Oz Fontecchio reports that the next Philadelphia Fantastic Authors and Editors Series reading is tonight, Friday 25 July, at 7:30PM. Tonight’s event is a group affair, featuring Gardner Dozois (the editor of The Year’s Best SF: 25th Annual Collection) and two of the featured authors in the collection: Michael Swanwick and Tom Purdom. As always, the reading is at Robin’s Bookstore, 108 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (conveniently located in Center City Philadelphia at the corner of 13th and Sansom Sts.). And the readers will be signing their work immediately following the event.
One of the new features of these readings, since moving to the new location, is that Robin’s Bookstore also webcasts the event. If you can’t be there in person, you can tune in by going to robinsbookstoreonline.com at 7:30 and clicking the button that says “Click to Hear Philadelphia Fantastic Authors and Editors Series.”
Gardner Dozois is the winner of 13 Hugo Awards for Best Editor and was the editor of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine (later Asimov’s Science Fiction) from 1984 to 2004. He will talk about the process of putting together one of the most sought after collections of the SF genre’s work each year.
Michael Swanwick is the award winning author of The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, Stations of the Tide, and Bones of the Earth, among others, and will read his story featured in the collection.
Tom Purdom’s short stories and novelettes have appeared in Asimov’s, Analog, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Galaxy, Amazing, other SF magazines, and various anthologies. He will explain the historical background that formed the basis for his story featured in the collection.
The monthly Philadelphia Fantastic presents “a series of readings and informal discussions by and with local and regional writers of speculative fiction on the fourth Friday of the month. The events are free and dinner with the guest afterwards is at a local restaurant on a pay as you go basis.” Upcoming guests include Paul Levinson (August), Gregory Frost (September), and Judy Moffett (October).
Also on the calendar is the monthly Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series, hosted by Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel. On 20 August at 7PM, the reading writers will be James Patrick Kelly and Jeff Somers.
James Patrick Kelly has won the Hugo and Nebula awards for his fiction. His new story collection, The Wreck of the Godspeed, has just been published by Golden Gryphon. He narrates 52 of his best stories on James Patrick Kelly’s StoryPod on Audible.com.
Jeff Somers is the author of The Electric Church and its sequel, The Digital Plague. His story “closer in my heart to thee” was recently published in the Spring 2008 issue of Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD) magazine.
As always, Mobile Libris will be selling books. The event is at the KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street (just off 2nd Ave, upstairs), New York, New York. Early arrivial is urged, as seating is limited. For more information, see kgbfantasticfiction.org.
Datlow’s photos from the last reading (John Kessel and JoSelle Vanderhooft) are here. She also has photos from the recent Shirley Jackson Award fundraiser, which she hosted in the same venue, here.
And as always, to find the latest on upcoming reading events in your area, or if you’ve just realized you’re free tonight and want to find an author reading, check out our Upcoming Readings and Signings page.