Following his acquittal, conman, liar, cheat, extortionist, fraudster, bigot and former POTUS, Donald J. Trump. issued a statement that laid out his plans for the continuation of his insurrection against the people and government of the United States of America:

It is a sad commentary on our times that one political party in America is given a free pass to denigrate the rule of law, defame law enforcement, cheer mobs, excuse rioters, and transform justice into a tool of political vengeance, and persecute, blacklist, cancel and suppress all people and viewpoints with whom or which they disagree. I always have, and always will, be a champion for the unwavering rule of law, the heroes of law enforcement, and the right of Americans to peacefully and honorably debate the issues of the day without malice and without hate. 

This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country. No president has ever gone through anything like it, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people, the highest number ever for a sitting president, who voted for us just a few short months ago. 

I also want to convey my gratitude to the millions of decent, hardworking, law-abiding, God-and-Country loving citizens who have bravely supported these important principles in these very difficult and challenging times.  

Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun. In the months ahead I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it!

We have so much work ahead of us, and soon we will emerge with a vision for a bright, radiant, and limitless American future.

Civil War, Phase 8, continues and edges closer, daily, to continuous armed conflict.

The Mary Sue looks at Black History Month

This guide will help you get to know the Black comic book community

• Sad News:  Many of our entertainment posts this week reference re-dos, re-makes, re-imaginings and other redundancies.  In principal, we’ve got nothing against people who want to ruin and destroy sacred art by painting over the canvas, but we do object to the opportunities lost when budgets go for re-treads instead of a whole set of brand new tires.  (Which is a very apt analogy, as re-treads never last as long and go flat more frequently.)New take on Alien Nation in the works
• Buck Rogers wakes up, again
• ST: Discovery is missing at least half of Star Trek’s DNA
• Fans want Lucy Lawless in The Mandalorian
• This article wants to suggest that AppleTV is re-imagining Science Fiction with its production of Asimov’s Foundation.  Without seeing any of the show – no.
• We’re off to see the Wizard, again.

Discon III Updates

Last and First Men film review and Trailer

Yes women can be physicists too, and some even invent star drives

Someone inform the Tnuctipun that some humans are horning in on their bio-rocket-fuel monopoly

SLS rocket program may be in trouble

News of the Empire:  Ansible #403

An interview with P.Djeli Clark

New Friends of the Merrill Collection Podcast debuts

A New Imaging Technology offers up stunning closeups of the Moon

Accusations of IP Theft

Strange Northerners – tales of arctic wastelands

New Cassidy Chronicles series release

Coode Street Podcast looks behind to the year gone by

The Wisdom of Susan Wood

Rhea E. Rose to edit Polar Starlight, dedicated to Canadian Speculative Poetry

LeVar Burton Named Inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion

Work continues on MOSF

Mars Mission Medley and Two Have already arrived

RSR takes a deep dive into its stats

Odd bit of commentary:  No One wants to hear what Boomers have to say – except when it comes to what it was like to watch Star Wars when it was first released.

Classic TV is Getting Censored

Alan Parson dropped a comma and created I Robot

Jim Freund Interviewed by Concellation

Use this interactive map to listen to radio broadcasts from all over the world (Including this one playing classic rock covers in French-Canadian – Brown Eyed Girl, Penny Lane, etc)

New Release:  John Kessel Retrospective from Subterranean

Yet another take on Stan Lee

Gillian Pollack wins Ditmar for The Year of the Fruitcake

New Release:  Or Even Eagle Flew by Harry Turtledove

George Melies Autobiography

James Gunn gets a NY Times sendoff

Who Owns Jack Ryan?  No one seems to know

A New Breed of Extremist Unveiled at Capital Siege

FROM OVER THE TRANSOM

From ArcManor Books:

We have an outstanding book as our free ebook of the month. It is a collection by Lezli Robyn (yes my assistant) and Mike Resnick titled Soulmates.

Here is a review on Amazon by a reader (clicking on Amazon will take you to the Amazon link).

“Anne-Droid of Green Gables” just blew me away. “Benchwarmer” and “Soulmates” were also particularly good. I also especially enjoyed both “The Close Shave” and “Making the Cut”, especially the joint setting of these two stories in a paranormal barbershop.

Not surprisingly, the rest of the stories in Soulmates were up to snuff, too (nary a bad story in the bunch).

Soulmates is a collaboration by Mike Resnick and Lezli Robyn. I had been reading and enjoying novels by award-winning author Mike Resnick for some time now. Lezli Robyn was new to me. All but two of the stories were collaborations. “Anne-Droid” of Green Gables (my favorite by far) was by Ms. Robyn alone. “Hunting the Snark” (yes, Lewis Carroll in space) was by Mike Resnick alone.

All of the stories in this collection are about “companionship” and are largely light-hearted. Sometimes I don’t read enough humorous science fiction. Some of the stories, however, are heart-wrenching.

These stories are also universal. In fact, quite a few have been translated into other languages and either have been nominated for or won literary prizes in other countries.

