Are You Planning for the Campbell Conference?

This is a busy weekend for KAXFEN! There are both a Laser Rangers Meeting and a Horror Book Club meeting on Saturday, June 14--please see other posts to this blog about the details of those events.

But there's also the Campbell Conference!
The annual Campbell Conference is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas and runs from next Friday (the 13th!) through Sunday, June 15th.  To register online, click here!
Register now - especially if you want to attend the Friday night banquet!
 
A quick overview of events:

Friday, June 13
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Panel discussion with guest authors: "Secrets of Successful Speculative-Fiction Writing."

Where? In Rieger Scholarship Hall

6:00 - 7:30pm
Awards Ceremony and Banquet honoring the winners of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for best SF novel) and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award (for best short SF).

Where? Location TBA (on KU campus)

Rieger Scholarship Hall

NOTE: $25, reservations due by June 9.

Register now - especially if you want to attend the Friday night banquet!
 

7:30 - 9:00pm
Wine and beer reception.

Saturday, June 149:00am - Noon

The KU Kansas Union Building

Campbell Conference round-table discussion: "SF and the Real World." 

Where? Kansas Union, exact room TBA.

12:45pm - 1:30pm
Book-signing with all attending authors and editors.
Where? Jayhawk Ink Bookstore in the Kansas Union. NOTE: This event is free and open to public (no need to register for the Conference to attend the signing).

1:45pm - 4:00pm
Campbell Conference presentations honoring Frederik Pohl.

Featured Movie screening!

Where? Kansas Union, exact room TBA.

7:30pm - ?
Screening of "CSA: Confederate States of America," followed by discussion with the director and cinematographer.

Where? Oldfather Studios (see registration packet).

Sunday, June 1510:00am - 12:00pm
Informal "meet the authors and editors" session.
Where? Kansas Union, exact room TBA.

Noon - ?
"Science Fiction Sunday" salon-discussion and brunch
Hosted by Jean Martin and Amanda Martin-Harmon
Where? Kansas Union, exact room TBA.

To learn more about the events and guests, see the Conference page:  
Register now - especially if you want to attend the Friday night banquet!

IMAGE CREDITS: The Campbell Conference poster and the movie poster for CSA: Confederate States of America are both from the Campbell Conference web page. The image of Rieger Scholarship Hall is from a KU gallery of photos. The photo of the KU Kansas Union building is from the Flyover People blog.  
 

Author Cory Doctorow to speak at KU Feb. 28

By Chris McKitterick, Center for the Study of Science Fiction Director

Cory Doctorow (2012 photo)

Author, journalist, technology activist, and Boing Boing co-editor Cory Doctorow presents this year's Richard W. Gunn Memorial Lecture:  
 "The Coming War on General Purpose Computing: Every single political issue will end up rehashing the stupid Internet copyright fight." 

When: Thursday, February 28, 2013
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Where: Alderson Auditorium
University of Kansas Student Union
Lawrence, KS 66045
Cost: Free! Seating is limited, so arrive early to ensure a spot.
Jayhawk Ink bookstore will have copies of several of Doctorow's books available to purchase in Alderson Auditorium (as well as the bookstore on Level 2) and get signed by the author after the talk.

This is Doctorow's third visit to KU: first in 1999 when his story "Craphound" (his first published story) was a finalist for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and next in 2009 when his novel Little Brother won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award.

Don't miss hearing one of the most interesting thinkers of our time talk about some of our most-relevant issues!  Learn more.

IMAGE CREDIT: The photo of Cory Doctorow is courtesy of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.

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.