(1) MCCARTY Q&A. Chris Barkley’s audio interview with Dave McCarty was published here overnight: “Barkley — So Glad You (Didn’t) Ask #81”. The audio recording is at Soundcloud. A transcript is here. (2) SPARE CHANGE? The New Zealand Mint has … Continue reading
(1) GASBAGS OF DEATH. Let Michael Moorcock tell you all about “The hubris of the great airship designers”, in his review of His Majesty’s Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World’s Largest Flying Machine by S.C. Gwynne. Behind … Continue reading
By SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie: While many in the world’s science fiction community had eyes on from afar this year’s somewhat controversial Worldcon in Chengdu – as many were not there – a far smaller event was taking place in … Continue reading
(1) LISTEN UP, BUCKAROOS. Dan Berger has served for the last nineteen years as the editor-in-chief of World Watch One, the Buckaroo Banzai fan newsletter/zine. Dan sent the link to their latest issue with a note, “I’m not sure you … Continue reading
You can learn all about the con and the kerfuffles in Rob Hansen’s 1965: The Second UK Worldcon, the latest addition to TAFF’s library of free downloads. The 61,500-word book, compiled from contemporaneous participants’ own words, is available in multiple electronic formats … Continue reading
Three First Fandom awards were announced during opening ceremonies of Pemmi-Con, the 2023 NASFiC, on July 20. Emcees Vincent Docherty and David Ritter named the winners of the First Fandom Hall of Fame Award, the Posthumous Hall of Fame Award, and the Sam Moskowitz … Continue reading
(1) JUST SAYING. “Parlez-vous Valyrian? Meet the people creating languages for Game of Thrones, Avatar and more” in the Guardian. Half a million Duolingo users are currently learning High Valyrian. But how do you make a language out of nothing? … Continue reading
(1) BLACK MIRROR CREATOR. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show yesterday was devoted to Charlie Brooker. You can download the episode here. Brooker in SF terms is best known for being the writer behind … Continue reading
(1) FIGHTING BOOK BANS. “PEN America, Penguin Random House Sue Florida School District Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Book Bans” — Publishers Weekly has details. In response to a troubling wave of book bans, PEN America, Penguin Random House, a group of authors, and … Continue reading
(1) MOST CENSORED. “ALA Releases Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022” – see the complete list at Publishers Weekly. This genre work is on it: 10. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, for claims it is sexually … Continue reading