Alpha, the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Workshop for Young Writers (ages 14 – 19) will be held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg Campus between Wednesday, July 25 and Sunday, August 5, 2018. Alpha’s guest authors for 2018 are:
TAMORA PIERCE
N. K. JEMISIN
MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL
MAGGIE STIEFVATER
Applications consist of a form to be filled out, a $10 fee and an original genre story between 2000 and 6000 words. Applications are open until Sunday, March 4.
The 2018 Confluence writers workshop will by run by Hugo-winning SF writer David D. Levine this year. You’ll have the chance to have a professional writer critique your work, along with several of your peers. Please submit a 2,000 to 8,000 word SFF short story or novel excerpt, in .rtf or .doc format, to David Levine by midnight PST on Friday June 1, 2018. You may send your story ahead of time; only the first six manuscripts received will be accepted. For more information, go here: 2018 Confluence writers worshop.
A look at measurements of time, organization of the heavens, and the meanings derived from all of that. The presentation will include comparisons with ancient Western conceptions and star charts. Of course, with the concepts of science back then three will be a heavy dose of astrology involved.
EventOur B&N bookfair ID is 12178612. The bookfair is scheduled in the store from July 24 through July 30, which means we will get a share of any purchase made at any Barnes & Noble with our bookfair ID number during that time period. The same with online, except the dates are longer: July 24 through August 4! Please use this ID number when making sales in store or online.
CMU’s “Life in Space” student team led by Diane Turnshek made the final round! Their design to make life better for astronauts is now in competition with designs from teams at the University of Texas and OSU. The three teams already won laptops. Can you help the CMU team win a trip to Cape Canaveral? Vote once a day until Monday, April 3.
http://www.cmu.edu/piper/briefs/2017/march/march-30/news-briefs.html#astronaut
The team will also be speaking about their design at 2 pm on Saturday, April 8 at the Squirrel Hill Branch of the Carnegie Library (corner of Murray and Forbes) hosted by Parsec, Pittsburgh’s premier science fiction and fantasy literary organization. Free and open to the public.
SFWA members and other individuals who are interested in science fiction and fantasy are welcome to attend SFWA’s Nebula Conference. People who purchase memberships for the Nebula Conference may participate in workshops, programming and special events throughout the weekend. You do not need to be a member of SFWA to buy a membership for the Nebula Conference; all are welcome. You can buy Nebula Conference memberships and Nebula Award Banquet tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-sfwa-nebula-conference-tickets-27153384504
Pittsburgh author Leah Pileggi will be speaking at the Sat., Feb. 11 Parsec meeting on how to research for historical fiction.
The free meeting starts around 1:30 pm in the back room of the Squirrel Hill Branch of the Carnegie Library.
These two arts have a surprising amount in common. In this talk, award-winning author and professional puppeteer Mary Robinette Kowal looks at how puppetry has shaped her creatively, and the tools that working writers can borrow from stage. Mary is a three-time Hugo Award winning author of The Glamourist Histories fantasy novels.
The talk will be in Room 1112, Doherty Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213; no registration, lecture is free.
Rex Jameson
Genre Writing Workshop: The Art of the Character Study
1:00 – 3:00 pm
In this workshop, we will discuss the creation of character studies and their incorporation into a storytelling narrative. Participants will learn the relationship between show and tell in character building, the importance of genre and perspective, and the art of moving plot forward while also developing interesting protagonists and antagonists.
Rex Jameson is the author of two novels Lucifer’s Odyssey and The Goblin Rebellion and half a dozen short stories. An avid history buff and an unabashed nerd with an appetite for science fiction and fantasy, he loves to create complex speculative fiction with layered characters. He earned a PhD in Computer Science at Vanderbilt University and researches distributed artificial intelligence in robotics at Carnegie Mellon University. Rex and his wife Jenny live in Pittsburgh where they enjoy hosting family and friends. Workshop will be in the Danforth Lounge, 2nd Floor of the Cohon University Center, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213.
Mary Robinette Kowal
The Intersection of Puppetry and Science Fiction
4:00 pm
These two arts have a surprising amount in common. In this talk, award-winning author and professional puppeteer Mary Robinette Kowal looks at how puppetry has shaped her creatively, and the tools that working writers can borrow from stage.
Mary is a three-time Hugo Award winning author of The Glamourist Histories fantasy novels. The talk will be in Room 1112, Doherty Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213; no registration, lecture is free.
Book Signing
Mary Robinette Kowal and Rex Jameson
5:00 pm
Room 1112, Doherty Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213. Open to the public.
