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Jun 2, 2019
2 min

Blog #33

I was an avid science fiction reader from my earliest days with Astounding Science Fiction, Startling Stories and Thrilling Wonder. While I was stationed in Japan, I picked up a copy of Famous Science Fiction Stories, edited by Raymond Healy and J. Francis McComas. I loved it. The book is on a shelf watching me at the moment. At no time during those years did I have any idea there was such a thing as a science fiction convention. In 1962, I left the Navy and was adrift trying

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Mar 1, 2018
2 min

Blog #5

During my teaching years, I encountered occasional parents who didn’t approve of my introducing science fiction books into the curriculum. I can understand it, especially their concern that English classes should be teaching Ralph Waldo Emerson and Jane Austen rather than tales about rocket ships and time travel. The problem was that teenagers, even the smartest among them, are often turned off by classical literature. The Brothers Karamazov is a powerhouse, but a reader need

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Feb 16, 2018
3 min

Blog #4

Writing workshops have always been fun. They allow me to spend time with people who would love to break into a writing career. But getting launched –let’s face it-- is a challenge. It’s hard to imagine seeing a book with our name on the cover. It was an early ambition for me. I started a novel when I was about ten years old. The title was to be The Canals of Mars. I don’t think I got much past that. I lost all confidence in my ability to get published when I was in college. T

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