2001 - 09/2001 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Updated: 10/28/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 06/08/08.

MIXED PROGRAM

Talk about Publicity by Felicia Sinusas

Video of Neil Gaiman Readings

An Appreciation of Martha Soukup (Poem)

A Scientific Experiment To Determine the Effect of Drinking on Creativity

Question and Answer Session

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: September 8, 2001.

Meeting Site: Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church.

Official Attendance: 32.

Meeting Program: Screening of Science Fiction Videos.

Notes:

Our guest was a member of the Association known as Asta Sinusas for years before she accepted a position at St Martins Press. She used the name Felicia Sinusas in the publishing industry.

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County came home to the Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey on Saturday, September 8, 2001. Unfortunately, we did not return with a speaker.

The pre meeting booksale and anime went off without a hitch, although a ball game pre empted the broadcast of ANDROMEDA and EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT. When it was time to call the meeting to order, there was a very lage section of announcements, including Bill Wagner reading the Hugo winners of the World Science Fiction Convention, commentary by Taras Wolansky.

The first part of our hastily-thrown-together program consisted of a videotape of readings and questions and answers by fantasy, comic book and script writer Neil Gaiman. The video was from the author's tour of speaking engagements on behalf of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

His first reading was of a screamingly funny introduction to a collection of stories by science fiction writer Martha Soukup. The intro was in verse ("with a nod to Kipling") and employed the conceit that Ms Soukup was the greatest celebrity in a universe in which everyone, human or alien, living or dead, hangs upon her every utterance.

Next was "A Scientific Experiment To Determine the Effect of Drinking on Creativity." The author vocalized an increasingly incoherent stream of consciousness as he pretended to imbibe a bottle of spirits.

The Gaiman section of the program concluded with a question and answer session which mainly focused on Censorship and on works by the author.

The second half of the program was a talk by club member Asta Sinusas. Asta is a publicist at St Martin's Press. Among the books she has promoted is Bruce Campbell's IF CHINS COULD KILL: CONFESSIONS OF A B MOVIE ACTOR. Her talk was part job description, part explanation of the publishing process, and part anecdotes of some of the interesting writers she promoted. The talk was lively and fun, and completely off the cuff as Asta had no idea she would be asked to speak until she walked in the door.

We closed the formal part of the evening early so that people could browse the books, watch more anime, and converse. Ernest Lilley brought his laptop and displayed a number of photos he had taken at the Worldcon. One of these featured a prize winning costume of Paul Dellechiaie. When it came on, everyone went calling for Paul, who was nowhere to be found.

Thanks to the many people who helped out including Charles Garofalo and William Molendyk who helped load the car with books going to the meeting, to Greg Roman and others who helped unload and organized them at the meeting, to Brett Wallace who went home and got some cables that allowed us to used the Church TV and VCR, to Taras Wolansky for bringing the anime, to Ernest Lilley for bringing his laptop, to anyone who pitched in with the set up and clean up, and to everyone for bringing tolerance and good cheer that made a thrown together affair a very successful meeting.