Orange County Science Fiction Club

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Orange County Science Fiction Club
OCSFC logo framed.JPG
OCSFC Logo
AbbreviationOCSFC
Formation1982
Type NGO
PurposeSocial
Location
Website http://www.OCSFC.org/

The Orange County Science Fiction Club (OCSFC), founded in 1982, is a public club which meets in Orange County, California, [1] [2] and is one of the oldest continuing science fiction and fantasy organizations in Orange County. Membership is open to anyone in the community and includes published authors and actors. [3] [4] The club has also helped organize book signing events of well-known authors and has assisted in organizing local science fiction conventions.

Orange County, California County in California, United States

Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,010,232, making it the third-most populous county in California, the sixth-most populous in the United States, and more populous than 21 U.S. states. Its county seat is Santa Ana. It is the second most densely populated county in the state, behind San Francisco County. The county's four largest cities by population, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, and Huntington Beach, each have a population exceeding 200,000. Several of Orange County's cities are on the Pacific Ocean western coast, including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and San Clemente.

Science fiction Genre of speculative fiction

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that has been called the "literature of ideas". It typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific innovations.

Fantasy Genre of literature, film, television and other artforms

Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real world myth and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became literature and drama. From the twentieth century it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels and video games.

Contents

Meetings

Meeting topics include general news and information by members about science or science fiction/fantasy conventions, lectures, films and other genre related event. Generally a guest speaker associated with science or science fiction, including prominent authors, artist, actors and professionals from many fields will give a talk or presentation. However, being a social interest organization, guest speakers need not be limited to Science or Science Fiction. The meetings end with a question and answer session with the guest speaker, book signings, and one on one discussions with the guest. [5]

Past guest speakers include Gregory Benford (astrophysicist and prolific author whose works include the Nebula Award winning Timescape ), James Blaylock (Philip K. Dick Award winner, author of Homunculus and The Last Coin), [6] Octavia E. Butler (Hugo Award and Nebula Award winner, author of Parable of the Sower }, [7] Don Dixon (space and astronomical artist), Richard Hatch (Actor primarily known for his role as Apollo in Battlestar Galactica (original 1978-1979 TV series)), George Clayton Johnson (co-author of Logan's Run and writer of several episodes of The Twilight Zone (original 1959-1964 TV series)), Dean Koontz (bestselling author), Tim Powers (Philip K. Dick Award winner, Nebula Award nominee, author of The Anubis Gates and Declare ), Shauna S. Roberts (author of Like Mayflies in the Stream and OCSFC member), Harry Turtledove (historian and author of the Hugo Award-winning The Guns of the South as well as other alternate history works),

Gregory Benford Science fiction author and astrophysicist

Gregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. He is a contributing editor of Reason magazine.

Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that employs the principles of physics and chemistry "to ascertain the nature of the astronomical objects, rather than their positions or motions in space". Among the objects studied are the Sun, other stars, galaxies, extrasolar planets, the interstellar medium and the cosmic microwave background. Emissions from these objects are examined across all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the properties examined include luminosity, density, temperature, and chemical composition. Because astrophysics is a very broad subject, astrophysicists apply concepts and methods from many disciplines of physics, including mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, relativity, nuclear and particle physics, and atomic and molecular physics.

Nebula Award literature prize for science fiction and fantasy works from the United States

The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. They were first given in 1966 at a ceremony created for the awards, and are given in four categories for different lengths of literary works. A fifth category for film and television episode scripts was given 1974–78 and 2000–09, and a sixth category for video game writing was begun in 2018. The rules governing the Nebula Awards have changed several times during the awards' history, most recently in 2010. The SFWA Nebula Conference, at which the awards are announced and presented, is held each spring in the United States. Locations vary from year to year.

History

Established in 1982 by science fiction and fantasy book collectors Greg Funke and Graham Volker, the OCSFC had its first meeting in January 1983, and has been holding regular meetings continuously since. Originally a club for book collectors, it soon expanded its membership to include anyone interested in science fiction, fantasy, or science in general. As it grew, the club found itself with members who had connections to authors, actors and other professionals in the fields of science, art, and entertainment. Soon, the regular monthly meetings began to feature prominent guest speakers giving talks, lectures, or programs with audio/visual presentation. Over time, the club became increasingly active in arranging field trips, participation in conventions, and the organizing of book signing events.

Book collecting

Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given collector. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and collect books is called a bibliophile.

Greg Funke, OCSFC Co-founder, at Loscon 2006 OCSF Loscon 2006.jpg
Greg Funke, OCSFC Co-founder, at Loscon 2006
OCSFC information table at 2006 Worldcon OCSFC World Con Table.JPG
OCSFC information table at 2006 Worldcon

Activities

For several years, OCSFC has had a visible presence at the annual Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS) convention, LosCon, in Los Angeles, California. Members often participate as panel members of group discussions during the convention. OCSFC members—in conjunction with local book stores—have organized book signings for prominent authors, including Dean Koontz, Steven Barnes, and Sherwood Smith. In 2006, OCSFC participated in and assisted with the 64th World Science Fiction Convention (aka Worldcon) held in Anaheim, California. [8]

Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society science fiction society

The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc., or LASFS, is a science fiction society that meets in the Los Angeles area. The current meeting place can be found on the LASFS website.

