Calendar

The next R-SPEC meeting is March 3, at 7pm, at the Pittsford Barnes and Noble. The topic will be member favorites. Click the headline for more.

Ursula K. Le Guin will read from her novel, "Always Coming Home," in Second Life on Saturday, Feb. 28th, at 3:30 pm in conjunction with Second Life Librarians and the Potlatch 18 Science Fiction Conference in Sunnyvale, California. Click the headline for more.

As visitors may have noticed, it had been a long time since the site had been updated. There were good reasons for that, but events have transpired that have enabled those of us who can to resume updates. Updates across the board will take some time, but we'll have a bit every week.

Huzzah!

There is brilliant material from writers outside the U.S and it doesn't get enough attention here. In our January 1 meeting, subject matter experts Ruhan Zhao, David Pascal and Gabriel Prajitura spoke on the history and public perception of speculative fiction in China, the Soviet Union, and Romania.

Local author Nick DiChario joined us in October to discuss his Campbell Award-nominated novel, A Small and Remarkable Life. Along the way, Nick provided useful insights into the publishing process.

Here's what we're planning to discuss in upcoming meetings:

October 7: Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions. Other than participating in local writers' groups, going to cons is probably the single best way to connect personally with other writers and fans. We could do this all by webinar, but choose not to.

For the writer, what is the best way to get yourself noticed at a con? Business casual dress and as many panels as you can get yourself onto, or swinging over the crowd in your chainmail bikini and cape?

What makes a con good? What goes into planning and executing such a huge undertaking?

Join us to share your favorite con stories as we discuss all this and more with Wayne from Rochester Fantasy Fans.

November 4: Punk Night—SteamPunk vs. Cyberpunk. Vote early and often, then get to R-SPEC for our own election night debate: Punk Night.

Cyberspace. The Metaverse. We used these terms liberally before the reality was possible. What IS CyberPunk and what does it hold for us?

Mary Shelly, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne forged SF with the heat of steam. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Katsuhiro Otomo took us back to the romance of that era. Kevin DiVico of RFF helps us understand why are lace and old pipes are so appealing.

Come join us for a discussion on what these very different Punks have in common, what gives them "Punkiness", and what is the Next Punk.

December 2: Perfect Change is Always in the Future. The year ends with a look back at the Author-Visionaries we've recently lost to the frailties of human existence. And we look at what of theirs we carry forward in R-SPEC's first work in anthology form, 2034: Writing Rochester's Futures.