…is now a book, softbound, 19.00 from www.haffnerpress.com and it contains the interchanges between myself, Tim Powers, Jack Williamson; another one with Robert Silverberg; plus Fredrick Pohl; Joe Haldeman; and the list goes on. These are the literal recorded interchanges (with the occasional but rare transcription errors, because sometimes the audience reaction obscures a word, as in what Pyanfar did when alarmed—:) )
At any rate, purchase of this book goes to sustain the Lectureship, so it’s a good cause, a meeting of minds important to the field, and an interesting read. Topics include future cities, biological ethics, story, and a range of things. Jack was one of my friends in the field, an amazing man who lived in Portales NM, where his library wing is, and who was very close to the Old West and the historic cowpunchers as well as the far future and the designers thereof.
That sounds fascinating – what is the lectureship?
Jack lived in Portales, and this is where I put my manuscript collection, should any scholar in the field want to know: it’s with his. The library at Eastern State University of New Mexico is the location. The whole town I swear knew Jack as a neighbor, and it’s a charming place. Anyway, they have had this habit of inviting writers to talk at what amounts to a convention…but request that their guests actually pick a theme and do a talk, which they have faithfully recorded for 35 years. The library is a beautiful facility. Portales is not the easiest place to get to: it’s extremely southward, tucked away in a little snippet of the old west, and right next to the border. I remember the painted tumbleweeds: they have a local tradition of building figures out of tumbleweeds around stakes, painting them in a way that shows you what they are, and then taking the stakes away when the event is over, and letting them blow in the wind—so I suppose you know a tumbleweed that came from Portales!
At least this is the way I remember it. 😉
For those who aren’t familiar with the town, it’s pronounced “Por-TAH-les” and it’s about an hour and a half drive and just across the border from where I live in Texas. CJ, how would someone find out when they are having one? Do they have a website? I might try to go to one.
BTW, For anyone thinking about attending one, you could fly in to either Lubbock or Amarillo in Texas and rent a car. It’s about an hour and a half to two hour drive — just go to Clovis and hang a left. . .