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Fan page: OctaviaButler.net
SFWA page: Octavia E. Butler
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| Kevin T. Kornegay, PhD |
Electronic Design and Applications, and Microelectronics/Microsystems
Kevin Kornegay received his B.E.E. from Pratt Institute in 1985 and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1990 and 1992, respectively. In the early part of his career, he was employed in industrial research positions at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, N.J. and at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. From August 1994 through December 1997, he was an assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Purdue University. In 1997, Professor Kornegay was the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Visiting Professor in the EECS department at MIT.
Faculty Profile, Georgia Tech: Kevin Kornegay, PhD
The Nebula nominations were announced today.
AKATA WITCH (a novel set in present-day Nigeria that follows a young Igbo American girl's initiation into a magical secret society and the daring adventures that follow) is a nominee for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book!
The masquerades will be out today. ;-)
2011 Nebula Awards Nominees Announced
http://www.sfwa.org/2012/02/2011-nebula-awards-nominees-announced/
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America is proud to announce the nominees for the 2011 Nebula Awards (presented 2012), the nominees for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and the nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book.
Novel
- Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)
- Embassytown, China Miéville (Macmillan UK; Del Rey; Subterranean Press)
- Firebird, Jack McDevitt (Ace Books)
- God’s War, Kameron Hurley (Night Shade Books)
- Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, Genevieve Valentine (Prime Books)
- The Kingdom of Gods, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Novella
- “Kiss Me Twice,” Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 2011)
- “Silently and Very Fast,” Catherynne M. Valente (WFSA Press;Clarkesworld Magazine, October 2011)
- “The Ice Owl,” Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy andScience Fiction, November/December 2011)
- “The Man Who Bridged the Mist,” Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2011)
- “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary,” Ken Liu (PanverseThree, Panverse Publishing)
- “With Unclean Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Analog Science Fiction andFact, November 2011)
Novelette
- “Fields of Gold,” Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse 4, Night Shade Books)
- “Ray of Light,” Brad R. Torgersen (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, December 2011)
- “Sauerkraut Station,” Ferrett Steinmetz (Giganotosaurus, November 2011)
- “Six Months, Three Days,” Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com, June 2011)
- “The Migratory Pattern of Dancers,” Katherine Sparrow (Giganotosaurus, July 2011)
- “The Old Equations,” Jake Kerr (Lightspeed Magazine, July 2011)
- “What We Found,” Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, September/October 2011)
Short Story
- “Her Husband’s Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine, October 2011)
- “Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son,” Tom Crosshill (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011)
- “Movement,” Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2011)
- “Shipbirth,” Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2011)
- “The Axiom of Choice,” David W. Goldman (New Haven Review, Winter 2011)
- “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees,” E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld Magazine, April 2011)
- “The Paper Menagerie,” Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, March/April 2011)
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
- Attack the Block, Joe Cornish (writer/director) (Optimum Releasing; Screen Gems)
- Captain America: The First Avenger, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (writers), Joe Johnston (director) (Paramount)
- Doctor Who: “The Doctor’s Wife,” Neil Gaiman (writer), Richard Clark (director) (BBC Wales)
- Hugo, John Logan (writer), Martin Scorsese (director) (Paramount)
- Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen (writer/director) (Sony)
- Source Code, Ben Ripley (writer), Duncan Jones (director) (Summit)
- The Adjustment Bureau, George Nolfi (writer/director) (Universal)
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and FantasyBook
- Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor (Viking Juvenile)
- Chime, Franny Billingsley (Dial Books; Bloomsbury)
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Hodder & Stoughton)
- Everybody Sees the Ants, A.S. King (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
- The Boy at the End of the World, Greg van Eekhout (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
- The Freedom Maze, Delia Sherman (Big Mouth House)
- The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Rae Carson (Greenwillow Books)
- Ultraviolet, R.J. Anderson (Orchard Books; Carolrhoda Books)
The winners will be announced at SFWA’s 47th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend, to be held Thursday through Sunday, May 17 to May 20, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, near Reagan National Airport. As announced earlier this year, Connie Willis will be the recipient of the 2011 Damon Knight Grand Master Award for her lifetime contributions and achievements in the field. Walter Jon Williams will preside as toastmaster, with Astronaut Michael Fincke as keynote speaker.
