Photos of 2019 LA Vintage Paperback Show

Lots of well-known writers and artists came and signed at last Sunday’s LA Vintage Paperback Show. Robert Kerr shot these photos (below) of some of the participants.

George Clayton Johnson Tribute in Hollywood 2/26

George Clayton Johnson

George Clayton Johnson

“A Tribute To George Clayton Johnson” is scheduled at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Friday, February 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Tributes to Those Who Inspired Us

A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE CLAYTON JOHNSON

This program is free to the public – first come, first served – with a suggested donation of $8 to our nonprofit to help cover expenses.

George Clayton Johnson (July 10, 1929 – December 25, 2015) penned some of the most memorable science fiction scripts of the 1960s and ’70s, including the first episode of “Star Trek” and seminal episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” as well as co-writing the novel Logan’s Run. Join us for an evening celebrating Johnson’s life and career, including classic moments from his TV work and remembrances from colleagues. There will be a panel discussion and a performance by members of Ray Bradbury’s Pandemonium Theatre Company.

To rsvp on Eventbrite click here. It is free to rsvp.

Panel discussion follows with biographer Vivien Cooper, LOGAN’S RUN co-writer William F. Nolan, writers Dennis Etchison, Mark Scott Zicree and Wendy All and producers Jason and Sunni Brock, moderated by George’s son Paul Johnson. There will also be a performance by members of Ray Bradbury’s Pandemonium Theatre Company.

The event will run approximately 150 min.

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]

We Are ALL SF Con Is Moving Forward

We Are ALL Science Fiction ribbonThe guest list for the first We Are ALL SF convention, November 4-6, currently includes: Jennifer Brozek, Drew Hobson, David Gerrold, Keaton Weimer, Mike Resnick, Chaz Kemp, Beth Meacham, Jody Lynn Nye, Jeffrey Veregge, Nancy Kress, William F. Nolan, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, James Gunn, Raven Oak, Scott Hungerford, Angela Korra’ti, Dara Korra’ti, Sunni Brock, Sebby Aguilar, Jamie Mason, Greg Smith, Donna Barr, Carolyn Kay, Elizabeth Guizettui, Pam Binder, Dr. Vicka Rael Corey, Duane Wilkerson, Jason V. Brock, and Alaina Capoeman.

Karen Junker wants fans to know that work continues on We Are ALL SF Con 2016 although it did not hit the target with its first crowdsourced funding campaign.

Thanks for the mention on File 770 about the Indiegogo campaign for We Are ALL SF Con 2016.

Just an update…we raised 490 of the 9000 we had as our goal.  Indiegogo does fund even if you do not reach your goal, so we will go ahead and do other campaigns soon, as well.

Someone at a party the other day said “Oh, too bad about your con!” and when I asked what they were talking about they explained that they thought that if our campaign did not fund we were cancelling. But we are not.

We are looking for support from fans and the SFF community to help defray expenses. Some of the costs will be covered by Memberships, donations, and sponsors. But the con will not be cancelled. We’ve got our venue already, and I am paying for that as a donation. We have a budget which is graduated to add stuff to the event when we reach certain amounts in our coffers. But even if we don’t, we will be able to cover the costs by personal donations if we need to. We are just hoping that the news will spread and we will get even more support and people will come to the coast and have a great time making history at our con!

So, to dispel any rumors, we’re good. Some of our Guests of Honor and other presenters are paying their own way just so they can be there for our first. They volunteered for this, we did not ask them. It’s going to be one fantastic party, if nothing else — and kids/teens/families will be especially welcome.

The convention website is up and online registration is live.

The con plans to launch the Torus Awards, a juried award whose longlist will be nominated by convention members. The Torus Award categories will be:

  • Art
  • Costume
  • Games
  • Media (TV, Movies, Podcasts)
  • Music
  • Writing

The winners in each category will be selected by an “Academy of Judges” made up of a Guest of Honor in the field and six convention members chosen at random from those who have volunteered to serve as judges in that category.

