I am so hyped to be able to see him and get him to sign one of my many books and get some pics of this great man,if you go to dragoncon.org and check on guests you will see,I have attended this con for the last 3 years and finally this year he is there.if ya live close you may wanna go,plus the con is awsome you get to hang out with all the stars,and so much to do we have meet and got interviews withthe xena stars and bab 5 and john rhys dav gimli from lotr and he wiil be ther to gimli you would love this con

I don't think he's gonna be there. A buddy of mine talked to Ray not too long ago and Ray said that he knew nothing about it. It may be wishful thinking on the part of the DC people...

I talked to him Wednesday and saw him on Thursday and he didn't look in any shape to travel. He walks under his own power, but slowly and deliberately, with a walker, and tires after less than two hours. I don't think he's up to a trip across the state, let alone the country. If I were you, unless you plan to attend anyway, I wouldn't purchase tickets without a GUARANTEE that he will attend or your money back!

Hello. Does anybody know the latest information on Ray Bradbury's scheduled appearance at the DragonCon in Atlanta? I noticed he is still being advertised as one of their main guests. With this convention only about a month away, I would like to make plans to go if I knew Mr. Bradbury is going to attend. I have been hoping for an east coast appearance. I see that Forry Ackerman is also scheduled (Good to see he is attending cons again!), so I thought maybe they would both travel to Atlanta together & I would have a chance to say hello. Any info would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!

Sorry to disappoint anyone, but Ray will not be attending the convention in Atlanta. I'm not sure where this started, but they certainly shouldn't be advertising it at this late in the game.

Sam:

Just a note to let you know we are all looking forward to your new biography on Ray.

He's a great guy. It must be really fun to work with him on this project.

Thanks for posting occasionally with updates. We appreciate your comments and updates.

Thanks Mr. Dark! I may tap you for some of your incredibly keen literary insight. Your posts are always fun and thought provoking to read...Hey! that sounds like someone else we know!

Hi Sam,

What you're doing to document this living legend is truely remarkable. I'm sure you're getting more out of this writing experience than giving, so to speak.

Most of us within this community would love to see a "Mr. Dark commentary" added to your book, perhaps a perception shared, a depth of his writing revealed, as only Mr. Dark could. And now that he's actually been face to face with our hero, I'd be willing to guess Mr. Ray Bradbury himself would be equally appreciative of the addendeum.

Just a thought..hope I'm not treading across perilous waters here.

Although your enthusiasm is admirable and I would not venture to go so far as suggesting you're treading on dangerous waters, I would say you're laying it on pretty darn thick there. If there's even room for such commentaries in Mr. Weller's book, honors should go to Forrest J. Ackerman, William F. Nolan, and Donn Albright, who have enjoyed close proximity to Ray's life and work for decades. If younger generations' perspectives are needed, several generations of great writers in many fields would no doubt be glad to relate Bradbury's influence and impact on them, not to mention people who have directed and performed his plays. Such items as literary essays were best confined to the covers of collections of criticism.

Um, okay. Then maybe Mr. Dark should write his own book of Bradbury critiques. That's one I'd buy rather than borrow from the library.

One of Mr. Dark's fans,

Pete

Wow! What a pick up to come to the site and see these very flattering (well, most! :-) ) suggestions.

I am presently working on an RB work that I'm very excited about. As I get further along, I'll share what I'm doing and where I hope to go with it, but it is still in the developmental stages.

I'd like to make a kind of unique contribution that I hope will add value to RB studies someday. If that sounds arrogant, I apologize, but I am quite excited about it. While I admit there are more mature voices out there than mine, I bring over thirty years of passion to Bradbury's works.

My reading of F451 in 9th grade literally changed my life. I feel a very strong connection to his talent, vision and writing. I hope to bring that passion into my own work.

Dandelion,

I'm sure the names you mentioned are all capable writers. However, I was speaking within the context of this on-line community and expanding on Sam's earlier comment to Mr. Dark. I don't recall reading any of their commentary or expositions here.

If I'm laying anything on thick, it's recognition for the numerious sparks of insight he's brought to this site. But then of course, so have you.

It might be a dead issue anyway, since in the final hours of editing, Sam may or may not find benefit in anyone's opinion, as I'm sure he's got enough material to fill two editions and will probably have to omit pages that he'd prefer not to, just simply based on the economics of publishing.

And as Pete suggested, I would imagine a well-written critique or exposition of Ray Bradbury's writing would be well received.

Perhaps these ARE perilous waters, but Sam is the captain of this particular ship.

Good sailing, Sam.



[This message has been edited by Celestial (edited 07-25-2003).]

I must say I'm new to this joint, yet I believe Mr. Dark is a good writer and I would surely read his book when completed. While I would love to see Ray's old cronies comment in the pages, an inspirational piece, a result in action of his words on a person quite apart from him would also be great.

And Dark. Do you happen to write any fiction? If so I'm sure we'd all like to see a smidgeon.

I don't know who all the writers are out there but I think it would be nice to see some Bradbury influenced stories posted.

My fiction writing skills would be embarrassing to anyone. I took the GMAT -- the management admission test -- years ago. That test is divided into two sections: verbal and quantitative. I did quite well on the verbal portion, but the quantitative was quite embarrasing. It took me months of therapy to get over it! I feel the same way about my writing. I think I can write manageable prose and criticism, but I leave fiction/literature to the truly talented.

I know that Greg Miller has just published a book called "Big Cicada" (Greg, correct me with the title. I have ordered it on Amazon, but haven't received it, yet). Celestial has also been publishing. If she'd like, I'll let her post the location of some of her award-winning work. I've read a couple pieces and it is quite good. Dandelion has also published a book that has received good reviews. I have read sections and thought they were very good.

I'll leave it up to separate writers to provide ways to access their writing, though. There is a lot of talent on the board. I think I have something to offer, but it will not be in the realms of fiction-writing.


[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 07-25-2003).]

There are lots and lots of people out there who should put in their two cents:

Nik Grant, old family friend.

Bruce Francis, once had one of the largest Bradbury collections, and contributed a story to The Bradbury Chronicles, edited by William F. Nolan.

There was the late Roy Squires. He must have written something, to be found somewheres amongst his papers. He published Ray in small printings under the Roy Squires Press name.

Herb Yellin, of Lord John Press, who has known Ray for years, and has a particular take on Ray as a person.

Stan Freberg, a friend of Ray for innumerable years. He certainly would create an entertaining piece about Ray.

Richard Matheson, great author, and a very long-time friend.

How about Ray Harryhausen? Gee, they practically grew up together...

The daughters of Mikhail Gorbachev. They love Bradbury.

There's Radio Hall-of-Famer, Norman Corwin


How about the Kirk Douglas family? They have owned Bradbury materials for years They love the man. Peter Douglas, one of the 'quiet' sons, produced Disney's, 'Something Wicked this Way Comes.'


I bet if you really had the time and energy to dig thru things, you would find some of the truly 'greats' having scribbled at least a line or two or three on the wonder of Bradbury. There was Bernard Berenson. Rod Steiger. John F. Kennedy wrote a letter to Ray telling him he was looking forward to reading his works, which he was told were wonderful....

Theologian Calvin Miller has written quite a bit about Bradbury and his great influences...

Gosh, even Dennis Miller loves Bradbury.

If you put out an ad in some mainstream media publication, asking for comments and /or a pargraph on Bradbury, I am sure the mailbox would be over-filled with incredible viewpoints and charming stories....
And, yes, there is room for Mr. Dark, too...and...and......



[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 07-26-2003).]