Forty years ago this month, when I was 22, my great friend Ted Bleaney and I put on NorthStar, the first-ever conference on Canadian science fiction. I’ll be in South Dakota on September 25, which is the actual 40th anniversary of this event, so I’m posting about it today. Our Guest of Honour was Donald […]
There’s just one week left until The Oppenheimer Alternative comes out, so here’s our penultimate real-life chapter-head epigraph from the novel:“The history of science is rich in the example of the fruitfulness of bringing two sets of techniques, two sets of ideas, developed in separate contexts for the pursuit of new truth, into touch with […]
There’s no doubt the best-ever academic conference on Canadian science fiction was Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre, held in September 2013 in honour of the donation of my archives to McMaster University. But the second-best Canadian academic science-fiction conference began ten years ago today, on Feburary 6, 2004, at what was then Mount Royal College […]
The 1996 paper “Helen Keller as Cognitive Scientist” was one of my inspirations for writing my WWW trilogy of Wake, Watch, and Wonder, about a formerly blind girl gaining sight via a post-retinal implant — while a nascent consciousness evolving on the World Wide Web learns to see the world through her. The paper’s author […]
Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre turned out to be one of the best weekends of my life. Over one hundred scholars from all over North America joined us for this amazing conference in honour of the donation of my archives to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The conference was sponsored by the McMaster Faculty of […]
Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre will surely be the biggest and best academic conference on Canadian science fiction. It will be held this weekend (Friday, September 13, through Sunday, September 15, 2013) at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The conference is in honour of the donation of my archives to that institution. Special guests are […]
McMaster University Presents Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre A conference in honour of Robert J. Sawyer‘s archival donation to the University Library Collections with special guests: Robert J. Sawyer John Robert Colombo Julie E. Czerneda David G. Hartwell Élisabeth Vonarburg Robert Charles Wilson Chris Szego Multiple paper tracks! Banquet! Author Readings! Everyone is welcome. Free […]
The conference “Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre” at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, September 13-15, 2013, is shaping up to be the biggest and best academic conference ever focusing on Canadian Science Fiction: Three Days! Multiple Tracks! Banquet! Authors? We got ’em: Aurora Award-winner Julie E. Czerneda, Hugo Award-winner Robert J. Sawyer, Aurora Award-winner Élisabeth […]
In honour of the donation of Robert J. Sawyer‘s papers and archives to McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, that institution is hosting an academic conference entitled “Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre” Friday, September 13, through Sunday, September 15, 2013. The call for papers (CFP) is here. Special guests at the conference are Hugo Award-winning author […]
Anticipation, the Montreal World Science Fiction Convention, had John Robert Colombo as keynote speaker for its academic track. I introduced him, and he gave an amazing speech. My introductory remarks: It is my staggering privilege and honour to introduced to you John Robert Colombo, the keynote speaker here at the Montreal World Science Fiction Convention’s […]