The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of SFWA. Voting will open to SFWA Active members on March 1 and close on March 30. More information on voting is available here.
Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world.
Since its inception, SFWA® has grown in numbers and influence until it is now widely recognized as one of the most effective non-profit writers’ organizations in existence, boasting a membership of approximately 2,000 science fiction and fantasy writers as well as artists, editors and allied professionals. Each year the organization presents the prestigious Nebula Awards® for the year’s best literary and dramatic works of speculative fiction.
This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 7:58 am and is filed under Nebula Awards, News, SFWA Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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| Optical Fibre with Integrated High-Speed Junction |
An international team of researchers has integrated a semiconductor junction into an optical fibre for the first time. The device, which works at gigahertz frequencies, is the first step in creating an all-fibre optical-communications network where light is generated, modulated and detected within a fibre itself without the need for integration with electronic chips. Its range of applications could run from improved telecommunication systems and laser technology to more-accurate remote-sensing devices.
Physics World: Optical fibres with integrated semiconductor junctions developed
Greetings and salutations! I have a new short story available as a free download. It is about Marc, who had lived a wild life full of partying and sex. When he is involved in a car accident, he reunites with a mysterious shaman from his childhood and begins to question if his life was merely a futile search to find love.
The book is for mature (18+) audiences only, as it has images that might be inappropriate for younger readers. It is also not safe for work (NSFW).
You can read & download it on Scribd or download it for various formats (Kindle, ePub, PDF, etc) on Smashwords.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy it.
Words = Life,
A. Jarrell Hayes
From the Welcome page:
"The dream of blacks making science fiction as a concept has been in the minds of many of us since we were all children watching science fiction movies and television shows such as Buck Rogers, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. Most of us have however, found that the characters that are ethnic, as a general rule most often have been relegated to secondary roles, sidekicks, stereotypes, sex objects, dope heads, not in the show at all, or my favorite: the first to die in the show.
"We however, feel it is only right to present science fiction with a different face, one that is not filled with the normal negative representation of ethnic characters. We think that it is essential for characters of all colors and creeds to be represented positively and fairly."
Many of us...
Henry David Thoureau said: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."
Many of us played the game of "go along to get along," quietly knowing full well the security guy in the red shirt (old Star Trek) was always the first to go down by phaser fire, the first to die. Insignificant to the storyline, but "PC enough" to attract a diverse audience.
I proudly own copies of "Dark Matter" and "Future Earths Under African Skies" as well as books by Octavia Butler and other Diaspora authors of speculative fiction. Part of building positive futures are what we dare to dream for ourselves to participate in (and be).
I'm grateful for the images in my young mind of Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Uhura), and for my own sons, LeVar Burton (Lieutenant Commander Geordi la Forge), Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Commander Worf) and Avery Brooks (Captain Benjamin Sisko).
Images still are needed for this generation, to dare to dream, participate, and be. Many members of the Black Science Fiction Society are published authors - print and Kindle/Nook - I am thankful and proud they will not go to the grave with "the [many] songs still in them," ...that many still need to hear.
The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Dr. Maya Angelou
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| Lydia Thomas, PhD |
To begin to understand the remarkable achievements of Dr. Lydia Thomas, the 2003 Black Engineer of the Year, first realize she is the daughter of the principal of the only all-Black high school in Portsmouth, Va., and that her mother was the school's head guidance counselor. She has said of that experience: "I grew up in Virginia, in segregated schools, but I had tremendous encouragement for my interest in science -- from my teachers and from my parents, who had a great love of learning. They taught me that a book was better than a candy bar." She also was encouraged to achieve, to soar above any limits others might wish to impose.
"As a young Black girl in high school, no one ever told me that math was hard or that science was for boys," Dr. Thomas says.
