* Overheard in the Store:
"I told them, 'Several people this morning are really lucky that it's impossible to get punched in the face through a telephone.'"
* As much as spending a stupid amount of money to make a TV series based on The Lord Of The Rings was, well . . . stupid (http://deadline.com/2017/11/amazon-the-lord-of-the-rings-tv-series-multi-season-commitment-1202207065/), Amazon's most recent move is brilliant. They're making a TV series based on Iain M. Bank's Culture novels, starting with Consider Phlebas. We cannot wait. https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/21/17035618/amazon-culture-series-iain-m-banks-television-show
* R.I.P prolific speculative author Victor Milan. To read more about the series he contributed to, the writers he helped and the impact he had, read this wonderful obituary in Albuquerque Journal. https://www.abqjournal.com/1141374/prolific-author-victor-milaacuten-leaves-science-fiction-legacy.html
* Popular Bangladeshi science fiction Muhammad Zafar Iqbal was recently stabbed in the head. He survived, and is currently undergoing treatment, but please keep him in your thoughts. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/popular-science-fiction-writer-zafar-iqbal-stabbed-in-bangladesh/article22920210.ece
* Fionce Siow gives her opinion on how most recent science fiction visual media has let us down when it comes to pushing forward instead of reinvestigating the same questions over and over. http://www.dailycal.org/2018/03/04/mainstream-science-fiction-fails-to-live-up-to-its-full-potential/
* For anyone in Southern California (or anyone planning a trip there soon), be sure to swing by the Pasadena Museum of History and check out their new exhibit "Dreaming the Universe: The Intersection of Science, Fiction, & Southern California." https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2018/02/27/see-southern-californias-history-of-science-fiction-and-fact-at-pasadena-museum-of-history/
* A fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal about the rise of digital dictatorships, using science fiction as a jumping off point to talk about the Chinese government and technology. https://www.wsj.com/articles/stranger-than-science-fiction-the-future-for-digital-dictatorships-1519900866
* Peter S. Beagle is to be honored as the next SFWA Grand Master! Read all about it over at GeekWire: https://www.geekwire.com/2018/seattle-pittsburghs-fantastic-connection-new-grand-master-science-fiction-fantasy/
* The Verge has pointed us in the direction of an interesting podcast we can't wait to check out. Read their write-up on Imaginary Worlds, a podcast that goes deep into different aspects of the science-fiction & fantasy community: https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/18/16392224/eric-molinsky-imaginary-worlds-science-fiction-fantasy-podcast
* Looking for something new to read? Gizmodo gives us 27 novels coming out in March; at least one or two are sure to tickle your fancy. https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2018/03/27-new-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books-well-worth-checking-out-in-march/
* "Annihilation" is the latest in a string of visual science-fiction that has done a better job at putting more complex female characters in the forefront. https://slate.com/culture/2018/02/annihilation-leads-a-new-wave-of-sci-fi-movies-about-women.html
* LAB GROWN MEAT! It's actually a pretty awesome thing (and we can't wait to try some), but it just feels like it has to be said in capital letters, old-school horror-movie-poster style. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shapiro-meat-commentary/commentary-science-fiction-no-more-can-lab-grown-meat-feed-and-save-the-world-idUSKCN1GA25H
* Genre picked up a lot of awards this Oscar season; hopefully this means we'll see a broader collections of stories being adapted for visual media in the near future. http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/genre-fare-picks-up-big-at-the-oscars
* We had hoped that when they announced a Dune Park it would be about ingesting spice and avoiding sandworms, but an actual park is good too.
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/science-fiction-author-frank-herberts-legacy-honored-new-dune-park-tacoma/
* An essay on the ideas in PKD's MINORITY REPORT, and what they could mean for real-world legal rules and ramifications. If you're interested, it's the beginning of a series. https://patentlyo.com/patent/2018/02/science-fiction-minority.html
* Netflix continues to purchase big-budget science fiction films that other studios are nervous about attempting. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/netflix-cloverfield-paradox-watch-extinction-release-date-trailer-bright-a8203256.html
* This movement of western science fiction as it (too) slowly starts to reach out, and we get more and more translated works from other countries and perspectives is fantastic. A new volume examining the Russian fantastic is out now! http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2018/02/new-edited-volume-examines-russian-science-fiction
* Stephen R. Donaldson begins a new fantasy series in a different world. http://newsok.com/seventh-decimate-launches-series-for-veteran-fantasy-writer/article/5585271
* Five fantasy books by women that you should read in 2018, according to Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/2018/03/09/female-fantasy-books-written-women-2018-820278.html
* An article that explores why "Black Panther" is so important to black science fiction and fantasy fans, and also why it is an important step in correcting longstanding media imbalance: https://www.destructoid.com/black-panther-is-black-fantasy-sci-fi-490817.phtml
* Oscar Award-winning "The Shape of Water" has faced a lot of analysis and scrutiny in the past few months, but not enough has been made of its use of religion. This article breaks down a lot of the important parallels and metaphors it uses. http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article203415989.html
* An article about the fact that time travel might actually be possible. https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/686557/how-to-time-travel-is-time-travel-possible-proof-science-evidence-how
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Award News
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* The 2017 Nebula nominees have been announced. Congratulations to all the nominees, but especially to local friends of the store Daryl Gregory, Ellen Klages, and Annalee Newitz! https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/20/17032222/2018-nebula-awards-nominations-best-science-fiction-fantasy-books-movies-read-online
* Congratulations to Carmen Maria Machado, who has received the Crawford Award for her collection HER BODY & OTHER PARTIES! Check out the rest of the short list at Locus: https://locusmag.com/2018/02/machado-wins-crawford-award/
* The 2017 finalists for Aurealis Awards for excellence in Australian SF/F have been announced. https://aurealisawards.org/2018/02/15/2017-aurealis-awards-shortlist-announcement/
*The shortlist for the 2017 British Science Fiction Awards has been announced. Go here to check it out and vote if you're a member of BSFA. https://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-2017-awards-voting-form/
* The Sir Julius Vogel Award finalists from New Zealand have been announced: http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvFinalists-2018.html
* Ursula K. Le Guin has been posthumously award a PEN Award for her collection of essays, NO TIME TO SPARE: THINKING ABOUT WHAT MATTERS. Check out all the winners here: https://pen.org/2018-winners/
* Kenesha Williams has been awarded the 2018 Scholarship From Hell by the HWA, which will allow her to attend the intensive Horror University at this year's StokerCon. For more details on the awards and on Williams, check out the StokerCon website: http://stokercon2018.org/2018/02/the-2018-winner-of-the-scholarship-from-hell/
* The 2018 Compton Crook Award nominees have been announced. (As a side bonus, the Baltimore Science Fiction Society's website is sure to provide a flashback to anyone old enough to remember Angelfire or Geocities.) http://www.bsfs.org/CCA/bsfsccnu2014.htm
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