The Grub Street writing workshop in Boston, MA has announced its spring class schedule, and they’ve got a genre writing class lined up called “Writing the Smart Page-Turner”:
Exciting plots and larger-than-life characters are the cornerstones of so-called “popular” or “genre” fiction, but in an era when Michael Chabon wins science fiction’s Nebula Award and Cormac McCarthy wins the Pulitzer for the apocalyptic novel The Road, the lines between genre and literary fiction are blurrier than ever. Whether you’re writing romance, mystery, science fiction, erotica, supernatural or suspense, the principles of writing popular fiction – clear prose, characters we can empathize with, and a story that moves – are key, and in this course, you’ll learn ways to do that while developing a distinct literary “voice”. Classes will entail the workshopping of your stories and novel chapters, exploring the terrain of the genres, the use of writing and idea-generating exercises, and discussion of the magazines and publishers looking for your sort of fiction. The goal is to give you a solid grounding in the demands of popular fiction, and a better understanding of literary potential of your favorite genres. An intermediate level class, recommended for students with some workshop experience.
This is a 10-week program that starts April 19th and runs on Sunday evenings; the deadline to register is April 15th. The cost is $425 for nonmembers, but instructor Michael Marano says there are scholarships available. For more information visit http://www.grubstreet.org/index.php?id=12#genre.
My Mummy Productions is sponsoring a show for comics, cards, toys, models, and other collectibles on Sunday, April 5th, from 10:00am to 3:00pm in South Attleboro, MA. For information visit http://www.mymummy.com/Shows.htm.
The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA will be hosting the “Schlock Around The Clock” movie marathon this weekend, featuring a selection of memorable, if not exactly high-budget, cult movies. The list includes the sci-fi comedy “The Man with Two Brains,” the monster movie “Alligator,” and the slightly-less-than-epic fantasy “The Sword and the Sorcerer.” The marathon runs from 9:00pm Saturday April 4th to 10:00am Sunday the 5th. For more information and a complete film schedule visit http://www.brattlefilm.org/brattlefilm/movie_detail/090404.html (scroll down).
The Maine Comics Arts Festival will be held on Sunday, May 17, 2009 in Portland, ME. According to their website:
This festival celebrates the wonderful world of comic books, comic strips, graphic novels, web comics and more. The guest list is growing and features a wide variety of comic creators, writers, artists and publishers. Comics related workshops, panels, gallery showings and other events will be held throughout Portland as part of this event. The location for the festival will be the beautiful Ocean Gateway Building on the shores of Casco Bay in Portland, Maine.
For more information visit http://www.mainecomicsfestival.com/ and
http://mecaf.blogspot.com/.
Free Comic Book Day is coming up on Saturday, May 2nd. On this day, participating comic book shops throughout the country will be giving away issues of selected comic books to all visitors. Check with your local comic book store to see if they are participating and what comics will be offered. For general information, visit http://www.myspace.com/freecomicbookday.
Jetpack Comics in Rochester, NH will be having a big event to celebrate the day from 10:00am to 4:00pm at multiple venues; the party features comic creators, publishers, vendors, and of course some Stormtroopers. For more information visit http://www.jetpackcomics.com/fcbd2009home.html.
The Colonial Theatre in Keene, NH is hosting a special screening of “King Kong v. Godzilla” on Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. Why is this special?
The SPOOKTACULAR is back with an exceedingly rare screening of monster-movie classic King Kong Vs. Godzilla – so rare, in fact, that a new print has been struck just for this screening, and SPOOKTACULAR audiences will be the first to see it. The SPOOKTACULAR will also feature vintage film trailers, tons of giveaways and in person visits will all of the Saturday Fright Special crew. (About King Kong v. Godzilla: A pharmaceutical company captures King Kong and brings him to Japan, where he escapes from captivity and battles a recently released Godzilla.)
For more information visit http://www.thecolonial.org/ and http://www.saturdayfrightspecial.com.
[Thanks to James of the Rhode Island Science Fiction Club for the tip]
Here’s your monthly reminder about upcoming events!
Massachusetts:
April 4-5: Boston ComicCon
April 10: Stormtrooper Laser Tag for Charity
April 10: Joss Whedon at Harvard (sorry, this event is sold out)
April 11: Anime Kaiju Experience (anime convention)
April 12: Zombie Walk
April 17-19: Nexus Faire (fandom get-together)
April 27: Author Maria Tatar discusses her book and introduces “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Various Dates: Good shows at the Coolidge Corner Theatre including Repo! The Genetic Opera, Lost Boys Interactive, J. Cannibal’s Feast of Flesh, Rocky Horror, and Night of the Living Dead
Various Dates: The Superheroine Monologues on stage
New Hampshire:
April 8: Deadline for sending in applications to the Odyssey Summer Writing Workshop
April 24: Special screening of “King Kong v. Godzilla”
New York:
April 3-5: I-Con (general science fiction convention)
Vermont:
April 3-5: Northeast Wars (gaming convention)
More events will probably be added as they are announced, but that’s what’s on the calendar so far.
A note for people reading via LiveJournal: I don’t get any notification when you leave a comment on the LJ version of the RSS feed. If you need to contact me, comment at http://nescifievents.org/ or email nescifievents@gmail.com. Thanks!
The Brattle Theatre and the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA are teaming up for an event on Monday, April 27th. At 6:00pm, Harvard professor Maria Tatar will speak about her nonfiction book “Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood” at the Harvard Book Store; then at 8:00 the event moves over to the Brattle Theatre, where Professor Tatar will introduce the fantastical movie “Pan’s Labyrinth.” For details visit http://www.brattlefilm.org/brattlefilm/movie_detail/090427.html.
Ah, spring, when a young zombie’s thoughts turn to the eating of brains. If you survive the Easter Zombie Walk, don’t let your guard down, because another group of the undead will be shuffling around South Station in Boston, MA on Saturday, May 30th from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. See http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=58983302467&ref=ts for details.
Be sure to email nescifievents@gmail.com if you hear rumors of undead invasions planned for other parts of New England.
Zombies will be making their way from Davis Square to Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA on Sunday, April 12th. According to http://www.flickr.com/groups/bpm-meetups/discuss/72157615099353330/:
Boston Zombie Outbreak 09
Zombie Walk! Come Celebrate the cycles of life and death on Easter!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
12:00pm – 4:00pm
Meet @ Davis Square, Lurch to Harvard Square
If you are on Facebook, see also http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=53529729059&ref=nf.
Lecture, MA | nescifievents | 
March 31, 2009 8:48 pm | 
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