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Welcome to The Genre Traveler! Please sign up using the form to the right so that you'll get all the latest updates to the site. You also might want to sign up for the RSS feed, which you can do via email or your favorite RSS Reader. State of the Art: Science Fiction Histories, a two-day academic conference delivered by Swancon 2008 in collaboration with Curtin University of Technology, has issued a call for papers. They seek submissions of abstracts for academic papers, presentations and panels to be delivered as a part of the symposium. Taking place March 22-23, 2008, the symposium will be part of the broader program of Swancon itself. For more information, visit community.livejournal.com/swancon/63351.html

O.K. Days like these makes me realize that I'm not the only one who can freely associated the strangest things. Take AppleCon. This new convention to take place in April of 2008 bills itself as blend of "the best parts of Minneapolis music, science fiction fandom, Wizard (a game of trump) and pie!" Why does this sound strange to me? Mainly because I thought I was the only one who would put such diverse interests into the same place. I mean, in addition to The Genre Traveler, I also have websites about cooking (Carma's Cookery, A Passion for Pumpkins), business (The Women's Business Gallery, The Secrets to Public Speaking), poetry (52 Haiku), and more. (You can find a complete list at DragonWyze Communications). Anyway, I wonder what kind of pie they'll have? For More Information: www.minneapplecon.com April 11-13, 2008 Holiday Inn, Bloomington, Minn.

Wow. I'm so sorry for not posting for the past week or so. I've been insanely busy and last week I didn't feel so well because of all the smoke from the fires near L.A. It's amazing how much an intensely sore throat can wear you out. Anyway, here are a bunch of things coming up at the Hyaena Gallery in Burbank, Calif. (www.hyaenagallery.com): This Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007: Queenie (Pocket Full of Posiez) will be holding her Signing and Release Party for the new "Pansy the Pirate" Doll. Queenie will be on hand signing both her “Pansy” and “Lyllionia” Dolls. 6-8pm, Free Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007: A one-night-only exhibit, "Don’t Do Anything Illegal" – Authentic True Crime. This special exhibit features highlights of W. Shafer’s True Crime collection and includes pieces by Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, James Earl Ray, Kenneth Bianchi, and Jim Jones. 8pm-midnight, Free. Friday, Nov. 23, 2007: Author Jim Wirt will be signing his book, Coloring Book Land, an irreverent adult-themed coloring book packed full of hilariously inappropriate material. 6-8pm, Free. Oh! And

Happy Halloween!

This year's After Dark Horrorfest -- 8 Films to Die For -- will be held Nov. 9-18, 2007. What is the After Dark Horrorfest you say? Well, its kind of like a film festival that takes place in multiple theaters throughout the U.S. at the same time. Basically, for one week, you can go to a participating theater near you and see one or all 8 of these thrilling, scary films, often before they are released on DVD. This year's films include:

• The Deaths of Ian Stone
• Nightmare Man
• Frontiers
• Unearthed
• Borderland, and
• Mulberry Street

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.horrorfestonline.com.

When I was in Las Vegas the other week, my husband and I went to The Original Pancake House in Henderson and tried out their German Apple Pancake. Trust me on this -- that pancake is too much for one person in one sitting. It absolutely delicious and will satisfy two people quite nicely. Anyway, the restaurant is next to an upscale shopping mall, where we parked. As we walked through, I noticed that the mall was hosting a special "safe" trick-or-treat event for kids. CityWalk and L.A. Parent Magazine are hosting one in Los Angeles. I'm sure that the malls in your area will be hosting one as well. When I was kid, I always looked forward to going trick-or-treating in my neighborhood. But after news started spreading that razor blades and poison were popping up in kids' treat bags, this tradition started dying a slow death. But marketing has come to the rescue. Now shop owners are banding together to provide safe trick-or-treating options, while introducing you and your kids to their wares. OK. It might not be the same thing, but for the youngin's -- it's just as much fun.