Dave's Spotlight: People I want to see at Renovation

This is an advance copy of the publicity for Renovation that is being developed by Dave Anderson.

Put Wordcon's Renovation on your calendar for August 17-21, 2011. And do remember that RFF is partnering with AboutSF to run an all day workshop on teaching with science fiction.

Upcoming Worldcons

2011: Renovation
Renovation the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, Reno, Nevada, USA
Wednesday 17 August 2011 - Sunday 21 August 2011
email: info@renovationsf.org
postal: Renovation, PO Box 13278, Portland, OR 97123-0278

2012: Chicon 7
Chicon 7 the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Thursday 30 August 2012 - Monday 3 September 2012
email: info@chicon.org
postal: PO Box 13, Skokie, IL 60076

Reading for the Future Spotlight:

People I want to see at Renovation

Illustration © 2010 Maurine Starkey,
used with permission

Greg Benford

My fave WorldCon was 1968 in Berkeley, CA. I met there many sf authors
and fans. The writers, especially Poul Anderson and Terry Carr, helped
me understand how the field was going. Though I was a postdoc working
for Edward Teller, I wanted to continue writing stories and eventually a
novel. Baycon 1968 drew me into Bay Area fandom, so that by the time I
left in 1971 to take a professorship at UC Irvine, I had published my
first novel. Chip Delany, Joanna Russ, Ursula Le Guin -- they all shaped
how I thought of sf.

"Greg is a Killer B. He is one of three parents of Reading for the
Future (RFF)".~Dave

I have so many fine Worldcon memories. A favorite would have to be "my"
Worldcon ... the one in Los Angeles, way back in 1984, when I suddenly
had my own brief turn as the latest hotshot It-Boy of science fiction,
back when I could really wear a fedora, in my home town. It also was
(and remains, still) the biggest Worldcon ever held, by a large margin.
(Alas.)

David Brin

But there were other, quiet Worldcon moments that stick with me. Like
the time that Tim Powers, Jim Blaylock and their gang held a bunch of us
riveted late into the night with stories of Philip K Dick... then sent
us into stitches with amazing, wondrously paranoid fantasies about the
Nineteenth Century, made up on the spot -- "coincidences" that had to be
hints at dark conspiracies... or conspiracies that could only be
explained by marvelous coincidence.

That was when I became convinced that excessive pattern recognition,
combined with dazzling storytelling, must have been genetically
rewarded, some time deep in the human past. Else how do you explain a
shaman like Tim Powers. Dang, I'm glad he's on the side of progress and
the enlightenment and belief in the future. If he used his... er,
powers... for the dark side, we'd be doomed!

"David Brin, RFF parent wrote the letter. Killer B Greg Bear, the third
parent asked for Developing the Young Reader at the 2001 Worldcon."~Dave


One of the high-points of any WorldCon for me was ConJose, 2002, at the
Hugo Loser's party. There was this gang of west-coast-y,
vaguely-Locus-affiliated, largely recent-Clarion-grad people who were
all about my age and in my orbit, though I hadn't met all of them before.

Cory Doctorow

One of the people who was new to me was Ben Rosenbaum, with whom I
seemed to have some kind of weird, instant affinity. We immediately
began to discuss whether the conversion of matter to computronium was
zero-sum, and therefore whether the first nano-scale AI would
immediately set about turning the universe into grey goo before another
could do it. The result was a novella that was up for last year's Hugo,
called /True Names/ -- and a friendship that continues to this day.

"Cory has a Golden Duck Hal Clement Award for excellence in children’s
science fiction for Little Brother."~Dave

As the newest of newbies, I girded my ladylike loins and went off to the
Los Angeles Worldcon in 1996. My second novel -- a modest little fantasy
paperback -- was about to come out. I had only learned that cons existed
when I attended Clarion West, and I walked into the ginormous convention
center in L.A. feeling insignificant and out of my depth. I didn't "get"
fandom at all, and I truly didn't know a thing about how conventions
worked. I had the good fortune, that year, to meet my buddy Sharon Shinn
for the first time, at an Ace function. My first editor, Susan Allison,
was so gracious, and introduced me to a number of luminaries whose names
left me speechless.

Louise Marley

Bob Eggleton personally escorted me into the art show to look at the
gorgeous painting he'd done for /Sing the Warmth/. It was an amazing,
and inclusive, experience. Discovering fandom has been one of the great
blessings of this new career, and Worldcon is always one of my favorite
gatherings. See you all in Reno!

RFF went public at LACon III.~Dave

Her Glass Harmonica The Glass Harmonica won the 2001 Endeavover Award. ~Dave

When I finally got a chance to go to Worldcon, which was Noreascon 3 in
Boston in 1989, I hadn't traveled much. For the first several years of
my Worldcon experiences, I went to places I would never ever have seen
without the convention choosing that city as its location. Even the
first Chicago Worldcon I went to, in 1991, showed me parts of the city
I'd just driven by before.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

I always made it a point to arrive early and spend a few days looking at
the city. Dean and I and Debb Cook (Debb DeNoux now - she married a
mystery writer she met at a convention) went on a walking tour of Boston
that remains one of the highlights of my travel life. You got a map and
followed markings on the sidewalk of the city to see all of these
marvelous historic places. We saw things I still remember, and would
like to return to. Great stuff.

