Young Gunns

Campbell, Sturgeon, and SFRA Awards starts at 7:30pm tonight

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:44:23 GMT

Hi folks -

Quick update: the Campbell Conference Awards Ceremony for tonight will begin at or a little after 7:30pm rather than the planned 7:00pm.

Hope to see you tonight or tomorrow!

Best,
Chris

Campbell Conference this weekend! Awards news!

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:06:46 GMT

Just a reminder that the Campbell Conference starts tonight. Even if you don't wish to attend everything, don't forget the free events like tonight's Awards Ceremony at the Holidome, the Oread Book Store readings and giant SF book sale.

And some news (begin official press release tone, ahem):

LAWRENCE, KS - July 9, 2008

The Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas has announced the winners of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel of 2007 and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short science fiction of 2007.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, July 11, in conjunction with the center’s annual Campbell Conference and the annual meeting of the Science Fiction Research Association, which is taking place July 10-13 in Lawrence. This year the Campbell Conference offers “Teaching Science Fiction: A Portable Workshop.”

The Campbell Award will be presented to Kathleen Ann Goonan for In War Times. Second place goes to Michael Chabon’s Nebula Award-winning The Yiddish Policeman's Union, and third to Ken MacLeod for The Execution Channel.

For the first time, there are two winners of the Sturgeon Award: “Finistera,” by David R. Moles, and “Tidelines,” by Elizabeth Bear. Interestingly, second place for the Sturgeon Award was also a tie: Gene Wolfe’s “Memorare,” and Ian R. MacLeod’s “The Master Miller's Tale.”

The Campbell award is one of the three major annual awards for science fiction. The award was created to honor the late editor of Astounding Science Fiction magazine (now called Analog). Many writers and scholars call Campbell, who edited the magazine from 1937 until his death in 1971, the father of modern science fiction.

The Sturgeon award was established in 1987 by James Gunn, professor emeritus of English and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, and the heirs of Theodore Sturgeon as a memorial to one of the great short-story writers in a field distinguished by its short fiction.

The Science Fiction Research Association is the oldest professional organization for the study of science fiction and fantasy literature and film. This year’s conference is titled “Creating, Reading and Teaching Science Fiction.” Notable guest speakers include Karen Joy Fowler, author of “The Jane Austen Book Club”; Paul Kincaid, author of “What We Do When We Read Science Fiction”; and Joan Slonczewski, a professor at Kenyon College who uses science fiction to help teach biology. Breakout sessions explore varied topics such as “Reimagining the Future of the Past in Science Fiction Film and Television”; “Aliens, Animals and Environmentalism in Science Fiction”; and “Playing the Universe: Reading and Teaching Science Fiction With Video Games.”

Best,
Chris

Giant SF book sale - coming soon!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:33:42 GMT

Put this in your calendar:

Huge Science Fiction Book Sale (6000 + books!) coming on Saturday, July 12 from 8am to 5pm at KU's Watson Library.

Click the image to see the story.

There will be a lot of amazing material in this sale, partly because of how the KU Library has changed what they consider for the rare-books collection. Also duplicates of things they do consider important for the collection. Oh, and prices are obscenely low. So check it out!

Best,
Chris

Workshops: Misc. Updatery

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:16:08 GMT

Since my last (welcome) post, I've made a few updates and have some news. So here are the updates all in one place:

Our dorm will be Ellsworth Hall, and ours is the 4th Floor. We'll meet in the lobby on that floor. Some time this week, I'll make a trip up to the dorm to identify rooms for everyone. If you have a room-mate, it looks like you'll share a bathroom in your little suite; if you have a room to yourself, you'll use the bathroom on that hall. So if your modesty requires, plan for that! We'll have the floor to ourselves, with at least one or two special writer-guests staying with us during the last day or two before the Conference begins, and during the Conference, a couple of Institute people will join us along with a handful of SFRA Conference-goers.

News from Jim re: story-reading order:

Cartwright's A Post-occupation Folk tale,
Kaberline's Only Skin Deep,
Frishberg's Tricks of the Trade,
Romesburg's Rapunsilk--A Fractured Fairytale,
Ross's Nuro-Idol,
Seeger's A Bad Bet,
Taylor's That Far-Out California Space Music,
Warren's 11th Phase of the Moon,
Webb's Beer O'Clock.
Olson's Down to the Bone.

I'd like to substitute shorter stories for Larry's and Oro's, if they become available, since it will be difficult to revise a long story effectively.

