Happy 90th Birthday, Ray Bradbury!

Ray Bradbury, the timeless guy of Fantasy & Science Fiction, turns 90-years-old today, August 22, 2010. In honor of the man and this milestone, here are a few links:

• It’s Ray Bradbury Week in Los Angeles, August 22 to 28.

• Flickr has some handsome photos from a recent birthday party for Mr. Bradbury held at Mystery & Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, California.

• UCLA has put together a short but fascinating online tribute, including the title page of The Martian Chronicles (1950) when it was first mocked up by a layout artist.

• AbeBooks has a neat webpage commemorating some of Mr. Bradbury’s greatest achievements.

• Some young lady stars in a hilarious, if juvenile, music video titled “Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury” (2010).

Pictured: President George W. Bush and Laura Bush present the National Medal of Arts award to Ray Bradbury (2004).

London Book Fair presses ahead despite volcanic ash, flight delays

The London Book Fair Team is working hard to minimise the disruption to the fair caused by the volcanic ash temporarily closing airports in the UK and Europe. Our customer service team are calling international exhibitors to offer assistance with manning stands and arranging alternative travel plans where possible. Our view is that the show must – and will – go on and we will provide all the help we can to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.

We know that many international exhibitors and visitors have already arrived and those travelling from Europe are finding alternative transport. Our substantial UK attendees remain unaffected. Our website is being updated regularly with practical information and helplines. I want to thank everyone for their calls of support and determination to get to the fair and to reiterate that we will be in continual communication over the coming days.

Sincerely, Alistair Burtenshaw

Lots of cool info on the website of the London Book Fair 2010, which runs from April 19th through April 21st. Check out the floor plan (pdf)!

Exhibition displays metalsmith’s Vietnam-era wormy Mars art

Metalsmith and jewelry maker Bruce Metcalf’s new career-spanning exhibition, “The Miniature Worlds of Bruce Metcalf,” at the Southwest School of Art & Craft in San Antonio, includes his 1971 piece “Worms from Mars Invade an Authentic New England Village & Are Attacked by the National Guard.” According to an article posted on the website MySanAntonio.com, the piece is Metcalf's “Vietnam statement, with snakelike, toothy worms descending upon small, cartoonish toy soldiers with bayoneted rifles defending an old steepled church and a couple of clapboard houses.”

Pictured: "Worms from Mars"

Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA displays severed heads from 1996 film Mars Attacks!

A new exhibit called Tim Burton just opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. A major retrospective of the Hollywood director’s graphic and cinematographic works, it includes likenesses of the severed heads of Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker from Burton's 1996 film Mars Attacks!. The exhibit runs through April 2010 and, if you can believe this, is sponsored by Syfy.

If you’re a writer and plan on traveling to New York City to view the Tim Burton exhibit, consider booking a room at the historic Algonquin Hotel. It’s "Writer’s Block" rate offers a 25% discount. All you have to do is show them a published work or your work in progress!

Pictured: Promotional poster for Tim Burton's film Mars Attacks!

Guide to Mars science exhibit lists Tom & Jerry, omits Bradbury & Burroughs

The Family Guide of Activities & Things to Do, a 13-page publication (PDF) that accompanies Facing Mars, the interactive, hands-on, five-year traveling science exhibition that premiered at Canada's Ontario Science Centre in 2008, ensures that every child and parent who reads the guide will be left behind when it comes to learning about the important works of Martian science fiction and fantasy.

Although the ten pages of the guide that focus on the science of Mars are excellent, the two pages of additional resources that list films and books should be rewritten. At the moment, the list of films includes the SF/F flicks Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars (2005), Escape from Mars (1999), My Favorite Martian (1999), Mars Attacks! (1996) and Capricorn One (1978). The lone SF/F book: Space Station Mars (2005) by Daniel San Souci.

Silk screen art show and new book based on 1960s Mars Attacks trading cards

Artist and comic book illustrator Jon Vermilyea will host an art show entitled “Attack from Space: Art and New Silk Screen Book” at Secret Headquarters in Los Angeles this Friday, September 4, 2009. The show features the original silk screen artwork for his new limited edition book, which is based on the Topps 1962 Mars Attacks trading card series. Vermilyea studied cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Pictured: Artwork by Jon Vermilyea

Take the University of Maryland's 1997 "Mars in Science Fiction Quiz"

Want to test your knowledge of science fiction books and films about Mars and Martians? Take the University of Maryland’s “Mars in Science Fiction Quiz,” which was created in the Fall of 1997 as part of the university’s Mars in Fact and Fiction exhibit. Housed in “The Mars Room” at the Hornbake Library, the exhibit displayed items such as the U.S. postage stamp honoring NASA's Pathfinder, miniature models of Pathfinder and Sojourner, and old paperback versions of H. G. Wells' seminal novel The War of the Worlds (1898). In addition, the walls of the exhibit area were decorated with Hollywood movie posters, a NASA poster of Mars, 3-D photographs
of the Martian surface, a cardboard model of the planet's Valles Marineris, illustrations from the original serialization of The War of the Worlds in Pearson's magazine, newspaper articles, and copies of script pages from the famous 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast.