The convention is always fun, but it seems like one ongoing convention
at different locations. I can't tell you if the dinner Dean and I had
with Julius Schwartz and Samuel Delany took place at a Worldcon (come to
think of it, it might have been Icon or Lunacon), but it was a marvelous
dinner, with great food and even greater company. I've had many of
those, so many that they're all tending to blur unless something
triggers the memory.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch was the Cascadiacon SF in the Classroom keynote
speaker. Dean Wesley Smith is her husband.~Dave

The Reno Worldcon will be the first Worldcon I've gone to in a city with
which I am very familiar. Dean and I have traveled in and out of Reno
since we met in 1986. We stay there quite often and love the city. In
fact, we even had a Rusch family reunion there about ten years ago -
shocking my Midwestern relatives by staying in a place that encourages
gambling (oh, my!). The Ruschs were bad for Reno's economy though - they
didn't gamble at all.

So I'll be in Reno, pontificating on panels, and hanging out in the bar
that the pros choose as their own. I've already seen the area, so I'll
be at the convention more than usual. And I'm really looking forward to
that.

Reading for the Future/AboutSF Workshop @ Renovation

Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Reno NV

9 am to 5 pm
-- Special Day Rate offered --

Keynote address – Tim Powers

*Give the kid a Science Fiction book*

Reading for the Future

Contact: Reading4Future@gmail.com
[sic., spelling not correct; use link or copy link.]

Reading for the Future, Inc.
POBox 13062, Ogden UT 84412-3062

Illustration © 2010 Maurine Starkey, used with permission

RFF, Inc is a registered Utah nonprofit.

To Share or Not to Share; How does one Decide what Books to Recommend to Youth? Part 2

The Birth of Human Intelligence, an image by ©AlienCat - Fotolia.com.

This image may only be used with permission of Fotolia.com. It is used here by Valerie Coskrey, who purchased a license for its use.

Some RFFers' Thoughts on Favorite Books

Have you read Part 1?

Mary, a teacher, wrote,

"I found that as a kid -- 4th grade and up -- I was generally drawn to "classic" authors with minimal gore and/or sexual content. I tend to recommend books like that to kids as well."

To which Alberto responded,

My 11-year-old is very interested in History and Greek Mythology; I can't think of any science fiction that has _more_ gore and sexual content than History and Greek Mythology.

Again, Mary responded, "Point well taken! (Of course, our school doesn't teach Greek and Roman Mythology either.)"

Librarian Sandy Moltz added these criteria,

"I think you have to take a number of factors into consideration when recommending an adult science fiction book. Difficulty of the language, length of the book can be reasons I wouldn't recommend an adult book. For example, I love Neal Stephenson but think that Cryptonomican is too long for a lot of kids.

"Also, many kids who read above their age level aren't ready emotionally for all adult books. I'm lucky enough to be in a small library where I usually get to talk to the kids and have a sense of what works for them. For example, a very smart 5th grader may not be ready for a book that has a violent rape scene (I don't have a specific title in mind, this is just a hypothetical example).

"I often recommend Brightness Reef, Blood Music, and The Man in the High Castle. For some, I'll suggest Snow Crash, William Gibson, China Mieville, and Orson Scott Card's Pastwatch.

Dave chimed in with books he asked Sandy to consider.

"What about David Gerrald's The Man Who Folded Himself or Bruce Coville's Skull of Truth or Orson Scott Card's Enderverse?

"Dave Farland aka Dave Wolferton wrote On My Way To Paradise (c) 1987 Bridge Publications, Inc He expanded it into a novel. I have given copies through RFF Utah. Dave does not see it as YA.

"The Man Who Folded Himself is very adult in subject matter. RFFUtah sent it to a Junior High School teacher in Davis CA for the club library.

"School of Truth is that when the skull from Hamlet is in the room you can only tell the truth. The younger brother tells the family he is gay. The family says so, we have known that for years.

"Scott aka Noam D. PLUME, Byron WALLEY, Dinah KIRKHAM wrote plays and edited/wrote LDS magazines. He invented the game when he was 17. Ben Bova, Analog editor, said he would never buy a it-is-a-computer-game story. Changed his mind. Ender's Game was nominated for a Hugo and lost. Scott had a book contract to write Speaker for the Dead but expanded Ender to a book. Both books won Hugos and Nebullas. The Ender books according to Scott are grades 7, 8 and 9. The Bean cycle (Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon and Shadow Puppets) I used the original Ender at 2001 MilPhil and after 9/11 in an alternate high school. The students wrote about the ethics of training young children to kill. This Rustycon a woman said she would never recommend the Enderverse to kids. TOR sends boxes of Ender to inner city schools."

Tentative Conclusions

In our search for criteria to use in recommending an adult to a YA audience, we have conflicting values to reconcile. Some, including me, see no problem with youth reading about controversial subjects, alternative life styles, a bit of violence, and limited sexual content. I notice that so far there has been no mention of profanity. So many science fiction authors use little to none profanity in their books that some might consider this a non-issue.

