MIchigan: Let's talk "Happy Trek 50th" at your library

Well, THIS is different...

And so exciting: I'm going on a five-library tour of Michigan to celebrate Trek's ongoing golden anniversary next week. I mean, you didn't think the Big 5-0 ended on Sept. 8, did you? The anniversary year has only begun!

And this is doubly intriguing as it won't be a hard-core fan audience, but lots of armchair fans or just newbie-curious (I';m guessing) at local regional libraries all around suburban Detroit. Just as when the Alexandria, La., library had me visit last spring, I can't wait to see what kind of curious mainstream patrons come out to hear the amazing, wacky, and above all inspiring attraction of Gene Roddenberry's vision —and how and why it has lived long and prospered, generation after generation.

I'm counting on seeing plenty of the Michigan Trekfan faithful, of course, who can make it.

I've only been to Michigan once—at a weekend internet convention two years ago—so this is literally new ground for me.  I'll have a 60-90 minute talk, with a special "Between the Cracks of Trek" slideshow of course,  and then table time in each venue.  My thanks to Rob Butler at the Caroline Kennedy Library in Dearborn Heights for sparking the idea, then talking to more sister sites to add to the tour while I'm in-state.

So here's the schedule, as you can see at ln.com's NEWS page. Times are for the actual talk start, but since all but Saturday bump up against closing time at each site, I'll be there at least an hour early with a table to avoid the "closing rush."

Hope to see a lot of our Wolveriner Treklanders next week!

Here's the schedule:

Monday, Sept. 19, 6:30 pm

Redford Library

Redford, MI

Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7:00 pm

Caroline Kennedy Library

Dearborn Heights, MI

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 6:30 pm

Berkley Library

Berkley, MI

Thursday, Sept. 22, 6:30 pm

Lincoln Park Library

Lincoln Park, MI

Saturday, Sept. 24, 10:30 am

White Lake Library

White Lake, MI

Louisiana fans—see you at Alexandria's CreativeCon!

The southwest Louisiana cons in Lake Charles have been kind to host me often in recent years, but this Saturday I'm excited to see more mid-state Treklanders and a little out-of-the-box as the guest of "CreativeCon" in Alexandria!

This second annual event of the local library, aimed at the general public to promote books and pop culture's modern links, is free of charge from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Alexandria Mall —with a day full of hands-on fannish crafts and topics like propbuilding and cosplay, and a costume contest too.
And then, to help bring the message of Star Trek as it turns 50 this year, I get hauled away from my table at 1-2 p.m. as the featured guest with an all-new Trekland show. CreativeCon's mantra is "Remember: it was a book before it was a movie, game or TV show"—and while not technically true of Star Trek, there's no doubt that hundreds of books, comics and games have expanded Trek for folks ever since Gold Key #1 and Mission to Horatius hit the shelves.

A lot of my Cajun fan-friends will be on hand repping their own interests as well, and I hope to make a lot of new ones to boot. 

Good on Rapides Parish and Alexandria for reaching out to the community in such a big way.  The Big 5-0 for Trek rolls on!