It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.
Monday, September 13th 19:00: The Weigher
A world dominated by sentiment big cats where the rule of law is enforced by the Weighers, a combination of judge, peacemaker and accountant through a brutal code of honour and combat. Without their violent intervention in things, all-out war and anarchy would ensue.
When two human explorers – fragile, weak and potentially easy prey – arrive on that world, Slasher, a Weigher of skill and talent in physical combat, finds herself defending them. In doing so, she finds herself a disgraced outcast.
Join Gyro Muggins as he resumes the story by Eric Vinicoff and Marcia Martin.
Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumoured to hide a monster. And two hundred years ago, a witch placed a curse on Twig’s family that was meant to last forever. But this summer, everything will change when the red moon rises. It’s time to break the spell.
Thursday, September 16th, 19:00: The Sea and Little Fishes
Caledonia Skytower takes us back to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld for a tidy little tale of allowing someone to prove they are wrong – whether in word or deed or both.
It is time for the annual Lancre Witch Trials, and Lettice Earwig appoints herself as head of a cadre of witches who decide Granny Weatherwax should not compete on account of her winning every year. Asking her to step aside is anticipated as a possibly unpleasant task – so when she agree with disarming courtesy. Just what could it mean…?
First published in 1998, Pratchett later explained that the title of the story comes from an ancient saying (which he’d made up!): The big sea does not care which way the little fishes swim.
It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.
Monday, September 6th 19:00: The Weigher
A world dominated by sentiment big cats where the rule of law is enforced by the Weighers, a combination of judge, peacemaker and accountant through a brutal code of honour and combat. Without their violent intervention in things, all-out war and anarchy would ensue.
When two human explorers – fragile, weak and potentially easy prey – arrive on that world, Slasher, a Weigher of skill and talent in physical combat, finds herself defending them. In doing so, she finds herself a disgraced outcast.
Join Gyro Muggins as he resumes the story by Eric Vinicoff and Marcia Martin.
Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumoured to hide a monster. And two hundred years ago, a witch placed a curse on Twig’s family that was meant to last forever. But this summer, everything will change when the red moon rises. It’s time to break the spell.
Willow Moonfire read’s Alice Hoffman’s novel.
Wednesday, September 8th, 19:00 Hollywood Chickens and More…
… From the works of Terry Pratchett, with Caledonia Skytower.
It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.
Monday, August 30th 19:00: Goliath
The third and final instalment in Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series, Goliath takes us once more to the alternative past history of Earth at the time of the First World War, and a world divided between the Darwinists- those who have evolved genetics to make animals more useful to humans – and the Clankers, who have built their society on machinery technology.
Once again we join Alek and Deryn in their adventures, this time with both of them aboard the living airship Leviathan. Unexpectedly, the ship is diverted mid-flight over Russia with orders to pick up a single large create being transported overland by a fighting bear. Once aboard the whale-ship the crew set about constructing the machine as the ship continues on its way.
Passing over Siberia, the Leviathan comes across an area of great mystery: a devastated region where the trees have been flattened to form a great series of rings, the corpse of another whale-ship lying near its centre, the beleaguered survivors needing rescue even as they are protected from out-of-control and starving fighting bears by another strange machine.
Bringing them aboard the Leviathan, the crew discover the survivors have been protected by the work of one Nikola Tesla, a scientist and inventor who may have the weapon that can bring an end to the Great War.
As the adventure continues, Deryn, still disguising herself as a boy in order to be a part of Leviathan’s crew, struggles with her feelings for Alek and whether she should reveal the truth about herself to him…
The Greek myths are the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney. They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West.
While Stephen Fry is perhaps best known as an actor / performer with a flair for also being a raconteur, he has also made a name for himself as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. As a lover of Greek mythology, he has penned three volumes on the legends: Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold (2017), Heroes, The myths of the Ancient Greek heroes retold (2018) and Troy Our Greatest Story Retold (2020).
