Author Appearance: Stephen King

I knew there had to be more things happening in December! Horror-master Stephen King will appear at Manchester Elementary-Middle School in Manchester, VT on December 2nd at 7:00 pm to present his latest novel, Under the Dome. This event is run by the Northshire Bookstore, and you will need to buy a ticket; see http://www.northshire.com/events.php for details.

[Tip from io9]

What’s Going on in December

Not surprisingly, there’s not all that much on the calendar for December. There are a lot of communities that have First Night or New Years’ Eve celebrations, but many of them haven’t posted their schedules yet; I’ll try to keep an eye on them. I do think there ought to be something more going on, so if you know of anything, send a tip my way!

Connecticut:
December 2-4: AnonyCon

Massachusetts:
December 2: Arts Night With Ethan Gilsdorf
December 5: Video Game Orchestra
December 31: First Night Boston

Author Appearance: Lev Grossman

Author Lev Grossman will sign his young adult fantasy novel, The Magicians, at Pandemonium Books in Cambridge, MA on Friday, November 27th at 7:00pm. Learn more at http://www.pandemoniumbooks.com/.

Author Appearance: Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer, author of the Ambergris novels and co-editor of short story anthologies such as Steampunk and The New Weird, will present the third novel in the Ambergris series, Finch, at the Borders bookstore in Boston’s Back Bay tomorrow, November 20th, at 7:00pm. For more information see http://www.borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_330.

Vericon X

Vericon is a science-fiction, fantasy, gaming, and anime convention that will be held at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA the weekend of March 19th-21st, 2010. The guest of honor is Hugo-winning author Timothy Zahn, best known for writing several “Star Wars” novels. To learn more visit http://www.vericon.org/.

[Tip via http://www.gciacst.com/]

Unity Games XVI

Unity Games, a daylong gaming convention focusing on board and card games, will next be held on Saturday February 6, 2010, in Woburn, MA. To learn more visit http://www.unitygames.org/ugxvi/ugxvi.htm.

[Tip via http://www.gciacst.com/]

Museum of Toys and Pop Culture/The Nightmare Before Christmas

I didn’t know that we had a Museum of Toys and Pop Culture, but apparently we do! It’s in Arlington, MA, and it works with collectors to put their collections on display and share them with others. The next exhibit coming up is a display of collectibles from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” which will run from November 20th to February 20th, 2010. Furthermore there will be a wine and cheese opening reception for the exhibit on Friday the 20th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm at the Comicazi comic book store, also in Arlington. For more information visit http://www.motap.org/news.html and http://www.comicazi.com/.

First Night Boston

Boston’s First Night (New Year’s) festivities, held all day long on December 31st, include arts, crafts, music, storytelling, ice sculptures, fireworks and more (but sadly not famed storyteller Brother Blue, who passed away on November 3rd). Among the many events on the schedule are lots of fantasy stories/puppet shows/etc. for kids (and adults), a film track run by the New England Anime Society, and a live monster wrestling performance by Kaiju Big Battel. You need to purchase a First Night button to get into most events. Find all the details at http://www.firstnight.org/

Boston Comic Con

The next Boston Comic Con will be held April 10-11, 2010 in Boston, MA at their new location, the Westin Waterfront. Guests scheduled so far include Jim Lee, Mike Mignola, and many more. For details visit http://www.bostoncomiccon.com/.

[Tip from http://www.conventionscene.com/2009/10/31/boston-comic-con-moves-to-new-venue-with-an-all-star-guest-list/]

Otaku-Fest

UPDATE: This event has been cancelled. Please visit the convention’s website for updates.

Otaku-Fest is a one-day anime convention being held on March 7, 2010 on the campus of Salem State College in Salem, MA. In addition to cosplay events, gaming, and vendors, the convention will feature several musical performances, geek comedian Uncle Yo, and the action of Kaiju Big Battel. To learn more visit http://otakufestboston.com/.