Mary Donaldson Memorial Lecture — tonight!
by Rob - May 3rd, 2007.Filed under: Uncategorized.
I’m in Saskatoon right now to present the Saskatchewan Library Association’s Mary Donaldson Memorial Lecture; that’s Mary Donaldson above. If you’re in town, come on out! It’s tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Frances Morrison Library; it’s free!
My topic is:
SCIENCE FICTION AS A MIRROR FOR REALITY
Many people dismiss science fiction as escapism — but they’re wrong. From its roots with H.G. Wells to the political allegory of the new Battlestar Galactica, science fiction has always been a powerful vehicle for commenting on the here-and-now. Join Hugo and Nebula-Award winner Robert J. Sawyer for a discussion of how science fiction lets us explore the burning issues of today … in the guise of talking about tomorrow.
The Mary Donaldson is one of Canada’s most prestigious lectures (and it comes with a hefty speaking fee — woot!), and I’m totally honoured and thrilled to have been asked to present this year’s talk.
Although some of the names below may not mean much to non-Canadians, the previous presenters have been a veritable Who’s Who of Canadian arts and culture, and I’m absolutely delighted to be included in their number. (Stephen Lewis, who gave the 1990 lecture, is a particular hero of mine, and in my novel Flashforward I made him UN Secretary General; broadcaster Adrienne Clarkson went on to really be Canada’s Governor General; and it’s Pierre Berton‘s house I’m going to for my writing retreat this summer).
Here’s the full list of presenters of the Mary Donaldson Memorial Lecture.
1968: Mary E. P. Henderson: “Planning the Future by the Past”
1969: Frederick G. B. Hutchings: “The Impact of William Morris”
1970: Alberta Letts: “Provincial Library Service — Today and Tomorrow”
1971: Lura G. Currier: “The Librarian in the Political Arena”
1972: Richard Blackwell: “A British Beaver’s Eye View of the Book Trade”
1973: Carlyle King: “Far Horizons, Man Alone: Landscape and Man in Saskatchewan Writing”
1974: Allan R. Turner: “Bearing on the History of Saskatchewan”
1975: Roy B. Stokes: “I Had Forgotten About the Wind”
1976: A.L. Karras: “After Publication — Reaction”
1977: Bede Hubbard: “The Humanist Imperative”
1978: Marion E. Gilroy: “Pioneers! O Pioneers! The Genesis of Regional Libraries”
1979: Eli Mandel: “Culture and Literacy: Contemporary and Canadian Writing”
1980: Donald C. Kerr: “Moving Pictures, the Great Dream”
1981: Andreas Schroeder: “Compensation for Authors, or the Search for the Elusive Red Jellybean”
1982: Frances Morrison: “Saskatchewan Libraries: Remembering Dreams and Recalling the Past”
1983: Patrick Lane: “The Liberal Vision and the Death of Culture”
1984: Emma LaRocque: “Three Conventional Approaches to Native People in Society and in Literature”
1985: John Sawatsky: “Librarians as Investigative Journalists”
1986: John Gray: “Learning to be Dull: the Canadian Cultural Experience”
1987: Adrienne Clarkson: “Canada: a Possible Vision”
1988: Mel Hurtig: “Speech on Free Trade”:
1989: Wes Fine Day: “Education”
1990: Stephen Lewis: “The Struggle for Literacy Abroad and at Home”
1991: Pierre Berton: “Writing Narrative History”
1992: Barbara Clubb: “Discovering That Immeasurable Quality”
1993: Jean Dirksen: “The Joy of Empowerment: Library Leadership for The ’90’s
1994: Janet Lunn: “The Power of Story”
1995: Bill Richardson: “Truth be told: Coming Out as a Writer”
1996: Ben Wicks: “Caring in a Technological Age”
1997: Sharon Butala: “Lost in Cyberspace”
1998: Don Ching: “Public Enterprise in Saskatchewan: The
Ties that Bind”
1999: Mark Kingwell: “Storage/Retrieval”
2000: Roy Bonisteel: “Read Any Good Web Lately?”
2001: Roch Carrier: “The National Library of Canada: tradition in the new millennium”
2002: Glen Sorestad: “The Opening of Doors”
2003: Gail Bowen: “Ruth Rendell and Me”
2004: Tim Wynne-Jones: “This Place Is Totally … This Place, Libraries: Real Community In A Virtual World.”
2005: Arthur Black: “The Wit and Whimsy of Arthur Black”
2006: Dan Yashinsky: “Suddenly They Heard Footsteps: why we listen to told stories”
2007: Robert J. Sawyer: “Science Fiction as a Mirror for Reality”
The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site