So far we have these 5 questions to ask about a book.

• Does the young adult have the reading skills for the reading level and length of the book?
  
• Is the book one with enough action to interest a young reader?
  
• Is the violence, sexual content and profanity handled in such a way that one would not mind one's grandmother reading the book? (RE: Part 1)
  
• Is the young reader emotionally mature enough to handle the subject matter?
  
• Do I know this young reader well enough to push the limits?
  

Although many science fiction books are written for an adult autdience, there are some that are highly instrutive, just plain fun, or both that young adults, grades middle school through high school, would enjoy. After all, the bottom line for promoting literacy is to foster the enjoyment of reading.

There is more to come. Look for Part 3 at a later date.

~Valerie

Teaching with Science Fiction: 10 Reasons for Use in a Science Class

Origin of the List

 

Writing as Valerie Smith, I once presented a paper at AAAS in New Orleans with co-authors Jessica Scott and my husband Wayne Coskrey. This list is from that paper, except #10. In the original paper, items 1-9 each had 2 or more peer-reviewed-type references cited. Furthermore, the list is reworded to not be so nerdy.
Re: "Teaching the Science in Science Fiction," 1990.

10 Reasons to Use Science Fiction in the Science Classroom

 

Apophysis flame "Spaceman" (c) V. Coskrey

• SF can motivate students to like science.
  
• SF models scientific thinking and problem-solving.
  
• SF presents the science world-view.
  
• SF illustrates how science and technology affect lives.
  
• SF examines scientific issues for possible solutions and potential consequences.
  
• SF models possible futures, preparing students for change.
  
• SF connects science to the humanities and social sciences.
  
• SF provides practice in reading skills.
  
• SF fosters vivid mental images of scientific phenomena.
  
• SF is fun that can be shared!
  

Adapted from V. Smith, J. Scott, and W. Coskrey (1990). Teaching the Science in Science Fiction. Unpublished paper presented to AAAS, New Orleans, LA.

Additional Remarks: Start a Conversation

Like any good book shared among friends and associates, science fiction offers conversation starters. Class discussions often need an example to get the students thinking and talking. Examples from books can lead to examples from personal experiences and then to examples from the textbook or the teacher's knowledge.

Now the student is ready to learn technical concepts and vocabulary because the concept has become real to the student. Now the student is ready for a vocabulary word and a definition. Now the student is ready to state a law. Now the student is ready to solve a problem based in math or chemistry. Why now? Because the mental images of concrete examples offer a sense of reality--the science is more real to the student.

by Valerie Coskrey

Krysia Anderson, A YA herself, Writer and Poet: her new Poem and new Novel

This post: the Novel; the Poem; Krysia's words.

Elizabeth Wood writes of the novel Misfit Leaves Home by Krysia Anderson, "Woven in the intricate fabric of the ORU, Misfit explores the themes of class and discrimination, duty and individual choice, heredity and destiny."[personal communication, Oct. 2010]

A lofty challenge for the best of authors, an impressive accomplishment for a young woman who can only recently vote, she is so young. Currently, Ms. Anderson is touring local schools, talking to English classes about her work.

This novel is written in the Okal Rel Universe, invented and copyrighted by Lynda Williams, an active RFF member and mentor to Ms. Anderson and other aspiring writers. Learn more about the Okal Rel Universe and both authors.

Krysia Anderson, of Canada, had this to say about her interest in science fiction,

"My love affair with reading really started when I was in grade 4. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone was the very first real book I read on my own and ever since then I can't stop. At first I mostly read fantasy, but as I got older I branched out into science fiction and now I even enjoy non-fiction. Although science fiction is definitely my favourite."

Krysia Anderson shared her newest poem with the Reading For the Future page on Facebook and graciously allowed it to be reprinted here.~Valerie

Books are Masochists 

a poem by Krysia Anderson

Books are Masochists
They call out from the shelves
Screaming harlots of a medium
Saying
Hold me
Bend me
Love me
Abuse me
Just so you can soothe me
Throw me across the room if necessary
Stay with me long into the night
and when you're done and satisfied
cast me aside and pick up another one

Open and shut me until my spine breaks
And my pages fall out
Scattering themselves everywhere
They whisper
Read me
And I am eager to oblige

©2010, All Rights Reserved.


A Grab Bag of Thoughts from William Wood on Strategies, Goals, the Emerging Science of Morality, and Science Fiction

William Wood, In a comment to David Brin's post on Facebook, 10/23/10,  wrote a thoughtful essay on values. He completed the essay with words on the usefulness of science fiction in exploring alternatives.

First, the question tossed out by David Brin.

David Brin If communism was a principal threat to freedom a generation ago, can there be any doubt that the madness and danger is coming from a different direction today?

The Real Reason for Tea Parties - David Brin - Open Salon

open.salon.com

Lighting the political lamp (it may be on for a couple of weeks), let me begin with a disclaimer, for those of you who don't know me ... I despise all dogmatists, including those on the far-left. As a one-time keynoter for a Libertarian Party Convention, I have the bona fides of someone who has re...

