittman is the author of stories in the ezines Baen’s Universe, Aberrant Dreams, SCIFI.COM, and the-phone-book.com, and the print publications The Best of Baen’s Universe, The Dabbler #1 (Sam’s Dot Publishing), Greatest Uncommon DenominatorMagazine, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and Tales of the Unanticipated (TOTU) #27, with another story forthcoming in TOTU #31 in 2011. He also created the card game Spooks and the board game Tile Chess (Steve Jackson Games).
On Friday, December 3, 6:30-7:30 p.m., LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD reads her fiction. Ms. Bujold is the author of over 20 books of fiction. She is best known for the science fiction series about Miles Vorkosigan, who overcomes multiple physical disabilities through personality and force of will including Shards of Honor (1986–about Miles’ parents), The Vor Game (1990), Mirror Dance (1994), Memory (1996), Komarr (1998), A Civil Campaign (2000), and Diplomatic Immunity (2002). She has also written the stand-alone fantasy novel The Spirit Ring (1992), and two fantasy series: The Curse of Chalion (2001) and its sequels Paladin of Souls (2003) and The Hallowed Hunt (2005); and the “Sharing Knife” series: Beguilement (2006), Legacy (2007), Passages (2008), and Horizon (2009). She returns to Miles Vorkosigan’s adventures in CryoBurn (forthcoming late 2010) . Her work is the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, the Minnesota Fantasy Award for lifetime achievment, and of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards. Visit her website: www.dendarii.com/.
On Friday, January 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m., JOHN CALVIN REZMERSKI reads his poetry. Mr. Rezmerski’s new book, Breaking the Rules: Starting with Ghazais (Red Dragonfly Press), was released last October. He has performed his work for hundreds of audiences — for science fiction conventions, schools, libraries, theaters, major readings series, professional organizations, festivals, coffee houses, bars, and on television and radio, including American Public Radio’s Whad’ya Know? Over a span of 35 years, he taught creative writing, journalism, linguistics, science fiction, and storytelling at Gustavus Adolphus College. Bridging the gap between academic and community arts, he has collaborated with painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, dancers, theatrical troupes, and scientists. A winner of the Rhysling Award for speculative poetry, he has also published a chapbook of 22 poems that first appeared in Tales of the Unanticipated. For five years, he has served as poet laureate of the League of Minnesota Poets.
On Friday, February 4, 6:30-7:30 p.m., MICHAEL MERRIAM will read his fiction. Mr. Merriam is a speculative fiction writer living in Hopkins. He has also sold a novel and novella to Carina Press, a novella to Sam’s Dot Publishing, and over 70 pieces of short fiction and poetry to various anthologies and magazines. He is a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association and is the Convention Coordinator Liaison for the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers. He lives with his wife and an ordained cat. You can visit his website at www.michaelmerriam.net
On Friday, March 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m., CATHERINE LUNDOFF reads her fiction. Ms. Lundoff is the two-time Goldie Award-winning author of Night’s Kiss (Lethe Press, 2009), and Crave: Tales of Love and Lust (Lethe Press, 2007), as well as over 70 published stories in various genres. She is also the editor of Haunted Houses and Seraphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories (Lethe Press, 2008), and is the co-editor, with JoSelle Vanderhooft, of Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic (Drollerie Press, 2010). In her other lives, she’s a professional computer geek and teaches writing classes at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. She is owned by two cats and is the proud spouse of her fabulous partner. Website: www.visi.com/~clundoff
On Friday, April 8, TERRY FAUST reads his fiction. Mr. Faust is a Twin Cities writer/photographer. He is currently finishing the third novella in a YA urban fantasy series about a small group of kids who call themselves the River Rangers. Recent published work includes stories in Tales of the Unanticipated #30 and 31, the latter of which also appears in Northern Lights, an anthology of the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers. With Roy C. Booth’s aid it has also been turned into a one-act play. His novel, Z is for Xenophobe, will be published this spring by Sam’s Dot Publishing. Its sequel, Y is for Wiseguy, is in the works. Terry also teaches photography, and has a very understanding wife, Kathy, and two great kids, Max and Spencer.
On Friday, May 13, Speculations will sponsor a panel on “Minnesota Comics Creators,” moderated by MELISSA S. KAERCHER, with panelists BRITT AAMODT, ZANDER CANNON, and PETER GROSS.
