May News

* Overheard in the Store:

"It will probably be an artisanal bag shop. We're in the Artisanal Bag Shop District, you know."

"This man approached me [at a convention] & introduced himself as 'a pre-published author', meaning it, I think, in the same way that I am 'pre-dead'."

"I don't believe that! How on Earth did you get THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH [by Charlie Huston] from 'It had a yellow cover & it's about people who clean crime scenes.'!?"

"It was really saccharine; it said 'A year from now, what will you wish you had done today?', and I immediately thought 'Not have disrupted the space-time continuum, duh!'"

"You have not lived until you've heard Christopher Lee in the acoustics of a men's room." - Peter S. Beagle

"Nice to meet you; I need wear your bra for a sec.”

* Get ready for another book about Westeros, but not WINDS OF WINTER -- instead we are getting FIRE AND BLOOD, a history of the infighting that almost wiped out the Targaryen line. More info here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/25/george-rr-martin-winds-winter-not-coming-2018-sixth-volume-game-thrones-targaryen

* To be completely honest, if we had a few hundred dollars just lying around, we would probably be the proud owners of gaming dice made from whitetail antler and amber resin.  Check out this Kickstarter and see if the exotic-materials dice they're offering speak to you: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dogmight/artifact-dice

* A child confronts giant animals with glowing eyes in the wonderfully haunting art of Dawid Planeta.  Check it out: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/05/dawid-planetas-bright-eyed-animal-guides/

* Long-running magazine Mythic Delirium is sadly going on indefinite hiatus.  For the full editorial go here: https://mythicdelirium.com/myths-delusions-%E2%80%A2-editorial-%E2%80%A2-april-2018

* In other publishing news, Amazing Stories, which has been online-only since being relaunched in 2012, will now put out quarterly print editions: https://locusmag.com/2018/05/amazing-stories-returns-to-print/

* If you happen to be in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, June 13, there will be a tribute to the legendary Ursula K. Le Guin featuring a number of writers speaking of her legacy and influence. https://page.co/qkbK

* Award-winning author and friend of the store Charlie Jane Anders gets a write-up in the Daily Californian: http://www.dailycal.org/2018/04/15/charlie-jane-anders-bay-area-book-festival/

* Speculative fiction and fashion have always had a relationship with one another.  Here's a great write-up on how speculative fiction influenced the recent fashion week.  There are even baby dragons. http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-science-fiction-continues-to-influence-the-runway

* Okay, but can we get a holographic doctor that looks like Robert Picardo in "Star Trek: Voyager?" That's the real question.  https://www.agedcare101.com.au/the-donaldson-sisters/holographic-doctor-home-not-science-fiction/

* The landscape of cities can be vitally important to a novel.  Here's what some authors have to say about their own creations, and things that want to see: https://www.wired.com/2018/05/geeks-guide-sci-fi-cities/

* Geek.com has a list of 11 Sci-Fi shows they want to be translated, although we wouldn't mind just getting subtitled versions of most of them.  https://www.geek.com/television/11-foreign-sci-fi-shows-that-we-want-to-see-translated-1730655/

* Umm, this seems like a bad idea.  Wasn't that the whole point of Minority Report?  https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/could-ai-based-surveillance-predict-crime-before-it-happens/

* LASER EYES!  Well, not really yet, but this seems like the first step.  All it's gonna take is one evil genius.  https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/645772/science-fiction-meets-fact-supermans-eye-lasers-are-developed-in-st-andrews/

* Sony has acquired a new series from Wattpad called "Death is My BFF".  http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/sony-acquires-fantasy-series-death-is-my-bff-from-fan-fiction-site-wattpad

* May the Fourth Be With You: The Source gives us a list of the best Star Wars name drops in hip-hop music:  http://thesource.com/2018/05/04/may-the-4th-be-with-you/

* This list does contain some obvious and possibly very entertaining crossover possibilities.  Others on the list seem like a bit of a reach. http://www.zimbio.com/Science+Fiction+And+Fantasy+Crossovers+That+Make+Too+Much+Sense

* If you missed it, Janelle Monae's masterpiece of an album "Dirty Computer" has dropped, and along with that a 45 minute motion picture by the same name that imagines a dystopian world, blending music with afrofuturism and classic science fiction ideals.  Check it out.  https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/janelle-monae-dirty-computer-film-sci-fi-masterpiece-w519519

* A new theme park has opened in China where every ride involves virtual reality.  https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/chinas-new-sci-fi-amusement-park-is-powered-entirely-by-virtual-reality-rides/

* Another list of science-fiction inventions we don't have yet, although some of these aren't really that far off.  https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/science-fiction-tech-that-isnt-real-yet/

* Apparently Netflix is ready to pour more money into science-fiction and fantasy content.  Hopefully they'll lean toward actual original content and away from reboots and remakes. http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/report-netflix-is-about-to-make-its-biggest-bet-yet-on-science-fiction

* Local theatre company Dreams on the Rocks Productions (they describe themselves as " ... a Bay Area-based theatre company specializing in satirical remakes of cult classics through a modern gaze") presents "Flash Gordon - Live!" at the Exit Theatre.  The show runs May 4th - May 26th.  For details, see: http://www.dreamsontherocksproductions.com/now-playing/2018/5/4/flash-gordon-live-1

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Award News
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* The African Speculative Fiction Society has released the list of the 2018 Nommo Award nominees!  http://www.africansfs.com/nommos/nominationresults2018

* Voting for the 2018 Hugo Awards is now open!  http://www.worldcon76.org/hugo/vote.php

* The Arthur C. Clarke Awards have announced their shortlist for 2018!  https://www.clarkeaward.com/award-winners/shortlists/

* Vote for the 2018 Locus Awards -- the finalists have been revealed!  https://locusmag.com/2018/04/2018-locus-awards-finalists/

* The Mystery Writers of America announce the winners of 2018 Edgar Allan Poe Awards!  http://www.theedgars.com/2018%20Edgar%20Winners%20-%20Press%20Release.pdf

* The winners of the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award have been announced: http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/sturgeon.htm

* Clarkesworld Magazine has announced the wins in their readers' poll for Best Short Story and Best Cover.  http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/clarke_03_18/