Source: http://www.facebook.com/thedavidbrin, [10/23/10]

Next the Essay in a Comment by William Wood

Here's a grab bag of not-entirely-related thoughts...

FIRST, David, I think you are absolutely right to point to measurables [sic] as a basis for evaluating the success of alternative strategies. This is hard won data that we should prize accordingly.

SECOND, I think that a large part of the problem is that parties in this discussion are at odds not only over methods but over goals. We can't even agree, for instance, whether addressing climate change IS a goal (i.e. if it is real and/or caused by humans having put trillions of tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere) let alone HOW we might address it.

One type of participant in the discussion will try to inventory worthy goals (based either on concrete issues such as climate change, defeating poverty, protecting the world from WMD proliferation, conquering cancer, etc., or on aspirations such as returning to the moon, placing humans on Mars, etc.), develop means to achieve them, then weigh priorities.

Another type of participate will enter the discussion not with projects such as these in mind, but with the goal to protect individual liberties. Projects such as the above, requiring collective, coordinated will (and expense), are most easily seen as a threat to one with individual liberties in the forefront of her values.

This second problem is caused by the immaturity of the emerging science of morality. For so long, people have thought of morality in either religious terms or intuitive terms. Conceived either way, morality is no more than a fiction, a contest of who can persuade better to get his way. It's clear, though, that if we swap out the term "morality" and instead speak of a "science of human well-being", there is content here that is real. As Derek Parfit says, "Disbelief in God, openly admitted by a majority, is a recent event, not yet completed. Because this event is so recent, Non-Religious Ethics is at a very early stage. We cannot yet predict whether, as in Mathematics, we will all reach agreement." (Reasons and Persons, p.454).

Looked at in terms of a science of well-being, it is clear that there is no such "thing" as a "right" to individual liberties (what could such a "thing" be? point to one, please!); acknowledging liberties, instead, is a strategy for achieving well-being -- one that works quite well in many contexts. We need to ask the deeper, harder questions, though. WHICH contexts, specifically? Where will it not work well? How may promoting the concept of individual liberty affect the aggregation of wealth, and what affects will that have on well-being? Etc.

Alas, many unknowns.

My own view is that promoting individual liberties (and their corollary: individual responsibilities and accountabilities) is probably a good default strategy for promoting well-being -- but the ecology of our interconnectedness is so complex, so little-understood, that we should be wide open to exceptions and in full support of more study.

Which brings me to my THIRD (and last!) point: SF as a genre is uniquely poised to be the literature of this experiment. It is the genre where positing possible futures is the norm! Some are posited as cautions, others as choices we may wish to pursue. We can rally 'til we're blue in the face, but what will really change the world is when lots of people can understand and embrace a choice for the future together. Stories do this far better than argumentation or argument! (Although, to Stewert's and Colbert's credit, humor does a damn fine job, too.) We need to be able to see, smell, LIVE the possible futures, in advance, to be able to choose them.

And sadly, I don't think sf is succeeding here. Not for lack of quality or insight, mind you! Gad, no! It's a much simpler reason: to connect to lots of people, literary sf has got to get off its high horse and get into film and television. Much. Much. More. What I would give, for instance, to have a series similar to Masterpiece Theater / Mystery! devoted to high-quality sf! How can we make this happen?!

FB Report: Lots of Links on Speculative Fiction -- 10/24/10

This week reports a Featured Event, children's book award nominations, a book list, and lots more.

Quote of the Week:  "Remember that a story with worldwide wireless communication was fantasy 150 years ago, scifi 100 years ago, and is not scifi today. "  by Sean OBrien 
[October 18, 2010 on http://www.facebook.com/thedavidbrin in a discussion concerning the definition of hard science fiction.]

Want your link to be listed? Share it to the Reading For the Future page on Facebook or make me your Friend and post links on your Wall that you share with Friends. If you think I will overlook it, send me a message with the link attached and the remarks you want to say in introducing the link. Be sure to include your personal website url.

This is the third in the series of links of interest found on Facebook from the Reading For the Future page on Facebook and a few Walls of various friends.

Please note the spelling is corrected now in that the word "For" is capitalized. Cie named the page this way to distinguish it from other RFF sites online. Me, I noticed it once, then promptly forgot and misspelled the page for weeks of blog posts and rff group emails--even after someone remarked on how I had a typo in place. There are none so blind... My apologies.

Remember, the Note.

