Category: Language and Literature

Author Howard Waldrup talks about his beginnings as a fan artist and writer. He also discusses his extensive short fiction work, his fondness for creating subtly alternate worlds, and his love of classic movies.
This interview was recorded on 10/15/2005 and shown as part of episode 188 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

Peter Beagle plays  “The Elderly Gentleman’s Song.” Peter Soyer Beagle (born April 20, 1939) is an American novelist and screenwriter, especially fantasy fiction.^[1] His best-known work is The Last Unicorn (1968), a fantasy novel he wrote in his twenties, which Locussubscribers voted the number five “All-Time Best Fantasy Novel” in 1987. During the last twenty-five years he has won several literary awards, including a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2011. He was named Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master by the SFWA in 2018. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_S._Beagle 

In Fast Forward’s first foray into short Skype interviews, author Alethea Kontis talks about Trixter, her upcoming “book number 2.5” in the Woodcutter Sisters series. This interview was recorded (via Skype) on April 19, 2015.

Author Will McIntosh discusses writing both short fiction and novels. He talks about expanding the award winning short story “Bridesicle” into Love Minus Eighty, a novel about love and dating in the future. He also discusses the social themes and challenges faced by the characters of his science fiction books.
This interview was recorded on 10/10/2014, at the Capclave science fiction convention. This is the complete interview – a somewhat shorter version was originally shown as part of episode 276 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction. That version of the interview was edited to fit within the time constraints of the television show.

Author Tom Doyle talks about “The Wizard of Macatawa,” the story that won him a Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award. He also relates his experience at the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, and how he drew upon time living in Japan to create fantasy fiction.

This interview was originally part of episode #227 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction. It was recorded on 4/29/2009.

An interview with science fiction author Edward M. Lerner, discussing his novel, InterstellarNet: Enigma. Mr. Lerner also talks about the other books in his InterstellarNet series, his writing process, and his collaboration with Larry Niven on the Fleet of Worlds book series.

This interview was recorded on August 1st, 2015, and was shown as part of episode #280 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction in October, 2015.

Award winning author Michael Swanwick discusses Hope-in-the-Mist, his non-fiction book about the life of Hope Mirrlees. He talks about her aristocratic life, her influential 1926 fantasy novel, Lud-in-the-Mist, and her poem, Paris.
He also discusses his own recent fiction projects.
This interview was recorded in 2009 and originally shown as part of episode 225. of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science fiction.

The presentation of the WSFA Small Press Award. Recorded at the Capclave science fiction convention on October 10, 2015.

Author Maria V. Snyder talks about her book Storm Glass, the first volume in the Glass Book series. This series follows characters in the same fantasy universe as her popular Study Book series.
The interview was originally shown as part of episode #224 of the television series Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

This interview was recorded on May 6, 2009.

In the second of Fast Forward’s series of informal Skype interviews, host Mike Zipser talks to author Laura Anne Gilman about her forthcoming book, Silver on the Road.

This interview was recorded on September 20, 2015.

Best selling author Laurell K. Hamilton talks about Danse Macabre, the 14th book in her Anita Blake series. She discusses the relationships of the major characters in the series, both human and vampire, and how she manages the large cast of characters in the books. She also discusses how she handles working on her other book series while still keeping the Anita Blake books on schedule.
This interview was recorded on 7/06/2006 and was originally shown as part of episode 193 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

The Chesley Awards are given by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists for excellence in genre related art. This year (2015) the awards ceremony was held at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention.

This video was recorded on August 20, 2015.

Author Naomi Novik talks about Her Majesty’s Dragon and Throne of Jade, the first two books in her Temeraire series. The series is a fantasy version of the Napoleonic Wars – but with dragons functioning as an air force. She discusses the roles of men, women & dragons in the society, and how the aviators and dragons are considered an “outcast” group. She also talks about her experience in writing for video games prior to writing novels.
This interview was recorded at Balticon on 5/27/2006, and was originally shown as part of episode #192 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

In this episode of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction, Mandy Sweeney and Jonathan Spencer talk about recent progress in the development of the museum, including educational programs and an architectural design contest.

This interview was conducted on 4/26/2015, and was included as part of Episode #279 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction. The episode was first shown in August, 2015.

Author Peter S. Beagle talks about his life and writing career, including socializing with the poetry and theatre crowd in his teen years, crossing the US on a motor scooter, and his work as a musician and dishwasher. He also discusses several of his books, including The Last Unicorn, and the legal rights issues surrounding the animated film version of it.
This interview was recorded on 5/28/2006 and originally shown as part of episode 191 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction.

In this Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction interview, award winning author Alan Smale talks about the publication of his first novel, Clash of Eagles, which is the first volume of a three book series. He also discusses his attraction to writing alternate history stories, and the research that it requires. Mr. Smale also briefly discusses his day job as an astronomer for NASA.

This interview was recorded on 4/26/2015. It was shown as part of Fast Forward episode #278 in July of 2015.

In this Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction interview, author Genevieve Valentine talks about her childhood interest in fantasy and storytelling, as well as her first two novels, Mechanique and The Girls at the Kingfisher Club. She also discusses some of her other stories and her recent job of writing for the Catwoman comic.
This interview was recorded on 10/10/2014, at the Capclave science fiction convention, before a live audience. This version on YouTube is the complete interview. A slightly shorter version (edited to fit the show length) was shown as part of Fast Forward episode #277 in May of 2015.

