February 2010 A very special evening with
George Clayton Johnson
Screenwriter, playwright, novelist & actor
and
William F. Nolan
Award-winning author of science fiction & dark fantasy
Presented in cooperation with Dream Logic Films & JaSunni Productions.
Thursday, February 4 @ 7 p.m.
(There will be an early book signing beginning at 6:30 p.m. & following the program. Books will be available for purchase at the event)
"For me, fantasy must be about something, otherwise it's foolishness... ultimately it must be about human beings, it must be about the human condition, it must be another look at infinity, it must be another way of seeing the paradox of existence."
-- George Clayton Johnson
quoted in The Twilight Zone Companion  George Clayton Johnson's credits include some of science fiction's most imaginative, historic and memorable scripts, including The Twilight Zone episodes "Nothing in the Dark," "Kick the Can." and "A Game of Pool," and the first Star Trek episode to air, "The Man Trap. He collaborated with William Nolan on the novel Logan's Run, later made into an MGM movie. He also wrote the screenplay for the original Oceans 11 and co-authored (with Ray Bradbury) the animated short film - "Icarus Montgolfier Wright," which was nominated for a 1963 Academy Award in 1963.
In 1960 the first story Johnson ever wrote served as the basis for the Rat Pack movie Ocean's Eleven,although most of the details were changed for the film. He joined a circle of Southern California science-fiction writers that included Theodore Sturgeon, William F. Nolan, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and Ray Bradbury. Through them he met Rod Serling, to whom he sold his first story ("All of Us Are Dying", produced as "The Four of Us Are Dying") and, later, his first teleplay ("A Penny for Your Thoughts").  George has left his unique imprint on not only in the literary world, but also the world of pop culture. He has the singular claim to fame of penning the words, "He's dead, Jim," for the first time when he wrote the first ever aired episode of the classic Star Trek series, The Man Trap. Additional writing credits include episodes of Kung Fu, Route 66, Honey West, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Born in a barn, he had to repeat the sixth grade and dropped out of school entirely in the eighth. He briefly served as a telegraph operator then draftsman in the Army, enrolled at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) under the G.I. Bill, quit to return to his travels around the U.S.A., working as an draftsman, before deciding he wanted to become a writer. Now, at the age of 80, George continues to be prolific as ever, still writing and producing various projects for television, film, and the internet, including remakes of some of his classic episodes for The Twilight Zone. He resides in Southern California with his wife Lola, who has been blissfully married to for over half a century.  William F. Nolan writes mostly in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. Though best known for co-authoring the classic dystopian science fiction novel Logan's Run with George Clayton Johnson, Nolan is the author of more than 2000 pieces (fiction, non-fiction, articles and books), and has edited 26 anthologies in his 50+ year career (his latest with co-editor Jason V Brock is The Bleeding Edge: Dark Barriers, Dark Frontiersfrom Cycatrix Press).
In January, 2010 a comic book series based on Logan's Run (Logan's Run: Last Day) debuted from Vancouver, Washington-based publisher Bluewater Productions, and the outfit is also working with Nolan on two other series based on his stories and characters (William F. Nolan's Sam Space and Tales from William F. Nolan's Dark Universe). In addition, a new short story collection from Darkwood Press, entitled Dark Dimensions, is due in later 2010. Adept at poetry and screenwriting as well as fiction (with more than 20 produced scripts to his credit), he was co-writer (with Dan Curtis) of the screenplay for the 1976 horror film Burnt Offerings, and co-wrote Trilogy of Terror with his friend Richard Matheson, both for Dan Curtis Productions.  An artist, Nolan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked at Hallmark Cards, Inc. and in comic books before becoming an author. In the 1950s, Nolan was an integral part of the writing ensemble known as "The Group", which included many well-known genre writers, such as Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, John Tomerlin, Matheson, Johnson and others, many of whom wrote for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Nolan is considered a leading expert on Dashiell Hammett, pulps such as Black Mask and Western Stories, and is the world authority on the works of prolific scribe Max Brand.
Of his numerous awards, there are a few of which he is most proud: being voted a Living Legend in Dark Fantasy by the International Horror Guild in 2002; twice winning the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America; being awarded the honorary title of Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. in 2006, Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association in 2010. .  Caspar Babypants
A concert for kids (2 - 5) and families
Wheelock Library
Thursday, February 11 @ 10:30 a.m. & 1 p.m. Main Library, Olympic Room
Saturday, February 20 @ 10:30 a.m. Moore Library
Friday, February 26 @ 10:30 a.m.  Caspar Babypants makes simple sing-along music for baby brains and parent ears. Caspar Babypants is also known as Chris Ballew, lead singer of the rock and roll band The Presidents of the United States of America. As a musician playing music for young children and their parents, Ballew is committed to creating music that's a positive helping component in the home and car. He wants to help new parents sing to, and with, their child with songs that are fun and bouncy. His albums for young children include "Here I am" and "More Please".
Ballew says that he "doesn't tell kids what to do - show them is my thing. ... I want to take them for a walk under a rock or have a little ant be their friend. I'm really not interested in saying, "Time to dance, kids!" or "Here's how you tie your shoe," or "Here's how you count to 10." ...  "I think a lot of children's music is a little too instructional and a little too bombastic. I think it's a chaotic sound that's telling people what to do. ... I want to go to a soothing sound that shows you a little movie - a little image that you can enjoy in your head and gives you a melody that you can sing later without the recording."
Learn more about Caspar Babypants at http://www.babypantsmusic.com/. Seating is limited and on a space-available basis.
Book talk & signing with
Alan Bauer
Co-author & photographer of
Day Hiking - Mount Rainier
Thursday, February 25 @ 7 p.m.
Olympic Room, Main Library  Alan L. Bauer is a professional freelance photographer/ writer specializing in the natural history of the Pacific Northwest and coverage of local history. He is currently working on a fourth new book project with The Mountaineers Books as part of the new "Day Hiking" series after just recently completing the photography for his first four in the new book series. "Day Hiking-Mount Rainier National Park" "Day Hiking-South Cascades" "Day Hiking-Central Cascades" and "Day Hiking-Snoqualmie Region" from May 2007. "Best Desert Hikes: Washington" was published in October 2004 and "Best Hikes With Dogs: Inland Northwest" in February 2005.
The tallest mountain in the Cascade Range has long beckoned hikers to its many trails. Compact, portable, and beautifully packaged, Day Hiking - Mount Rainierprovides the most thorough coverage of Mount Rainier National Park to date, including the park's four main entrances-Nisqually, Carbon River, White River/Sunrise, and Stevens Canyon/Ohanapecosh -- as well as Cayuse Pass and Highway 123, the Grove of the Patriarchs, Camp Muir, parts of the Wonderland Trail, Longmire, and Paradise. Nearby camping options are included, plus info on how to extend your hike, a full-color photo insert and overview map, quick-reference icons for kids, dogs, views, and much more.
Last Updated 01.02.2010 |