She continued her education at Howard University, receiving a B.Sc. in zoology in 1965, and went on to earn an M.Sc. in microbiology from American University in 1971. She returned to Howard in 1973, as a divorced mother of two, to earn a Ph.D. in cell biology, just in time to join the emerging technology revolution.
Dr. Thomas joined MITRE in the 1970s and rose through the ranks through a combination of skill and willingness to soar. She spent the vast majority of her career at The MITRE Corporation and Mitretek Systems, where she shaped programs that were the beacon for the nation in energy, environment, public safety, health, and national security.
Mitretek is now Noblis, Dr. Thomas is President and CEO of the company.
2003 Black Engineer of the Year: Lydia Thomas, PhD
Press Release: Mitretek Systems Changes Name to Noblis
“Apprentice.”
“Yes, master.”
“It’s time.”
I help him up and walk him into his study. He is paper-thin, light like a bird, a wisp of the force I remember from my youth. I can feel the fire burning through him, my second sight, even shielded cannot block the visions of his power. I help him to his workbench, a central seat of his gift. It was only as we drew close could I sense it.
The bracelet. It shimmered in darkness the way his power glowed brightly. A cool black metal that flickered like glass, lit from within with a sinister madness. This was my last time to say no.
Once he sits, his palsy stops when he picks it up. His eyes harden like flint and his unspoken gaze beckons me to sit across from him. The light from the power within him dims. “Once you put this on, you will enter our Order. There is no release, no resistance, no rest from Ouroboros, her power is complete and unending. Do you understand?”
Of course I did. This was what I trained for this last fifteen years. This decision would mark my journey to true power.
“I know that look, boy. You think, you are getting what you want. Do you think I don’t know what you’re feeling? I sat there once.”
“Master, I am just eager to begin our work.”
“Don’t be in such a rush to go out and subjugate the world.”
“Master…”
“Spare me. Your lust for power was why you were chosen. Ouroboros requires strong passion, better to harness your gift.”
“Harness my gift?”
“Give me your hand, child. This is not a toy, or just a tool. It is a weapon coupled with your intent. Fail to harness your intent and it will kill you.”
He rubs the bracelet and taps it on his stone workbench. He taps it again. And again. The flat sound echoes across my senses, first a ripple, then a tide. Then a crack appears in the surface of the stone. Ironwood, once was living, now a metallic stone, one of the hardest natural substances, cracks, splinters to dust, with a sound like the world ending.
He grabs my hand and his grip was as strong as it was weak a moment ago. The bracelet had expanded and my hand slipped into it easily. Then all I could feel was the power. All that I thought I knew about power was now erased. My inner energy was as a candle compared to this burning sun. He was right. I had no idea. The things I would do.
The metal burned my flesh as it began to close tightly on my wrist. As mine grew darker, I could suddenly see his. It was always there, you only saw it for a second whenever he would transit a window curtain and the light hit it just right. Now it was alive, visible and its energy flew toward me.
“Yes, you can feel the power of Ouroboros and you think, I can do anything. And you are right. But with light, comes the darkness. Ouroboros is between all things, so I now give unto you the other side of power. Responsibility. The chains that binds this power to your very soul. Each time you partake of her power, you are dying. You will do great things. But whenever you reach beyond what is yours, and ask her for power, your sacrifice will be your time left to live. And you have much to do.”
The black shadow fell on my bracelet and its light was diminished, flecked with shadows, nuances and shades of grey. My vision returned to normal. His grip loosened and he fell back into his chair, boneless and still. I rushed to him over the remnants of his work desk, its power drained into me.
He looked at me, then down to the bracelet. He smiled fiercely. “Chained you again. He’s a strong one. Your scourge will be contained, for a time.” He lifted his head, his eyes rheumy with age. “I’m sorry, Kal.” His whisper barely reached me.
He died slumping forward into my arms.
“He was a bitter, old man. We will do great things, you and I.”
I could feel her coiled around my heart. Squeezing and settling down like a snake. Making my power her own.