In this interview for Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction, author Jeri Smith-Ready talks about Wicked Game, her book about a radio station run by vampire DJs. She also talks about her “Crow” future fantasy series.

Author Michael Swanwick talks about his novel, The Dragons of Babel. He discusses how he created a world where dragons and other fantasy elements are set in modern times and technologically up-to-date. He talks about several of the major characters in the book, as well as some of the research he conducted.
Mr. Swanwick also reviews the growth and evolution of the classic fantasy novel over the past several decades, and talks about the blog articles and diagrams he posted while writing his book.

This interview was recorded on 4/29/2009 and originally shown as part of Episode #209 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction in 2009.

In this Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction interview, award winning author Neal Stephenson discusses his science fiction novel, Seveneves. He talks about the space industry and how humans react when facing disaster. Mr. Stephenson also discusses his reputation for writing strong female characters, his lifelong fascination with spaceflight, and the many years it took to complete this book.

This interview was recorded on 5/26/2015.

The inteview was originally shown as part of Fast Forward: CSF episode #281, and was first shown in November, 2015.

Fast Forward went to the Library of Congress for the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event, in connection with the release of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie release. Hundreds of students enjoyed listening to and interacting with authors of the new young reader adaptations of the original movie trilogy. Here a few moments from the event.

This video was recorded on 12/07/2015.

This is a short interview conducted at the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event at the Library of Congress, with author Adam Gidwitz. He talks about his young reader book Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – So You Want to Be a Jedi.

Author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi talks about The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, his picture book adaptation of the original Star Wars trilogy. He also briefly mentions his upcoming book, The Story of Diva and Flea.

This interview was recorded on 12/07/2015, at the Library of Congress. It was recorded in connection with the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event.

Here’s a short interview with author Tom Angleberger, who talks about his young reader adaptation of Return of the Jedi, titled Beware the Power of the Dark Side! Mr. Angleberger also briefly discusses his Origami Yoda series of books, and his Rocket and Groot book that is being released in the Spring of 2016.

This interview was recorded on 12/07/2015, at the Library of Congress, as part of the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event.

A short interview with author Alexandra Bracken, who talks about her book The Princess, the Scoundrel and the Farm Boy, a new young reader adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope. She also briefly discusses her Darkest Minds book series, and her upcoming book, Passenger.

This interview was recorded on 12/07/2015, at the Library of Congress, at the Star Wars Readers’ Theater event.

Longtime fan and convention runner Bill Lawhorn talks about the many different kinds of science fiction related conventions you can attend, and what to expect when you get there.

This interview was recorded on March 13, 2016. It was originally included as part of episode #283 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction, first shown in March, 2016.

The Fast Forward production team is saddened by the recent unexpected passing of editor and publisher David G. Hartwell. This is a tremendous loss to the science fiction community. We went looking through the Fast Forward archives and found this short, lighthearted interview with Mr. Hartwell from Anticipation, the 2009 World Science Fiction Convention, where he was the editor guest of honor.

In this mini-interview author Aliette de Bodard briefly describes the setting for her new novel, The House of Shattered Wings. She also discusses the differences between how the American and European markets approach the task of translating science fiction works.

This interview was recorded on August 20, 2015, at Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention.

A brief interview with Charlie Logan, the creator of Dalek Rainier, who was a presenter at the 2015 Hugo Awards.

This interview was conducted on August 23rd, 2015, at Sasquan, the World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington.

In this mini-interview with art director Irene Gallo, she talks about what she does in her role as Associate Publisher of the Tor.com website.

This interview was recorded on August 20, 2015, at Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention.

Author Connie Willis returns to Fast Forward to talk about her latest novel, Crosstalk. The book is a romantic comedy that uses the trope of telepathy to examine relationships in our fast-paced, technology-obsessed society.
Mrs. Willis also talks about her recent visit, with several other SF professionals, to the Space Telescope Science Institute, where the data from the Hubble Space Telescope is processed.
In addition, she describes a few of the projects she is working on at the moment.

This interview was recorded on 5/28/2016, during the Balticon 50 science fiction convention. It was originally shown as part of episode #287 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction, released in October of 2016.

Dr. Charles E. Gannon talks about the third book, Raising Caine, in his Caine Riordan series. He discusses the evolution of his characters as they try to survive in a complex political landscape. He also describes how he devises some of his alien races.

This interview was originally shown as part of episode #282 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science fiction. The interview was recorded on December 16, 2015.

This interview with author, historian and composer Ada Palmer was conducted on location during Balticon 50, in Baltimore, MD. Ms. Palmer talks about her 2016 novel, Too Like the Lightning, She discusses how she uses her expertise in history to help her in her world building of a future society. She also talks about her involvement with the a cappella musical group Sassafrass, and her Norse-mythology-themed song cycle, Sundown: Whispers of Ragnarok.
This interview was originally shown as part of Episode #286 of Fast Forward: Contemporary Science Fiction in August of 2016. The interview was conducted on May 28, 2016.