---

Reading For the Future, "...article at the bottom of the page entitled 'Notes on Writing Weird Fiction'. [essay by] H.P. Lovecraft...1933,...published...[in] June 1937 issue of The Amateur Correspondent."
Flash Fiction Online
flashfictiononline.com
Flash Fiction Online is a free source of professional flash fiction -- complete stories of 1,000 or fewer words. It includes stories from award-winning authors as well as first-time publications. Check us out!
http://www.flashfictiononline.com
[10/22/10]

From David Brin, "Every instance of First Contact in human history resulted in pain for the less advanced culture. I believe we should exercise caution before allowing a few individuals to beam messages into space."
David Brin Wants Us To Keep A Low Galactic Profile | KPBS.org
www.kpbs.org
From An interview with Tom Fudge of KPBS. In the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, called SETI, people point powerful radio telescopes at distant stars in hopes of hearing radio signals from other civilizations. But the problem comes when humans stop listening and begin to shout.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/oct/21/david-brin-wants-us-keep-low-galactic-profile/
[10/22/10]

Reading For the Future, "Saw this... and had to share with fellow Spec Fiction fans....[for]Lovecraft's 120th birthday."
H P Lovecraft Cthulhu necklace in black stainless by FableAndFury
www.etsy.com
An homage to one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century, Howard Phillips Lovecraft. This framed silhouette pendant is detailed with sprawling tentacles... a nod to Lovecraft's cosmic creature, Cthulhu.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/58943078/h-p-lovecraft-cthulhu-necklace-in-black
[10/22/10]

On Valerie's wall from Science Fiction Book Club, "...movie news...PJ's Hobbit movies...casting of Bilbo Baggins...-Rome
Peter Jackson officially announces the cast of The Hobbit (Yes!) | Blastr
blastr.com
The Hobbit is moving out of New Zealand to Australia. Or to London...[Peter] Jackson does know...who'll be starring in the long-delayed movie.
http://blastr.com/2010/10/peter-jackson-announces-t.php
[10/22/10]

On Valerie's wall from David Brin's Uplift Universe "Dolphins uplifting themselves? In Australia, a group of river dolphins has learned to walk on water...[and] taught others."
BBC - Earth News - Dolphins learn to 'walk on water'
news.bbc.co.uk
Wild dolphins in Australia are naturally learning to "walk" on their tail flukes, a rare example of playful behaviour being culturally transmitted among animals.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9116000/9116120.stm
[10/23/10]

On Valerie's Wall from Bobbie DuFault, "Hey how cool!"
About « Do Nothing But Read Day
wp.me
On December 3, 2009, Amanda Lanyon-LeSage said something on Facebook that could possibly change the world. She merely wished that she could take a day off and do nothing but read. Her idea was seconded–and thirded and fourthed–and then it happened for real.
http://wp.me/PKnH7-2[10/22/10]

On Valerie's wall from West Wing Week is a link to a video of the 2010 National Science Winners meeting with President Obama. Believing it is important to share any activity that motivates children to read and learn, I share this with you.
West Wing Week: "The White House Science Fair"
www.youtube.com
This week, walk step by step with the President as he holds the first ever White House Science Fair, signs an Executive Order renewing the Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isTXGUONgcQ
[10/22/10]

David Brin shared this link.
Considering Cryonics | Lightspeed Magazine
www.lightspeedmagazine.com
From submarines to robots, much of the technology we take for granted today was originally conceived, not by scientists or inventors, but by that biggest of dreamers: the science fiction writer. Once thought wildly impossible, cryonics—the freezing of the recently dead, to be revived and repaired
 http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/considering-cryonics/
[10/22/10]

Reading For the Future, "2010 Nominations: Fantasy/Science Fiction for the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards"
Cybils: 2010 Nominations: Fantasy/Science Fiction
www.cybils.com
The Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary Awards
http://www.cybils.com/2010-nominations-fantasyscience-fiction.html
[10/22/10]

Bobbie DuFault shared, "How about a Peter Parker toilet seat?"
The 6 most awful comic book toys and action figures EVER | Blastr
blastr.com
We all love toys,... love comics....But we don't love ALL toys, because all toys don't deserve it.
http://blastr.com/2010/10/the-7-most-awful-toys-and-action-figures-ever.php
[10/22/10]

David Brin, "Science fiction can infect children with the dangerous mental habit of imagining things different than they are."
Contrary Brin
davidbrin.blogspot.com
An occasional online journal to handle discussions generated by "The David Brin Site" (http://www.davidbrin.com/ ) Courteous argument is welcome...
http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2010/10/astronomy-seti-science-transparency-and.html
[10/21/10]

On Valerie's wall was the remarks of Lynda Williams sharing Valerie's link (Yep, that's me.) to her own blog post.
Said Lynda,"Valerie of RFF wishes for Okal Rel Universe paper dolls near the end of this delightful description of her encounter with artist Tom Tierney."
Wonderful Paper Dolls of Tom Tierney
http://soapboxbyval.blogspot.com
(After describing a visit to the Tom-Kat Paper Dolls store, I speak of the conversation I had with Tom Tierney and the books I looked at. I speak of using paper dolls to motivate children to read and then wonder if science fiction characters in Tierney's fashions would foster reading of science fiction.)
http://soapboxbyval.blogspot.com/2010/10/wonderful-paper-dolls-of-tom-tierney.html
[10/21/10]

To which Valerie asked," Will beautifully illustrated paper dolls of literary characters encourage kids K-12 to read?"

In an answering comment, 10/21/10, Bobbie DuFault said,"Of course they will! And cut out action figures for the boys with lots of swords."