Darke Phantastique Signing at Mystery & Imagination on 11/6

DARKE-11x17-Poster-300-Los-Angeles-WEB COMP

Editor Jason V. Brock compares his 700-page collection Dark Phantastique: Encounters with the Uncanny and Other Magical Things with other towering works — Dangerous Visions in sf and Dark Forces in horror. William F. Nolan, a Bram Stoker Lifetime Achivement Award winner agrees: “The excellence of this important contribution to genre literature CANNOT be overstated… A masterwork.”

Mystery & Imagination Bookstore will host a signing on Thursday, November 6. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Signing begins at 6 p.m.

Nolan will be there, plus Joe R. Lansdale, Dennis Etchison, Nancy Kilpatrick, Sunni K. Brock, Jason V. Brock, Cody Goodfellow, J.C. Koch, Wnedy Rathbone, E. E. King and Misty Dahl.

Purchase of a copy of Darke Phantastique is required, and the authors will sign up to two other things. (They’ll have books available for purchase.) The location is 238 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA. 

This is an anthology of unpublished or new horror and science fiction, poetry, and scripts that collide with Magical Realism. Further information can be found on the Darke Phantastique Facebook page.

The Table of Contents follows the jump.

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Ackermonster Chronicles World Premiere

Ackermonster ChroniclesBy John King Tarpinian: This Sunday the 24th would have been Forrest J Ackerman’s 97th birthday. The Aero Theater in Santa Monica will be hosting a birthday party for 4E and also premiering the documentary The Ackermonster Chronicles at 5 p.m. 

There will be a discussion following the showing with Chris Alexander (Editor-in-Chief of Fangoria Magazine; moderator), George Clayton Johnson (Star Trek, Twilight Zone), William F. Nolan (Logan’s Run), Diane O’Bannon (wife of the late filmmaker/writer Dan O’Bannon [Alien]), Jason V Brock (Director/Writer/Producer), Sunni K Brock (Editor/Producer), and Bill Warren (Ackerman’s assistant and film historian).

August 26 Tripleheader

Mystery & Imagination Bookshop weaves together three events on Sunday, August 26 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

The Devil’s Coattails signing party brings together the story collection’s editors, authors and publishers — William F. Nolan, Sunni K Brock, Jason V Brock, Marc Scott Zicree, R. C. Matheson, Paul G. Bens, Jr., Earl Hamner, Jr., and Paul J. Salamoff.

At the same time some of those same folks, plus others, will participate in “Ray Bradbury: A Celebration of Life” — William F. Nolan, George Clayton Johnson, Marc Scott Zicree, R. C. Matheson, Paul G. Bens, Jr., Earl Hamner, Jr., Stan Freberg, Terence McVicker, Dennis Etchison, Pete Atkinson, and Paul J. Salamoff.

And there will be a simultaneous signing party for The Nefertiti-Tut Express, the last book of Bradbury’s to appear before he left us. Publisher Terence McVicker, the publisher, will be in attendance. The book features illustrations by Gary Gianni.

Mystery & Imagination is located at 238 N. Brand Bl., Glendale, CA 91204.

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]

Egyptian Premieres
Charles Beaumont Documentary

Left to Right: John Tomerlin, William F. Nolan, Marc Zicree, Jason Brock, Sunni Brock and George Clayton Johnson.

Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater screened Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man on March 27. On hand were John Tomerlin, William F. Nolan, Marc Zicree, Jason Brock, Sunni Brock and George Clayton Johnson, Earl Hamner Jr. and Norman Corwin.

John King Tarpinian reports:

The premiere of the documentary was well attended with a book signing preceding the 90 minute documentary and a Q&A afterwards. 

John Tomerlin related a story about the time he, Bill Nolan and Charles Beaumont returned to New York from an auto racing event in Nassau with only $1 among them.  At the end of the taxi ride the taxi driver gave them money. 

Bill Nolan related a story about Charles Beaumont and Ray Bradbury. They were driving somewhere around Los Angeles and they passed a cemetery which had a sign out from advertising FREE DIRT. They both agreed that would be a great title for a story. They argued over who should write the story. Beaumont won the coin toss and wrote the story first, years later Ray wrote his story.