For the second round, I have:
Cartwright's Waiting for Descent,
Frishberg's Remembrance of Things Future,
Kaberline's In the Interest of Galactic Relations,
Romesburg's Debtor's Choice,
Ross's Evilution,
Seeger's Footprints,
Warren's Sirocco Sunrise,
Webb's Tranquility

Best, Jim

INTERNET: Housing has stated that they're making the LAN lines in the dorms active for summer classes, so everyone should be able to access teh intarwebs from their dorm rooms! I'll just plan to get KU logins for everyone. I have a LAN cable or two I can share with y'all, but if you have one it's a good idea to bring your own just in case. NOTE: These are the RJ45 cables, not a standard LAN cable. Also, if someone is adept at setting up a wireless hub to share with the others, that would enable laptop use across the floor. Just an idea!

To set up your LAN and get a logon, just call ResNet (785)812-0000 when you get to your room to have then activate your LAN and give you a login. Their hours:
Monday through Thursday 8am-8pm
Friday 8am-5pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm

More news as I have it!

Best,
Chris

SF Novel Institute readings

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:39:14 GMT

Hi folks -

Those of you taking the Center's Intensive Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction might be interested in the reading order for the novels. We've reworked the reading list for this year, and Jim just announced the complete schedule:

2008 Institute Discussion Schedule

Session One: In the beginning: The Time Machine and Childhood's End

Session Two: The alien peril: The War of the Worlds and The Puppet Masters

Session Three: The human condition: The Caves of Steel and Dune

Session Four: Thought experiments: Mission of Gravity and The Left Hand of Darkness

Session Five: Evolution continues: The World of Null-A and More than Human

Session Six: Invoking the social sciences: The Demolished Man and The Languages of Pao

Session Seven: SF and the mainstream: The Sirens of Titan, Dying Inside, and The Listeners

Session Eight: Dystopia and beyond: Stand on Zanzibar and Gateway

Session Nine: Tinkering with history: The Man in the High Castle and Timescape

Session Ten: The biological imperative: Darwin's Radioand Dawn (book one of the Xenogenesis trilogy)

Session Eleven: Cyberpunk and the Singularity: Neuromancerand Accelerando (free download here)

Session Twelve: Looking backward and forward: Perdido Street Station and Consider Phlebas

Best,
Chris

Welcome to the 2008 CSSF Workshops!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:42:03 GMT

Hello, everyone -

Welcome to the Center for the Study of Science Fiction's Summer Workshops! This post should give you all the info you need to be ready for the Workshops; if you need anything more, let me know and I'll add more. I've posted here so you can easily find this info wherever you are, I can update it, and y'all can respond in a single place.

If you don’t already have a LiveJournal account (and why wouldn’t you?), you can sign up and get one for free by just going to the LJ main page.

Short Stories: We have most of them now. Still missing something? Send it to the group!
News from Jim re: story-reading order: At the present time, I have the first round of stories to take up as: Cartwright's A Post-occupation Folk tale, Kaberline's Only Skin Deep, Frishberg's Tricks of the Trade, Romesburg's Rapunsilk--A Fractured Fairytale, Ross's Nuro-Idol, Seeger's A Bad Bet, Taylor's That Far-Out California Space Music, Warren's 11th Phase of the Moon, and Webb's Beer O'Clock. To this we can add Olson's Down to the Bone. I'd like to substitute shorter stories for Larry's and Oro's, if they become available, since it will be difficult to revise a long story effectively.

For the second round, I have: Cartwright's Waiting for Descent, Frishberg's Remembrance of Things Future, Kaberline's In the Interest of Galactic Relations, Romesburg's Debtor's Choice, Ross's Evilution, Seeger's Footprints, Warren's Sirocco Sunrise, and Webb's Tranquility. -Jim

INTERNET UPDATE: Housing has stated that they're making the LAN lines in the dorms active for summer classes, so everyone should be able to access teh intarwebs from their dorm rooms! I have a couple of LAN cable I can share (RJ45, not a standard cable), but if you have one it's a good idea to bring your own just in case. Also, if someone is adept at setting up a wireless hub to share with the others, that would enable laptop use across the floor. Just an idea!

Internet: Housing has stated that they're making the LAN lines in the dorms active for summer classes, so everyone should be able to access teh intarwebs from their dorm rooms! I'll just plan to get KU logins for everyone. I have a LAN cable or two I can share with y'all, but if you have one it's a good idea to bring your own just in case. NOTE: These are the RJ45 cables, not a standard LAN cable. Also, if someone is adept at setting up a wireless hub to share with the others, that would enable laptop use across the floor. Just an idea!