All that light. The radiance that dwarfed my own. Those were the lives of mages she'd claimed before me. I am insignificant to her. She thinks to use me up. I am no more than food to her. I may never be able to be free of her, but I certainly don’t have to give her what she wants. She will earn every meal.
“They all said that. All fell before me. Ambition is a hard taskmaster." She paused to let me think on that. Then she continued. "We have time; there is no rush to get back to taking your world for my own. Let us get to know one other.”
We conspired deep into the night.
Ouroboros Rising © Thaddeus Howze 2012, All Rights Reserved
The Nebula nominations were announced today.
AKATA WITCH (a novel set in present-day Nigeria that follows a young Igbo American girl's initiation into a magical secret society and the daring adventures that follow) is a nominee for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book!
The masquerades will be out today. ;-)
2011 Nebula Awards Nominees Announced
http://www.sfwa.org/2012/02/2011-nebula-awards-nominees-announced/
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America is proud to announce the nominees for the 2011 Nebula Awards (presented 2012), the nominees for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and the nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book.
Novel
- Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)
- Embassytown, China Miéville (Macmillan UK; Del Rey; Subterranean Press)
- Firebird, Jack McDevitt (Ace Books)
- God’s War, Kameron Hurley (Night Shade Books)
- Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, Genevieve Valentine (Prime Books)
- The Kingdom of Gods, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Novella
- “Kiss Me Twice,” Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 2011)
- “Silently and Very Fast,” Catherynne M. Valente (WFSA Press;Clarkesworld Magazine, October 2011)
- “The Ice Owl,” Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy andScience Fiction, November/December 2011)
- “The Man Who Bridged the Mist,” Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2011)
- “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary,” Ken Liu (PanverseThree, Panverse Publishing)
- “With Unclean Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Analog Science Fiction andFact, November 2011)
Novelette
- “Fields of Gold,” Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse 4, Night Shade Books)
- “Ray of Light,” Brad R. Torgersen (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, December 2011)
- “Sauerkraut Station,” Ferrett Steinmetz (Giganotosaurus, November 2011)
- “Six Months, Three Days,” Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com, June 2011)
- “The Migratory Pattern of Dancers,” Katherine Sparrow (Giganotosaurus, July 2011)
- “The Old Equations,” Jake Kerr (Lightspeed Magazine, July 2011)
- “What We Found,” Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, September/October 2011)
Short Story
- “Her Husband’s Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine, October 2011)
- “Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son,” Tom Crosshill (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011)
- “Movement,” Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2011)
- “Shipbirth,” Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2011)
- “The Axiom of Choice,” David W. Goldman (New Haven Review, Winter 2011)
- “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees,” E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld Magazine, April 2011)
- “The Paper Menagerie,” Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, March/April 2011)
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
- Attack the Block, Joe Cornish (writer/director) (Optimum Releasing; Screen Gems)
- Captain America: The First Avenger, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (writers), Joe Johnston (director) (Paramount)
- Doctor Who: “The Doctor’s Wife,” Neil Gaiman (writer), Richard Clark (director) (BBC Wales)
- Hugo, John Logan (writer), Martin Scorsese (director) (Paramount)
- Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen (writer/director) (Sony)
- Source Code, Ben Ripley (writer), Duncan Jones (director) (Summit)
- The Adjustment Bureau, George Nolfi (writer/director) (Universal)
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and FantasyBook
- Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor (Viking Juvenile)
- Chime, Franny Billingsley (Dial Books; Bloomsbury)
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Hodder & Stoughton)
- Everybody Sees the Ants, A.S. King (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
- The Boy at the End of the World, Greg van Eekhout (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
- The Freedom Maze, Delia Sherman (Big Mouth House)
- The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Rae Carson (Greenwillow Books)
- Ultraviolet, R.J. Anderson (Orchard Books; Carolrhoda Books)
The winners will be announced at SFWA’s 47th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend, to be held Thursday through Sunday, May 17 to May 20, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, near Reagan National Airport. As announced earlier this year, Connie Willis will be the recipient of the 2011 Damon Knight Grand Master Award for her lifetime contributions and achievements in the field. Walter Jon Williams will preside as toastmaster, with Astronaut Michael Fincke as keynote speaker.
