Hildy Silverman | Michael A. Ventrella

The Eye of Argon (50th Anniversary)

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Michael A. Ventrella

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first publication of The Eye of Argon in a small, mimeographed fanzine, ConTinual asked me to moderate a panel to discuss what many consider the worst fantasy story ever written.

Well, come on, it was written by a kid, so give him some slack.

Writers Keith R.A. DeCandido, Gail Z. Martin, Hildy Silverman, Ian Randal Strock, and I discussed The Eye of Argon — But we came to praise, not bury.

We shared hilarious stories about its performance at various science fiction conventions and talked about the history of the story and its creator.

At the end, each panelist reads a section and the viewer can read along as well to enjoy it and see all the mistakes and typos. (If you want to try to read the whole thing, here’s a link.)

Watch and enjoy! (And if you want to see a performance done at a convention years ago with guest author Peter David, click here.)

Filed under: writing | Tagged: Gail Z. Martin, Hildy Silverman, Ian Randal Strock, Keith R.A. Candido, Michael A. Ventrella, The Eye of Argon | Leave a comment »

My Heliosphere 2017 schedule

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Michael A. Ventrella

Heliosphere is a brand new convention I will be attending next weekend (March 10th) and is very special because it will be hosting the book release party for my latest: Baker Street Irregulars! baker-street

The Guest of Honor at the convention is David Gerrold, who has a story in this new anthology, so this is the perfect place for our release party. Also in attendance will be other contributors to the book, including Keith R.A. DeCandido, Ryk Spoor, Hildy Silverman, and Austin Farmer!

Heliosphere will be held in Tarrytown, New York, just outside of the city. (Also I have to brag a bit: My wife Heidi Hooper is the “Special Guest” artist!)

Here’s my schedule:

Reading (Friday 3:30): I’ll be reading from my work, along with Anthony Balilovsky, Keith DeCandido, Alex Shvartsman, and Grant Carrington.

Books and Brews (Saturday 10:00) Come join me for coffee (no brews at 10 am, unless you want to) and we can talk about anything you want!

Capturing and Changing History in Speculative Fiction (Saturday noon): History is always subjective. Or at least written by the winners. How do you keep it close enough to recognize but different enough to be exciting? Listen to discussions among Pros and Fans. With Charles Gannon and Roberta Rogow.

Baker Street Irregulars book launch party (Saturday 1:30): A celebration for my new book, with prizes!

Elementary, My Dear Watson (Saturday 4:30): Why is Sherlock Holmes still so popular? People are flocking to recent comic releases, films, and plays. Panelists will discuss why Sherlock is still such a popular figure in contemporary culture. With guests Carol Bugge, Elizabeth Crowens, Keith DeCandido, and Marvin Kaye.

Autographing (Sunday 11:15): I’ll be sharing autographing space with David Gerrold and David Harten Watson.

The Biggest Mistakes Made by Beginning Writers (Sunday 2:00): My solo presentation for new writers.