To set up your LAN and get a logon, just call ResNet (785)812-0000 when you get to your room to have then activate your LAN and give you a login. Their hours:
Monday through Thursday 8am-8pm
Friday 8am-5pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm

Also, many cafés, bars, coffee shops, and bookstores in Lawrence have free wireless access. Here is a pretty complete listing.

For those of you without wireless-capable laptops, the Technical Writing program of the English Department can lend them to you. You'll need to sign a waiver that states you are responsible for any damages. Bring any special software you might need, and when you're done, please remove anything you've loaded onto them. Please don't download anything that could cause problems!

Novel Workshop Pieces Online: Kij and y'all should have your chapters and outlines now or very soon.

Workshop Web Pages: What follows is all kinds of information to help you prepare; you'll also find lots of useful info about travel, restaurants, and so on at the bottom of these pages:

Short SF Writer's Workshop page here (meets after lunch).

Novel Workshop page here (meets before lunch). By the way, bonus: Kij (kijjohnson) is staying in the dorm with y'all!

Phone: There is an active phone jack in every room. Bring a phone if you want one, and let me know in advance so I can get a number for you. I will also supply one or two phones. Bring a cell phone!

Sheets: You'll need to bring your own long twin sets as well as towels and other wash clothes. Also bring a pillow and a blanket if you get chilled at night; the rooms have their own thermostats, but it's a good idea just in case. Yeah, I know it's summer in Kansas, but just ask 2004's participants about over-active AC…. I'll supply a few sets of sheets, blankets, and several pillows, but they're strictly first-grabbed, first used! Most years, one or more participants leave behind a set of these, so pretty soon we'll have enough for everyone.

Lunch: We aren't required to buy lunch meal plans this year, though the café is in our building or right nearby, so we usually lunch together (right after the novel workshop, right before the short-fiction workshop).

Check-in: Check in at the front desk of our dorm (I'll have the exact dorm by the end of this week), which will have your name and room reservation info... except for those who haven't yet sent us that info. Check-in begins at 2:00pm on the day you reserved. On the evening of Sunday, June 29, we'll have a get-together at 5:00pm in the lobby of our floor of the dorm (the same place where we'll meet for the Workhops), and we'll order submarine sandwiches and have soda and such on hand. Bring $5 for food and we'll call it good! I'll also invite some local SF writers to hang with us if you don’t mind.

Plan to stay through July 13th, when the Center hosts the Campbell Conference in conjunction with the SFRA Conference. Haven't yet registered? Do it now!

If we get the kind of dorm we've had the past few years, each room will likely a kitchen area with cupboards, sink, and counter tops. There's space for a microwave, too, and I'll provide one. Beyond that, I'll have to report back to y'all after checking out the rooms later this week. I have several boxes of additional stuff that I store for y'all to use: coffee pot, toaster, ice chest, hangers, etc. plus I'll bring a great magazine rack full of SFnal and idea-generational magazines.

Entertainment: If people are interested, I'm happy to host movie nights at my place. I own dozens of SF movies and am happy to open my house to you. I'll even provide soda, beer, and such, and we can order delivery. Interested? Bring your favorite movies if you want to do this (last year, Jean provided the complete, original Flash Gordon!). We also have a multiplex theater in town, plus an art-house theater. It's a college town, so there are many bars of all types if that's your thing, plus multiple restaurants of every type, several bookstores (new and used), museums, bicycle paths, lakes, rivers…. Check out Lawrence.com for listings of these attractions.

Printing: Is anyone bringing a printer? Would you mind sharing it with the others while you're here if, say, they provide a toner or ink cartridge? We have a good Office Depot that should carry what you need. I have one that G.S. donated last year, but I can't guarantee operation.

Workshop Readings: For the missing files, please submit your work ASAP - electronic files, please, in Rich Text Format (.rtf) for ease of reading by multiple programs - so everyone in the Workshops has a chance to critique them before we get started. Be sure to read and mark up the work before you arrive so you can enjoy your stay and get some work done (and enjoy your time here) rather than having to read crazily to keep up. James Gunn wrote a fine essay on "How to Be a Good Critiquer and Still Remain Friends." I recommend reading it.

Campbell Conference: If you plan to partake of the full Campbell Conference-SFRA Conference and haven't yet registered, let me know ASAP. It will be really amazing this year and well worth it. Here's the page with full info on the Conference, our special guests, links to the Centennial site, to the hotel, and more. Note that at least a couple of this year's special guests will be staying in the dorm with us, so you'll have a chance to talk with some of our genre's finest authors while you're here.