Reading For the Future quoted David Brin, "[F]iction is one of the most 'American' literary genres, because, like America itself, SF has a relentless fascination with change. In fact, I believe that this trait - rather than technology - is what most distinguishes SF from fantasy." Astronomy, SETI, science, transparency and wonders!
Contrary Brin
http://www.davidbrin.com An occasional online journal to handle discussions generated by 'The David Brin Site' (http://www.davidbrin.com/ ) Courteous argument is welcome..."
http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2010/10/astronomy-seti-science-transparency-and.html
[10/20/10]

Reading For the Future "From Valerie C comes a great SF reading list for SF!  thanks for all the hard work Val :)"
Valerie's Memos: Suggested Readings for K-12 From the Golden Duck Reading List
vmemos.blogspot.com
Last month,I posted a book list at a local library in TX while visiting my parents, Smithville Public Library. The book list was based on the Reading List provided by DucKon the sponsors of the Golden Duck Awards and the Hal Clement Awards.
http://vmemos.blogspot.com/2010/10/suggested-readings-for-k-12-from-golden.html
[10/20/10]

To which William Wood commented that very same day,"Glad to see "George's Secret Key to the Universe" on the list. I finished it with my 6 year old a couple weeks ago and we are now reading the sequel. Well suited to this age and yet still packs a lot of cutting-edge space-related concepts."

Reading For the Future~Valerie,'From James Sawyer comes this update on ereaders and a new source for his book Iterations. The article goes on to say, "To get things started, famous science fiction writer Robert Sawyer has graciously contributed his short stories to the mix which will be free for all jetBook owners, now how about that? Ectac...o has also invited writers to send in their own written material in order to have a chance for their writings loaded to every jetBook sold"
Ectaco introduces jetBook mini » Coolest Gadgets
www.coolest-gadgets.com
Once you’ve taken a look at the title, do not groan and say “Oh no! Not another e-book reader that has descended upon us!”. Well, that might be the case, but you need not worry about Ectaco’s latest offering as the jetBook-mini will be an extension of the world’s leader in portable language learning...
http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20101019/ectaco-introduces-jetbook-mini/
[10/20/10]

Also on 10/20/10, I asked James whether the reader showed colored pictures. Unfortunately, no, he he told me.

Reading For the Future from Lynn E. Cohen Koehler, "Educator's workshop at the MICHENER ART MUSEUM Doylestown, PA
Saturday, November 13, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
$45 Registration deadline: November 2, 2010
James A. Michener Art Museum: Events and Programs: Teacher Workshop: Graphic Novels in the Classroom
www.michenermuseum.org
An introduction to the popular literary art form, the graphic novel, and its benefits for your curriculum.This three hour workshop led by artist, Scott Hanna, will introduce, LitGraphic:The World of the Graphic Novel, followed by a hands-on workshop focused on the visual elements in the graphic nove...
http://www.michenermuseum.org/events/event.php?id=1200
[10/19/10]

The above link refers to our Featured Event. Read more below.

Reading For the Future, "Teaching Physics With Niven [Ringworld] Wow that would be fun :)"
Ringworld 40th Anniversary—Learning Physics with Ringworld
www.tor.com
The Physics of Ringworld by Andrew Love, part of the Ringworld 40th Anniversary celebration on Tor.com
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/10/ringworld-physics
[10/19/10]

Reading For the Future, "Check out the RFF Reflections Blog for a great article on The Heinlein Society!"
The Heinlein SocietyReading for the Future Reflections
rff-reflections.blogspot.com
The Heinlein Society. Sharing common goals, some RFF members have worked closely with The Heinlein Society, http://www.heinleinsociety.org/, on projects in the past. The two organizations even have members in common. Expect more collaborative efforts from these two organizations
http://rff-reflections.blogspot.com/2010/10/heinlein-society.html
[10/18/10]

Reading For the Future,"Spooky Legends Event: Oct 18th-31st; 2 supernatural blogs + 14 spine-tingling days + 28 frighteningly talented authors & characters, creepy cool urban legends, and the most chilling new releases of the season = Spooky Legends"
All Things Urban Fantasy: Spooky Legends Event: Oct 18th-31st
allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com
I’m teaming up with...Angela from Dark Faerie Tales, for this wickedly wonderful event that will feature some of the biggest names in paranormal fiction writing...
http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2010/09/spooky-legends-event-oct-18th-31st.html
[10/17/10]

Reading For the Future From Mike Resnick -
Just went into the self-publishing biz. (Bear with me; it's not a vanity
press.) I have 29 stories and about 270,000 words worth of Hugo-winning
and Hugo-nominated stories...so I put together 5 e-books, THE HUGO
STORIES Volumes 1 through 5, with a cover photo of me standing next to
...the trophy case, and uploaded them to... the Barnes & Noble web
page. (They'll be on the Amazon Kindle page in another day or two.)
Below is a link to volume 1
The Hugo Stories -- Volume 1
search.barnesandnoble.com
The Hugo Stories -- Volume 1 by Mike Resnick eBook at the World's Largest eBook Store. Download eBooks and free samples within seconds from Barnes & Noble.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/e/2940011883330/?itm=1&USRI=THE+HUGO+STORIES%2CMike+Resnick%2Cmike+resnick
[10/17/10]