Ready? Here’s the quiz:

1. What well-known American writer, in a series of novels, referred to Mars as "Barsoom"?

2. In the 1938 Orson Welles radio program where did the fictional Martian invasion of the USA begin?

3. In what novel did a noted science-fiction writer have a colony named "Port Lowell"?

4. What was the name of the 12-year-old boy-hero of the 1953 movie Invaders from Mars?

5. In what 1984 science-fiction movie was the Orson Welles 1938 radio play suggested to be a cover for a real invastion of the Earth by aliens?

6. What famous short story about Mars, written by Stanley Weinbaum, featured a Martian named "Tweel"?

7. Who played the scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester in the 1953 movie The War of the Worlds?

8. What famous English novelist and essayist called Mars "Malacandra"?

9. Who is the author of the trilogy, Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars?

10. In what famous science-fiction novel was the Martian verb "to grok" introduced? What does "to grok" mean?

Although no answers to the quiz are provided, I’ve figured out the answers and posted them in the comments section. I answered most, but not all, of the questions correctly. Good luck!

Pictured: Cover of 1976 Andor Classic paperback edition of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.

Smithsonian taps virtual world of MMO game Blue Mars 2150 for future exhibit

GamesBeat and several other online news sources report that the Smithsonian Institution is teaming up with technology companies Virtual Space Entertainment, Avatar Reality and Big Stage Entertainment to build an interactive museum exhibit that will let users participate in a futuristic society on a terraformed Mars with breathable air. The project, which has
its roots in the massively multiplayer online game (MMO) Blue Mars 2150, is scheduled to open to the public in 2010.

Meanwhile, the game Blue Mars 2150, which has been released in beta, is scheduled to land on the Internet in August 2009. According to a recent article on BusinessWire, “A track with robotic 120-feet-tall dogs, college reunions in the garb of your alma mater and visiting the tomb of the first emperor of China are among the many Martian attractions.” Who knows, perhaps a player will be able to create an avatar who is a science fiction fan, relaxing with a beautiful woman by the side of a swimming pool, reading a pristine first edition hardcover of Fahrenheit 451, without fear that the book will get wet.

Fan Visits Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame

SF fan Doug Scott details his recent visit to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle. In addition to posting some nice photos, he notes that the museum has a Mars display featuring original editions of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (1898), Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles (1950), and Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (1992-1996).

Life on Mars: Virginia Tech’s Sci-Fi Exhibition

Before Life on Mars, ABC’s new television series starring Jason O’Mara, Michael Imperioli, Harvey Keitel, and Lisa Bonet, there was Life on Mars, Virginia Tech’s online exhibition featuring cover art and interior illustrations of works written by H.G. Wells, Festus Pragnall, Miles J. Breuer, Edgar Rice Burroughs, S.D. Gottesman, Harl Vincent, Ross Rocklynne, Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, Hugo Gernsback, and Stanley D. Bell!

Perhaps the most interesting piece of art from Virginia Tech’s exhibit
is pictured above. It’s the “Cover by unknown artist showing a Martian as proposed by Hugo Gernsback in his article “Evolution on Mars”. From Science and Invention, formerly Electrical Experimenter Vol. XII Whole Number 136 (No.4) August 1924.” It looks very similar to artist Frank Paul's cover for Martianthology (2003), an anthology compiled by Forrest J Ackerman and edited by Anne Hardin!

Mars Exhibit at Cal Poly to Include SF Books

The Robert E. Kennedy Library at California Polytechnic State University will host the exhibit Mars Within Reach: Arctic Melodies and Science from the Red Planet, “a multisensory experience that explores the science and culture surrounding the search for life on Mars.”

The exhibit, which will feature scale models of NASA's Phoenix lander and the Mars rovers, high-resolution images of the Red Planet, and science fiction books that include titles by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, runs from November 7, 2008, to January 12, 2009.

For more information, please read the press release and a recent news article.

University of Arizona Exhibit, Mars, A Fictional Perspective, to Close in September

Mars, A Fictional Perspective, a library exhibit at the University of Arizona Science-Engineering Library that opened last May, is scheduled to close on September 12, 2008.

Here’s a description of the exhibit from the library’s website:

“With the Phoenix Mars Lander now safely on Mars in search of scientific fact, take a brief journey yourself to experience its exciting heritage of imagination and wonder!

Enjoy the highlights of Planet Mars in fiction and popular culture in an exhibit featuring novels from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, and many others from the 20th Century Science Fiction Genre Collection at Special Collections. Special appearances by Flash Gordon, Martian Manhunter, and Marvin the Martian!

From the adventurous, to the terrifying, to the absolutely silly - you will never imagine Mars the same way again.”