Getting Around: Either I'll lend Kij my Saab Turbo Convertible while she's here or she'll rent a sedan, so there's at least one car that can carry 4-5 people in style. Who else will have a vehicle here? If you're driving, you might find the University of Kansas map useful:
http://www.ku.edu/visit/maps.shtml

Also, if you haven't already worked out transport from the Kansas City airport to Lawrence, now's the time to do so. The shuttles most people use to get to and from the Kansas City International (MCI) airport to Lawrence are:

KCI Airport Shuttle (also known as the "Roadrunner Shuttle"). Full information here (scroll to the bottom of the page for rates). Toll-free phone contact number: (800) 747-2524 or call your travel agent.

Ground Transportation, Inc. (a local Lawrence business) 888-467-3729 or 785-838-4500. See a schedule here.

We have all manner of stores in Lawrence, so if you don’t have something that you'll need while here (including sheets, pillows, and so on), it's a short drive to go get it.

Some people like to send a box of stuff to me rather than carry things on an airplane. Sounds fine. Use my KU English Department address:

University of Kansas
Chris McKitterick
Department of English
1445 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045

Anything else? Let us know!

I'm very much looking forward to meeting those of you I haven't yet met and seeing old friends again!

Best,
Chris

Tonight: SF Club's first meeting

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:55:10 GMT

Don't forget! Tonight is the first meeting of the KUSF club.

Join us at 8:00pm at Aimee's Coffee Shop, 1025 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS. Check out our CSSF page for more info.

Best,
Chris

“Philosophy and Science Fiction” talk by Jim Gunn, Monday the 21st

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:10:45 GMT

This Monday, James Gunn will give his presentation, “Philosophy and Science Fiction,” from 3:30pm - 5:00pm in the University of Kansas Hall Center for the Humanities Conference Hall.

Spread the word!

Best,
Chris

James Gunn article

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:09:52 GMT

What a great photo from today's Lawrence Journal World article about Jim:

Click the image to see the story.

Best,
Chris

"The Best of James Gunn" reading today!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:09:06 GMT

Hi folks -

Thought it was time for a reminder that Jim is doing a reading today, Friday the 11th.

Who: Science Fiction Grand Master James Gunn
When: 4:00pm - 5:00pm today
Where: Spencer Museum of Art auditorium at the University of Kansas
What: James Gunn reading excerpts from his work
Why: in honor of Jim winning the 2008 KU Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award
How much: Free!

Afterward, come enjoy a reception in the Spencer Center Court.

Hope to see you there!

Best,
Chris

Summer plans, in part

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:55:41 GMT

SFRA accepted my conference proposal. So, I'll be going to Lawrence--wait a minute! I live in Lawrence.

Chris, thank you for letting us know about the conference.

Seems the right place to share

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:46:08 GMT

My son, who turned eight in November, still enjoys bedtime stories. (He's an avid reader, also. He recently read Gaiman's Corine.) As much as I enjoy reading from his extensive Berenstain Bears collection, I decided it was time to kicks things up a notch or two.

Last night, I started reading "Delilah and the Space-Rigger," from my well-worn, paperback copy of The Past Through Tomorrow. He expressed reluctance, so I offered to read one of his books afterwards. By the time I stopped, when "Dad" spotted McNye's hair ribbon, Preston was hooked. Tonight, he enjoyed the verbal battle between "Tiny" and McNye. "I'm on her side," he said.

Gotta get 'em while their young.

On Messenger's Wing'd Feet

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:45:38 GMT

If you haven't yet (and you probably have), check out the images of Mercury sent back by the Messenger spacecraft.

CSSF open house to celebrate new office

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:09:23 GMT

Hi folks -

If you're local or plan to be in Lawrence tomorrow (Thursday), November 29, come on over to the Center for the Study of Science Fiction's open house! We'll have snacks, beverages, and of course tons of books, magazines, and other SF research resources starting at noon and running through 5:00pm.

Best,
Chris

KU science-fiction class offering for Spring 2008

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:04:55 GMT

Hey, local SF people: The science-fiction class we teach in the Spring still has room for enrollees. Here's the full information; the "English 590: Studies In" name is confusing, so I wanted to be sure that everyone knows about this class. It uses both of the following line numbers, but it's the same class either way:

ENGL 590. 78811, called, "Studies in:." Thursdays 4:00PM-6:40PM, Bailey 202.

HWC 510. 75405, "Science, Technology, & Society." Thusdays 4:00PM-6:40PM, Bailey 202.

