Here are my somewhat cryptic notes from last night's meeting.
*Notes from R-SPEC Meeting, 7 April 2009*
9 in attendance, including 3 first timers (Steve, Megan, Steve); Dave E.,
David P., Craig, and Ruhan joined later
General discussion of group, stories, member activities
Began meeting at 7:40pm
One Steve remarked that he has read Jasper Ford but doesn't understand the
nature of the piece
Alicia went over recent history of the group and structure of the group
Update on anthology - all contracts back, galleys out, one more wrinkle with
publisher, hope to have copies out by June, launches at WAB and BN, maybe
one more at the beach
Next month Katherine McGuire, Leader of IP/Tech Practice Group at Woods
Oviatt Gilmann, to speak on copyright issues/DRM
Looking into group attendance of WorldCon in Montreal this August
Several members will be attending EerieCon (Vernor Vinge Guest of Honor)
April 17-20 or thereabouts
*NEBULA NOMINEE DISCUSSION/VOTE*
*Short Story Nominees
**Button Bin,* Mike Allen - 1
*Dreaming Wind,* Jeffrey Ford
*Trophy Wives*, Hoffman - Ruhan votes for this or Mars aTG
*26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss* - Craig votes
*Tomb Wife*
*Don't Stop*, James Patrick Kelley
*Mars, A Traveler's Guide* - David H. liked but didn't read any of the
others, 1 vote from the online poll, Ruhan votes for this but also likes
Trophy Wives
*Novellettes*
*The Ray Gun, A Love Story* - Alicia votes
*Dark Rooms*
*Pride and Prometheus* - Craig votes
*Night Wind
Baby Doll*
*Novellas
**Space Time Pool* - Nice romantic fantasy, mediocre prose, Elyse and Alicia
don't really get why it's nominated
*Dark Heaven*
*Dangerous Space* - only real spec element was gender of pov character -
Alicia votes
*Political Prisoner*
*Novels*
*Little Brother* - Craig votes
*Powers* - Elyse and Alicia couldn't get through the book
*Cauldron*
*Brasyl* - Alicia provisionally votes since loves Ian MacDonald's stuff
*Making Money
Superpowers*
*So, why don't we read the magazines?*
Audio instead of text
More venues available
Dive started before the explosion of online content
Decline in subscriptions partly due to lack of inclusion on fundraising
sales, but those sales were money losers
Is there a connection with the birth of the Space Age? China is on upswing
for Space Age and is seeing huge numbers of science fiction fans, while
markets that had Space Age in the 50s-70s are ebbing
Aim circulation at young people - gets better results
Young people discuss
Better acceptance in other parts of the culture
Kids emulate what parents do - if parents read, kids read
Graphic novels can appeal to people that would otherwise not read books for
pleasures
Stimulates a different portion of the brain
Disappointment factor because of early scifi predictions that were
completely inaccurate?
Totalitarian countries have big scifi interest because is outlet
Steampunk might be a response to the disappointment - recognition of value
of well-understood technology
Technology follows its course rather than conforming to what humans
want/need
*Rossum's Universal
Robots<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.U.R._%28Rossum%27s_Universal_Robots%29>
* - play that introduced the word "robot"
Carol Churchill has a play about clones with no exposition
Don't need exposition as much because so much of science fiction has been
embraced into our culture
Closer to magic emotionally, though intellectually is science
Adjourned around 9:15pm
--
Dave Henn
[email protected]
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