vailsymposium

Science fiction is sometimes called the literature of ideas, but most English departments are adamant that the genre is not literature at all. As a result, sci-fi writers have charted their own way through the publishing and entertainment world. Few literary movements can match their contributions to technological innovation. Through the World Wars, Space Age, Information Age and beyond, science fiction writers have dreamed up concepts for technologies we now take for granted, such as robots and genetic engineering.
However, despite the word “science” in its name, science fiction stories are not limited to plot lines about technology or stories set on other planets. The genre encompasses political thrillers that predicted the Arab Spring (Walter Jon Williams), injects Native viewpoints into popular modern tropes (Rebecca Roanhorse) and uses the laws of physics to tell gripping, action-packed stories set in the far future (J. Barton Mitchell).
Enjoy an evening with four authors and listen to them discuss their latest books, sharing three facets of the literature that helped birth the modern world.

The Hot Topic series is generously underwritten by Kathy & Neal Kimmel