Daniel W. Drezner is professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, a senior editor at The National Interest, and a contributing editor at Foreign Policy. He is also a fan of zombies. Drezner has written Theories of International Politics and Zombies, which takes the zombie apocalypse quite seriously:
What would happen to international politics if the dead rose from the grave and started to feast upon the living? Daniel Drezner’s groundbreaking book answers the question that other international relations scholars have been too scared to ask. Addressing timely issues with analytical bite, Drezner looks at how well-known theories from international relations might be applied to a war with zombies. Exploring the plots of popular zombie films, songs, and books, Theories of International Politics and Zombies predicts realistic scenarios for the political stage in the face of a zombie threat and considers how valid–or how rotten–such scenarios might be.
Drezner will appear at the Harvard Coop Bookstore in Cambridge, MA on March 1st from 7:00-8:00pm. See http://harvardcoopbooks.bncollege.com/ for more information.
The American Repertory Theater will present the musical Death and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera at the Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College in Boston, MA:
When the eccentric patriarch Simon Powers downloads himself into The System, his entire house comes to life around his family and friends. A groundbreaking new production developed by the MIT Media Lab in partnership with the A.R.T., Death and the Powers explores what we leave behind for the world and our loved ones, using specially designed technology and an expressively animated stage, including a chorus of robots and a musical chandelier. Machover, called “America’s most wired composer” by the L.A. Times, distinctively blends technological and artistic finesse to create a score that is passionately inventive, yet filled with arching melodic lines.
There will be four performances:
Friday March 18 – 7:30pm
Sunday March 20 – 3:00pm
Tuesday March 22 – 7:30pm
Friday March 25 – 7:30pm
Find out more at http://www.americanrepertorytheater.org/events/show/death-and-powers-robots-opera.
Additionally, members of the creative team will appear in person at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA to discuss the production in “Death and the Powers: A Conversation” on March 11th at 6:00pm. See http://brattlefilm.org/2011/03/11/death-and-the-powers-a-conversation/ for details.
The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA is presenting a series of science fiction films with the theme of “Mental Machines”:
In celebration of the upcoming performances of Tod Machover’s “robot opera” Death and the Powers, we’re presenting this series of inspired and inspiring sci-fi films that features computers and robots acting outside of their programmed parameters. Starting with the all-time classic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, this series also features a rarely screened 70s film (DEMON SEED), an overlooked animated classic (IRON GIANT), a remarkable screen debut (MOON), and more! In addition, we host a special evening on March 11 featuring a conversation with members of the Death and the Powers creative crew and a screening of the recent, much-lauded ‘reboot’ of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
The entire repertory series runs from March 6th to March 13th; visit http://brattlefilm.org/category/calendar-2/repertory-series/mental-machines/ for a complete list of films and showtimes.
The Northeastern Writers’ Conference is an annual gathering held in Bristol, RI. This year’s conference will be held the weekend of July 21-24, 2011, and the guests of honor will be authors Sarah Langan and Jonathan Maberry, with artist guest of honor Steven Gilberts.
Necon is a small annual convention that draws authors and editors, artists and fans from around the country and is widely regarded as the best convention around (in fact, many of the authors who attend go to no other cons but this one!). Past guests include such luminaries as Neil Gaiman, Charles Grant, Craig Shaw Gardner, Alan Ryan, Les Daniels, Nancy Holder, John Coyne, Doug Winter, Steven Spruill, Tom Monteleone, Joe Lansdale, Ginjer Buchanan and Yvonne Navarro. The art show annually draws the top artists from around the country, such as Bernie Wrightson, Cortney Skinner, Pat Morrissey, Matt Costello, Jill Bauman, Bob Eggleton, Alan Clark, and many more. The dealers’ room boasts items ranging from $.25 paperbacks to expensive first editions.
Visit http://www.campnecon.com/ for more information.
Edge Infinity Studios will present “This Is The End: Sci-Fi Film Fest” at 9:00pm on March 16th at The Cable Car Cinema in Providence, RI:
“This is the End” features six short films presented by Edge Infinity Studios. It’s the official public debut of Award Winning filmmaker, Rajah Samaroo who has been making films for over 8 years in RI. His work been well received in local film festivals including the New Bedford Film festival 2005 for “Fantastic Morning” and the “Southern New England Independent Film Festival”.
This marks the offical world premiere of “The Happy Machine”. It’s a quirky sci-fi short about a lonely inventor who discovers a quick fix for his depressive mood. Of course, things get out of hand when his marketing savvy neighbor decides to “share” his invention with the neighborhood.
The event is free, but you can support the filmmakers by purchasing a VIP ticket. Learn more at http://edgeinfinity.com/.
[Tip from Andrew]
The 22nd annual Readercon convention will be held in Burlington, MA the weekend of July 14-17, featuring guests of honor Geoff Ryman and Gardner Dozois. As you might guess from the name, Readercon is focused on the written word:
Readercon is an annual conference or convention devoted to “imaginative literature” — literary science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the unclassifiable works often called “slipstream.”
A typical Readercon features over 150 writers, editors, publishers, and critics, attracting prominent figures from across the U.S., and from Canada, the U.K., and occasionally even Australia and Japan. They are joined by some 500 of their most passionate and articulate readers for a long weekend of intense conversation.
Note that programming on Thursday the 14th is open to the public for free. Learn more at http://www.readercon.org/.
Steven C. Schlozman will present his thriller The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse on March 28th at 7:00pm at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA. This event is sponsored by the nearby Brookline Booksmith; the event is free but tickets are required. See http://www.brooklinebooksmith-shop.com/scholzman-zombie-autopsies for full details.
The Browncoat Ball is a mighty fine shindig for fans of Firefly and its follow-up movie, Serenity. The event travels to a different city each year, and the 2011 Browncoat Ball will be hosted by the New England Browncoats in Providence/Warwick, RI the weekend of October 21-23. The main event features a banquet dinner and dancing inspired by the episode “Shindig,” but there will also be a Friday night Halloween party and tourism opportunities during the day on Saturday. Visit http://www.browncoatball.com for more details.
Zorvino Vineyards in Sandown, NH is hosting “A Literary Evening” featuring 50 New England authors, including science fiction/fantasy authors Kristina Schram (The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies), Catherine Patton (The Atlantis Seals), Mike Howlett (The Weird World of Eerie Publications), Danny Evarts (Shroud Magazine), Elizabeth Dougherty (The Blind Pig), Cindy Davis (Healing Magic), Ashlyn Chase (The Werewolf Upstairs), and Nikki Andrews (A Windswept Star). The event takes place February 11th from 6:00-9:00pm. See http://www.zorvino.com/scripts/eventPg.cfm for details.
[Tip from Kristina Schram]
The 30th anniversary I-Con convention is coming up the weekend of April 15-17 at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY. This convention has a huge guest list of authors, artists, scientists, and others; the guest of honor will be author Joe R. Lansdale. You can get all the details at http://www.iconsf.org/.
Books, MA | nescifievents | 
February 25, 2011 10:41 pm | 
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