by Joe Coluccio – President, Parsec
Apologies to Bob Marley.
Cable TV is a seductive mate. We pay the exorbitant price not only in hard earned bucks but in some loss of self and a dose of atrophying physical and mental ability.
Newton Minow, then director of the FCC, in a speech in May of 1961 called television a “vast wasteland.” They named the S.S. Minnow of Gilligan’s Island after him. Telling it like it is, is never popular.
by Joe Coluccio, President, Parsec
Writing is a chore. Writing is a joy.
Reading is a joy. Reading is a chore.
It is 2016 yet; I have been living my life of the 21st Century smack dab in the middle of the 20th. I have been leading my life in the sphere of my parents. I am aware of the world buzzing around me. I am aware of the growing non-cognitive consumer commercial crassness enveloping the globe, the poor in the thrall of the wealthy. I also know it was always thus. Been, to offer the other side of my titular cliche, down so long, looks like up to me.
There are eight new Mary Soon Lee poems available online.
Congratulations to Parsec Member Karen Malena who has published “Sound of Silence” her first science fiction novel.
WHAT IF SPEAKING BECAME A PUNISHABLE CRIME?
Monroeville, Pennsylvania—Author and writing mentor, Karen Malena will debut her dystopian, futuristic novel “Sound of Silence,” a timely story in our fast-paced world of text messages and electronics.
Malena is the author of four other novels, mostly inspirational fiction, and one fantasy cat tale. She also writes a heartfelt blog, The Finch’s Nest. “Sound of Silence,” a more cautionary tale, has been a creative burst and holds a powerful message. At the center of Malena’s writing is always some sort-of lesson learned, or redemptive qualities in dysfunctional settings.
A dark, all-encompassing law blankets the country. Driven by a terrible secret, a powerful politician brutally suppresses speech for the sake of order and holds the country in the palm of his hand. Ray Warren does the unthinkable. In a bold gesture, he seals his fate in a moment of kindness, a moment that marks Ray, his wife, and beautiful daughter as dangerous fugitives and sets a society toward rebellion. An ominous future is introduced in “Sound of Silence,” leaving us with the question: What if?
Saturday November 14, 2015 1:30 PM
Squirrel Hill Branch of the Carnegie Library
5801 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, Pa 15217
Saturday December 12, 2015 1:30 PM
Squirrel Hill Branch of the Carnegie Library
5801 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, Pa 15217
Maggie Stiefvater will visit CMU for a free lecture on
Oct 17 from 2-3 pm. She writes young adult fiction, notably the 2010
New York Times Bestseller Linger and the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award
Honor Book The Scorpio Races. She worked for some time as a portrait
artist and is a race car and race car driving enthusiast. She was a
competitive bagpipe player in college while studying at Mary
Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She lives in
Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her husband, two children, three
dogs, and one cat.
Want to learn writing from one of the best? Rachel Grinti was an Alpha
student then staff with books published with her husband Mike (who she
met her first year at Alpha). Register and come, 11 – 1 on Oct. 17 at
the University Center at CMU to learn about voice in genre
fiction. Register to participate here.
Pittsburgh-created ‘music and multimedia hybrid’, Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera, which premiered in 2010, is proud to send an open invitation to join us in celebrating their Five-Year Anniversary at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale on October 3rd, 2015.
Scheduled festivities:
This is an all-ages event, with a cash bar area in the back of the theater. Food will be available for purchase at the Mr. Smalls Restaurant.
All Zombie Opera participants (folks who were involved with the show from 2010-2011, our extras, cast, crew, volunteers etc) get in FREE. There is a $5 cover charge for non-Zoperans, aka general admission.
*Dvd, audio recordings, and more can be purchased online. They will also have physical copies of the dvd for sale on site at the event!
For more information see the Zombie Opera website and Facebook Event Page!