Melissa S. Kaercher is a multimedia artist who also happens to color and letter comic books. Her comics work includes Dr. Blink: Superhero Shrink (with John Kovalic and Christopher Jones) and Femme Noir (with Christopher Mills and Joe Staton).
Britt Aamodt is the author of Superheroes, Strip Artists & Talking Animals: Minnesota’s Contemporary Cartoonists. She is a print and radio journalist, screenwriter, storyteller, and the director of the radio play troupe Deadbeats on the Air.
Zander Cannon has been writing and drawing comics since 1993, for both small and large publishers, notably The Replacement God, Smax, Top Ten, and Star Trek. He has worked with non-relation Kevin Cannon on educational comics about genetics, dinosaurs, evolution, the Moon, and rhetoric since 2004. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and son.
Peter Gross is the co-creator and artist of Vertigo’s Eisner nominated, NY Times bestseller series The Unwritten, and co-creator and artist of American Jesus/Chosen with Mark Millar. He also illustrated two of Vertigo’s longest-running series, Lucifer and Books of Magic (and wrote 24 issues). Peter was born in St. Cloud and raised in Bloomington, attended St. John’s University in Collegeville and lived in Duluth for ten years. He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Jeanne McGee, and their daughter Alice.
On Friday, June 3, NAOMI KRITZER reads her fiction. Ms. Kritzer’s short stories have appeared in Realms of Fantasy, Strange Horizons, and Tales of the Unanticipated. Her novels (Fires of the Faithful, Turning the Storm, Freedom’s Gate, Freedom’s Apprentice, and Freedom’s Sisters) are available from Bantam. Since her last novel came out, she has written an urban fantasy novel about a Minneapolis woman who inherits the Arc of the Covenant; a science fictional shipwreck novel; and a children’s fantasy novel about illegal immigration. She has two e-book short fiction collections out: Gift of the Winter King and Other Stories and Comrade Grandmother and Other Stories.
On Thursday, July 28, the Speculations Readings Series presents a discussion: “Dark Descents, Ascending Wonders: The Worlds of Speculative Fiction” featuring DAVID G. HARTWELL, LYDA MOREHOUSE, and JOHN CALVIN REZMERSKI. See the Diversicon 19 Guests page for more about these three authors. The event will take place 6:30-7:30pm at DreamHaven Books, 2301 E. 38th St., Minneapolis.
The Speculations Readings Series moves into its 17th year at DreamHaven Books, 2301 E 38th St, Minneapolis, mostly on Fridays. Readings are accompanied by a reception/autographing with free soda pop and cookies.
On Friday, August 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., lifetime Minnesota resident ROY C. BOOTH reads his fiction. Mr. Booth is a fiction author, poet, journalist, essayist, and game designer. He is also a prolific scriptwriter with optioned screenplays, and is a renowned internationally award-winning playwright with 55 published stage plays that have had 700+ productions in 27 countries and in seven different languages. He is currently focusing more on speculative fiction and has collaborated with the like of William F. Wu, Brian Keene, R. Thomas Riley, and others on a host of projects. Roy will be reading from two of his latest dark fiction ventures, both being negotiated into ongoing book series, and from a few other projects as well. Roy owns/operates Roy's Comics and Games of Bemidji, Minnesota along with his writer wife, Cynthia, and their three sons.
On Friday, September 23, TERRY A. GAREY reads from her fiction and/or poetry. Ms. Garey is a writer and editor who has published in many journals and anthologies inclluding Tales of the Unanticipated. She edited two poetry anthologies, Time Gum (with Eleanor Arnason) and Time Frames, and is the author of The Joy of Home Winemaking. Terry is a member of the Lady Poetesses from Hell performance group. She lives in Minneapolis with a librarian and three cats. In vegetology her vegetable is pumpkin and her condiments garlic and soy sauce.
On Friday, October 7, TERRY FAUST reads his fiction from 6:30-7:30. Mr. Faust is a Twin Cities fiction writer and freelance photographer. He is currently finishing Y is for Wiseguy, the sequel to Z is for Xenophobia, (Sam’s Dot Publishing, July 2011), while working on the third novella in his young adult urban fantasy series about a small group of kids who call themselve the River Rangers. In his spare time he breaks his knuckles perfecting his invention SPET, the self propelled electric trailer for bicycles, and promoting his writing game, Write Now! Recently published work includes short stories in Tales of the Unanticipated #s 29 and 30 and work in the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers anthology, Northern Lights. Terry lives in Minneapolis—year round—and dreams of the day his book sales will buy him a ticket to Edinburgh. He has a very supportive wife, Kathy, and two great kids, Max and Spencer, who have inherited Terry’s love of dreadful puns.
