eldritchhobbit

It's official! I'll be a guest speaker/program participant at the following science fiction cons this spring/summer: RavenCon, ConCarolinas, and MidAmeriCon II/The 74th Worldcon.

My most recent "Looking Back on Genre History" segment is my third (and last for now) discussion of Star Wars inspirations. This is a stand-alone segment discussing the inspirations behind the Republic's transformation into the Empire, and you can find it here on Episode 419 of StarShipSofa. (My two-part look into the science fictional and historical inspirations behind the Jedi of Star Wars include Part 1 here and Part 2 here.) This is my 80th "Looking Back" segment! If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

Some of my friends (who also happen to be former graduate students) have been doing some fantastic things online:

* from Curtis Weyant (on Star Wars and Star Trek): "The Force is not magic."

* from Emily Strand: "Kylo Snape? Is The Force Awakens the Eighth Harry Potter Story?"

* and also from Emily Strand via Mugglenet Academia: "The Second War was Won on the Quidditch Pitch of Hogwarts: Quidditch as a Symbol Set in the Harry Potter Narrative."



And here are a couple more links for your enjoyment:

* from The British Library: "Medieval Star Wars."

* from I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: "Celebrating Christmas on Baker Street."

Hey! My latest article is now out in the print edition of Reason Magazine (Jan. 2016 issue): "Star Wars, Remixed."

When it's online, I'll post a link.

Thank you, my friends, for all of your kind and sympathetic words. They've meant a great deal to me over these recent days.

FYI, my most recent "Looking Back on Genre History" segment is up on Episode 410 of StarShipSofa. It's the first of a two-part look into the science fictional and historical inspirations behind the Jedi of Star Wars. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

And now, a moment of joy, courtesy of my niece. Kaitlyn's favorite thing to do this season is dive into a pile of dry leaves.

I'm back from Colonial Williamsburg and a fantastic conference on the Iroquois Confederacy. I could've used a day to recuperate before facing Monday, but so it goes. Onward and upward!

It's been ages since I reposted these, so today's the day. Here are the five tone poems from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. They were originally heard in the ads for the film.

"One Dream" (Anakin's Tone Poem)
What if dreams came true,
And you could be who you wanted to be,
And you could do what you wanted to do,
And you could help who you wanted to help?
What if dreams came true
And the world opened up
And you were never, ever afraid?
What if dreams came true?
But dreams do come true...
Don't they?

"One Will" (Amidala's Tone Poem)
There are things I cannot do.
I cannot watch while people suffer.
I cannot sit when something must be done.
I cannot cannot judge those who are different.
There are things I cannot do.
I cannot run, hide, or ignore.
There are things I cannot do.
But there are certainly things I will do.

"One Love" (Shmi's Tone Poem)
Don't look back before you go.
Eyes forward.
Choices to make.
Dreams to realize.
Don't look back before you go.
Know the truth, learn to let go.
Don't look back before you go,
Before you leave me.

"One Truth" (Darth Maul's Tone Poem)
Fear.
Fear Attracts the Fearful, the Strong, the Weak, the Innocent, the Corrupt.
Fear.
Fear is my ally.

"One Destiny" (Qui-Gon's Tone Poem)
It will be a hard life,
One without reward.
Without remorse.
Without regret.
A path will be placed before you.
The choice is yours alone.
Do what you think you cannot do.
It will be a hard life,
But you will find out who you are.

The fantastic Curtis Weyant interviewed me for the Mythgard Institute blog: "Interview: Amy H. Sturgis on The Force of Star Wars." Now that you know my answer, tell me: which character would you choose to be from the Star Wars 'verse?

Speaking of Star Wars, here's one last reminder: I'll be giving my live online lecture “The Jedi, the Cowboy, and… Thomas Edison?: Pulp Science Fiction and Star Wars” for the Mythgard Academy Guest Lecture Series on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 3:00 pm ET. Everyone is welcome! There is no cost. Save your virtual seat by registering for the talk here. The Guest Lecture Series site has more information on the lecture here.

The next two online events in Mythgard Institute's Guest Lecture Series are all about science fiction. You're invited to attend live for free!

