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2025 April Parsec Monthly Event 

In April, we welcome David Hankins. David is an award-winning author who writes from the
thriving cornfields of Iowa where he lives with his wife, daughter, and two dragons
disguised as cats.

Date: Saturday, April 19th, 2025
Time: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
Location: ZOOM only!

David Hankins writing journey began in the oral tradition of convincing his daughter to Go To Sleep with inventive stories. That usually backfired. After years of Just One More Story, David began transcribing his midnight ramblings in an attempt to keep his storylines straight. Children are ruthless in identifying mistakes in fairy tales.
David writes lighthearted speculative fiction because that’s what he loves to read and-this is the important bit-there’s not nearly enough humor in the world. He aims to change that, one story at a time. David devotes his time to his passions of writing, traveling, and finding new ways to pay his mortgage. You can find him at https://davidhankins.com/

During this event we’re going to talk with David about Branding and Social Media can work to an author’s benefit. From his fedora to the micro-duckies that accompany him everywhere. David knows how to present himself consistently with the brand of “David Hankins,” which includes good humor, a welcoming smile, and a modestly dapper appearance. This ‘presentation’ of self may come across as genuine, but it takes focus and dedication to pull off and consistently promote across multiple media channels.


2025 March Parsec Monthly Event 

The Parsec Monthly Meeting is now the Parsec Monthly Event!

Date: Sat March 15, 2025.
Location: ZOOM and IN PERSON at the Mt. Lebanon Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15228. Event is in Room A, lower level.
Time: 12:30 to 3:30pm
Open to the Public!

Our program this month is to brainstorm about this year’s Confluence Conference, to be held at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel on July 25, 26 & 27 2025.
The focus of this months event is to propose and discuss panel topics for the Confluence conference. We welcome input and ideas from all Parsec members and guests of Parsec.

Come and help us plan an outstanding year for Confluence!

Below are some panel ideas just to get you thinking:

  • Pittsburgh as a Speculative Setting
  • How can Pittsburgh’s industrial history and modern reinvention inspire unique SFF
  • narratives?
  • AI as Co-Creator of Genre Fiction
  • Discuss the role of artificial intelligence in writing
  • Cross-Genre Mashups: When Sci-Fi Meets Fantasy Meets Noir
  • Inspired by Rambo’s eclectic work, discuss the appeal and challenges of blending genres.
  • Finding Beauty in Broken Worlds
  • Explore the balance of hope and darkness in SFF narratives.
  • How Today’s Tech Shapes Tomorrow’s Fiction
  • Examine how AI, robotics, modern space efforts, and biotechnology influence
  • speculative storytelling, with a nod to Pittsburgh’s tech hub status.

2025 February Parsec Meeting

February is poetry month at Parsec!

PARSEC, Pittsburgh’s premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization meets on Saturday, February 15th, 2025.
Meeting starts at 1:00pm (est). Zoom room opens at 12:30 for social time.

In this photo, Vincent Baverso, Alex Jennings and Mary Soon Lee

Our guests this month are Mary Soon Lee, Alex Jennings, and Vincent Baverso.

It’s a time for hearing from old friends and hearing new voices. Each guest will present some of their favorite works.

As always, we’ll have time for attending members to read some of their own poems as well.

Mary Soon Lee was born and raised in London, but has lived in Pittsburgh for thirty years. She is a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, and a three-time winner of both the AnLab Readers’ Award and the Rhysling Award. Her latest books are from opposite shores of the poetry ocean: How to Navigate Our Universe, containing how-to astronomy poems, and The Sign of the Dragon, novel-length epic fantasy, winner of the Elgin Award. https://marysoonlee.com/

Alex Jennings is a writer/editor/teacher/poet living in Baton Rouge. He was born in Wiesbaden (Germany) and raised in Gaborone (Botswana), Tunis (Tunisia), Paramaribo (Surinam) and the United States.  e is the Program Director of DreamFoundry’s Con or Bust and pens a regular speculative poetry review column in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction called “Chapter and Verse.” In 2022, he was the inaugural recipient of the Imagination Unbound Fellowship at Under the Volcano, a guided writing retreat held annually in Tepoztlan, Mexico. https://www.alexjennings.net 

Vincent Baverso earned a degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh in 2004. He’s seen publication in several journals and anthologies for both poetry and fiction, including Triangulation: Lost Voices, Scifaikuest, Devolution Z, Slink Chunk, and most recently in Polis from Air and Nothingness Press. His most recent publication is “The 49 Stalks” a book of Haiku inspired by the ancient wisdom of the I Ching featuring 132 carefully crafted haiku along with 15 striking haiga paintings. https://vbaverso.com/

