Award-Winning Authors Talk Science Fiction with UR and Richmond Writing Communities

The University of Richmond will welcome award-winning science fiction authors Fran Wilde and Malka Older to campus this month to share their experiences and expertise with English students interested in science fiction writing and the publishing industry.

“So often in literature classes, students read works where an author is absent or even deceased,” said Joe Essid, UR’s Writing Center Director, who organized Wilde and Older’s trip to Richmond. “Inviting authors to answer questions, discuss the concepts essential to a genre, and talk about how to work with agents on a first novel is an invaluable experience for students.”

Following their on-campus appearances, Fountain Bookstore in Shockoe Slip will host both authors for community talks. 

Details include:

Fran Wilde, Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m.

Fran Wilde’s novels and short stories have been finalists for three Nebula Awards, a World Fantasy Award, and two Hugo Awards, and include her Andre Norton- and Compton-Crook-winning debut novel Updraft, its sequels Cloudbound and Horizon, and the Nebula-, Hugo-, and Locus-nominated novelette The Jewel and Her Lapidary. Her short stories appear in Nature, and the 2017 Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror.

Malka Older, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m.

Malka Older is a writer and aid worker and was named Senior Fellow for Technology and Risk at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs for 2015. She has more a decade of experience in humanitarian aid and development. Her most recent book Infomocracy received numerous accolades, including both Barnes and Noble and The Washington Post’s awards for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2016.

More details about each event can be found at fountainbookstore.com.

Visits are sponsored by The Cultural Affairs Committee and The Writing Center at the University of Richmond.

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