Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly

Movie Review: Crazy Rich Asians

Posted on 28 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

(From Facebook, Sunday 26 August) Today we saw Crazy Rich Asians, a pleasant if fairly conventional Hollywood comedy romance, the distinctive and attractive feature being that the entire cast is Asian, and it’s mostly set in Singapore among the very … Continue reading →

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More San Jose Worldcon Panels

Posted on 28 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

(Long post — from Facebook, 23 August) Finishing my report on this year’s Worldcon, about the several interesting panels I attended — long post, about panels on SF and philosophy, definitions of SF, evolutionary theory and 19th Century SF, and … Continue reading →

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San Jose Worldcon Panels

Posted on 28 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

(From Facebook post, 20 August) Among the highlights of this year’s Worldcon, sadly, were tributes to Gardner Dozois and Harlan Ellison. I posted comments about the Dozois tribute on Friday. Back home now, I’m catching up on notes about the … Continue reading →

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Gardner Dozois memorial, San Jose 2018

Posted on 28 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

(from 17 August Facebook post) Nice, typical day at a Worldcon. I attended a Locus Foundation meeting as a member of the board, with discussions about various aspects of keeping the magazine, and its attendant projects, going. The GRRM event … Continue reading →

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George R.R. Martin’s Redwood City event

Posted on 28 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

(Facebook post, Wednesday 15 August, following the event on Tuesday the 14th.) The onstage interview last night with George R.R. Martin and John Picacio was very good. Both George and John have stage presence; they speak fluently and engagingly and … Continue reading →

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Late Night Notes from the Final Night of This Year’s World Science Fiction Convention

Posted on 28 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

(This post drafted on Sunday 19 August, late night in my hotel room; cleaned up and posted today, Tuesday 28 August.) I’m in San Jose, late on a Sunday night after this year’s Hugo Awards have been presented, and after … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Why I am Not a Conservative

Posted on 15 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

Every once in a while an op-ed in the New York Times, or a book review in NYT or PW (Publishers Weekly), will be on the subject of defending conservative values. I have a very basic intellectual grasp of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Changing One's Mind, Conservative Resistance, Culture | Leave a comment

Daily Matters: New Books; Flash Drive; The Piano, and the Discomfort of Art

Posted on 9 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

Tuesday August 7th: My main contributions now, to Locus Online, are the weekly Bestsellers page (I spend an hour or so compiling rankings of SF, fantasy, and horror books listed on mainstream bestsellers lists, from New York Times, LA Times, … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Trump and His Supporters; Versions of Leviticus; Ancient Aliens, Skepticism, and What Science Fiction Is Not

Posted on 3 August 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

I’ve been preoccupied with other matters in recent months, and need to resume regular posting of Links and Comments from things I see in the papers and magazines that I think are pertinent, in one way or another. If I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Social Progress | Leave a comment

David Brooks on Myths vs. Parables

Posted on 17 July 2018 by Mark R. Kelly

New York Times columnist David Brooks runs hot and cold with me; ostensibly a conservative, he’s too inclined to dismiss new ideas in favor of sanctified values, for my taste, yet he does read widely and responds to many new … Continue reading →

Posted in Narrative, Social Progress | Leave a comment