Reading For the Future, "Good blog post about writing"
What is Great Fiction About? | Creed_of_Kings on Xanga « A. R. Travis's Blog
artravis.wordpress.com
When they say there is nothing new under the sun, that is correct. It has all been done. This is what I’ve tried to be mindful of when creating my book.
http://artravis.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/what-is-great-fiction-about-creed_of_kings-on-xanga/

Featured Event

This event was shared by Lynn E. Cohen Koehler. She reminds us to RSVP directly to the Michener Art Museum (contact link below) not to Reading For the Future page on Facebook. Using the RFF page on FB rsvp link will allow you to network with RFF members, but will NOT notify the museum or Workshop organizers of your intentions.

Featured Event from Reading For the Future

Lynn E. Cohen Koehler Educator's workshop at the MICHENER ART MUSEUM Doylestown, PA
Saturday, November 13, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
$45 Registration deadline: November 2, 2010

For more information, contact jamam1@ michenerartmuseum.org
James A. Michener Art Museum: Events and Programs: Teacher Workshop: Graphic Novels in the Classroom
www.michenermuseum.org
Copyright © 2001-2010, The James A. Michener Art Museum. All rights reserved. James A. Michener Art Museum | 138 S. Pine St. | Doylestown, PA 18901 | 215.340.9800 Contact us at jamam1@michenerartmuseum.org

Quoted from the link above, this abstract tells what the workshop is about.
"An introduction to the popular literary art form, the graphic novel, and its benefits for your curriculum.This three hour workshop led by artist, Scott Hanna, will introduce, LitGraphic:The World of the Graphic Novel, followed by a hands-on workshop focused on the visual elements in the graphic nove[l]..."

More information on the Workshop was provided by Cie, admin of Reading For the Future.

An introduction to the popular literary art form, the graphic novel, and its benefits for your curriculum.This three hour workshop led by artist, Scott Hanna, will introduce, LitGraphic:The World of the Graphic Novel, followed by a hands-on workshop focused on the visual elements in the graphic novel. In this session, ...K-12 educators focus on the elements of the design process concentrating on visual techniques to construct a world and deliver a story.This will include: how to express a time frame, how to convey emotions and retain a reader’s interest, utilize various types of perspective, emphasizing line quality to create form and texture, the use of color, adding value to enhance mood/atmosphere, utilizing expressions and body language, and more. Visual examples will draw from graphic novels as well as video games, movies, animation, cartoons, etc. Supplies will be provided.

The instructor, Scott Hanna, is one of the most published inkers in the industry today. His drawing/ inking work has appeared in over 100 books to date. He currently works for both Marvel & DC Comics. His comic and graphic novel pages have been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution and at MOCCA, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York City.Topics in Scott's work cover a vast range of Superhero themes, including many of the Hollywood movie adaptations, such as “Iron Man” (the first movie),“The Hulk,”“Daredevil,”“Batman Forever,”“Spiderman 3,” and “X-Men.” Scott received the 2005 Wizard Fan Award for “Best Inker” and the 2002 Eisner award for “Best Serialized Story.”

Does your event fit the mission of RFF? Share it with RFF, Cie and me.

FB Report: Lots of Links on Speculative Fiction -- 10/12/10

 After only a few months, the Reading for the Future page on Facebook is approaching 150+ Likes.  In the Discussion threads are dozens of books categorized by reading level.

And there have been some really interesting links posted. Most were introduced by Cie, the page's main admin lady (or, as David A. called her in a recent email, our RFF-FB "missionary"). Did you catch these on your visits to rff on fb?

Note: This is not a verbatim report. Extraneous phrases were cut, some phrases were reworded, and info after the link is dropped. But you get the idea, right?

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Said physicist Stephen Hawking, “Science fiction is useful both for stimulating the imagination and for defusing fear of the future.” Sigma Xi the Scientific Research Society recently surveyed its members, asking: '"Did science fiction influence you?"  10/7/10
www.sigmaxi.org 
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society: Member Newsletters: Did Science Fiction Influence You?

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This is an interesting article, possibly some hints to reach some Romance readers who think SF is not for them? 10/6/10
www.geekmom.com GeekMom » Blog Archive » Science Fiction Romance: Not an Oxymoron

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Of course we all know this is by no means complete. They didn't even mention War of the Worlds' laser beams and chemical warfare. 10/4/10
http://mashable.com 11 Astounding Sci-Fi Predictions That Came True

To this on 10/5/10, William Wood commented, "Not to poo-poo the idea that 'one of the most important reasons for reading and teaching SF' is it's ability to anticipate technology, but..." He continued, "What gives sf its literary potency is not that it anticipates tech but that it provides a way for u...s to envision possible worlds. Some sf worlds are offered as cautions; others as options we may wish to choose. In either case, the thing is this: we need to take responsibility for bringing about the future, and sf is the genre that gives us a laboratory for envisioning our choices."
To which Cie responded, "But it does illustrate one of the most important reasons for reading and teaching SF. "