In his hands, these legends – from Athena born from the cracking open of Zeus’s great head to Persephone’s descent into the underworld courtesy of Hades or the 12 trials of Heracles or Perseus’ facing of the Medusa or the fate of Prometheus after he betrays Zeus or the vanity of Cassiopeia and the fate it placed on her daughter, all the way through to THAT war with the horsey thing – Fry turns the stories of the titans and gods and heroes, heroines, kings and queens of the ancient Greek tales into an entertaining account of ribaldry and revelry, warfare and worship, debauchery, love affairs and life lessons, slayings and suicides, triumphs and tragedies.
With Going Greek! Willow Moonfire offers a mix of some of the re-told tales from all three volumes in what is sure to be an entertaining reading.
Wednesday, September 1st, 19:00 Creatures of Light and Darkness
Two gods, two houses, one quest and the eternal war between life and death. To save his kingdom, Anubis, Lord of the Dead, sends forth his servant on a mission of vengeance. At the same time, from The House of Life, Osiris sends forth his son, Horus, on the same mission to destroy utterly & forever The Prince Who Was a Thousand.
But neither of these superhuman warriors is prepared for the strange & harrowing world of mortal life. The Thing That Cries in the Night may well destroy not only their worlds, but all humankind.
With Corwyn Allen.
Thursday, September 2nd, 19:00: The Map of Perfect Tiny Things
Teenager Mark is having something of a Groundhog Day life, caught in a time loop, repeating the same day over and over again. He’s been in the loop for so long, he can aid other people by anticipating their movements, and one person in particular has caught his attention: a girl he has come to develop a crush on, and who gets knocked into the local community pool by a beach ball.
Summoning the courage to gain her thanks by preventing the mishap, Mark sets out for the swimming pool – only his attempts to intervene are constantly frustrated by interruptions.
One such interruption is another girl called Margaret, and Mark discovers she is is living the same time loop as he. As the days pass, they share their hopes and dreams with one another, and Mark sees those dreams and hopes as a possible means of breaking the loop – but Margaret appears less enthusiastic about doing so. She also repeatedly breaks their evenings together when she receives a text message from the mysterious Jared, a medical student, which always cause her to leave Mark for reasons unknown.
Increasingly disenchanted with their friendship, Mark starts to return to the perfections of his own routines – but then something happens to change everything…
Shandon Loring reads the short story by Lev Grossman which is now the subject of a 2021 film directed by Ian Samuels and using a screenplay by Grossman.
It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.
Monday, August 23rd 19:00: Goliath
The third and final instalment in Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series, Goliath takes us once more to the alternative past history of Earth at the time of the First World War, and a world divided between the Darwinists- those who have evolved genetics to make animals more useful to humans – and the Clankers, who have built their society on machinery technology.
Once again we join Alek and Deryn in their adventures, this time with both of them aboard the living airship Leviathan. Unexpectedly, the ship is diverted mid-flight over Russia with orders to pick up a single large create being transported overland by a fighting bear. Once aboard the whale-ship the crew set about constructing the machine as the ship continues on its way.
Passing over Siberia, the Leviathan comes across an area of great mystery: a devastated region where the trees have been flattened to form a great series of rings, the corpse of another whale-ship lying near its centre, the beleaguered survivors needing rescue even as they are protected from out-of-control and starving fighting bears by another strange machine.
Bringing them aboard the Leviathan, the crew discover the survivors have been protected by the work of one Nikola Tesla, a scientist and inventor who may have the weapon that can bring an end to the Great War.
As the adventure continues, Deryn, still disguising herself as a boy in order to be a part of Leviathan’s crew, struggles with her feelings for Alek and whether she should reveal the truth about herself to him…
Tuesday, August 24th 19:00: Going Greek!
The Greek myths are the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney. They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West.
While Stephen Fry is perhaps best known as an actor / performer with a flair for also being a raconteur, he has also made a name for himself as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. As a lover of Greek mythology, he has penned three volumes on the legends: Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold (2017), Heroes, The myths of the Ancient Greek heroes retold (2018) and Troy Our Greatest Story Retold (2020).