Science, Technology, and Society: Examining the Future Through a Science-Fiction Lens

This University of Kansas course has been offered since 2006 and is available for credit in Humanities and Western Civilization (HWC 510), or English undergraduate or graduate credit (ENGL 590). As with our summer SF Institute course, students may, for a donation to the Center, request in advance to take the course not-for-credit through the Center for the Study of Science Fiction on a space-available basis.

Course Outline for Spring 2008

KU faculty from several disciplines will lead the discussions: Philip Baringer, Mohamed El-Hodiri, James Gunn, and Chris McKitterick.

We meet on Thursdays from 4:00pm – 6:40pm in Bailey Hall, Room 202. See this map of the University of Kansas to find your way to the classroom:

http://www.ku.edu/~parking/ParkingMap.pdf

Science and technology offer countless benefits to individuals and to societies, yet they also present new challenges. This course uses science fiction to explore the past, present, and possible future effects of science and technology on society. During the course, we discuss nonfiction articles, science-fiction stories, and sections of SF novels chosen to focus around a variety of themes, and occasionally view related film clips.

Each class is a mix of lecture and discussion, with two students leading each discussion. Discussants come to class with two or three questions on the day’s topic and readings, plus bring outside readings and observations to share with the class. Each week, students write a one-page paper that examines that week's readings and includes questions to pose to the class as well as some points to stimulate discussion.

Readings are mostly short works of fiction and non-fiction available from the KU Library's e-reserve system. Other requirements include a short paper and an oral presentation. Students enrolled for 3 credit hours also write a 10-15 page research paper as a final project.

Readings: We will read a number of short works available from the KU Library's e-reserve system. For more details, see the syllabus.

Syllabus for Spring 2008

Click here to download the syllabus.

Click here to see the promotional poster Feel free to print and share! (.pdf)

Costs

Tuition for the course is normally based on the cost of KU credits you take. Alternately, if there is room in the classroom space, you may request to take the course not-for-credit.

To take this class through the Center for the Study of Science Fiction (not for credit), we request a donation of $250, payable to CSSF. If you are a not-for-credit student and require proof of completion of the course, we will provide a certificate upon request. Be sure to contact Chris McKitterick if you wish to enroll in this way; if you wish to enroll for University of Kansas credit, do so in the usual fashion.

Best,
Chris

James Gunn book sale!

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:51:00 GMT

Right now, Scarecrow Press is running a huge 40% off sale on their entire back-list, including books 1-4 of the important science-fiction anthology series, The Road to Science Fiction.

I know a lot of people who would love to buy these books or use them in class but put off purchases due to cost. Well, now's your chance to save almost half!

Best,
Chris

this was supposed to be the future

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:58:29 GMT

This is a fascinating article about the future that never was and much of SF's current preoccupation with the past and futures past.

Here's an excellent response to it:

Media scholar Henry Jenkins recently published an article about residual media–outmoded views of the future from a point in the past. Think of the ceramic spires of the 1939 World’s Fair, or the relentless utopias of 1950’s pulp SF. These futures are now generally viewed as overly silly or optimistic, given our wildly divergent present.

Jenkins also draws a parallel between the accelerating rate of change in our society and the “time compression” found in genre fiction. SF from the 1930s and 40s was set thousands of years in the future; authors had to look that far ahead before they could envision a world significantly different from their own. SF from the 50s and 60s was set maybe a hundred years hence. Current SF is often week-from-Thursday; Pattern Recognition, probably Gibson’s best work, is set entirely in the modern day.

This recent, growing interest in the paleofuture is hardly surprising. As our unimagined future compresses to a single point, the weight of our memories grows ever more dominant. It’s so hard to create new dreams; how much nicer to relive the warmth of old ones! Subgenres like steampunk and alternative history play to this sense of inverted sensibilities; instead of optimism about what will be, we’re now nostalgic about what wasn’t; with a future devoid of promise, we take refuge in the past.

Such is the paradox that gives the SciFi Channel’s surprisingly excellent Lost Room miniseries its resonance. Despite the title, the series is hardly about the “room” at all–an ordinary motel room, just outside Gallup, New Mexico, that vanished from our universe in 1961. It’s somewhat more about the Objects–the ordinary detritus in the room when it disappeared, each piece now imbued with supernatural qualities. For example: the Comb stops time for a few seconds; the Pen emits deadly microwaves; the Key turns any tumbler-lock door into a portal to the Lost Room. Some Objects are useful and others are useless, but all are greatly coveted.

