AMAZING NEWS: 9/8/24

Of Special Note

Join me at Albacon this coming Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Other Special Note

WSFS has issued a formal apology to those negatively affected by the 2023 Hugo Awards debacle

New News Section

A Special Bob Eggleton Loves Godzilla Section will be added to the news as needed.  Today’s entry – ear-splitting roars are not the only sounds Godzilla is capable of making – a gorgeous Godzilla Harp

AMAZING PEOPLE NEWS

Sean CW Korsgaard relates the sad news that friend and author Howard Andrew Jones has been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer

Cat Rambo shares the dedication for a book coming on 9/24 with Ann McCaffrey’s son

Pamela Sargent shares Bob Eggleton’s artwork for her forthcoming collection, slated for 2025  (Not a public post)

John O’Neil announces the passing of artist Bernie Mireault, whose artwork was instrumental during the creation of Black Gate magazine

From David Gerrold:  A teacher has now been fired for sharing a QR code to the Brooklyn Public Library (so that students can access banned books).

Nick Mamatas doesn’t just write science fiction, he lives it!  Nick shares video of a ride in a Waymo driverless taxi

Noah Chinn warns of the NANOWRIMO AI “Honeytrap”

David Agranoff hosts another podcast about stories from The Science Fiction Hall of Fame.  (Public)

Joe Siclari announces a new season of the Fanac Fan History Zoom Series, which you can access by sending an email here www.Fanac.org

Fandom

ChimeraDave wants everyone to know that he has published an interview with Gilberto Diaz-Santos about Michael Crichton and that it can be read by joining the Science Fiction Book Club Group on Facebook…or by visiting his blog.

Michael Shotter shares a list of the best books for getting Fans started

File 770 hosts a post by Rich Lynch about David Mitchell, a fan who wasn’t real.  (As opposed to invisible.  Invisible Fans can also be Real Fans.)

Joe Siclari announces a new season of the Fanac Fan History Zoom Series, which you can access by sending an email here www.Fanac.org

Awards

Jack Dann’s latest has Copyright Errors!  Let it be known that his short story collection Islands of Time has an incorrect copyright date of 2023.  It was, in fact, published in Cemetery Dance in 2024.  In addition, an original story in that collection – “A Perfect Summer for Baseball, Tentacles, Mutants, and Love” by Jack Dann and Barry N. Malzberg” also has an incorrect date and should be copyright 2024.  Award Administrators and voters please take note:  this means that the collection and the story are eligible for 2025 awards that award works from 2024.

Space

Maybe now that Starliner has successfully returned to Earth, they can let those kids out of the trunk – the ones that have been making odd noises.

Science

Will someone please let Jeff Vandermeer know that in the world of robots, fungus is now among us:  Fungal mycelium has now been used to control a robot.

Giving Cecilia Payne the recognition she deserves (for identifying what the universe is made of.  Pretty big deal for us not to know about her.)

A  common food dye has the potential to turn skin transparent

Industry

Michael Swanwick highlights NANOWRIMO’s AI entanglement

Reviews

RedHeadedFemme reviews The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

New Releases

Tony Peak is pleased to announce that his novel, Punk’s Force, written in collaboration with Ward Carroll (a retired Naval aviator) will be published by the United States Naval Institute

Ron Miller’s Spaceships: An Illustrated History of the Real and the Imagined gets a second edition

Literature

Astrid Bear (private) shares the availability of two of her father Poul Anderson’s works – Collected Works Volume 1 and Starfarer. (Public)

Denis Dumars announces the sale of three poems to Star*Line magazine (Private) Star*Line magazine

Nnedi Okorafor discusses a book about her writing

Art

Ron Miller’s Spaceships: An Illustrated History of the Real and the Imagined gets a second edition

Film & TV

Filmmaker Tim Burton gets his Star on Hollywood Boulevard

Ian McLellan tells filmmakers that his availability to play Gandalf has a limited shelf life

Retro

David Lubkin offers up a profile of author John Dalmas, author of The Yngling

Events

This coming Friday – Albacon 2024 begins.  Your humble publisher and news gatherer will be appearing on several panels.  The convention is both live and virtual.

The 50th Confusion – Monumental Confustion – has been announced

In the Future

Monday – ABACUS and the Android Blast-Off by Angelique Fawns – FREE STORY
Tuesday – The Big Idea: Cameron Johnston
Thursday – Unexpected Questions with Stephen Dedman
Friday – The Big Idea: David Niall Wilson
Matt’s Reviews: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Featured Image

The Albacon’s website logo for this year’s convention, which you can attend in person or virtually by signing up here.