In his hands, these legends – from Athena born from the cracking open of Zeus’s great head to Persephone’s descent into the underworld courtesy of Hades or the 12 trials of Heracles or Perseus’ facing of the Medusa or the fate of Prometheus after he betrays Zeus or the vanity of Cassiopeia and the fate it placed on her daughter, all the way through to THAT war with the horsey thing – Fry turns the stories of the titans and gods and heroes, heroines, kings and queens of the ancient Greek tales into an entertaining account of ribaldry and revelry, warfare and worship, debauchery, love affairs and life lessons, slayings and suicides, triumphs and tragedies.
With Going Greek! Willow Moonfire offers a mix of some of the re-told tales from all three volumes in what is sure to be an entertaining reading.
Wednesday, August 25th, 19:00 Creatures of Light and Darkness
Two gods, two houses, one quest and the eternal war between life and death. To save his kingdom, Anubis, Lord of the Dead, sends forth his servant on a mission of vengeance. At the same time, from The House of Life, Osiris sends forth his son, Horus, on the same mission to destroy utterly & forever The Prince Who Was a Thousand.
But neither of these superhuman warriors is prepared for the strange & harrowing world of mortal life. The Thing That Cries in the Night may well destroy not only their worlds, but all humankind.
It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.
Sunday, August 15th, 13:00: Tea-Time At the Movies: The The Man
Published in 1933 / 1934, The Thin Man was the last of Dashiell Hammett’s five major novels – although it did not mark the end of his career as a writer, as he continued to write short stories and screenplays well after the novel’s publication.
The story follows Nick and Nora Charles, he is a former private detective, she a wealthy socialite. Thanks to Nora’s wealth, the couple tend to enjoy a life of leisure, booze and flirting. Until, that is, they are asked to look into the mysterious disappearance of the Thin Man himself – one Clyde Wynant, a former client Nick helped in the past, and who vanished on a business trip ahead of his daughter’s wedding.
The story, rich in banter, humour and twists and turns was an immediate hit, quickly becoming the basis for a 1934 film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora, and which kept pretty close to the novel with just a few changes (in the film Nick is a former police detective, for example).
It, too, was an immediate hit – so much so, that Hammett was commissioned to write five further stories (the second of which was co-written by Anita Loos) to used as the basis for a series of sequel films produced between 1936 and 1947, all of which saw Powell and Loy reprise their roles (incidentally, the series retained the use of “The Thin Man” – originally a reference to Clyde Wynant, as noted, because many in the film’s audience believed it to be a reference to the character of Nick Charles).
What is particularly notable about The Thin Man and its sequels, is the relationship – the flirtatious repartee and banner – that marked their relationship, and which was sharply transferred to the silver screen in the first film, becoming a hallmark of the sequels and, later the television series (1957-59) in which Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk took over the lead roles. In this, The Thin Man is regarded as the archetype for the popular husband / wife detective series of screen and television that followed it.
So be sure to join the Seanchai Tea-Time team as they present the last in this mini-series.
Monday, August 16th 19:00: Goliath
The third and final instalment in Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series, Goliath takes us once more to the alternative past history of Earth at the time of the First World War, and a world divided between the Darwinists- those who have evolved genetics to make animals more useful to humans – and the Clankers, who have built their society on machinery technology.
Once again we join Alek and Deryn in their adventures, this time with both of them aboard the living airship Leviathan. Unexpectedly, the ship is diverted mid-flight over Russia with orders to pick up a single large create being transported overland by a fighting bear. Once aboard the whale-ship the crew set about constructing the machine as the ship continues on its way.
Passing over Siberia, the Leviathan comes across an area of great mystery: a devastated region where the trees have been flattened to form a great series of rings, the corpse of another whale-ship lying near its centre, the beleaguered survivors needing rescue even as they are protected from out-of-control and starving fighting bears by another strange machine.
Bringing them aboard the Leviathan, the crew discover the survivors have been protected by the work of one Nikola Tesla, a scientist and inventor who may have the weapon that can bring an end to the Great War.
As the adventure continues, Deryn, still disguising herself as a boy in order to be a part of Leviathan’s crew, struggles with her feelings for Alek and whether she should reveal the truth about herself to him…
Willow Moonfire reads a short story from Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea sagas.
