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UCR, Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame team up for conference on science fiction

Eaton Conference to be held May 5, 6 and 7 in Seattle in connection with Science Fiction Hall of Fame induction

The conference will be held at the same time as the museum's first ever Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday, May 6, which will honor film director Steven Spielberg, author Philip K. Dick, artist Chesley Bonestell and animator Ray Harryhausen. Eaton Conference attendees will have the opportunity to register before the general public.

The Science Fiction Museum is co-located with Experience Music Project in the landmark Frank Gehry building at 325 5th Ave. North at Seattle Center.

Cost for this year's conference is $75, with a student-rate of $40. Registration forms can be found at this link: http://sfhomeworld.org/education/eventsMuseum.asp?categoryID=361#eaton

The year 2005 marks the 26th Eaton Conference to bring together academics, scientists, writers, editors, publishers and artists in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. This year's event promises to reunite many previous Eaton Conference attendees and attract new speakers as well. Speakers this year include Gregory Benford, Howard Hendrix, Joseph Miller, Eric Rabkin, George Slusser, Stanley Schmidt, Greg Bear, Eileen Gunn and Alan Shapiro, with David Hartwell delivering the Frank McConnell Memorial Lecture.

"This is a conjunction of the world's most important collection of science fiction and the world's first museum dedicated to science fiction," said George Slusser, curator emeritus of the Eaton Collection at UCR and the principal architect of the revival of the Eaton Conference. "It is a new millennium, and time to take a fresh look at science fiction, the map of the future."

According to Eric S. Rabkin, professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a prolific scholar of science fiction, "The 26th Eaton Conference will be a stellar gathering of science fiction writers, critics, editors, and above all enthusiasts, bringing their knowledge and passion from around the country to Seattle in order to focus on the next developments in a field that is arguably the most important popular literary genre of our lifetimes."

Ruth M. Jackson, University Librarian at the University of California, Riverside, commented, "This is an historic moment when we have the opportunity to combine the world's premier science fiction collection, housed at UCR, with the world's first and only museum dedicated entirely to science fiction in a conference of this magnitude."

This year's theme is "Inventing the 21st Century: Many Worlds, Many Histories." Sessions will include:
"The Astounding Age: The Past, Present and Future of Hard Science Fiction"
"From Analog to Digital, and Sometimes Back Again: The Science Fiction World and Its Tomorrows"
"Remembrance of Things to Come: Future Histories and Alternate Histories"
"The Frankenstein Century: The Age of Biology."
A special celebration of Analog (Astounding) magazine's 75th anniversary

The Eaton Collection at UC Riverside Libraries is the world's largest catalogued collection of science fiction, fantasy, horror and utopian literature, containing about 80,000 books, 10,000 pulp magazines, 30,000 comic books and more than 200,000 science fiction fanzines (newsletters privately printed by amateur science fiction enthusiasts). The collection also contains the literary papers of some of the most influential writers in the science fiction field.

The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (SFM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to inspire new generations to reach beyond the present, imagine the future and explore the infinite possibilities of the universe. Founded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, the museum is also home to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, honoring the legends and luminaries that have shaped humanity's visions of the future. The initial 36 members of the Hall of Fame represent major figures in the establishment of the science fiction genre - from Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells to Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein. New members will be inducted annually as SFM continues to celebrate the artists and thinkers that create the visions of tomorrow.

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