September's Creative Corner

By Bryan Thomas Schmidt

For Creative Corner this month, we bring the following news.

Local Authors’ New Projects:

Robin Wayne Bailey will be editing the SFWA 50th Anniversary Anthology, an exciting collection celebrating the organization's upcoming anniversary. 

Meanwhile, he sold "Tombaugh Station" to Bryan Thomas Schmidt for the Baen anthology Mission: Tomorrow which features near future stories about space travel from Earth in a post-NASA dominated age. Congrats to Robin!

Aaron Hollingsworth's second science fantasy epic novel, The Geohex of Wraith County, second in his Four Winds, One Storm series, is now available via Amazon and all major outlets. Amazon has it on sale in paperback at $17.27 or you can buy it for Kindle.  Congrats to Aaron! The book was copyedited by our own Bryan Thomas Schmidt.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt has sold CHOICES, a YA anthology, to Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy.

He also is developing a potential anthology in coordination with KacSFFS Press and MidAmeriCon II.  More details are coming.  The book will feature stories set in the local area and/or be written by authors with strong local ties.

Boyd Morrison Speaks at Barstow School, October 1

On Wednesday, October 1,  Science Fiction author Boyd Morrison will talk at 7:00 pm and hold a book signing after the presentation. The Barstow School is located at 11511 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO.

Charles Darwin, the Loch Ness Monster, international terrorists, and a post-modern hero named Tyler Locke: these characters collide over time and space in Boyd Morrison’s new novel The Loch Ness Legacy. 

Some of Morrison's other books include The Catalyst, Rogue Wave, and his Tyler Locke Series.  To find out more information about him, you can visit his website.

Before becoming a thriller author, Morrison earned a PhD in industrial engineering, worked on the space station project at Johnson Space Center, patented 14 inventions at RCA, and developed video games at Microsoft. 

Calls for Submissions:

A new online magazine, Acidic Fiction, edited by Steven X. Davis of Lawrence, KS, has launched. It is seeking submissions of 6000 words or fewer, and pays $35 per story on acceptance. Stories must be "contemporary speculative fiction, which includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, and magic realism. As a general guideline, stories should take place within roughly the past 100 years or the next 10. Stories should be completely original and self-contained. I’m looking for innovative, well-written stories that explore the amazing aspects of everyday life through the lens of speculative fiction. Subtlety is crucial." See the Submission Guidelines page for complete details and a submission link.

 
Steven H. Silver has issued a call for articles: 
"On November 23, I'll be publishing this year's issue of Argentus. As that day coincides with the centennial of Wilson Tucker's birth, I plan to include a memorial section dedicated to him. I'm asking for articles about Bob. They can be biographical, personal recollections, stories about Tucker, or a look at his writing. My deadline for submissions is October 20. If you're interested in submitting, please let me know." 

Argentus is a science fiction fanzine that has been published annually by Steven H. Silver since 2001.  It has received numerous recognitions, including several Hugo nominations. 

Wilson "Bob" Tucker was an award-winning sf writer who was renowned for many novels, and much beloved at sf conventions, especially among Midwestern fandom. He lived in Champaign, IL during much of his life.

Two SF Cons in Wichita:
Air Capitol Comic Con, Nov. 16

Emerald City Steampunk Expo, Nov. 21-23 

That's all for this month! Keep creating! (Then let us know about it!)
Please send your news about attending conventions, book signings or appearances, publications or other sales, art shows, or other creative-business updates to "Creative Corner" editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt.

IMAGE CREDITS: The SFWA logo is from the organization's website.  The cover art for Aaron Hollingsworth's book is courtesy of Amazon Books. Many thanks to Boyd Morrison's website for his book cover art.  The title for Acidic Fiction is from the magazine's website. The image of Wilson "Bob" Tucker is from Midamericon's Wilson Tucker page. The Air Capitol Comic Con image is from the convention's website opening page.  The Emerald City Steampunk Expo logo is from their website's masthead. 

Spotlight's on AboutSF at Saturday's meeting

A preview of the program for Saturday, April 16, 6:30 at the Writers Place:


"Saving the World through Science Fiction" is the motto of the educational resource center AboutSF.  How could a KaCSFFan do anything but cheer?

L-R: Benjamin Cartwright, Samantha Bishop Simmons, and Nick Bishop Simmons

Once the cheering subsides, however, we can learn more about it from Saturday night's program, presented by Benjamin Cartwright, Samantha Bishop Simmons, and Nick Bishop Simmons.  Ben is a new member of KaCSFFS.

On its website, AboutSF describes itself as "a resource center for speculative literature, science fiction, and education." It is headquartered at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, jointly sponsored by KU, SFWA, and SFRA.  It also is supported by Tor Books, the Heinlein Prize Trust, and individual donors.

Ray Bradbury, by Ed Emshwiller
Saturday's program will feature a
never-before-heard excerpt from an
interview of the sf master by
film historian John Tibbetts.

The program Saturday night will offer a broad overview of resources available through AboutSF, including the Speculative Speakers database, the podcast, and more.  It also will include an excerpt from a never-before-heard interview of Ray Bradbury, and a preview of AboutSF ConQuesT programming.

Ben is the current volunteer coordinator for AboutSF, overseeing various AboutSF projects and initiatives. He also produces the AboutSF audio podcast, designed as a way for fans, scholars, and authors to share stories and commentary with SF communities around the world. And if that wasn't enough, he also produces the Kansas Blotter Audio podcast, collecting recordings of Lawrence KS-area writers.

Samantha is currently in charge of communications at the Hall Center for the Humanities at KU.  She formerly held Ben's job at AboutSF, and also has worked in public education through public and university libraries.

Nick is a Ph.D. candidate at KU, working on a dissertation about philosophical issues regarding consciousness and our understanding of the physical world.

PHOTO CREDITS: Photos of Ben, Samantha, and Nick were provided by Ben; Ed Emshwiller's portrait of Ray Bradbury is the cover painting for Bradbury: An Illustrated Life, published by Donald M. Grant.