2025 Jan Parsec Meeting

PARSEC, Pittsburgh’s premier SF/F/H Organization meets on Saturday, January 18th , 2025 via ZOOM (see registration link below) and IN PERSON at the Mt. Lebanon Library, 16 Castle Shannon Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15228
Meeting time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm. (room opens at 12:30 for social time)

In January, our guest is Maren Cooke of Pittsburgh’s Sustainability Salon. A planetary scientist by training, today she works in environmental education and activism around climate, air quality, plastics, food, labor, and justice. 

Maren Cooke is a planetary scientist by training, but now works mainly on environmental education and activism around climate, air quality, plastics, food, labor, and justice.

She serves in leadership roles at the Group Against Smog & Pollution, 350 Pittsburgh, ReImagine Food Systems, Pittsburghers Against Single-Use Plastic, Pittsburgh Green New Deal, and the Climate Action Plan Justice Coalition, and works closely with many other local organizations and government officials; she co-founded Putting Down Roots, Ohio Valley Environmental Resistance, the Pittsburgh Labor Choir, a school garden at a local K-8, and a nature education program in Frick Park. https://marenslist.blogspot.com/

Maren volunteers as an Urban Ecosteward, a Tree Tender, a Master Gardener, a Master Composter, and a Master Naturalist. Maren often creates banners and signage for local movements, and organizes and hosts Sustainability Salons, a monthly environmental education forum now 13 years running.


Speaking of ROOTS, the Parsec Short Story contest is open for submissions until March 31, 2025.
Get all the information here: https://parsec-sff.org/short-story-contest/

We do not accept stories written by AI. Any story found to be written by AI will be disqualified.

2024 Dec Parsec Meeting

There will be NO Zoom option this month. Come on out and enjoy great conversations, food, fun, frivolity and maybe even some gaming with other like-minded people!

No RSVP necessary. This is an open house event!

2025 Triangulation

Parsec Ink’s Triangulation anthology, Dark Hearts, is open for submissions!

Dark Hearts opened for submissions on Nov 1, and the Triangulation team has been hard at work reading the stories and poems in the queue.

So far, we’ve been receiving a good number of fantasy and horror pieces. We want science fiction, too. Send us leading ladies who are space captains, cyborgs, scientists, hackers, eco-warriors. Send us near futures and far-flung worlds. We’ll read anything that’s speculative, but right now sci-fi is a less competitive genre.

That said, don’t self-reject. If you have a great speculative story of any genre featuring a shady lady, we’d love to read it.

Submissions Close: January 31st, 2025
Details at: parsec-sff.org/triangulation

Meet the Triangulation editors during the upcoming Parsec meeting on November 16th and find out more about Parsec Ink’s Triangulation anthology.

2024 Nov Parsec Meeting

PARSEC, Pittsburgh’s premier SF/F/H Organization meets on Saturday, November 16th , 2024 via ZOOM (see registration link below) and IN PERSON at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Squirrel Hill. 5801 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Meeting time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm. (room opens at 12:30 for social time)

Our guests will be the Parsec Ink editors working to bring to life “Dark Hearts,” the 22nd iteration of the Triangulation anthology. Guest speakers include the current anthology editor Jessica Carver and editor emeritus Greg Clumpner (Triangulation: Seven-Day Weekend and Hospitium).

Dark Hearts is a women-centered theme for which anyone can submit stories. The anthology will feature speculative stories and poems about women who are anti-heroes. Submissions open November 1st and close January 31st.

Learn more about Parsec Ink and this year’s “Dark Hearts” anthology: https://parsec-sff.org/triangulation/

Meetings are open to the public and free to attend!

Would you like to receive updates about upcoming meetings but don’t want to subscribe to our newsletter? Sign up for the ParsecAnnounce Groups.io announcement list. This list is moderated–only group moderators may post to this list. No one can see your membership info, email address or other personal information.

WorD Halloween Reading Event

Post event report by Matt Snyder

About 40 people gathered for spooky stories and drinks on Tuesday Oct 24, 2024 at Hop Farm Brewing Company in Lawrenceville. Special guest author Jamie Lackey read her short stories “Mischief Night,” “Joining the Flock,” and the opening from her book, Moving Forward: A Novella of Life After Zombies, as well as the prologue to her new novel, Toil and Trouble: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling.

