Events and Conventions

Imaginales à Épinal : “Le festival tel qu’il a existé pendant vingt ans est mort”

Imaginales à Épinal : “Le festival tel qu’il a existé pendant vingt ans est mort”

https://www.telerama.fr/livre/imaginales-a-epinal-le-festival-tel-qu-il-a-existe-pendant-vingt-ans-est-mort-7011532.php

Dans une interview au site ActuaLitté, le 8 juillet dernier, Stéphane Wieser met en avant la nécessité d’ouvrir le festival à d’autres médias que le livre (jeux vidéo, films…) et à des littératures plus diversifiées. Il parle aussi de « professionnalisation » du festival.

Fondé en 2002, le festival Imaginales est l’un des premiers salons internationaux de littérature de l’imaginaire. https://www.imaginales.fr/

https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=29085

Grâce à des amis de la France (principalement Alitte de Bodard et Lionel Davoust), j’ai appris que le nouveau maire, Patrick Nardin, a licencié Stéphanie Nicot, le directeur créatif du festival, et de nombreux autres membres du personnel partent en signe de protestation.

To read more in English, view Cheryl Morgan’s Musings here.

Sounds oh so familiar. I actually remember a spokesperson for Montreal’s Comic-Con bragging about turning a fan run event into a real professional one with a HUGE attendance. Success for some people is measured by profits.

https://actualitte.com/article/106712/politique-publique/les-imaginales-doivent-evoluer-pour-preparer-demain-stephane-wieser?r=s9ol3&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Reading

Forthcoming Books August

AUG 2022

  • KATHERINE ARDEN • Empty Smiles • Penguin Random House/Putnam, Aug 2022 (ya, h, hc, eb)
  • ALAN DEAN FOSTER • Prodigals • WordFire Press, Aug 2022 (tp, hc, eb)
  • ALASTAIR REYNOLDS • Eversion • Orbit US, Aug 2022 (1st US, tp, eb)
  • BENJAMIN PERCY • The Sky Vault • HarperCollins/Morrow, Aug 2022 (hc, tp, eb)
  • BENJAMIN PERCY • The Sky Vault • Hodder & Stoughton, Aug 2022 (tp)
  • CHARLES BEAUMONT • The Carnival and Other Stories • Subterranean Press, Aug 2022 (c, hc)
  • EILEEN GUNN • Night Shift • PM Press, Aug 2022 (c, tp, eb)
  • GABINO IGLESIAS • The Devil Takes You Home • Little, Brown/Mulholland Books, Aug 2022 (h, hc, eb)
  • GEORGE MANN • The London Particular • NewCon Press, Aug 2022 (na, hc, eb, tp)
  • GEORGE R.R. MARTIN, ET AL. • Wild Cards: Full House • Tor, Aug 2022 (oa, hc, eb)
  • JIM C. HINES • Terminal Peace • DAW, Aug 2022 (hc, eb)
  • JOHN CONNOLLY • The Furies • Hodder & Stoughton, Aug 2022 (h, hc)
  • JULIET E. McKENNA • The Golden Rule • NewCon Press, Aug 2022 (na, hc, eb, tp)
  • KELLY ROBSON • High Times in the Low Parliament • Tordotcom, Aug 2022 (na, tp, eb)
  • L.E. MODESITT, JR. • Councilor • Tor, Aug 2022 (hc, eb)
  • LESLYE PENELOPE • The Monsters We Defy • Orbit US/Redhook, Aug 2022 (tp, eb)
  • MARGARET WEIS & TRACY HICKMAN • DragonLance: Dragons of Deceit • Penguin Random House/Del Rey, Aug 2022 (x, hc, eb)
  • MARKO KLOOS • Centers of Gravity • Amazon/47North, Aug 2022 (tp, eb)
  • PAUL DI FILIPPO • Visionary Pageant • NewCon Press, Aug 2022 (na, hc, eb, tp)
  • PAULA GURAN, ED. • The Year’s Best Fantasy: Volume One • Start/Pyr, Aug 2022 (an, tp, eb)
  • PETER McLEAN • Priest of Crowns • Quercus/Jo Fletcher, Aug 2022 (tp)
  • R.A. SALVATORE • Glacier’s Edge • Harper Voyager US, Aug 2022 (x, hc, eb)
  • R.F. KUANG • Babel • Harper Voyager US, Aug 2022 (hc, eb)
  • ROBERT FREEMAN WEXLER • The Silverberg Business • Small Beer Press, Aug 2022 (tp, eb)
  • SARAH KUHN • Holiday Heroine • DAW, Aug 2022 (tp, eb)
  • SIMON JIMENEZ • The Spear Cuts Through Water • Penguin Random House/Del Rey, Aug 2022 (hc, eb)
  • STEPHEN ARYAN • The Warrior • Angry Robot, Aug 2022 (eb, tp)
  • SUNYI DEAN • The Book Eaters • Harper Voyager, Aug 2022 (h, hc)
  • TANYA HUFF • Into the Broken Lands • DAW, Aug 2022 (hc, eb)
  • TASHA SURI • The Oleander Sword • Little Brown UK/Orbit, Aug 2022 (tp)
  • TASHA SURI • The Oleander Sword • Orbit US, Aug 2022 (tp, eb)
  • WESLEY CHU • The Art of Prophecy • Penguin Random House/Del Rey, Aug 2022 (hc, eb)
Obituary