That’s what the series is really about: obsession and loss. Despite their differing goals, each of the characters and factions wants the Objects for the same core reason: they’ve lost something important and pray that the Objects can somehow refill this hole. (In this sense, the series also comments on our lower-case-object obsessed culture; ours is a society that believes everything will be all right again, if only we can get an iPhone on launch day.)

So why do they–and we–believe in the power of these Objects? Because they’re not from our world–they’re from 1961. Other Objects highlights this discontinuity explicitly: the Bus Ticket, the Cufflinks, the Polaroid, the Shoe Polish. Who still rides the bus cross-country? Who shines their own leather shoes? There may not have been a break in reality, but these objects–and the world that needed and permitted them–are still gone from our universe forever. At this point, how much of a leap is it to imbue them with talismanic powers?

Our world is awash in mundane wonders. Cloning and genetic engineering are real. Space travel is real–soon at the consumer level. Remember the Internet revolution? Me neither; it’s over, and the Internet won. Completely unfettered, our fiction can only posit that we might one day regain the innocence and optimism of an earlier age. This is the new impossible dream.

Thanks to chronovore for the tip.

Best,
Chris

Welcome to the 2007 CSSF Workshops!

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 23:36:31 GMT

Hello, everyone -

Welcome to the Center for the Study of Science Fiction's Summer Workshops! This mail should give you all the info you need to be ready for the Workshops; if you need anything more, let me know and I'll add more. I've also posted it to the Young Gunns LiveJournal site so you can easily find this info wherever you are, I can update it, and y'all can respond in a single place. Go here:
http://community.livejournal.com/cssf_workshop/

If you don’t already have a LiveJournal account (and why wouldn’t you?), you can sign up and get one for free here:
http://www.livejournal.com/

Short Stories Online: The .zip file containing this summer's short fiction is online. I am missing all three stories from Jean (will you be sending stories, Jean?), one from Nate (ahem), and Kij will be sending her third one later this week.

Novel Workshop Pieces Online: Kij, if you send me a .zip of everyone's novel documents, I'll put it online for everyone to download, as well.

Workshops' Web Pages: What follows is all kinds of information to help you prepare; you'll also find lots of useful info about travel, restaurants, and so on at the bottom of these pages:

Short SF Writer's Workshop (meets after lunch): http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter/SFworkshop.htm

Novel Workshop (meets before lunch): http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter/novel-workshop.htm
By the way, bonus: Kij will be staying in the dorm with y'all!

Internet: Although wireless is available across most of campus and is free, you still need a KU account with password to access it. Let me know if you want this and I'll arrange it. It's free!

Note that much of KU is covered by a wireless network, but you still need an NTS account to access it. KU students, please let me know if you know a workaround for this!

Also, many cafés, bars, coffee shops, and bookstores in Lawrence have free wireless access. Here is a pretty complete listing:
http://www.jiwire.com/browse-hotspot-united-states-us-kansas-ks-lawrence-42289.htm

For those of you without wireless-capable laptops, the Technical Writing program of the English Department will be able to lend them to you. You'll need to sign a waiver that states you are responsible for any damages. Bring any special software you might need, and remove anything you load onto them; please don't download anything that could cause problems!

If you need a LAN internet connection in the rooms, you'll need to contact NTS:
http://www.nts.ku.edu/

It costs about $55 for a semester's LAN connection hookup and a KU account, and they don't have shorter terms. If someone doesn’t mind sharing a connection, perhaps someone can bring a wireless hub and others might chip in to help defray the costs…?

Phone: There is an active phone jack in every room. Bring a phone if you want one, and let me know in advance so I can get a number for you. I will also supply one or two phones. Bring a cell phone!

Sheets: You'll need to bring your own long twin sets as well as towels and other wash clothes. Also bring a pillow and a blanket if you get chilled at night; the rooms have their own thermostats, but it's a good idea just in case. Yeah, I know it's summer in Kansas, but just ask 2004's participants about over-active AC…. I'll supply a few sets of sheets, blankets, and several pillows, but they're strictly first-grabbed, first used! Each year, at least one participant leaves behind a set of these, so pretty soon we'll have enough for everyone.

Lunch: We aren't required to buy lunch meal plans this year, though the café is in our building this year, and we usually lunch together. This just gives us flexibility if we want to eat lunch together elsewhere.

Check-in: Check in at the front desk of Lewis hall (our dorm), which will have your name and room reservation info... except for those who haven't yet sent us that info. Check-in can begin any time after noon on Sunday, June 24 - we'll be having a get-together at 5pm at my house that evening, and I'll order submarine sandwiches and have soda and beer and such on hand. Bring $5 for food and we'll call it good! I'll also invite some local SF writers to hang with us if you don’t mind.