Nine other authors and members of the Write or Die (WorD) critique group shared stories at the mic, telling tales of crossing the veil, gruesome dates, the bonds we share with our pets, and life lessons on the importance of caltrops.
A huge shout-out to all our author readers: Greg Clumpner, John Muth, Jessica Carver, Randall Brock (aka BS Prophet), Joyce Bevc, Shannon Cross, Laine Wilson, Brandon Ketchum, and Matt Snyder. We also salute our Emcee/Grand Inquisitor Vincent Baverso, who kept the event flowing with characteristic humor and chocolate crosses.

Many hands and minds made the event possible, so additional shout-outs to: John Muth, for helping organize; Karen Yun-Lutz, for making the advertisements; Laine Wilson, for arranging the prize baskets; all those who donated to the door prize baskets; all those who contributed ideas and suggestions; and all those who came before and made this event happen in the past. It was truly a group effort. Thank you!

Special thanks to Hop Farm Brewing Company for hosting our Write or Die reading event!

Emcee Vincent Baverso

Emcee: Vince Baverso

Coordinator: Matt Snyder

Special Guest author:
Jamie Lackey


You’re Invited!

Come on out for a great evening of spooky, Halloween readings by members of the Write or Die writing and critique group and the special guest author, Jamie Lackey!

Dress up if you like but costumes are optional.

Door prizes!

Date: Tuesday Oct 22, 2024 
Time: 7-9 pm
Location: Hop Farm Brewing Company. 5601 Butler St. Pittsburgh

Write or Die (WorD) recently became part of the workshop program under the Parsec 501(c)(3) organization. Show your support for this important Parsec program by attending!

Jamie Lackey lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their cats. She has had over 200 short stories published in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Apex Magazine, and Escape Pod. In addition to writing, she spends her time reading, playing tabletop RPGs, and hiking.
Jamie is also an attending member of the Write or Die, writing and critique group.

2024 October Parsec Meeting

The Saturday, October 19th Parsec meeting will be held via ZOOM and IN PERSON at the Squirrel Hill Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Rooms open at 12:30pm for social time.
Meeting starts at 1pm.
Parsec Monthly Meetings are open to the public.

REGISTER for ZOOM

Our guest will be Day Al-Mohamed, author, filmmaker, and disability policy advisor.

Day Al-Mohamed is an author, filmmaker, and disability policy advisor. Day has written two novels, “Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn” and more recently, “The Labyrinth’s Archivist” as well as multiple short stories and articles.

She is a regular host on Idobi Radio’s Geek Girl Riot with a weekly audience of 100k+ listeners and a Founding Member of FWD-Doc (Documentary Filmmakers with Disabilities).

Her documentary, THE INVALID CORPS, about disabled Civil War soldiers, was licensed to Alaska Airlines and had its broadcast premiere on public television in 2020.

Day is currently working on a docu-series, RENEGADES, of role-breaking disabled leaders in history for American Masters/PBS digital (October 2024) and is a proud producer of feature documentary UNSEEN (POV, 2024).

Day was named a DOC NYC 2021 Documentary New Leader, was part of the NBC 2022 Original Voices Fellowship class, and awarded a Disability Futures Fellow grant in 2024.

Outside of her creative work, Day is a policy expert with over 15 years of experience. The former White House Director of Disability Policy, she is a proven leader in inclusion and accessibility, policy development, organizational transformation, and innovative program design. Day lives in Washington DC with her wife, N.R. Brown, daughter Octavia, and guide dog, Gamma.

You can learn about the RENEGADES docu-series: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/shorts/renegades/

Visit Day Al-Mohamed’s website: https://www.dayalmohamed.com/



2024 Sept Parsec Meeting

On Saturday, September 21, 2024 Timons Esaias will be our Guest as he leads a discussion on “Finding the Future in the Past.

PARSEC, Pittsburgh’s premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization meets
via ZOOM and IN PERSON at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Squirrel Hill. Meeting 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm. Open to the public

Timons will discuss his technique of “Finding the Future in the Past” for science fiction story ideas. This involves mining 19th century Scientific American articles, Sunday supplement newspaper feature articles, old catalogs, The illustrated London News, and other rich veins of inspiration. Old photographs will come in for special scrutiny. These artifacts raise interesting questions about the expectations of the past, our views today, and the possible surprises laying in ambush in the future. Tim will discuss how this technique has worked for him. He most likely will go on and on about the fundamental question behind most good fiction: What, exactly, is wrong with this picture? He also teaches workshops.