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'Looking for the Science in Fiction' Thank you David Brandt!  10/3/10 www.hardsf.org Hard SF: Free Audio SF - Story Readings, New Additions

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Why is this here? Read the fine print...
The Echo Park Time Travel Mart helps support 826LA, a non-profit organization “dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write”.   10/3/10
www.laughingsquid.com Echo Park Time Travel Mart

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To commemorate Banned Books Week, the Internet Archive lets you read & download 74 banned books, and they're all FREE.
~Cie   10/2/10
www.archive.org Banned Books : Free Books : Free Texts : Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

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Attention Librarians! Here is a great resource for using SF in your Libraries. Please leave some feedback, your thoughts are important.
(Note, the link below is to the download page.~Valerie)
Said AboutSF, "We are currently beta testing a Librarian's Portable Teaching Workshop. Please feel free to download this material and add any comments about usability, effectiveness, or suggestions for change in the comments below. We look forward to hearing from you about our newest project."   9/30/10
www.aboutsf.org  Beta Test the Workshop for Libraries (Download) | AboutSF www.aboutsf.com

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Below is a series of statements and links that represent a combined, shared link. Eventually, at the bottom of the set, you get to the link to the actual statement by Walter Mead. Enjoy the conversation!

David Brin shared this link. Said David, "This is essentially a blog post about Walter Russell Mead's article, but the more important point here is:
READ SCIENCE FICTION
"Thanks to C. J. Cherryh for bringing this to my attention and for having such a great cover for Cyteen: The Betrayal - seen below :)
Read science fiction to understand the things that mainstream pundits won't talk about.(sic)"
io9.com
"'Why should you be reading more science fiction? Not just for the thrills or awesome science. You should read SF to explore ideas about society that academics and pundits won't talk about,'(sic) writes Walter Russell Mead in The American Interest."   9/23/10   
laughingsquid.com

Then there was a second share; and the same conversation continued.

Cie added, "Thank you David Brin for bring this to our attention!"
blogs.the-american-interest.com
Literary Saturday: Science Fiction is a Genre That Everyone Should Read - Walter Russell Mead's Blog
David said "I have read a lot of science fiction. I started reading this stuff when Sputnik was still in the news; the first satellites were spooking through the sky when I was turning the pages of novels by Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein and A. E. Van Vogt. I read everything in the genre that the Glenwood Ele..."   9/23/10
http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2010/09/18/literary-saturday-science-fiction-is-a-genre-that-everyone-should-read/

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Another conversation on fb that made the rounds of friends and ended up on emails in Talking RFF, the rff Yahoo! Group. The original source was Al MacAlister. and it became part of the dialog on appreciating alternative history as speculative history, speculative fiction, and a learning motivator--that is, once we had wiped our eyes and otherwise recovered from the pain of laughing so hard! In that dialog, Valerie reminded the group that many a space opera series has become what someone once called "future history." Be sure to learn about World War II in this article. Priceless.

www.collegehumor.com

OMG WWII on FACEBOOK!

Have you read the latest from the Liaden Universe?

 Book Reviews

  

A Quick Word from Valerie

I am a huge fan of Lee and Miller's Liaden Universe series. This mix of sweeping sci fi space opera, romance, alien cultures, and fantasy--with a bit of military sci fi thrown in--keeps me begging for more. For years I wanted to know Theo's story after she was introduced in I Dare.

Well, the wait is over for most. For me, the wait ended last year when I read the working draft of these two novels as they were serialized online, along with the network of fans who were invited to critique the novels as they were written. Maybe Lee and Miller started a trend. Hope so. You can find out more about it on their site korval.com .

It was with great pleasure that I received these 2 book reviews from an RFF, Inc., volunteer to tell you what the two novels are about and how they fit in with the mission of RFF, Inc.

~Valerie, rff-blogmaster

Two Book Reviews by Laura Swift Lind


Fledgling by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Theo Waitley is a young woman who, although she likes learning, isn't doing well in school. It doesn't help that her dad is from another planet and doesn't care about fitting into the university culture, or that her parents have been together her whole life on a planet where most kids don't even know who their dad is, or that she is always getting in accidents. When her mom has to travel to another planet for research, Theo goes with her, and begins to learn about who she is and why she has always had trouble at school.

Saltation by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

In the sequel, Theo Waitley goes off to college. She does much better, but still has trouble with math, until an upperclassman sees her knitting while trying to work out a knotty problem. This gets her an interview with one of the top administrators; and all of a sudden, Theo is on the fast track to be an interstellar pilot. Unfortunately, the planet she's on doesn't like outsiders, and with all her studying, Theo's still not fitting in with the culture.

These two new books set in the Liaden Universe created by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller are geared towards teenagers with the school settings and coming-of age-themes, but will still appeal to adults. It is not necessary to know anything about the previous books to enjoy these, as the main character doesn't know about any of that history, herself. If you have read I Dare, though, you will recognize the final scene.

~Laura Swift Lind

 

Visit Laura Swift Lind at the StarHouse Discovery Center

http://starhousediscovery.org