Plan to stay through July 5th, when we break for the big Conference event in Kansas City.
Each room has a kitchen area with cupboards, sink, and counter tops. There's a space for a microwave, too, and I'll provide one. Beyond that, I'll have to report back to y'all after checking out the rooms later this week. I have several boxes of additional stuff out in my garage that I keep for y'all to use: coffee pot, toaster, cooler, hangers, etc. plus I'll bring a great magazine rack full of SFnal and idea-generational magazines.

Entertainment: If people are interested, I'm happy to host movie nights at my place. I own dozens of SF movies and am happy to open my house to you. I'll even provide soda, beer, and such, and we can order delivery. Interested? Bring your favorite movies if you want to do this. We also have a multiplex theater in town, plus an art-house theater. It's a college town, so there are many bars of all types if that's your thing, plus multiple restaurants of every type, several bookstores (new and used), museums, bicycle paths, lakes, rivers….

Printing: Is anyone bringing a printer? Would you mind sharing it with the others while you're here if, say, they provide a toner or ink cartridge? We have a good Office Depot that should carry what you need. I have one that Betsy donated last year, but I can't guarantee operation.

Workshop Readings: For the missing files, please send me your work ASAP - electronic files, please, in Rich Text Format (.rtf) for ease of reading by multiple programs - so I can post them for everyone in the Workshops. Be sure to read and mark up the work before you arrive so you can enjoy your stay and get some work done (and enjoy your time here) rather than having to read crazily to keep up.

Campbell Conference: If you plan to partake of the full Campbell Conference-Heinlein Centennial-SFRA Conference and haven't yet registered, we're plum out of tickets so you'll have to go to the Centennial folks to get your membership. It will be really amazing this year and well worth it. Here's the page with full info on the Conference, links to the Centennial site, to the hotel, and more:
http://www2.ku.edu/~sfcenter/campbell-conference.htm

Getting Around: I'll be lending Kij a Saab convertible while she's here, so there's at least one car that can carry 4-5 people in style. Who else will have a vehicle here? Also, if you haven't already worked out transport from the Kansas City airport to Lawrence, now's the time to do so! We have all manner of stores in Lawrence, so if you don’t have something that you need, it's a short drive to go get it.

Some people like to send a box of stuff to me rather than carry things on an airplane. sounds fine. Use the KU English Department address:

University of Kansas
Chris McKitterick
c/o Department of English
Wescoe Hall
1445 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045-7590

Anything else? Let us know!

I'm very much looking forward to meeting those of you I haven't yet met and seeing old friends again!

Best,
Chris
http://www.ku.edu/~techcomm/
http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter/
http://www.sff.net/people/mckitterick/
http://www.livejournal.com/community/cssf_workshop/

-----Original Message-----
From: kijjohnson

Hi, all--

I'm really looking forward to seeing you all in just a few days. I hope everyone's done their laundry. Has everyone confirmed their rooms with Lydia or Chris?

It's been a lot of fun to read everyone's submissions. We have a real range in style and type, which should make it interesting, and I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot, even if no one else does. You might consider writing out you comments or critique on the outlines and chapters, so that you can give them to the authors.

How is everyone getting to Lawrence, and when? Pat, I'm afraid I can't get you at the airport, but Barbara and Lane are both locals. If anyone needs help getting in, either contact Chris (who may be busy) or check out Midwest Transportation Corp, a local airport shuttle service. Their phone number is: (785) 842-8294

I don't know how much information you've received about the dorms and what you'll need. If you can get them into your luggage try to bring the following:

* sheets for an extra-long twin bed
* a blanket
* pillows
* towels and washclothes

Chris has blankets and a few sets of extra-long sheets you might be able to borrow, but they get taken early.

Everything else you might need for your stay here should be covered on the website, or if there's some sort of message you haven't yet received, Chris can send it to you.

Looking forward to next week!
Kij

EXCITING NEWS! about James Gunn

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 21:46:36 GMT

During lunch at the University of Kansas student union today, SFWA President Robin Wayne Bailey surprised James Gunn and a small group of friends with the news that Jim will be honored this Spring at the Nebula Awards as the next Grand Master of science fiction.

You are the first to see this news - Jim only learned of it at lunch today. I'm so pleased and excited, and I had to share the excitement!