California State of the United States of America

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

Dean Ray Koontz is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with 14 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks reaching the number-one position. Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Leigh Nichols", and "Brian Coffey". He has sold over 450 million copies of his work.

Over the years the club has expanded its activities to include a reading and a writers group:

Clarion Workshop

Clarion is a six-week workshop for aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. Originally an outgrowth of Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm's Milford Writers' Conference, held at their home in Milford, Pennsylvania, United States, it was founded in 1968 by Robin Scott Wilson at Clarion State College in Pennsylvania. Knight and Wilhelm were among the first teachers at the workshop.

Clarion West Writers Workshop is an intensive six-week program for writers preparing for professional careers in science fiction and fantasy. It runs annually from late June through the end of July. The workshop is limited to 18 students per year. Each of the six weeks is instructed by a different professional writer or editor. The roster of guest instructors changes yearly. Founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971, the workshop has been held continuously since 1984. Clarion West celebrated its 25th anniversary of continuous instruction in 2008.

OCSFC members stay connected via an Internet E-mail group, where a broad range of lively topics and events are discussed. The web address can be found on their official website.

Many members regularly meet to attend films or lectures.

Related Research Articles

Larry Niven American writer

Laurence van Cott Niven is an American science fiction writer. His best-known work is Ringworld (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named him the 2015 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. It also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes the series The Magic Goes Away, rational fantasy dealing with magic as a non-renewable resource.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While SFWA is based in the United States, its membership is open to writers worldwide. The organization was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. The president of SFWA as of 2015 is Cat Rambo.

Science fiction fandom

Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization.

Robert Silverberg American speculative fiction writer and editor

Robert Silverberg is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand Master of SF. He has attended every Hugo Awards ceremony since the inaugural event in 1953.

John Kessel American writer

John Kessel is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. He is a prolific short story writer, and the author of four solo novels, Good News From Outer Space (1989), Corrupting Dr. Nice (1997), The Moon and the Other (2017), and Pride and Prometheus (2008), and one novel, Freedom Beach (1985) in collaboration with his friend James Patrick Kelly. Kessel is married to author Therese Anne Fowler.

Kate Wilhelm American science fiction writer

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Mike Glyer is both the editor and publisher of the long-running science fiction fan newszine File 770. He has won the Hugo Award 11 times in two categories: File 770 won the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1984, 1985, 1989, 2000, 2001 2008, and 2016. Glyer won the Best Fan Writer Hugo in 1984, 1986, 1988, and 2016. The 1982 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) committee presented Glyer a special award in 1982 for "Keeping the Fan in Fanzine Publishing."

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Dan Alderson American scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California

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Diversicon is an annual speculative fiction convention held the first weekend of August in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota area. Diversicon provides programming and social opportunities to encourage the multicultural, multimedia exploration and celebration of SF by those within and outside of the traditional SF community. Diversicon includes both live and posthumous guests. It is sponsored by SF Minnesota.

Bruce Edward Pelz was a US science fiction fan. He was highly active in the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS) and a major SMOF, co-chairing the 30th World Science Fiction Convention. He also wrote filksongs and was a master costumer.

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SFContario

SFContario is a general-interest science fiction convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Society of Upper Canada.

This is a list of works by Gene Wolfe, an American author of science fiction and fantasy, with a career spanning six decades.

Usman T. Malik is an award-winning speculative fiction author from Pakistan. His short fiction has been published in magazines and books such as The Apex Book of World SF, Nightmare, Strange Horizons, and Black Static and in a number of "year's best" anthologies. He is the first Pakistani to win the Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction. He has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the World Fantasy Award, and has twice been a finalist for the Nebula Award.

References

  1. ↑ LASFS links - Other Southern California SF Clubs
  2. ↑ "SF/Fantasy Outside San Diego" (PDF). San Diego Fandom Index. San Diego Speculative Fiction Society, Inc. July 2005. p. 2.
  3. ↑ Shauna S. Roberts - Author of Like Mayflies in the Stream and OCSFC member.
  4. ↑ IMDB.Com - Wayne Edward Sherwood Bio
  5. ↑ Adomaitis, Mary Beth P. (April 26, 2000). "Our Times". Los Angeles Times . p. B5.
  6. ↑ "Get Out!". Los Angeles Times . January 27, 1999. p. F2.
  7. ↑ McLellan, Dennis (September 27, 1998). "O.C. Books & Authors". Los Angeles Times . p. E3.
  8. ↑ Bacalso, Courtney (August 26, 2011). "Sci-fi brings out the old and the new". Orange County Register .
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