How to Carve a Library Lion Pumpkin

To celebrate Halloween, the New York Public Library produced a short video (embedded above) showing you how to carve the library’s famous lion logo into your Halloween pumpkin.

Follow this link to download the stencil and carve the literary lion at your house.

Video: Utopia / Dystopia

This panel explored the horrific and idyllic worlds that science fiction writers create in their works. Writers Anna North, Charles Yu, and Kathleen Ann Goonan with moderator DongWon Song discussed the universes of science and slipstream fiction. If you didn't make it to The Center for Fiction's recent celebration of genre literature, check out these videos.

Video: Why Fantasy Matters

Acclaimed authors Kelly Link, Felix Gilman, Naomi Novik, and Lev Grossman took a look at why fantasy matters in our lives and imaginations. This panel, moderated by Laura Miller, dove into the genre beyond the subject of elves and wizards. If you didn't make it to The Center for Fiction's recent celebration of genre literature, check out these videos.

News: Google launches new book alerts

From the Inside Google Books:

Starting this week, you can set up a Google Alert for books and receive email notices when new books that match your interests become available.

To create an alert for books, go to Google Alerts, type in the keywords you are interested in about a book, (whether it’s title, author name, or topic) and choose “Books” from the Type drop-down button, and create. You can also preview the email you’ll be sent on the right side panel. Once you create the alert, you will automatically begin receiving notification emails about new, recently published books in Google Books.

Get started with Google Books Advanced Search Interface!

Video: Kids Read

Sarah Beth Durst talks to the students of Harlem Village Academies about writing YA fantasy fiction as part of the Center for Fiction's KidsRead program. If you didn't make it to The Center for Fiction's recent celebration of genre literature, check out these videos.

Video: Sci-Fi and the Human Imagination

At our keynote event for the Big Read at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, award-winning author Margaret Atwood discussed her new book, In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagaination, and the impact that science fiction has had on her life as a reader and a writer. If you didn't make it to The Center for Fiction's recent celebration of genre literature, check out these videos.

News: Amazing Stories

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Amazing Stories Project Announces Editorial Advisory Board; Commissions Cover Art

Hillsboro, NH 10/21/11 - Steve Davidson (Crotchety Old Fan) who recently acquired the Trademarks for Amazing Stories, has announced the creation of an Editorial Advisory Board to assist in the re-launch of the world's first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories.

Currently serving on the board in a voluntary capacity are four former editors of Amazing Stories - Barry Malzberg, Patrick L. Price, Ted White and Joseph Wrzos (who edited under the pen name Joseph Ross).  Their tenures as editors of Amazing Stories spans nearly three decades and includes some of the most volatile, challenging and innovative periods in the magazine's history.

Each of the board members has made important contributions to the genre, serving variously as authors, agents, editors, collectors and historians. Their combined experience with the genre provides the Amazing Stories project with access to an unparalleled wealth of information.

Steve has also commissioned Frank Wu, multiple Hugo Award winning artist, to create a re-imagining of  Frank R. Paul’s inaugural cover illustration for the magazine.  The cover art will be made available on a variety of different media and will be used as a fund raising and promotional vehicle.

Additional details about the Amazing Stories project can be found in Steve Davidson's monthly column on the review blog Grasping for the Wind (10/21/11)

Those interested in following the project can visit the magazine's website at Amazing Stories Mag (sign up for a newsletter is available there) and on its Facebook page.

Steve Davidson is a science fiction fan, blogger, curator of the Classic Science Fiction Channel website, author of several paintball books and currently edits the news and information website for paintball - 68Caliber.  He made application for the Amazing Stories trademarks in 2008 and was granted the marks in September 2011.

TV Trailer: Prophets Of Science Fiction

‘Prophets of Science Fiction’ is an 8 part series that Scott not only narrates but produced. It is a project close to his heart as it investigates the crossover where science fiction becomes science fact. In these episodes, he will introduce and profile great minds of the science fiction genre whose work would later inspire ideas or concepts that are now considered science fact. Some of these ‘Prophets of Science Fiction’ include Phillip K. Dick, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, George Lucas, H.G. Wells and Gene Roddenberry. The video shown at the NYCC also contained a rough cut of the first episode of the series which focuses on Mary Shelley and her idea of man creating life in a laboratory.

“I am thrilled to be partnering with Science Channel on this exciting new series. I hope that the audience will find the subjects as interesting and inspiring as I do,” says Scott. You can watch the video from the NYCC below as well as the commercial for the series that is currently airing on the Science channel. ‘Prophets of Science Fiction’ will debut on the Science channel on November 9 at 10PM ET/PT.

Interview: R. A. Salvatore

Book Event: R. A. Salvatore Visits Seattle, WA from Suvudu

Bestselling author R. A. Salvatore visited the University Bookstore in Seattle to plug his new book, NeverWnter. Bob spent time updating his fans on his future writing plans as well as answered questions from the audience! Shot October 7, 2011.

Video: All Hallow's Read

Neil Gaiman, author of things, explains All Hallow's Read, a tradition that was just waiting to happen.

Interview: Gail Carriger

The Science Fiction Book Club's senior editor Rome Quezada interviews the Gail Carriger, author of The Parasol Protectorate, at Renovation/WorldCon 2011 in Reno.

Interview: George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin talks to Peter Orullian about Dance with Dragons, his writing process, and more.

Posters: Banned Books Week

  
  

Participate in Banned Books Week!