Best,
Chris

next summer CSSF programs

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 03:53:54 GMT

From Jim Gunn about next summer's programs:

We thought you'd like to learn early about our plans for next summer. We'll have the usual Writers Workshop (June 24--July 5) as well as the second installment of Kij Johnson's novel workshop and the Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction (short stories, July 9-20), but the Campbell Conference will meet in Kansas City in conjunction with the Heinlein Centennial and the Science Fiction Research Association meeting July 5-8. Workshoppers and Institute students will have the opportunity to enjoy the Heinlein Centennial activities and perhaps some functions of SFRA for the price of their Campbell Conference membership.

Campbell Conference activities (which will include a joint award ceremony with SFRA on Friday evening) will be a Saturday morning roundtable discussion on the topic of "Robert A. Heinlein and 21st Century Science Fiction" and maybe some filmed interviews; SFRA (I'll be one of the guest writers along with featured guest Fred Pohl and Allen Steele) and Centennial activities will provide other program opportunities (check out their websites for program details). Our activities (and SFRA's) will be in the Westin Crown Hotel (Centennial activities will be mostly in the adjacent Hyatt), so attendees might want to get rooms in one or the other early, or arrange to share a room at the Westin to reduce expenses; or you can reduce expenses still more by staying in the dormitory at K.U. and commuting (although the hotel garages charge parking fees). Because SFRA events start Thursday afternoon, we will complete the Workshop discussions on Thursday morning.

Jim
James Gunn
Center for the Study of Science Fiction
"Let's save the world through science fiction"

story contest!

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 00:22:41 GMT

The Heinlein Centennial - which will be held in conjunction with the Campbell Conference next year - is having a short story contest with cash-bucky prizes for the winners. Full information here.

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 23:23:15 GMT

I can't recall if we mentioned it, but be sure to bring (or purchase when you get here) the following:

Towels and wash cloths
Bed sheets (long single)
Pillow(s)
Blanket if you get cold at night
The usual bathroom gear
A laptop if you won't be using the KU laptops (only Jean has requested one)
Anything else you might need for a two-week stay

I'll bring a bunch of reading materials to help spur idea generation, plus some kitchen stuff, some hangers, ice chests, a toaster, a coffee-maker and/or hot-water kettle, some cups, some laundry detergent (washer/dryer on your dorm's floor), and so on.

Betsy is bringing an inkjet printer, and I'll supply the cable for it.

Other questions or needs?

Best,
Chris
http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter
http://www.aboutsf.com

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 05:07:50 GMT

Dear Workshoppers (and friends) -

First, I created a folder where you can download the stories to critique. Drop me a note if you can't access it. The stories I have gotten so far are all in the folder called "Stories-Batch1." When I get the rest (hopefully SOOOON!), I'll put them in a folder called "Stories-Batch2." Make sense?

Next, Jean asked some questions that I thought would be well-served answering to y'all at once. Yes, I'll bring the toaster and coffee-maker, among other things, to the dorm on Sunday.

Yes, trips to Target or WalMart are a great idea! Surely at least a few folks will have cars; people, how many of you will have a car while you're staying here? My car only holds one other person, but surely we'll be able to carpool...?

Printing: Is anyone bringing a printer? Would you mind sharing it with the others while you're here if, say, they provide a toner cartridge? We have a good Office Depot that should carry what you need.

Kij and novel workshop: Yes, Kij will be here from Friday June 30 through the Conference, but she is not teaching a novel workshop this year. Next year she plans to run the SF Novel Workshop again! She's staying in the dorm with y'all.

Some people like to send a box of stuff to me rather than carry things on an airplane. sounds fine. Use the KU English Department address:

University of Kansas
Chris McKitterick
c/o Department of English
Wescoe Hall
1445 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 3116
Lawrence KS 66045-7590

Other questions? Let me know and I'll answer 'em!

Best,
Chris
http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter
http://www.aboutsf.com

more info on our Ellsworth rooms

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 18:05:54 GMT

Hi folks -

Some other items about our rooms:

Each room has a kitchen area with cupboards, sink, and counter tops. There's a space for a microwave, too. Beyond that, I'll have to report back to y'all after checking out the rooms on Monday.

I have several boxes of stuff out in my garage that I keep for y'all to use: coffee pot, cooler, some sheet sets, hangers, etc. plus I'll bring this great magazine rack full of SFnal magazines. elspethwood (a Lawrence SF writer) has also gotten us packets from the Lawrence Visitors' Bureau, which will probably provide more info than I know about the city!

More info as I get it, and keep an eye on this LJ for posts and discussion, and feel free to post your own if you have info to share! Just request to be a member and I'll provide permission for you to have such an account.

Best,
Chris
http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter
http://www.aboutsf.com