It’s finally here! I’ve attended San Diego Comic-Con in mid-July for about the past 11 years and it’s never been stale. Sure, there are lines out to Tijuana and back, but there’s really nothing wrong with that – I’ve met some friends in these lines! Sure, it’s overwhelming, but I love being completely subsumed into […]
With the Hugo Award voting coming to a close at the end of July, I find my attention being pulled towards the historical data surrounding the Hugo. The Hugo Award started in 1953 at the 11th WorldCon in Philadelphia. Originally named the Annual Science Fiction Achievement Award, the award’s unofficial name, the Hugo, became official […]
And I’m still not done talking about cons! Continuing with our talk about cons that have grown out of the SF con, we have things like Steampunk and Anime cons. Steampunk arose from the idea that if science had been a bit more like today’s science in the 19th century, perhaps powered by steam instead […]
As I begin writing this, it pains me that such a post is even necessary here in the early years of the twenty-first century, to a group that purportedly celebrates things like the future, science and reason. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. Maybe it’s because I have a young daughter, and I don’t like […]
Louisville, Kentucky has grown by leaps and bounds when it comes to conventions. Just a few years ago, the only Con I was aware of in the area was Wonderfest– a great model-making convention/flea market my oldest daughter has enjoyed attending year after year. In recent years, Louisville has added two more science fiction/fantasy conventions […]
Con season is seriously rolling up, so be prepared to see some very hastily, exuberant and rather long-winded reports of the goings on and going downs at San Diego Comic-Con in the next couple of weeks – from speculation, early rumors, and breaking news – it makes me wish I had access to a continuously […]
Home from LibertyCon 26, in Chattanooga TN. We put a thousand miles on the little car this weekend, stayed away from home for four days in a sub-standard hotel, but it was worth it. For us, Liberty is as much family reunion get-together as it is SFF convention, as there is almost a con within […]
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS! The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with you. In this long-running series, you will have the opportunity to peek inside the minds of the ASM bloggers to […]
I’m going to assume that you are a science fiction reader of some kind, since you’re here at Amazing Stories magazine’s website. Are you a science fiction fan? (I’m going to abbreviate it “SF” to save time, and if not specifically mentioned, I include fantasy in that abbreviation.) What do I mean by “fan”? For […]
Hey folks, I’m back after a self-imposed 6 week (or so) hiatus from writing posts for ASM. I went off to work on an art installation, so now that’s done I can get back to writing about what’s truly important: comics. During the time I was working on the installation – I took a quick […]
Friday, June 14, 2013, arrived without much fanfare. My yard gnomes were chained and securely staked in my garden, while the lazy, overweight alligators lounged at the edge of the moat with their mouths open, attempting to bait in birds for a seat. I had a full day planned, working around the tower. Before I […]
Before I really get into the meat and potatoes of this entry, allow me to apologize for being absent a few months. Since some readers might know me – which on this website may not be very many people – they know what’s been going on with my life so far this year. That means the […]
Any hobby worth its weight in storage space should have a convention. For example, comic book fans have gathered famously during the years in ever-larger facilities with agendas that have expanded to multi-media-focused events with cosplay and Hollywood slants, with the comics taking a back seat. SF and fantasy fans have gotten together for decades […]
Once in a while, I enjoy a good hoaxing. I’ve done Hoax Newsletters (http://efanzines.com/DrinkTank/PorkAuthority.pdf) and various Hoax bids, notably the Hollister WorldCon Hoax (http://www.bovil.com/Conventions/hollister2008/PachecoProgress1.pdf) and AhwahneeCon (http://www.bovil.com/Conventions/ahwahneecon/HalfDome2.pdf) which were both great successes when all was said and done. Now, in the year 2011, Andy Trembley and Kevin Roche were coming back from Redding, California on […]
I was recently in London – less than a week ago to be exact – and had the great pleasure of once again attending another MCM Expo at the Excel Centre in east London. It was amazing! The figures have not been released on attendance yet, but this was my fifth time at the Expo, […]
At last the day arrived, and I broke the seal on my compression chamber, releasing an exotic blend of oxygen and nitrogen with a bold taste of helium into the atmosphere. I confess to feeling a little apprehensive at leaving my keyboard behind, but my quest for the Loc-Nar required courage. As my horseless carriage […]
With summer upon us, it’s convention time here in my neck of the woods. And while I’m not that big of a fan of cons, I do try and treat my little nerdlings to one or two a year in our area. When I first took a child to a Con, it was Wonderfest, in […]
The clothes make the fan. Is extreme fashion a form of fandom? I say yes, but hesitate to approve of it.
While riding my keyboard and mouse across the infinite electronic pathways of the world, I discovered something quite surprising. At first when I stumbled upon it, I sloughed it off as just another coincidence. But as more and more evidence began to clog up my history folder, I realized that something strange was going on. […]
Throughout the 1990s, while weekend antiques and craft fairs, and even Ren Faires, were drawing tens of thousands of attendees each weekend, SF cons were still deliberating the good of “one day memberships” and advertising in local newspapers. SF cons added video games, showed movies, invited author celebrities. Didn’t help. What Happened? The rising cost […]
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS! The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with you. In this long-running series, you will have the opportunity to peek inside the minds of the ASM bloggers to […]
Once upon a time, science fiction and fantasy conventions were great places to find, and buy, original art – and, in time – reproductions of art created by the best professional illustrators in the field of SF/F illustration art. Now . . . not so much. What happened? Where did these artists go? And are […]
When I first started out as a published writer of science fiction in 1978 and sold my first novel in 1979, I started going to local and national science fiction conventions. Mostly I felt it was to be part of something that I admired, but secondly it was to promote my writing. This is what […]
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS! The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with you. In this long-running series, you will have the opportunity to peek inside the minds of the ASM bloggers to […]
Well . . . .Once upon a time, and by that, I mean Art Collecting BDE (before the digital era) local, regional and “world” SF/F conventions were not just good places to find great SF/F art – they were just about the ONLY place to find it. Now . . . not so much. How […]
For many years, if you wanted to see the works of Howard Philips Lovecraft adapted for the big screen, one would have to have to content one’s self with endlessly re-watching The Bride Of Re-Animator (which isn’t even that good), or fast forwarding to get to the tenacley bits of Event Horizon or In The […]
As I put the finishing touches and edits on my latest novel, I am charged with the task of also creating the cover art. I consider myself to be a good photographer but for some reason the perfect image for a book cover eludes me. Luckily, for me, I have some really good friends all […]
The past week endured by the city and residents of Boston has been extraordinary and bizarre, affecting pretty much everyone in the vicinity. Thanks, and often less than thanks, to media outlets, social networking, and alternative online resources rapidly updating news was easily accessed and spread. Boston public service entities such as the transit authority […]
The world is changing, but some things stay the same. And are perfect just the way they are. The sky, my two little puppy dogs, and many symphonic works are like that. Whether SF/F conventions or the SF community fit that category is debatable, but one thing is certain: those who feel they are INSIDERS […]
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS! The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with you. In this long-running series, you will have the opportunity to peek inside the minds of the ASM bloggers to […]