Nichelle Nichols dead at 89

Nichelle Nichols, trail-blazing Star Trek actress, dead at 89

Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood when she played communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek television series, has died. She was 89.

Her son Kyle Johnson said Nichols died Saturday in Silver City, N.M.

“Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration,” Johnson wrote on his mother’s official Facebook page Sunday.

READ MORE https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/nichelle-nichols-obituary-star-trek-1.6537750

‘Star Trek’ stars, celebs react to death of Nichelle Nichols

https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/star-trek-stars-celebs-react-to-death-of-nichelle-nichols-1.6009558

Tweet from NASA

We celebrate the life of Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek actor, trailblazer, and role model, who symbolized to so many what was possible. She partnered with us to recruit some of the first women and minority astronauts, and inspired generations to reach for the stars.

MonSFFA Website

Mangaverse and Book Reviews

From the N3F:

With this mailing, the latest Mangaverse and the latest The N3F Review of Books.

Mangaverse_6_1

N3FReview202207

Table of Contents, The N3F Review

Fiction
2 … And What Can We Offer You Tonight? by Premee Mohamed … Review by
Perry Middlemiss
2 … The Brave and the Bold by Hans Schantz … Review by Ginger Man
4 … Darkness Beckons by Nicholas Woode-Smith … Review by Declan Finn
6 … Dead Acre by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle … Review by Graham
Bradley
8 … Defender of Llyans by Brian C. Hailes … Review by Graham Bradley
9 … Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn … Review by Perry Middlemiss
10 … For the Love of Death By Kal Spriggs … Review by Declan Finn
11 … Ghost of a Chance by Dan Willis … Review by J W Stepanek
12 … The Girl King by Mimi Yu … Review by Christopher Nuttall
15 … Hell Spawn: Saint Tommy NYPD by Declan Finn … Review by Jim McCoy
16 … The Icarus Plot by Timothy Zahn … Review by Declan Finn
18 … In Plain Sight by Dan Willis … Review by J W Stepanek
20 … Infernal Affairs by Declan Finn … Review by Michael Gallagher
22 … The Light That Never Was by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. … Review by Heath
Row
23 … Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper … Review by Heath Row
23 … New Writings in SF­3 edited by John Carnell … Review by Perry
Middlemiss
23 … The Poppy War by Rebecca F. Kuang … Review by Christopher Nuttall
25 … Robosoldiers: Thank You for Your Servos, edited by Stephen Lawson … Review by JE Tabor
27 … Stress Pattern by Neal Barrett, Jr. … Review by Heath Row
27 … Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden … Review by Perry Middlemiss
28 … Trouble Walked In by Mike Kupari … Review by Trevor Denning
29 … Twilight by Stephenie Meyer … Review by Heath Row

