Parsec Inc.

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.

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.

February is poetry month at Parsec!

Please Note: Our venue for the February meeting will be ZOOM Only.
See below to register for the meeting.

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.

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/

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!

Register for the Zoom meeting

SAVE THE DATE!

The Parsec Holiday Party will be held on Saturday Dec 21, 2024
at the home of Greg Armstrong on Voelkel Ave in Dormont, PA

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.

The Saturday, October 19^th 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/