Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 00:02:12 -0500
From: Samuel Lubell <samlubell at verizon.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Greg Bear, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle book signing May 22
To: WSFA Forum <wsfa-forum at yahoogroups.com>
Cc: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
WSFA is helping to sponsor the event and if we get enough people there,=20
they may be interested in doing a signing later to promote Capclave.
Science Fiction Authors Talk & Book Signing. Arlan Andrews, Greg Bear,=20
Virginia Bush (=93Sage Walker=94), Yoji Kondo (=93Eric Kotani=94), Larry =
Niven,=20
and Jerry Pournelle will speak on =93Science in Science Fiction=94. Reite=
r=92s=20
Scientific & Professional Books, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington DC.=20
Tuesday, May 22 at 7 pm. Free and open to the public. For more=20
information call 202-223-3327
For Immediate Release For more information:
Contact: Daphne Gaskins
(202) 223-3327
Six Major Science Fiction Writers to Hold Joint Talk and Signing in D=
C
Reiter's Scientific & Professional Books Celebrates Opening of New
Location
/Science Fiction Author-Scientists to Participate in Homeland Security=20
Conference/
Washington, DC =96 Science fiction authors Larry Niven and Jerry=20
Pournelle, who once invented a presidential advisory committee of SF=20
writers in their collaborative novel /Footfall/, now find themselves on=20
a real-life version of their creation. The two are members of a group of =
writers called SIGMA that will be participating in the Homeland Security =
Science and Technology Stakeholders Conference, presented by the=20
National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).
Six of these writers will participate in a book signing and discussion=20
of science in science fiction at Reiter=92s Scientific & Professional=20
Books, 1990 K Street NW, Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 22^nd at 7 pm.=20
The writers include:
* Arlan Andrews, short story writer and Senior Fellow, Foresight
Institute.
* Greg Bear, multiple winner of the Hugo award given by science
fiction fans and the Nebula award given by the Science Fiction
Writers of America. Among his many novels are /Darwin's Radio,
Slant, Moving Mars, Eon/, and /The Forge of God. /His novel
/Quantico, /just released last month,/ /is a near-future
techno-thriller.
* Sage Walker, author of /Whiteout./
* Yoji Kondo ("Eric Kotani") scientist who headed the astrophysics
laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. He has written 10 science
books and eight science fiction books.
* Larry Niven is one of the best known writers in the science
fiction field. Among his many famous books are /Ringworld/, the
/Man-Kzin Wars/, /Flatlander/, and /The Magic Goes Away, /which
was just released with two sequels in the one-volume /The Magic
Goes Away Collection./
* Jerry Pournelle, scientist, computer writer, and SF writer, is
widely known for his many collaborations with Larry Niven,
including /The Mote in God's Eye, Inferno/, /Lucifer=92s Hammer/,
and /Footfall/, as well as his own /Janissaries/ series.
The May 22^nd event will also help celebrate the opening of Reiter=92s ne=
w=20
location at 1990 K Street. Reiter=92s has been the leading technical,=20
medical, and professional bookstore on the East Coast for over 70 years.
=93The line between science and science fiction is increasing blurry,=94 =
said Daphne Gaskins of Reiter=92s. =93Much of today=92s cutting edge scie=
nce=20
would have been science fiction just a few years ago. That=92s why we=92r=
e=20
proud to present some of the world=92s best science fiction authors for=20
this event. What they=92re writing now could well be the science of=20
tomorrow.=94
SIGMA is a voluntary association of technically-literate speculative=20
writers who have spent their careers exploring the future. =93I formed=20
SIGMA because I had heard more original and appropriate futurism on=20
panels at any given science fiction convention than in all the=20
forecasting meetings I ever attended while in D.C.,=94 said Dr. Arlan=20
Andrews, Sr., founder of SIGMA.
Most of SIGMA=92s members have earned Ph.D.s in technical fields, and som=
e=20
presently hold federal and defense industry positions, but each is an=20
accomplished science fiction author who has postulated new technologies, =
new problems and new societies, explaining the possible science and=20
speculating about the effects on the human race. At the S&T Stakeholders =
Conference, the group will be exploring the possibility of working with=20
the Science & Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland=20
Security on innovative concepts and technologies to support the homeland =
security mission.
=93With lives divided between doing real-world science and engineering,=20
and literary careers thinking and writing about the future, SIGMA=20
members are uniquely well-qualified to provide imaginative viewpoints=20
regarding future technologies for the Department of Homeland Security,=94=
=20
said Andrews. =93The combination of technical expertise with decades of=20
thoughtful consideration of possible futures gives SIGMA a unique set of =
talents for advising on new technologies. As the future is the common=20
ground for science fiction writers, so SIGMA is willing to share its=20
knowledge /pro bono /for the good of the nation.=94
Books by the authors will be for sale at the signing and people can=20
bring in their own copies as well. Before the signing, the authors will=20
speak informally about the intersection between science and science=20
fiction. The event, a project of Reiter=92s, the Washington Science=20
Fiction Association, and the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, is free=20
and open to the public.
For more information on the book signing, contact Daphne at 202-223-3327 =
or daphne at reiters.com <mailto:daphne at reiters.com> or visit=20
http://www.reiters.com <http://www.reiters.com/>. For more information=20
on the Homeland Security S&T Stakeholders Conference, visit the NDIA web =
site at http://www.ndia.org/meetings/7680.
-30-