The New York Review of Science Fiction (NYRSF) Reading Series at the South Street Seaport Museum is once again fast approaching. On 4 March, the doors will open at 6:30PM for the usual 7 o’clock start time. This month’s event is guest-curated by Paul Witcover, and features new writers Felix Gilman and Sarah Beth Durst.
Felix Gilman lives with his wife in New York City, where he practices law. “Cities figure in a large number of fantasies of all types, with urban fantasies actually set in cities real or imaginary. But there is a relatively short list of speculative novels that are extravagant celebrations, excavations, and explorations of particular cities, novels in which cities transcend mere setting and become full-blown characters in their own right. To this exclusive list can now be added Ararat, the god-infested metropolis that dominates Felix Gilman’s towering first novel, Thunderer.” —Realms of Fantasy
Sarah Beth Durst is a writer of children’s and young adult fantasy novels. She started writing fantasy stories at age 10, got an English degree from Princeton University, and then began actively “aspiring.” Her debut novel, a fantasy adventure called Into the Wild, was published in June 2007 by Razorbill/Penguin Young Readers and is a 2007 Andre Norton Award Finalist. The sequel, not-so-coincidentally titled Out of the Wild, will be published in June 2008. She also has a miniature pet griffin named Alfred. Okay, okay, that’s not quite true. His name is really Montgomery. You can visit Sarah online at www.sarahbethdurst.com.
Paul Witcover has been a broken fixture of the New York science fiction scene for some time. His novels are Waking Beauty, Tumbling After, and Dracula: Asylum. He is the lead book reviewer for Realms of Fantasy magazine, and a member of the group blog, Inferior 4+1.
The NYRSF Reading Series takes place the first Tuesday of every month at the South Street Seaport’s Melville Gallery, 213 Water Street. Admission is free, but $5 donations are encouraged to offset costs and buy dinner for the readers. The producer and executive curator is radio producer and talk show host Jim Freund. For more information, see www.hourwolf.com/nyrsf.
Following that, there’s the Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series, hosted by Ellen Datlow and Gavin J. Grant. On 19 March they’ll be presenting Michael Swanwick and David Keck. As always, readings start about 7, but arrive early if you want to get a seat (the bar is kind of small).
Michael Swanwick’s novel of industrialized Faerie, The Dragons of Babel, is just out and has been garnering critical raves everywhere. Also out is his most recent collection of short fiction, The Dog Said Bow-Wow. He is currently at work on a novel about gentleman-rogues and Post-utopian con men Darger and Surplus.
David Keck made his publishing debut in 2006 with the gritty medieval fantasy, In the Eye of Heaven. His second novel, In a Time of Treason, released by Tor Books in February 2008, pursues the same cast of characters into a more perilous landscape of open war, betrayal, and dark sorcery.
Fantastic Fiction at KGB is held in the KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street (just off 2nd Avenue, upstairs) the third Thursday of every month. Mobile Libris is usually present to sell readers’ books. For more information on the location, see www.kgbbar.com; for information on the reading series, see their Yahoo group. Co-host Datlow also usually takes and posts many photos of the events. Her photos from the 20 February reading from her anthology Inferno are available at this link.