In short, this Soulmates short story collection is a special treat not to be missed!!”

And its not just readers, Robert J. Sawyer called this a ‘major collection’ of the decade and Publishers Weekly called the team-up, one that ‘rarely disappoints.”

Reanimus Press

ReAnimus Press News JUST RELEASED! HURRAH! RULE GOLDEN AND OTHER STORIES by Damon Knight THE DREAMERS by James Gunn …and lots more…

 

RULE GOLDEN AND OTHER STORIES by Damon Knight

• ReAnimus Press store:

www.ReAnimus.com/1688

• Amazon:

www.Amazon.com/dp/B08SQTC74V/?tag=reanimus-20

• Also available in paperback

 

 

Another excellent collection of SFWA Grandmaster Damon Knight’s always-excellent stories—five novellas in this case, generally circling around “the great unsolved problem of politics: how to keep the bastards from grinding you down.”

Rule Golden—what if the Golden Rule were enforced in reverse by some force—the bad things you do to others are done to you?

Natural State—are cities doomed by genetic engineering?

Double Meaning—a race against time to find a shape-shifting alien spy.

The Earth Quarter—why did the aliens on a remote planet keep all the humans locked inside a section of the city?

The Dying Man—what would it be like to be immortal… then suddenly find out you’d become mortal?

 

 

THE DREAMERS by James Gunn

• ReAnimus Press store:

www.ReAnimus.com/1641

• Amazon:

www.Amazon.com/dp/B08L3MX6KN/?tag=reanimus-20

• Also available in paperback

 

 

In the future when high tech rules supreme and computers do all the work, humans spend their lives enjoying drug-induced fantasies. Only a handful live and work in the traditional sense, managing the few affairs that still need attention. At the center of this system is the Mnemonist, the man who directs everything that happens. But now he has reached an advanced age and must carefully choose a dreamer capable of taking over his crucial position.

 

And lots more…

See the list of our newest books here. Lots of stuff you’ll love!

***

Clarke Center for Human Imagination

A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler A Conversation with Author Lynell George

February 10, 2021 at 7pm PST UCSD Students/Faculty/Staff: free via SSO General Admission: $10 per device Register here A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler​ offers a blueprint for a creative life from the perspective of award-winning science-fiction writer and “MacArthur Genius” Octavia E. Butler. Written by award-winning author Lynell George, this book was drawn from her time researching the Octavia E. Butler archive at the Huntington Library as the recipie​nt of the library’s ​Alan Jutzi Fellowship.​ More than a biography, ​A Handful of Earth, a Handful of Sky​ is a collection of ideas about how a writer looks, listens, and breathes—how to ​be​ in the world. The book​ draws the reader into Butler’s world, creating a sense of unmatched intimacy with the deeply private writer. George not only engages the world that shaped Octavia E. Butler—she was a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop, where a scholarship in her name supported by the Carl Brandon Society ensures emerging writers of color get the same opportunity—she also explores the very specific processes through which Butler shaped herself—her unique process of self-making. It’s about creating a life with what little you have—hand-me-down books, repurposed diaries, journals, stealing time to write in the middle of the night, making a small check stretch—bit by bit by bit. ​ George will be in conversation with Los Angeles artist Connie Samaras, an avid admirer of Butler’s prose which served as the inspiration for her 2019 project “The Past is Another Planet”, an illustrious depiction of the Huntington Library, home to Butler’s archive. This program is organized by ArtPower and was made possible by a grant from the office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UC San Diego

Into the Impossible Extraterrestrial: Avi Loeb on the First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth

In late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed an object soaring through our inner solar system, moving so quickly that it could only have come from another star. Avi Loeb, Harvard’s top astronomer, showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and left no trail of gas or debris in its wake. There was only one conceivable explanation: the object was a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization. In Extraterrestrial, Loeb takes readers inside the thrilling story of the first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system. He outlines his controversial theory and its profound implications: for science, for religion, and for the future of our species and our planet. A mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time, and the human imagination, Extraterrestrial challenges readers to aim for the stars—and to think critically about what’s out there, no matter how strange it seems. For more information, follow host Brian Keating: ‍♂️ Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating  Instagram at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating  His book LOSING THE NOBEL PRIZE: https://amzn.to/2sa5UpA  Subscribe for more great content https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 ✍️Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php Join his mailing list: https://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php Join his Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/losingthenobelprize ️Please subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on iTunes

We are grateful to all of our supporters, including:

Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination | 858-534-6875 info@imagination.ucsd.edu | imagination.ucsd.edu

***

The Avram Davidson Universe

I hope everyone is safe and healthy. Episode 6 of The Avram Davidson Universe goes live today. In this episode we sit down with Alan Dean Foster and listen to a reading of Help! I am Dr. Morris Goldpepper. Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1957. The audio version of The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy has just gone live. David Pickering really brings the story to life. I still have a few free codes. Let me know if you would like one. Please join the The Avram Davidson Universe Facebook Group Let me know if you would like to be a guest on a future podcast. It’s a great opportunity for authors to discuss new releases and interpret an Avram story. I am shocked by our growth. Our audience is now in over 35 countries. My note about Avram’s unpublished work last month has been successful. We have uncovered three unpublished novels and three short stories. PLEASE KEEP SEARCHING! Anyone have other unpublished manuscripts? If you do PLEASE let me know. Anyone have any video of Avram? Avram had an amazing recording / lecture discussing mythical creatures. Anyone have any lectures or recordings? Please share anything else cool. Join The Fan Club For Updates.