Non-Fiction
30 … Charisma +1: The Guide to Convention Etiquette for Gamers, Geeks,
and the Socially Awkward by Jessica Brawner … Review by Heath Row

Prose Bono
31 … Types of Editing for Your Work of Fiction … by A.C. Cargill

FINIS

 

Obituary

Obituary: Bernard Cribbins

Known to fans of Dr Who as Donna’s grandfather, he’s also responsible for, “Right, Said Fred”, my favourite silly song.   You may also remember him from an episode of Faulty Towers in which he played the part of a spoon salesman whom Basil mistakes for a hotel inspector. –cpl

There’s an extensive obituary on the BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-13099773

 

 

 

Astronomy News

Star discovered orbiting Milky Way’s supermassive black hole every 4 years

Star discovered orbiting Milky Way’s supermassive black hole every 4 years

The discovery should help astronomers better understand the extreme conditions at the center of our galaxy and what can survive there.
By The Physics arXiv Blog  |  Published: Thursday, July 14, 2022
blackhole
SquareMotion/Shutterstock

Astronomers have discovered a star that orbits the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy every four years. That’s the shortest orbit ever observed around a supermassive black hole.

The newly discovered star, called S4716, is about four times more massive than our Sun and twice as hot. It survives extraordinary conditions, orbiting this black hole at a distance as close as 100 astronomical units, less than three times the distance of Pluto from the Sun.

The discovery should help astrophysicists better understand conditions near this gravitational behemoth at the center of the Milky Way and to better calculate its mass and radius.

READ MORE: https://astronomy.com/news/2022/07/star-discovered-orbiting-milky-ways-supermassive-black-hole-every-4-years

MonSFFA Website

Upcoming events

July 29 – 31, 2022 – CanFURence, Ottawa, ON https://www.canfurence.ca

*August 5 – 7, 2022 – MONTREAL, QC, A convention for readers of SF, https://crossingscon.org/

*August 5 – 7, 2022-MONTREAL, QC, Otakuthon, https://www.otakuthon.com/2022/home/

August 12-14 – When Words Collide & Canvention 42 – ONLINE OKThis year the festival is once again online and free to attend, including the Aurora Awards ceremony. Registration via Eventbrite is required.  https://www.whenwordscollide.org/

August 25-28, 2022 – Fan Expo, Toronto, ON, https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpocanada/

MonSFFA Website

Canvention 42 and the Aurora Awards

Canvention 42 and the Aurora Awards

On Saturday, August 13, starting at 5pm MDT, we invite everyone to join us for the Aurora Awards ceremony. Our Master of Ceremonies, author Mark Leslie Lefebvre, will be live streaming the ceremony on both his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPw6Cu3P1c) and our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO7p4geRW6k). The event will also be streamed live on Facebook, with the URL becoming available here about one week prior to the event. This event is open to everyone and is free to watch.

About the Auroras and the Hall of Fame, from the When Words Collide website:

Each year a Canadian convention or festival hosts the floating convention known as Canvention. This year Canvention is being organized by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA), a national non-profit society along with a host convention. CSFFA’s mandate is to give out the Aurora awards and induct people into CSFFA’s Hall of the Fame.

There are twelve different Aurora awards. They are given out for both professional and volunteer (unpaid) work in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Works are nominated by members of CSFFA which all Canadians are welcome to join. The top nominated works are shortlisted for the Aurora ballot and voted on by CSFFA members. Through the generosity of the nominees and their publishers, CSFFA members also get to download electronic versions of almost all of the published nominated works.

The Hall of Fame inductees are determined by a jury of four experts and one coordinator from CSFFA.

For full details about CSFFA go to their site at: prixaurorawards.ca

 

Montreal Science Fiction and Fantasy Association