DAVID BRIN will give his talk “Can Science Fiction Change the World?” on Saturday, 25 July, 2015 at 6:00pm ET. There's no cost, but virtual space is limited, so register now to reserve your seat!

David Brin is a scientist, speaker, technical consultant, and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula, and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. Some of his best-known novels include Earth, The Postman (filmed in 1997), and Hugo Award winners Startide Rising and The Uplift War. A leading commentator and speaker on modern trends, his nonfiction book The Transparent Society won the Freedom of Speech Award of the American Library Association. Brin serves on advisory committees dealing with subjects as diverse as national defense and homeland security, astronomy and space exploration, SETI and nanotechnology, future/prediction and philanthropy. He has served since 2010 on the council of external advisers for NASA’s Innovative and Advanced Concepts group (NIAC), which supports the most inventive and potentially ground-breaking new endeavors. In 2013, David Brin helped to establish the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UCSD, where he was honored as a “distinguished alumnus” and where he was thereafter a Visiting Scholar in Residence.

Brin’s newest novel Existence explores the ultimate question: billions of planets are ripe for life. So where is Everybody? David’s main thread: how will we shape the days and years ahead – and how will tomorrow shape us?



As for myself, AMY H. STURGIS, I will give my talk “The Jedi, the Cowboy, and… Thomas Edison?: Pulp Science Fiction and Star Wars” on Saturday, 15 August at 3:00 pm ET. There's no cost, but virtual space is limited, so register now to reserve your seat!

You know me (and if you don't, here is my website). Below is the official synopsis of my talk:

What images come to mind when you think of Star Wars? Luke Skywalker watching the twin suns set on Tatooine? Princess Leia with a blaster in her hand and buns on her head? The glow of a lightsaber in the darkness? These visuals convey volumes, and they spring in part from a common origin.

One of the keys to the worldwide success of Star Wars is that the saga draws from a variety of global sources, both classical and contemporary. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as she discusses one particular tradition that has left its indelible imprint on the Star Wars franchise. How did pulp science fiction evolve? What is the relationship between this genre and the Western? And how can tracing the pulp ancestry of Star Wars give us new insights on key moments and messages across the Star Wars canon — and quite possibly shed light on the forthcoming film The Force Awakens? Star Wars fans and newbies alike are welcome!

Please spread the word if you know of others who might be interested! Thanks so much. I hope to see you at these talks.

Christopher Lee's elegant and intelligent presence looms large in so many of the 'verses I love and study and research and teach: the Gothic, Holmesiana, Tolkieniana, Star Wars, etc. I'm handling the sad news today by imagining his *epic* reunion with his dear friend, Peter Cushing. Two one-of-a-kind gentlemen.

*moment of silence*

* Huge congratulations to Glass Hammer's Stephen R. Babb on the publication of his gorgeous The Lay of Lirazel in paperback, ebook, and audiobook form. The Lay Of Lirazel is narrative poetry told in epic fashion, but it is poetry fully equipped with fangs and enough terror to keep a reader turning pages till the last curse falls and death and doom claim their prize! Inspired by the poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson, the paintings of John W. Waterhouse, and the writings of George MacDonald, William Morris, and Lord Dunsany, The Lay of Lirazel is the essence of the mythopoeic set to verse. I'm proud to have written the foreword for this remarkable work. Highly recommended!



* I'll be offering a two-weekend-long intense lecture series called "The Dystopian Tradition: What Worlds Gone Wrong Can Teach Us" in Spring 2015 in Asheville, NC (minutes from where much of The Hunger Games was filmed). Accepted undergraduate/graduate students will have hotel and meals provided without cost. Interested students may apply here.

* Sean Pertwee's Halloween costume made me go all mushy inside. (Incidentally, he's my favorite thing about Gotham, and there's a lot to love about that show.)

* So Star Wars Episode VII will be The Force Awakens. I didn't realize that the Force had dozed off. That said, I hope the latest speculations have some truth to them. If so, it could be good, even great. (Anthony Daniels certainly seems pleased with it.)



* I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Elizabeth Peña. She starred in a film I dearly love, Lone Star, and several other great ones (Jacob's Ladder, anyone?). So sad.

* I'm looking forward to Billy Boyd's "The Last Goodbye" for The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. (We can hear a clip now here and via iTunes.)

Have a great day!