Murray Leinster, known as “the Dean of Science Fiction” until his death in 1975, will be celebrated at the November 1 New York Review of Science Fiction Readings. Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins who wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles during a prolific career.

He is the subject of a recently published biography authored by his daughters. One of them, Billee Stallings, will participate. So will David G. Hartwell, a senior editor of Tor/Forge Books, Barry N. Malzberg, sf author and essayist, and Michael Swanwick, acclaimed winner of the Hugo, Nebula and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial awards

The full press release follows the jump.

[Thanks to Jim Freund for the story.]

The New York Review of Science Fiction Readings
presents
A Tribute to Murray Leinster
(Will F. Jenkins)
with
Billee Stallings
and
David G. Hartwell
Barry N. Malzberg
Michael Swanwick

     Tuesday, 11/1/11  —  Doors open 6:30 PM
     $7 suggested donation
     The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art
     (address and links below)November has been our traditional month for tributes to great writers, and we have been blessed to find remarkable people to help us celebrate their  lives and work.  This time out is no exception, with Billee Stallings, daughter of one of sf’s great, great writers, leading us in a re-discovery of this master’s work.

Murray Leinster (June 16, 1896 – June 8, 1975) was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays.

Despite the era in which he wrote, many of his concepts continue to foreshadow today’s technologies, including the premise of the Internet, personal computers, and electronic translators.  And these stories truly entertain.

Come enjoy a reading and panel discussion on “the Dean of Science Fiction” — a person who truly helped create the field we enjoy so much, with his family and some other greats of sf.

—
Billee Stallings is the daughter of Will F. Jenkins. With her sister, Jo-an Evans, she has written a memoir about her father titled Murray Leinster: The Life and Works, published by McFarland & Co.  (Copies of the book will be available at the reading.)

She lives in Moorestown, NJ, and has two children, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

David G. Hartwell is a senior editor of Tor/Forge Books. His doctorate is in Comparative Medieval Literature.  He is the proprietor of Dragon Press, the publishing and bookselling company which publishes The New York Review of Science Fiction.  He is the author of Age of Wonders and the editor of many anthologies, including The Dark Descent, The World Treasury of Science Fiction, The Hard SF Renaissance, The Space Opera Renaissance, and a number of Christmas anthologies, among others.  With Kathryn Kramer, he continues to co-edit the Year’s Best SF anthologies.

Barry N. Malzberg‘s collected essays on science fiction, Breakfast in the Ruins, was published in the Spring of 2007; the book conflates his l982 classic Engines of the Night and all of the essays published since.  His collection, In the Stone House, was published in 2000; several of his l970’s science fiction novels have been reissued within the past half-decade.  He has been publishing science fiction and fantasy for over forty years.  With a fetching smile and an indescribable moue, Malzberg further notes that these last years of his seventh decade are becoming, unsurprisingly, a tortuous slog.

Michael Swanwick is one of the most acclaimed science fiction and fantasy writers of his generation. He has received Hugo Awards for short fiction an unprecedented five times in six years. His novel Stations of the Tide was honored with the Nebula Award and was also nominated for the Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. “The Edge of the World” received the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award and was nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards. “Radio Waves” received the World Fantasy Award. His stories are frequently reprinted in Best of the Year anthologies and have been translated and published throughout the world. He is the author of Griffin’s Egg, In the Drift, Stations of the Tide, Vacuum Flowers, The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, and its sequel, The Dragons of Babel. His latest novel, Dancing With Bears, continues the adventures of the far-future confidence tricksters, Darger and Surplus.

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The New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series provides performances from some of the best writers in science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, etc. The series usually takes place the first Tuesday of every month, but maintains flexibility in time and place, so be sure to stay in touch through the mailing list and the Web.

After the event, please join us for dinner and drinks nearby.

—
Jim Freund is Producer and Executive Curator of The New York Review of Science Fiction Readings. He has been involved in producing radio programs of and about literary sf/f since 1967. His long-running live radio program, ?Hour of the Wolf,? broadcasts and streams every Wednesday night/Thursday morning from 1:30-3:00 AM.  Programs are available by stream for 2 weeks after broadcast.  (Check http://hourwolf.com or follow @JimFreund for details.)www.sohodigart.com)  is dedicated to re-establishing SoHo as an international center for the development of new artistic forms, concepts and ideas.  A screens-instead-of-canvases approach allows a wide selection of art from around the world which would otherwise never make it to the City.  The SGDA is available for private gatherings and events of all kinds.  For bookings call (800) 420-5590 or visit http://sohogallerynyc.com.

The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art  (

—
WHEN:
Tuesday, November 1
Doors open at 6:30 — event begins at 7

WHERE:
The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art
138 Sullivan Street  (between Houston & Prince St.)