Wednesday, August 18th, 19:00 Creatures of Light and Darkness
Two gods, two houses, one quest and the eternal war between life and death. To save his kingdom, Anubis, Lord of the Dead, sends forth his servant on a mission of vengeance. At the same time, from The House of Life, Osiris sends forth his son, Horus, on the same mission to destroy utterly & forever The Prince Who Was a Thousand.
But neither of these superhuman warriors is prepared for the strange & harrowing world of mortal life. The Thing That Cries in the Night may well destroy not only their worlds, but all humankind.
With Corwyn Allen.
Thursday, August 19th, 19:00 Selections from The Book of Dragons
With Finn Zeddmorre.
Friday, August 20th, 14:30: Terry Pratchett’s Unseen Academicals
Football in Ankh-Morpork is not as we might know it. Rather than being comprised of rules and played within a recognisable ground, it is far more akin to the somewhat violent mob football of medieval Europe.
Not that this is a concern for the elderly, mostly indolent and (some might be tempted to think) somewhat inept old wizards making up the faculty staff at the city’s school of wizardry, the Unseen University. Until, that is, their very handsome annual endowment becomes subject to their playing the game themselves.
Thus, Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully sets out a two-pronged strategy: to ensure the city’s version of football is restructured with proper (and favourable?) rules, and to put team preparations at the university in the hands of the talented candle dribbler, Mr. Nutt and his assistant, Trevor Likely, the son of the city’s most famous (if deceased – did I mention the game can be violent?) player, who are in turn supported by Glenda Sugarbean, who runs the university’s night kitchen and her assistant Juliet Stollop.
Except Mr. Nutt soon discovers he has problems of his own to deal with, and Trevor has promised his Mum he’ll never get involved in the game. Meanwhile, Glenda has the daily responsibility of baking the Discworld’s best pies, and Juliet is about to find herself whisked towards the heights of fame as a fashion model, thus potentially leaving the team a little short on practical advice…
Join Caledonia Skytower as she presents the 37th novel in the Discworld series, and possibly one of its greatest satirical undertakings encompassing football, academia, traditions, the fashion industry, politics, love, fandom, and which mixes in more serious themes of identity, crab mentality and self-worth.
The dates and initial details of the Relay for Life 2021 Renaissance Festival and Sci-Fi Expo, both of which take place in Second Life, have each been made available over the course of the last month, as have initial registration details, etc.
Both the Renaissance Festival are focused on raising funds as a part of the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign, and the dates for both events are as follows:
Renaissance Festival: Friday September 24th through to Sunday, October 3rd, 2021, inclusive.
Sci-Fi Expo: Friday, October 8th through to Sunday, October 17th, inclusive.
Renaissance Festival
The Renaissance Festival offers something for everyone interested in the medieval / renaissance period. It will take place across multiple regions – or kingdoms, if the 2020 format is retained – presenting a wide range of activities, including: shopping, role-play, auctions, tournaments and entertainment.
Registrations for the event are now available for (follow the links to learn more):
Merchants – a range of packages ranging in price from L$2,500 through to L$12,500 (the top-level options are now sold out), with assorted options. All fees are a 100% donation to the American Cancer Society.
Role-play packages – designed for Medieval / Renaissance / Norse & Similar Genre Roleplay Regions & Guilds & Alliances & Group
who wish to have a presences at the SL Renaissance Festival. Packages are prices at LS $2,500 each.
In addition, special sign-up opportunities are now open for:
Visiting Royals – Special Royals of the Day opportunities for breast cancer survivors and caregivers, with reserved seating at tournaments, special guests as other events and activities.
Tales of Heroes – the opportunity for breast cancer survivors and caregivers or physical world supporters of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer to share their stories, with a special booth at the event with which to tell their story.
via the SL Sci Fi Expo 2021
Sci-Fi Expo
With the theme of Journey to New Eden, the 2021 Sci-Fi Expo promises to carry visitors to the frontier world of New Eden where they will find the biggest sci fi designers and shops, live performances, roleplaying events, and more to enjoy.
Merchant registrations are now open, with fees ranging from L$1,500 through to L$12,500, depending on the package, with 100% of the registration fee going to the American Cancer Society.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 