Conference Focuses on Global Science Fiction

2011 Eaton Science Fiction Conference Speakers“We’ve attracted almost three times as many scholars than we’ve ever hosted,” said Melissa Conway, head of Special Collections & Archives at University of California Riverside (UCR) and co-organizer of the 2011 Eaton Science Fiction Conference. “There is greater diversity of presenters and topics,” she added.

As I mentioned in a previous post, authors Samuel Delany (Babel-17) and Harlan Ellison (“A Boy and his Dog”) will be honored at the conference with 2010 and 2011 Eaton Award for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction (respectively).

The three-day conference, which draws authors, scholars and fans from throughout North America and around the world, will explore global science fiction. Authors Nalo Hopkinson (Brown Girl in the Ring), China Miéville (Perdido Street Station) and Karen Tei Yamashita (I Hotel) are among the conference speakers. Other notable authors who will participate are Greg Benford (The Sunborn) and Howard Hendrix (Lightpaths). Mike Davis (City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles), distinguished professor of creative writing at UCR, will deliver the keynote address.

The conference will be preceded on Feb. 10 by the Science Fiction Studies Symposium, which will explore the theme “The Singularity in SF Literature and Theory.” Scheduled participants include Neil Easterbrook, who teaches literary theory at Texas Christian University and is an editorial consultant for the journal Science Fiction Studies; Brooks Landon (Science Fiction After 1900: From the Steam Man to the Stars), professor of English at the University of Iowa; and Rob Latham, associate professor of English, co-organizer of the conference and a senior editor of Science Fiction Studies.

Both the Eaton Conference and symposium are open to the public. The conference is sponsored by the UCR Libraries, Special Collections & Archives, and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

Summary

What:
2011 Eaton Science Fiction Conference
Preceded by Science Fiction Studies Symposium

Where:
Mission Inn and Spa
Downtown Riverside

When:
Feb. 11, 12, 13, 2011

A special pre-conference symposium will be held on Feb. 10.

Fees:
Conference:
$165 for the entire conference or $75 for a single day
Student admission is $55

Symposium:
Free

For more information:

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About the author

As The Genre Traveler, Carma Spence loves to view the world through Genre-Coloured glasses. In other words, she sees the world through a lens of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where trash cans can be Daleks in disguise and neighborhood forests can harbor faeries and sprites. Magic realism is real! Or at least you can choose to see the world that way to add to the fun and awe of life.