The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of SFWA. Voting will open to SFWA Active members on March 1 and close on March 30. More information on voting is available here.
Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world.
Since its inception, SFWA® has grown in numbers and influence until it is now widely recognized as one of the most effective non-profit writers’ organizations in existence, boasting a membership of approximately 2,000 science fiction and fantasy writers as well as artists, editors and allied professionals. Each year the organization presents the prestigious Nebula Awards® for the year’s best literary and dramatic works of speculative fiction.
This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 7:58 am and is filed under Nebula Awards, News, SFWA Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Philip Emeagwali, PhD is a Nigerian Computer Scientist. He conducts research at the Army High Performance Computing Research Center at the University of Minnesota. He overcame hardships to earn his academic bona fides. His nickname in school from classmates: "Calculus" (which he taught himself).
As in a Molybdenum Disulphide and/or Boron Nitride layered sandwich using either to prevent current leakage.
Dr. Lisa Egbuonu-Davis
Dr. Egbuonu-Davis develops and implements research strategies contributing to pricing and marketing tactics worldwide for Pfizer's pharmaceutical products.
Dr. Kim Michelle Lewis
Dr. Lewis is an National Science Foundation grant winner ($575,000) to advance electronics used in medicine and toxic sensing technology (important in a post 9-11 world). She graduated from Dillard University, and holds a summer research camp open to HBCU science and engineering majors hoping to learn and advance in the field.
She gave us a reason to love ourselves,
Emerging in the 80s post-Civil Rights, post-loss of
Medgar, Malcolm and Martin, if Michael was the “King of Pop”…
She was definitely “Our Queen.”
What 1980 male college freshman
Didn’t calculate that we were just
One year older than the voice that
Belted from her lithe frame, fantasize
“What we’d do” with 5 minutes of our
Best Mack if we had a chance
(Past her Bodyguard) to step to her,
As if she was “saving all her love for []”…
Her faux feud with Maria Cary set the
Diva pattern for Rihanna, Beyoncé, Jennifer, Latifah and Eve…
Yet, didn’t we laugh (instead of pray)
When she married Bobby, and starred in a
So-called “reality” show, showcasing her
Private demons for public display?
Post-Bobby, with the baby (Bobby-Christina),
She could never hit “the notes” she used to,
Her interviews shaken versions of
Her star’s former hue.
The human voice has depth and range
That cannot be enhanced or explained
In a digital software mix program or
Corporate studio...
Some things of exquisite beauty are
Born in choir robes, Sunday solos and
Christmas shows,
Before the Clive Davis’ discover angels,
Among us,
When NAPHESH kicked first breath
In Eden
And Deity pronounced self-awareness
To a creation with mind, will, imagination,
Emotion and intellect – defining the
Earthiness that we would call…soul…
The best of Adam’s rib performs now…celestial shows.
Whitney Houston, 1963 – 2012
African American screenwriter Tony Puryear is writing a new comics series for Dark Horse Publishing. Recently, Puryear wrote scripts for Jerry Bruckheimer's upcoming Buck Rogers big screen adaptation, and the upcoming Lady Scarface film for RKO Pictures. He is also an artist, and created the official campaign poster for Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.
by digitar
Screenwriter Tony Puryear creates edgy graphic novel Concrete Park for Dark Horse Comics
February 8, 2012 in Book Previews, Media Images
New sci-fi epic Concrete Park, written and drawn by Hollywood screenwriter, to appear in legendary anthology magazine Dark Horse Presents.