***

WFA

Peter Dennis Pautz, President

World Fantasy Awards Association

3519 Glen Avenue; Palmer Township, PA  18045-5812; USA

SFExecSec@gmail.com

2021 World Fantasy Awards Judges

Tobias Buckell                        312 West Elm Street; Bluffton, OH  45817; USA    buckell+wfc2021@gmail.com

Prefers PDF, then HC

Siobhan Carroll                       1011 Kirk Avenue; Wilmington DE 19806; USA siobhancarrollawardreading@gmail.com  Prefers HC, then PDF

Cecilia Dart-Thornton             Suite 345 PO Box, Shoreham VIC 3916 AUSTRALIA [sic]            dartthornton.worldfantasy@gmail.com  Prefers HC AND EPUB, then HC AND PDF

Brian Evenson                        26033 Moreno Drive; Valencia, CA 91355; USA  brianevenson@mac.com

Prefers HC, then PDF and MOBI

Patrick Swenson                     21528 104th Street Ct E.; Bonney Lake WA  98391; USA

patrick2@fairwoodpress.com            Prefers HC greatly, then MOBI or EPUB if necessary

(Judges’ order of preference as listed above:  HC=Hard Copy; MOBI=Mobipocket ebook format; PDF=Portable Document Format)

Chair: Diane Lacey; chair@wfc2021.org

Registration:  103-2077 Wilson Avenue, Montréal, QC H4A 0A5 Canada or registration@wfc2021.org

Dear Colleague:

The judges for the 2021 World Fantasy Awards, for work published in 2020, have now been empanelled.  The judges read and consider eligible materials between the receipt of this letter and June 1, 2021, the earlier the better.  If, for instance, something is received on May 31 the judges may well have only one day to read it before their deliberations conclude.  Anything received after June 1 will receive little or no consideration.

The awards will be presented at the convention, to be held Thursday, November 4 through Sunday, November 7, 2021, at the Hotel Bonaventure Montréal, 900 de la Gauchetière West, Montréal, Québec, H5A 1E4, Canada.

Currently, an attending membership costs $250US/320 CAD, which does not include the Awards Banquet, tickets for which must be purchased separately. Supporting memberships are $50/$70, resp.  Banquet tickets will be available in Summer, 2021.  Information and forms can be found on the convention website: https://www.wfc2021.org/

Send materials you wish to be considered by the panel directly to the addresses above, and very importantly, please mark all packages as PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS – NOT FOR SALE OR RESALE – NO COMMERCIAL VALUE — WORLD FANTASY AWARDS MATERIALS.  Also, please make sure to send a file hard copy of all materials to my office at the address above so a comprehensive submission list may be kept.  This is how we ensure the judges have received eligible items, and you can be sure that your work has been given fair attention.

Qualifications:  All books must have been published in 2020; magazines must have a 2020 cover date; only living persons are eligible.

Fantasy Types:  All forms of fantasy are eligible, e.g. high, epic, dark, contemporary, literary.

Categories:  Life Achievement; Best Novel; Best Novella (10,001 to 40,000 words); Best Short Story; Best Anthology; Best Collection; Best Artist; Special Award‑‑Professional; Special Award‑‑Non‑Professional.

When submitting works shorter than novel length, please provide a word count for the judges’ benefit.

Please note that the nominees in the Life Achievement category will not be released, though the winners will be announced well before the awards banquet.

All questions pertaining to the convention should be directed to the Convention Chair.

Questions concerning eligibility, the judges, and the awards administration may be sent to my attention.

Once again, the World Fantasy Awards Administration and the convention are most pleased to be working with you.  With your continued good will and support, we shall successfully uphold the already prestigious reputation of the World Fantasy Awards.

As always, thank you very much for your time, and for your assistance.

Respectfully,

Pete Pautz

***

NESFA Press

Good news! We just got in the reprint of the *Concordance to Cordwainer
Smith* that had been out of stock for a few months. Anyone wishing to order
a copy can do so on this page:  NESFA Press Store – Concordance to
Cordwainer Smith
https://www.nesfa.org/book/concordance-to-cordwainer-smith-5/.

Please email sales@nesfa.org if you have any questions.

—
Tim Szczesuil
NESFA Press

***

Orbit Books

Get Ashes of the Sun for only $2.99! Two siblings, separated since childhood, fight on opposite sides of a looming civil war to save their world in the start of Django Wexler’s new epic fantasy trilogy. “Ashes of the Sun is fantasy at its finest” – Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld