Monthly Archives: May 2024

Awards, CSFFA / Aurora Award / Hall of Fame

Aurora Awards and other news from CSFFA

In this newsletter:

 

  1. 2024 Prix Aurora Awards Finalists
  2. Update on the Aurora Award Voters Package
  3. CSFFA Hall of Fame Update
  4. 2024 Professional Development Grant Recipient
  5. Personnel Changes on CSFFA’s Board of Directors

2024 Prix Aurora Award Finalists

This ballot is for works originally done in 2023 by Canadians.  The Aurora Awards are nominated by members of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.  The top five nominated works were selected.  Additional works were included where there was a tie for fifth place.  An online awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, August 11th, 2024, at 5pm EDT, with hosts Mark Leslie Lefebvre and Liz Anderson.

Best Novel

Bad Cree, Jessica Johns, HarperCollins Canada
The Marigold, Andrew F. Sullivan, ECW Press
Moon of the Turning Leaves, Waubgeshig Rice, Random House Canada
Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey
The Valkyrie, Kate Heartfield, HarperVoyager

Best Young Adult Novel

The Crystal Key: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 2, Douglas Smith, Spiral Path Books
Flower and Thorn, Rati Mehrotra, Wednesday Books
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls, Cherie Dimaline, Tundra Books
The Grimmer, Naben Ruthnum, ECW Press
The Stars of Mount Quixx, S.M. Beiko, ECW Press

Best Novelette/Novella

Green Fuse Burning, Tiffany Morris, Stelliform Press
I AM AI, Ai Jiang, Shortwave Media
“The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World”, Nalo Hopkinson,
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror, Random House
Pluralities, Avi Silver, Atthis Arts
Untethered Sky, Fonda Lee, Tordotcom

Best Short Story

“At Every Door A Ghost”, Premee Mohamed, Communications Breakdown, MIT Press
“The Dust Bowl Café”, Justin Dill, Augur Magazine, Issue 6.1
“If I Should Fall Behind”, Douglas Smith, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Sept/Oct Issue
“Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont”, P.A. Cornell, Fantasy Magazine, Issue 96
“Sink Your Sorrows to the Sea”, Chandra Fisher, Saltwater Sorrows, Tyche Books

Best Graphic Novel/Comic

Atana and the Firebird, Vivian Zhou, HarperCollins
A Call to Cthulhu, Norm Konyu, Titan Nova
Carson of Venus, Ronn Sutton (artist), Martin Powell (writer), and Maggie Lopez (colourist), webcomic
Cosmic Detective, Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt, art by David Rubin, Image Comics
It Never Rains, Kari Maaren, webcomic
The Secret of the Ravens, written and illustrated by Joanna Cacao, with lettering by Kyla Aiko, Clarion Books
Wychwood, Ally Rom Colthoff, webcomic

Best Poem/Song

“As a, I want to, so I can”, Kelley Tai, Heartlines Spec, Issue 2, Spring/Summer 2023
“Awakening”, Tiffany Morris, Nightmare Magazine, Issue 134
“Lying Flat”, Lynne Sargent, Strange Horizons, Issue 9 October 2023
“predictive text”, Dominik Parisien, Augur, Issue 6.1
“Scarecrow”, David Shultz, Polar Starlight, Issue 9
“A Siren’s Call, A Banshee’s Wail, A Grandmother’s Dream”, Ai Jiang, Uncanny Magazine, Issue Fifty Four

Best Related Work

GAME ON!,  Stephen Kotowych & Tony Pi, editors, Zombies Need Brains LLC
No One Will Come Back for Us and Other Stories, Premee Mohamed, Undertow Publications
On Spec Magazine, Diane L. Walton, Managing Editor, The Copper Pig Writers’ Society
Skin Thief: Stories, Suzan Palumbo, Neon Hemlock Press
Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume One, Stephen Kotowych, editor, Ansible Press

Best Cover Art/Interior Illustration

Augur Magazine, Issue 6.1, cover art, Lorna Antoniazzi
Endless Library � Fantasy, interior art, Marcco Marin,
Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume One, Ansible Press
Green Fuse Burning, cover art, Chief Lady Bird, Stelliform Press
The Machines That Make Us, cover art, Brent Nichols, Tyche Books
The Passion of Ivan Rodriguez, cover art, Kayla Kowalyk, Tyche Books
Tales & Feathers Magazine, Issue 1, cover art, Jade Zhang

Best Fan Writing and Publication

Maria’s Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Short Fiction Roundup, Maria Haskins
Polar Borealis Magazine, Issues: 24, 25, 26, and 27, edited by R. Graeme Cameron
Polar Starlight Magazine, Issues: 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, edited by Rhea E. Rose
The Travelling TARDIS, Jennifer Desmarais, JenEric Designs
Young People Read Old SFF, edited by James Davis Nicoll, online

Best Fan Related Work

ephemera Reading Series, KT Bryski and Jen R. Albert, co-chairs, online
Scintillation 4, Jo Walton and René Walling, co-chairs, Montreal
Sip & Read / Sip & Social @ Librairie Saga Bookstore, Mathieu Lauzon-Dicso, bookstore owner
When Words Collide, Randy McCharles, chair, Calgary
The Worldshapers Podcast, Edward Willett, online

Note: Can*Con recused themselves from this year’s ballot even though they had enough nominations.

Voters Package Update

 

The ballot has been announced and we want to send our heartfelt congratulations to each and every nominee. It is an exciting time and now it is your turn to read and immerse yourself in some great work.

The Voter’s Package has a lot of moving parts that take some time to get all gathered into one place and put into the wonderful package we all look forward to. We are in the home stretch to get it out to you so you have as much time as possible to read. You will be able to get the package the week of May 20th. Watch the newsletters, our website and social media for availability.

Remember you are voting for the best of the best so give time and consideration to the material so kindly provided by the publishers, authors, and creators. That way you can make informed choices about what really speaks to you. Read. Enjoy. Vote. If you have any questions or are having problems with the download just drop us at line on our website.

Happy reading!

[]

CSFFA Hall of Fame Update

The 2024 CSFFA Hall of Fame inductees have been selected.

We wish to thank the jury for their work:
Ryah Deines; Gordon Johansen; Rebecca Lovatt; Michelle Sagara; and David Clink, chair.

We will officially announce the inductees later this summer.

We would like to take this moment to thank all of the nominees.
Those who were not selected will remain nominees for future years.

CSFFA members are encouraged to nominate Canadian SFFH creators. The nomination form can be found here. The Hall of Fame honours Canadian creators who have made a significant 20+ year impact in the speculative fields (SFFH). For more information on eligibility, see here.

2024* CSFFA Professional Development Grant Recipient

We launched our Professional Development Grant to further the growth of new writers or new to the genre to the wonderful world of science fiction and fantasy. We’re thrilled to announce the recipient for our first 2024 PD Grant period: Paola Ferrante.

Paola Ferrante is a woman writer living with depression. Her speculative short fiction collection, Her Body Among Animals (Book*hug 2023), received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, made the 2023 CBC Books fall reading list, and was eligible for a CSFFA Prix Aurora Award. Paola will use the grant for a book coach and editorial feedback to continue developing and completing revisions of her first novel, Completables.
(*we conduct two rounds of applications per year, and if you fit the eligibility bill, you are encouraged to apply in our next round by the Aug. 31st deadline).

Personnel Changes on CSFFA’s Board of Directors

Goodbye Clint, Goodbye Jeanette, Welcome Aymen

Clint Budd has retired as a CSFFA director. CSFFA as it is today is the result of years of his leadership as President of the Board. Clint stepped down as President in October, 2019. Until April 2023 Clint also annually organized the CSFFA Hall of Fame jury.

Clint is a CSFFA Hall of Fame nominee: read more about Clint here.

Jeanette Dover joined CSFFA’s Board of Directors as Treasurer in the summer of 2019. CSFFA had the benefit of Jeanette’s time for nearly five years. Jeanette also worked with board member Shannon Allen: Shannon administers CSFFA’s Professional Development Grant.

During the April 2024 Board meeting your Board voted to appoint Aymen Saidane as CSFFA’s new Treasurer.

Aymen’s bio (members will see it as part of the 2024 AGM documents): “Succeeded Jeanette Dover in April. Operations Manager at ECW Press and instructor of Publishing Finance at Humber College. Dreams of living on the moon in retirement.”

Astronomy News

THE BIGGEST SOLAR FLARE OF THE CURRENT SOLAR CYCLE

Space Weather News for May 14, 2024
https://spaceweather.com
https://www.spaceweatheralerts.com

THE BIGGEST SOLAR FLARE OF THE CURRENT SOLAR CYCLE: Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected the most intense solar flare of the current solar cycle (so far)–an X8.7-category blast from giant sunspot AR3664. Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth’s atmosphere and caused a deep shortwave blackout over the Americas. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.

Solar flare alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts to receive instant text messages when strong flares are underway
[] 
Above: Today’s X8.7-class solar flare photographed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Fanzines

Zines to Share!

Zines to Share!

From N3F: Tightbeam3561

Added today at https://efanzines.com:

  • John Nielsen Hall’s VT #29
  • Octothorpe #108 a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line. A transcript of the episode is also available at the link.
  • Andy Hooper’s CAPTAIN FLASHBACK #65
  • Perry Middlemiss’s Perryscope #43
  • Opuntia #571, edited by Dale Speirs

From Joe Major: Alex134

From Leybl Botwinik, CCMay2024-v01

Obituary

Roger Corman dies, aged 98

Roger Corman: The Little Shop of Horrors cult B-movie director dies aged 98

“It became something of a joke in the film industry that Corman could negotiate a contract from a public phone, shoot the film in the phone box and pay for it with the coins in the change slot.”

Roger Corman at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023
Corman attended the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 at the age of 97,Image source, Getty Images

Roger Corman, who directed a series of cult films including 1960’s The Little Shop of Horrors, has died aged 98.

His family told industry publication Variety that he died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, California.

“His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age,” their statement said.

Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro are among the actors he helped develop. Directors James Cameron and Martin Scorsese cut their teeth on his films.

Many of his films became cult classics and he became famous for the speed at which he worked, often making two films at the same location and at the same time, in order to save money.

Roger Corman was born in Detroit on 5 April 1926. His father, William, was an engineer and he had intended to follow in his footsteps.

However, while studying at college, he became attracted to film-making and after a spell working for General Motors quit his job and went to work at 20th Century Fox as a messenger boy.

Having failed to make much progress, he set off for Europe where among other things, he briefly studied English literature at Oxford. He returned to the US with ambitions to become a screenwriter.

He sold his first script, The House in the Sea, in 1953 and it was filmed as Highway Dragnet the following year with Corman being credited as co-producer.

However, he was so upset by the changes made to his story that he scraped together some cash and set himself up as a producer.

Corman began directing in 1955 with Swamp Women and over the next 15 years he made more than 50 films, gaining a reputation for the speed with which he could turn them out.

It became something of a joke in the film industry that Corman could negotiate a contract from a public phone, shoot the film in the phone box and pay for it with the coins in the change slot.

The 1960 release, The Little Shop of Horrors, which featured a brief appearance by a young Jack Nicholson, took just two days to shoot with Corman using the set of a previous film, Bucket of Blood.

A stage musical based on the film opened in 1982 and would itself spawn a second film version four years later.

Corman decided to widen his horizons with a series of films based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe and featuring Vincent Price as the lead in all but one of them.

READ MORE: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-17127556

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Corman

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000339/

MonSFFA Website

MAY 2024 MonSFFA Meeting, Closing Post – Wrap-Up!

5) THANK YOU

We thank for his contributions to this afternoon’s programming our special guest speaker, Rich Larson.

See Rich Larson’s bibliography at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database: isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Rich%20Larson

Read some of Rich Larson’s fiction online at: https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/Rich_Larson.html

We also thank club members Joe Aspler, Danny Sichel, and Keith Braithwaite for their contributions to this afternoon’s programming, as well as all of our contributing participants, and everyone who helped to plan and run this meeting. Finally, of course, we thank all of you who joined us here in person, and on ZOOM; don’t forget to comment on today’s get-together (www.MonSFFA.ca).

6) NEXT MONTH’S CLUB FIELD TRIP

The club will embark upon its 2024 field trip on Saturday afternoon, June 8. We will be visiting the Montreal Biodôme, an exhibition encapsulating five distinct ecosystems of the Americas, including Canada’s Laurentian Maple Forest, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Coastal Labrador. Join us as we view the many plants and animals of these natural environments!

As this is an outside-of-meeting outing, online participants please note that our usual ZOOM-chat will not be possible. No ZOOM component will be incorporated into this event. We are looking at putting together a photo album of our visit to post on the club’s Website at a later, for the benefit of our out-of-town members and other ZOOMers.

MonSFFen are asked to meet-up in the Biodôme’s main-entrance lobby between noon and 12:30PM—don’t be late!—with the intention of entering the exhibition together at 1:00PM, or possibly 1:30PM—the number of people allowed in at one time is controlled, so we aim to enter as a group during the same time block.

Tickets are $17.50/adult (price for Montreal-island and -area residents); discounts are available for students, seniors, and children. Each club member is responsible for their own transportation to and from the Biodôme, and for their own admission charge.

The Biodôme (4777 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin) is located at the base of the Olympic Stadium in the city’s East End (Metro Viau). Paid parking is available for anyone driving in; parking lot is located close by at 3000 rue Viau. Street parking in the area is also an option, but of course is subject to availability.

Visit the “Espace pour la vie” Website, Biodôme section, for more information: www.espacepourlavie.ca

7) SIGN-OFF

Until we gather again, keep well, and we hope to see you at the Biodôme on Saturday afternoon, June 8!

MonSFFA Website

MAY 2024 MonSFFA Meeting, Opening Post – Introduction and Agenda

1) INTRODUCTION

Welcome to MonSFFA’s May 11, 2024 meeting! This afternoon’s proceedings are soon to get underway. We are meeting live and in person at our new meeting hall in the Nouvel Hotel, downtown! For those joining us online, today, see the instructions, below (at the end of this post), to join in and participate on ZOOM.

Our programming agenda begins at 1:00PM; the meeting will conclude by 5:00PM. This opening post has gone up shortly before the meeting’s start time to allow folk to gather online at their leisure.

A closing post will go up at 5:00PM to officially thank today’s presenters/discussion moderators, and to publish the date of our next event.

2) MEETING THEME FOR MAY

The day after our May meeting is Mother’s Day! Sarah Connor, Joyce Byers, Molly Weasley, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Padme Amidala, Helen “Elastigirl” Parr, Beverly Crusher, the Alien Queen, the Horta!—name you favourite SF&F moms.

3) THIS AFTERNOON’S AGENDA

Today’s programming agenda is as follows:

1:00PM—THE “LOST WORLDS” OF SF&F

SF is about new worlds, of course. But what about “Lost Worlds”? What about places hidden just around or over the next mountain ridge, into the hidden valley, or on that mysterious island? During the Age of Exploration, satirists like Jonathan Swift and Cyrano de Bergerac wrote of strange and exotic lands as a means of satirizing life in European courts during the 17th and 18th centuries.

This afternoon, we will explore the great lost lands of modern science fiction and fantasy in literature and on the silver screen, beginning with the worlds of H. Rider Haggard, the writer who started the modern trend. We’ll also explore the original weird and mysterious jungle, the Lost World of Arthur Conan Doyle, along with an obligatory stop at a Jules Verne world, and a related link to Canadian history! And while many of these Lost Worlds were written as a vehicle to proclaim the triumph of western civilization over everyone else, there are still a few where the Europeans get their comeuppance.

2:00PM—WE WELCOME GUEST SPEAKER RICH LARSON, SF WRITER

Our special guest will speak of his personal creative process, the mechanics of writing short fiction, the business of selling same, and the transition to novel writing. A Q&A will follow, and Rich will cover, as well, his experience with the Emmy-winning television adaptation of one of his stories for LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS!

Praised by Gardner Dozois as “One of the best new writers to enter science fiction in more than a decade,” Rich Larson’s books include Annex, Ymir, and the short story collection Tomorrow Factory. Currently based in Montreal, Rich was born in Galmi,             Niger, and has lived in Spain and the Czech Republic. His fiction has been translated into over a dozen languages, among them Polish, French, Romanian and Japanese.

3:30PM—Break

Raffle, club business, and announcements. 

3:45PM—THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE

Discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of different mediums—books, film, television series, graphic novels—when telling the same story.

4:45PM—CLEAN-UP/PACK-UP

Out by 5:00PM.

While we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda for one reason or another. Therefore, please also note that all programming is subject to change!

4) JOIN THIS AFTERNOON’S VIDEO-CHAT ON ZOOM!

To take part in this afternoon’s meeting online, join our ZOOM video-chat, which will run throughout the next few hours. Simply click here and follow the prompts: This Afternoon’s MonSFFA e-Meeting on ZOOM

If you’re not fully equipped to ZOOM, you can also take part by phone (voice only); in the Montreal area, the toll-free number to call is: 1-438-809-7799. From out of town? No problem; find your ZOOM call-in number here: Call-In Numbers

Also, have this information on hand as you may be asked to enter it:

Meeting ID: 823 4276 3037
Passcode: 901155

The sci-fi fun begins at 1:00PM! Thanks for joining us today, and enjoy the meeting!

MonSFFA Website

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER AT CLUB MEETING, TOMORROW, MAY 11!

Next MonSFFA Meeting is Set for Tomorrow, Saturday, May 11!

1:00PM-5:00PM

at: 

Le NOUVEL HOTEL

1740 Boul. René-Lévesque Ouest (corner St-Mathieu), “Salle Maisonneuve”

…and concurrently on ZOOM!

www.MonSFFA.ca

MonSFFA has moved back downtown to a new meeting hall!

We are meeting in “Salle Maisonneuve” of Le Nouvel Hotel! Le Nouvel is located on a major bus line, and is just a short walk from either Metro Guy/Concordia or Lucien-L’Allier. 

Note that this new locale is only one block west of our pre-pandemic meeting place, the Hôtel Espresso (corner Guy and René-Lévesque)! We have returned to our old, familiar neighbourhood, folks! And we hope to welcome home both current and dormant club members; see you all on the 11th!

Meeting Theme: The day after our May meeting is Mother’s Day! Sarah Connor, Joyce Byers, Molly Weasley, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Padme Amidala, Helen “Elastigirl” Parr, Beverly Crusher, the Alien Queen, the Horta!—name you favourite SF&F moms.

MAY’S AGENDA INCLUDES:

WE WELCOME GUEST SPEAKER RICH LARSON, SF WRITER—Our special guest will speak of his personal creative process, the mechanics of writing short fiction, the business of selling same, and the transition to novel writing. A Q&A will follow, and Rich will cover, as well, his experience with the Emmy-winning television adaptation of one of his stories for LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS!

Praised by Gardner Dozois as “One of the best new writers to enter science fiction in more than a decade,” Rich Larson’s books include Annex, Ymir, and the short story collection Tomorrow Factory. Currently based in Montreal, Rich was born in Galmi, Niger, and has lived in Spain and the Czech Republic. His fiction has been translated into over a dozen languages, among them Polish, French, Romanian and Japanese.

See Rich Larson’s bibliography at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database: isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Rich%20Larson

Read some of Rich Larson’s fiction online at: https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/Rich_Larson.html

THE “LOST WORLDS” OF SF&F—SF is about new worlds, of course. But what about “Lost Worlds”? What about places hidden just around or over the next mountain ridge, into the hidden valley, or on that mysterious island? During the Age of Exploration, satirists like Jonathan Swift and Cyrano de Bergerac wrote of strange and exotic lands as a means of satirizing life in European courts during the 17th and 18th centuries.

This afternoon, we will explore the great lost lands of modern science fiction and fantasy in literature and on the silver screen, beginning with the worlds of H. Rider Haggard, the writer who started the modern trend. We’ll also explore the original weird and mysterious jungle, the Lost World of Arthur Conan Doyle, along with an obligatory stop at a Jules Verne world, and a related link to Canadian history! And while many of these Lost Worlds were written as a vehicle to proclaim the triumph of western civilization over everyone else, there are still a few where the Europeans get their comeuppance.

THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE—Discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of different mediums—books, film, television series, graphic novels—when telling the same story.

and more… 

Next Month: Field Trip to Montreal Biodôme, June 8

The club will embark upon its 2024 field trip on Saturday afternoon, June 8. We will be visiting the Montreal Biodôme, an exhibition encapsulating five distinct ecosystems of the Americas, including Canada’s Laurentian Maple Forest, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Coastal Labrador. Join us as we view the many plants and animals of these natural environments!

