Haffner Press Big Poobah Stephen Haffner writes to tell us of his new book, Thirty-Five Years of the Jack Williamson Lectureship. (Information on this year’s Lectureship is on this page.)
“When Dr. Jack Williamson retired from his position as Professor of English at Eastern New Mexico University in 1977, the university launched a lectureship series in his honor. The focus of the Lectureship was to be the sciences and the humanities and the first guests were Frederik Pohl and James E. Gunn. Thirty-five years later, the Jack Williamson Lectureship continues to draw speakers, writers, editors, and fans to honor one of our favorite authors.
“Celebrating this event will be the new book, Thirty-Five Years of the Jack Williamson Lectureship. From teachers and scientists, to grandmasters and modern sf writers, this 360-page trade paperback collects a variety of speeches and presentations from the past 35 years. As of this writing, we are still adding contributors.
“Also included is a chronology of all the Lectureships by Williamson’s bibliographer Richard A. Hauptmann. Closing the book is a gallery of promotional artwork from the last 15 years and a 1000-word story by Jack Williamson from 2004, ‘Dream of Earth’.”
“Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Williamson Lectureship Fund.”
The table of contents will include:
Preface by Frank Cioffi
Introduction by Patrice Caldwell & Betty Williamson
1977: “Williamson Lectureship Notes” by James Gunn
1979: “Playing God: the New Biology Moral Issues” by June Goodfield
1979: “Genetic Engineering: Fiction into Fact!” by Jack Williamson
1982: “America’s Continuing Controversy Over Humanism” by Dr. John Newport
1982: “Humanism and the Future: A Tentative Proposal for an American Solution” by Dr. John Newport
1983: “The Future of Unhumanism” by Robert Silverberg
1984: “Imaginary Cities” by Dr. Ihab Hassan
1984: “Beyond the Two Cultures” by Dr. Ihab Hassan
1985: “Albert Einstein and the Generation of 1905” by William Eamon
1985: “Technology and Magic” by William Eamon
1988: “Commencement Address” by Frederik Pohl
1991: “Epic Fantasy in the Modern World” by Stephen R. Donaldson
1992: “The Three Cultures” by Joe Haldeman
1996: “Worlds Enough and Time” by C.J. Cherryh and Tim Powers
1997: “Images of the Future in Science Fiction Film and Television” by Melinda Snodgrass, Mike Resnick, and Michael Cassutt
2001: “New Science for a New Century” by Scott Edelman
2001: “Jack Williamson” by Scott Edelman
2003: “Seventy-Five Years of Wonder” by Connie Willis
2003: “75 Years-in-Publication: Celebration” by Joe Haldeman
2005: “Jack Williamson Lunch Lecture” by Walter Jon Williams
2007: “From Metal Man to Stonehenge Gate” by Connie Willis, Richard A. Hauptmann, and Eleanor Wood
2009: “Looking for Clues” by Nalo Hopkinson
2010: “ESSAY” by Sean Shepard
2010: “Science Fantasy: Into the Next Decade” by Ian Tregillis
1999-2006: “Williamson Lectureship Coverage in Locus Magazine” by Charles N. Brown
“Dream of Earth” by Jack Williamson
“The Williamson Lectureship Chronology” by Richard A. Hauptmann
Contributors
Gallery of Lectureship Posters
The pre-publication price of the book is $16.00, but it will increase to $19.00 after publication (Haffner reminds readers that all proceeds go to the Williamson Lectureship Fund). “We are arranging for as many contributors as possible to autograph the book at the 2011 Lectureship, and we will be filling orders with these signed copies on a first-ordered, first-served basis.”