According to one viewer, books on display in the exhibit include:

• A Princess of Mars (1917), The Warlord of Mars (1919), Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1920), A Fighting Man of Mars (1931), by Edgar Rice Burroughs

• The Sands of Mars (1967), by Arthur C. Clarke

• The Martian Chronicles (1950), by Ray Bradbury

• Men, Martians, and Machines (1965), by Eric Frank Russell

• Great Science Fiction Stories About Mars (1966), by T. E. Dikty

• Mystery Men of Mars (1933), by Carl Claudy

• Mars (1992), by Ben Bova

• The Kid from Mars (1949), by Oscar J. Friend

• Welcome to Mars (1983), by James Blish

• The War of the Worlds (1898), by H. G. Wells

The Phoenix Mars Lander is a joint project of NASA and the University of Arizona.

Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art

The Barbican Centre in London has a new art exhibition called Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art, which runs through 18 May 2008. The exhibition’s mission is “to interpret and understand contemporary art.” Here’s a description, taken from Barbican’s website:

“Anthropologists from outer space set out on a mission to understand life on earth. Imagine that they begin their mission by examining the curious phenomenon that human beings call ‘contemporary art’. What does Art tell them about human life and culture? Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art presents contemporary art works under the fictional guise of a museum collection conceived by and designed for extraterrestrials. Playful and irreverent, the museum’s collection features some 175 works by over 115 artists,” including Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol.

Listen to Dr. Klaatu, Director of the Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art, give an introduction to the exhibition’s collection and a tour of selected treasures. Also, checkout the complete list of artists, links to reviews and interviews, and a pdf of the Martian alphabet.

Other Barbican activities that compliment the art exhibition: Films from Another Planet and Close Encounters talks and workshops.

Light Reading for a Sunday Afternoon, Vol. V

Here are a few recent news pieces worth reading:

• “At the Martian Museum Art's Outasight in Outer Space,” by Alice Jones, The Independent, Feb. 28, 2008. London’s Barbican has a new exhibition, Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art, whose mission is “to interpret and understand contemporary art.”

• “Ground Zero for Apocalypse,” by John Weeks, The Sun, Feb. 23, 2008. An Inland Empire newspaper details Robert Reginald’s recent book, Invasion! (2007), “a trilogy of tales inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic SF novel War of the Worlds.”

• “Craving Science Fiction Films,” by Pamela Scott Shelton, American Chronicle, Feb. 19, 2008. Craving quality sci-fi films, Shelton mentions Red Planet (2000), starring Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss, in a positive light.

• “Bradbury Building Future Writers,” by Michael Aushenker, Palisadian-Post, Feb. 13, 2008. Speaking to aspiring writers in California, Ray Bradbury cites the influence Edgar Rice Burroughs has had upon his career.

Phoenix Mars Mission Exhibit Opens at Arizona Museum

Up from the Ashes: Phoenix Goes to Mars, a new exhibit about NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission, is scheduled to open at the Arizona Capitol Museum on February 14, 2008.

Here's a description of the exhibit, taken from the museum's website: "Over 20 photographs highlight The University of Arizona's Phoenix Mars Mission, which lands on the Red Planet in May 2008. Also on display are scale models of the Phoenix Lander and the scientific instruments on board. The Phoenix Mars Mission was named after the mythical bird that rises from the ashes of its own fiery death and is born a new."

For additional details about the exhibit, read the museum's press release.

For information about the "Visions of Mars" library, which is enroute to the Red Planet aboard the Phoenix Mars Lander, see "Space Library Heads Towards Mars," our blog post of August 31, 2007.

Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame

Opened in 2004, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (SFM) in Seattle is “the world’s first museum devoted to the thought-provoking ideas and experiences of science fiction.”

Of particular interest to us is the museum’s featured exhibition, The Changing Face of Mars:

“More than any other location, Mars has served as the stage for SF journeys of adventure, discovery and conflict. Humans have always been fascinated by the “Red Planet,” and the belief that Mars was covered with “canals” sparked countless SF tales of a dying world ready either to conquer or be conquered. These tales planted images in the public perception of Mars that affected the assumptions of a generation of space scientists. Ultimately, however, bigger and better telescopes, and then actual visits by robotic spacecraft erased those images and replaced them with more accurate views. The old Martians were killed off and their world obliterated, but what was left behind was a world ready for a new wave of SF based not on old myths, but on a real planet revealed by more advanced science.”

Here are some suggested readings from the exhibit, taken from SFM’s website:

• The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells (1898)

• A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1917)

• The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury (1950)

• The Sands of Mars, by Arthur C. Clarke (1951)

• Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein (1961)

• Martian Time-Slip, by Philip K. Dick (1964)

• A Martian Odyssey and Other Classics of Science Fiction, by Stanley G. Weinbaum (1966)

• Desolation Road, by Ian McDonald (1988)

• Beachhead, by Jack Williamson (1992)

• Mars, by Ben Bova (1992)

• Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson (1992)

• Moving Mars, by Greg Bear (1993)

• The Snows of Olympus: A Garden on Mars, by Arthur C. Clarke (1994. nonfiction)

• The Secret Life, by Paul J. McAuley (2001)