We will meet-up in the Biodôme’s main-entrance lobby between noon and 12:30PM—don’t be late!—with the intention of entering the exhibition together at 1:00PM, or possibly 1:30PM—the number of people allowed in at one time is controlled, so we aim to enter as a group during the same time block.

Tickets are $17.50/adult (price for Montreal-island and -area residents); discounts are available for students, seniors, and children. Each club member is responsible for their own transportation to and from the Biodôme, and for their own admission charge.

The Biodôme (4777 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin) is located at the base of the Olympic Stadium in the city’s East End (Metro Viau). Paid parking is available for anyone driving in; parking lot is located close by at 3000 rue Viau. Street parking in the area is also an option, but of course is subject to availability.

Visit the “Espace pour la vie” Website, Biodôme section, for more information: espacepourlavie.ca

We hope to see you at the Biodôme on Saturday afternoon, June 8!

And Coming in the Fall…

THE RETURN OF THE SUPER SCI-FI BOOK SALE!

Consider this note an early heads-up to all SF&F readers! MonSFFA is pleased to announce the post-pandemic re-launch of our popular, fund-raising SF&F used book sale!

Amazing prices on thousands of amazing stories by science fiction and fantasy authors from Asimov to Zelazny!

We’ve got plenty of inventory left over from past sales, plus lots of fresh stock, including items from the legacy of our late friend, collector, and club member Sylvain St-Pierre! And we’re clearing it all at our astonishingly low prices!

Piles of Paperbacks! Boxes of Books! An Astounding Assortment Available, Including…

Trade Paperbacks and Hardcovers! Anthologies and Specialty Books! Magazines and Comics! Plus DVDs! UNIMAGINABLE, UNBELIEVEABLE, UNBEATABLE BARGAINS!

Publications en Français Aussi!

The Lowest Prices In the Galaxy! The More you Buy, the More you Save!

EVERYTHING! MUST! GO! Open to the Public!

MonSFFA Website

SF WRITER RICH LARSON GUEST SPEAKER AT NEXT CLUB MEETING, THIS SATURDAY, MAY 11!

Mark Your Calendars, SF Fans! Appearing in Person this Saturday at MonSFFA’s  May 11, 2024 Meeting: SF Writer Rich Larson!

Rich will attend our May 11 meeting as guest speaker! His books include Annex, Ymir, and the short story collection Tomorrow Factory. He has been praised by Gardner Dozois as “One of the best new writers to enter science fiction in more than a decade.” Currently based in Montreal, Rich was born in Galmi, Niger, and has lived in Spain and the Czech Republic. His fiction has been translated into over a dozen languages, among them Polish, French, Romanian and Japanese.

Rich will speak on his personal creative process, the mechanics of writing short fiction, the business of selling same, and the transition to novel writing. A Q&A will follow, and Rich will cover, as well, his experience with the Emmy-winning television adaptation of one of his stories for LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS!

MonSFFA’s May 2024 Meeting is scheduled for this Saturday, May 11, from 1:00PM-5:00PM

Le Nouvel Hotel, 1740 Boul. René-Lévesque (corner St-Mathieu), “Salle Maisonneuve” (Conference Floor, South Tower)

See Rich Larson’s bibliography at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database: isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Rich%20Larson 

Read some of Rich Larson’s fiction online at: https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/Rich_Larson.html

Also on the Agenda:

THE “LOST WORLDS” OF SF&F

SF is about new worlds, of course. But what about “Lost Worlds”? What about places hidden just around or over the next mountain ridge, into the hidden valley, or on that mysterious island? During the Age of Exploration, satirists like Jonathan Swift and Cyrano de Bergerac wrote of strange and exotic lands as a means of satirizing life in European courts during the 17th and 18th centuries.

This afternoon, we will explore the great lost lands of modern science fiction and fantasy in literature and on the silver screen, beginning with the worlds of H. Rider Haggard, the writer who started the modern trend. We’ll also explore the original weird and mysterious jungle, the Lost World of Arthur Conan Doyle, along with an obligatory stop at a Jules Verne world, and a related link to Canadian history! And while many of these Lost Worlds were written as a vehicle to proclaim the triumph of western civilization over everyone else, there are still a few where the Europeans get their comeuppance.

Plus…

THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE

Discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of different mediums—books, film, television series, graphic novels—when telling the same story.

…and more!