On Friday, November 18, JASON D. WITTMAN reads his fiction from 6:30-7:30. Mr. Wittman lives and works in Minnesota. His fiction has appeared in SCI-FI.COM, the pdf anthology The Best of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, the hardcover anthology The Best of Baen's Universe, and Tales of the Unanticipated (TOTU) #27, with another story forthcoming in TOTU #31. He has created a card game, Spooks, that can be found in certain stores, and a game, Tile Chess, that can be purchased from Steve Jackson Games. He can also recite "The Raven"—all 18 stanzas—from memory.
On Friday, December 2, LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD reads her fiction from 6:30-7:30. Ms. Bujold has published over 30 volumes of fiction (including omnibuses of earlier work). Her fiction has won the Minnesota Book Award, the Mythopoeic Award, the Minnesota Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievment, two Nebulas, and Four Hugos. She is best known for the science fiction Vorkosigan family saga, set about 1,000 years in the future, and mainly centering on the life and adventures of Miles Vorkosigan, a man who masters severe physical disabilities through charisma, inventiveness, and sheer force of will. The Vorkosigan novels include Shards of Honor (1986), The Warrior’s Apprentice (1986), The Vor Game (1990), Barryar (1991), Mirror Dance (1994), Cegaganda (1995), Memory (1996), Komaar (1998), A Civil Campaign (1999), Diplomatic Immunity (2002), and Cryoburn (2010). She has also written several fantasies, including The Curse of Chalion and its two sequels, and the four-book "Sharing Knife" series, beginning with Beulement (2006) and running through Horizon (2009). She is currently finishing a Vorkosigan saga novel centtering around Miles’ cousin, Ivan. Visit her at The Bujold Nexus www.dendarii.com.
On Friday, January 20, JOHN CALVIN REZMERSKI reads his poetry. Mr. Rezmerki's latest book, Breaking the Rules: Starting with Ghazals (Red Dragonfly Press) came out in October 2010. A winner of the Rhysling Award for speculative poetry, he has publised a chapbook of poetry, 22 from TOTU, featuring 22 poems that first appeared in Tales of the Unanticipated. He has performed his work for science fiction conventions, schools, libraries, theaters, festivals, coffee houses, bookstores, bars, and on American Public Radio's Whad 'Ya Know? Over 35 years, he taught creative writing, journalism, linguistics, science fiction, and storytelling at Gustavus Adolphus College, St Peter, Minnesota. He has collaborated with painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, dancers, theatrical troupes, and scientists. For over five years he has served as Poet Laureate of the League of Minnesota Poets.
On Wednesday, February 15, S.N. ARLY reads her fiction from 6:30-7:30. Ms. Arly enjoys writing dark stories suitable for young adults and regular adults. Her most recent publications include a dark fantasy tale in Tales of the Unanticipated (TOTU) #29 and a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" in the all wolf story anthology Wolf Songs vol. 1. She lives in St Paul with her spouse, two young children, and two shelties who routinely herd ideas in her direction.
On Wednesday, March 14, CATHERINE LUNDOFF reads her fiction from 6:30-7:30. Ms. Lundoff is an award-winning author and editor from Minneapolis. Her recent books include the short fiction collection A Day at the Inn, A Night at the Palace and Other Stories (Lethe Press, 2011) and the forthcoming novel Silver Moon: A Wolves of Wolf’s Point Novel (Lethe Press, 2012). She is the editor of Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories (Lethe Press, 2008) and the co-editor, with JoSelle Vanderhooft, of the anthology Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic (Lethe Press, 2011). In her other lives, she's a professional computer geek and teaches writing classes at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Website: www.catherinelundoff.com.
Speculations is a co-production of DreamHaven Books and SF MINNESOTA, a multicultural speculative fiction organization that also hosts a midsummer Twin Cities conveniton, Diversicon, the 20th edition of which will be held August 3-5, 2012, with Guests of Honor TANANARIVE DUE and STEVEN BARNES.
For further information try returning to this page at a later date, visit www.dreamhavenbooks.com or talk to Eric Heideman at 612-721-5959.
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