Tony Puryear wrote the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger smash hit Eraser, becoming the first African American screenwriter to pen a $100 million summer blockbuster. Since that time, he’s written action and sci-fi scripts for a who’s who of Hollywood A listers, from Will Smith to Mel Gibson to Jerry Bruckheimer, and adapted storied sci-fi properties like Fahrenheit 451 and Buck Rogers for the big screen. Now Puryear brings his writing and art talents to the world of graphic novels, with Concrete Park for Dark Horse Presents. Concrete Park, Tony Puryear’s first comics project, appears in Dark Horse Presents #8 from Dark Horse Comics.
“Concrete Park is a sprawling epic,” Puryear says. “It’s the sci-fi story I’ve been waiting to tell. It’s a perfect fit with Dark Horse Presents, the legendary anthology comic that served as a launch pad for innovative work by the biggest names in comics, including Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) and Mike Mignola (Hellboy). I’m honored to be in the company of these amazing world builders, and happy Mike Richardson of Dark Horse believes Concrete Park belongs with them.”
Concrete Park is a dark and provocative near-future story. It takes place in a turbulent mega-city on a distant desert planet (think Cairo or Rio in space). Young human exiles from Earth must fight to make a new world there. They are young, violent and ten billion miles from home. In its ambitious scope, it resembles nothing so much as George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, but with favelas and aliens, cops and cyborgs, ghettos and gangs, instead of castles and armies.
Concrete Park was co-created by Puryear and his wife, actress Erika Alexander (Living Single, Déjà Vu), and her brother, writer Robert Alexander, with Puryear also handling the art chores on the book.
Tony Puryear is the first African American screenwriter to write a $100 million summer movie blockbuster. His 1996 hit Eraser catapulted him into a career writing pictures for A listers Jerry Bruckheimer (Buck Rogers), Will Smith, and Oliver Stone. Puryear’s adaptation of the Ray Bradbury classic Fahrenheit 451 for Oscar-winning director Mel Gibson has circulated in Hollywood for years as a legendary unproduced script. His latest script is Lady Scarface for the new RKO Pictures.
A talented artist and designer, Puryear was recently honored when his official campaign poster for Hillary Clinton’s historic 2008 presidential run was added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery.
Along with Tony Puryear, other writers and artists featured in Dark Horse Presents #8 include John Arcudi, Brian Wood, Howard Chaykin, Neal Adams, Andi Watson, Al Gordon, MJ Butler and Beau Smith, along with artists Duncan Fegredo (who drew the cover), Geof Darrow, Kristian Donaldson, Thomas Yeates, Mark Wheatley and Eduardo Barreto.
Born on November 23, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois, J. Ernest Wilkins, Jr. entered the University of Chicago to study mathematics at the age of 13. He received his B.S. degree as a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in 1940 at the age of 16, his M.S. degree in 1941 at the age of 17, and his Ph.D. degree in December 1942 at the age of 19. In 1942 he was also a Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study. This was the beginning of one of the most exemplary careers of scholarship and application of an American mathematician/physicist/engineer in the 20th century.
Let’s talk about the social commentary of teen dystopian literature. What the heck is it anyway? Dystopian literature takes a social problem and extrapolates that problem to a frightening extreme. I grew up reading Ray Bradbury but today’s craze is all about the Hunger Games. Everybody is talking about it and publishers want to find the next one. Teen dystopian fiction sells big but it’s also good. I love dystopian fiction but let me back up a bit. Let me put this in perspective. People step back from me when I tell them that I’m a Native Detroiter. Read More Visit:
http://www.aliciamccalla.com/blog/73-the-state-of-black-scifi-2012-why-i-love-teen-dystopian-scifi-
"Living well is the best revenge." (George Herbert)
LETTER FROM A FREEDMAN TO HIS OLD MASTER.
[Written just as he dictated it.]
Dayton, Ohio, August 7, 1865.
To my old Master, Colonel P. H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee.
Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.
The rest of Jourdon Anderson's exquisite reply here.
I've blogged about manufacturing and jobs before, the iEconomy and NAFTA birthed Occupy Wall Street when white suburban kids suddenly realized that the guarantee of employment wasn't guaranteed. I salute their efforts, but we need to do something outside of the system that doesn't require their sponsorship, or their approval.
