Eliot … crashed a convention of science-fiction writers in a motel in Milford, Pennsylvania …. “I love you sons of bitches,” Eliot said …. “You’re all I read any more. You’re the only ones who’ll talk about the really terrific changes going on, the only ones crazy enough to know that life is a space voyage, and not a short one either, but one that’ll last for billions of years.
—from Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
Since 1956, when authors Frederik Pohl, Judith Merril, James Blish, Virginia Kidd and others gathered in Milford, this quiet town in eastern Pennsylvania has been a mecca for science fiction.
Last weekend, the tradition continued at the 9th installment of the Milford Readers & Writers Festival, where Christine Cohen and Vaughne Hansen (of the Virginia Kidd Literary Agency) organized a vibrant science fiction track that included a panel discussion on Milford’s place in the science fiction universe, author signings at The Better World Bookstore and Café, and an SRO reading event at Milford’s historic Dimmick Inn.
Among the participants were featured authors Michael Libling (Hollywood North, The Seriel Killer’s Son Takes a Wife), Bill DeSmedt (Singularity, Dualism), and Lillian Longendorfer (who instituted the science-fiction track of the Milford Festival in 2016).
I was there as well, and through it all, I was certain I felt the presence of science-fiction’s first generation–those 20th-century scops who first came to Milford in 1956.
I’ll be sharing some festival highlights in the next couple of posts, so be sure to stop back for some of the stories about Milford’s place in SF history and highlights from a night of readings that included a special Mystery Theatre presentation.
I’ll meet you here!
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