Two of the originators of steampunk, James Blaylock and Tim Powers, will be joined by Nancy Holder and Suzanne Lazaer on a panel about steampunk’s history and influence  at the Big Orange Book Festival on September 22.

What is the history of Steampunk?
The term “steam-punk” was originally coined in the 1980s by K.W. Jeter who was trying to find a general way to describe the books coming from the Powers/Blaylock/Jeter camp. While influences and other seminal works came from the 60s and 70s it wasn’t until these three pioneers took the reigns that the genre really took off. Now the growth and influence is exponential.

The Festival takes place September 21-22 at Chapman University in Orange (CA). Admission is free.

Another sf/fantasy figure of note appearing later Saturday is Leslie S. Klinger, an authority on Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, and an officer of the Horror Writers Association.

Come on the first day, too, if you don’t want to miss Mary Badham, who played “Scout” in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird and received an Oscar nomination:

Mary maintains a busy schedule lecturing to audiences internationally about the book and the film. Her interest is in expanding knowledge about the film’s message of social injustice and to ensure that each generation of students can experience the film’s impact.

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]