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, May 3rd: 19:00 Saturn Rukh
In an unspecified time in the future, a team of astronauts is sent to Saturn on what could be a one-way mission. Financed by a multi-national consortium, their mission is to establish a factory in to upper reaches of the planet’s atmosphere where it can “mine” Saturn’s abundant helium to produce “meta” (nitro-stabilised metastable helium), a powerful propellant.
If they are successful, each of the astronauts stands to earn a billion dollars on their return to Earth. The catch? They only have sufficient fuel to reach Saturn – they must use the factory to produce the fuel needed to make their return to Earth.
However, things go awry when the mission enters the Saturnian atmosphere – and crash-lands on the back of an enormous creature that “swims” through the atmosphere. Another of the creatures – which appear to be semi-intelligent and which the astronaut dub “Rukh” – swallows some of the mission’s equipment, leaving the team with no choice but to attempt to establish communications with the creatures and attempt to recover their equipment.
Join Gyro Muggins as he reads the last full-length novel by physicist and author Robert L. Forward.
19:00: Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No-One Gets Hurt
Caledonia Skytower shares selection from author Karen Scalf Linamen’s collection of essays, focusing on two topics that are rising to the top-of-minds these days: Gardens, and Vacations.
Wednesday, May 5th, 19:00: When You Trap a Tiger
When Lily and her family move in with her sick Halmoni (grandmother), a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.
Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers and now the tigers want it back. So the tiger visiting has arrvied with an offer for Lily: return what Halmoni stole in exchange for the return of her health Halmoni’s health.
It is a tempting offer; but deals with magical tigers are not always what they appear to be. So Lily must, with the help of her sister and her friend Ricky, find her voice and her courage, and face whatever trickery the tiger may conjure.
Caledonia Skytower reads the 2021 2021 Newbery Medal winning story by Tae Keller.
Thursday, May 6th
19:00: Antues, Part 1
Shandon Loring tells the story of the monster and anti-hero from Bernard Evslin’s compendium of lore. (Also in Kitely).
21:00 Seanchai Late Night
Late night contemporary sci-fi and fantasy with Finn Zeddmore.
Note that SLurl to the Fairelands are listed at the end of this article, rather than being embedded in the text.
The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire 2021, opened its gates to fairelanders at 12:00 SLT on Thursday, April 22nd, and will remain open through until Sunday May 9th, 2021 inclusive, once again raising money for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society’s efforts to bring about a World Without Cancer.
As with previous years, 2021 will see a wide range of activities and events taking place through until Sunday, May 2nd, including the LitFest, DJ and live performances, auctions, role-play opportunities, and more – all of which will culminate in the The Final Shindig a four-hour jamboree intended to give as many people as possible the chance to drop in and celebrate the Faire’s success. After this, the regions will remain open for people to visit and enjoy sans on-going activities, allowing them to enjoy the the shopping and the regions themselves – although some activities will also continue through the final week as well.
Fantasy Faire 2021: Peaville goes Nuts (Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont)
Fantasy Faire 2021 this year encompasses 16 shopping regions devoted to the best in fantasy creations and four event regions. As is usual, the best place to start a visit is Fairelands Junction. From here visitors can access all of the shopping regions via the portals, and also visit the memorial area and the worldlings – region designs that didn’t make it into this year’s event.
The regions designs for this year are another enticing mix of realms designed by familiar Faire names such as Kayle Matzerath, Sharni Azalee, Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont, Dumpling and Solas Enchantment, Alia Baroque, Kilik Lekvoda, returning designers such as Beq Janus and Elizabeth Jarvinen, and names new to the Faire, working either on their own or in partnership with others.
You can find a full list of the regions, their designers and principal sponsors here, while those wishing to shop can see what stores are where within the Fairelands realms via the Fantasy Faire Shopping Catalogue.
Fantasy Faire 2021: Líng xiāo lóng 灵霄龙 (Fiona Fei)
Events and Activities Highlights
Fantasy Faire 2021 will again be filled with events and activities, with music from DJs focused on the the deck of the Fairechylde as she lies moored in the Dark Awakening, while performances of theatre, dance and more will be on offer alongside the Faire’s art displays in Paer Thura. Dedicated schedules are available for both DJ parties and live performances are now available, so keep your eye on them as well.
LitFest 2021
The LitFest will this year be based at Líng xiāo lóng 灵霄龙. The Litfest is a special place where the magic of the spoken word will weave tales of wonder, relate stories of great adventure and daring; where talks by authors, discussions, creative writing sessions and performances will all take place. In addition, literary hawks and writers will be encouraged to join daily tours of the Fairelands and afterwards compose pieces related to their travels.
The full LitFest schedule provides a run-down of activities, but here are a some highlights.
The Region Tours: taking place at either 13:00 SLT or 17:00 SLT and running from Friday, April 23rd through Sunday, May 9th, the LitFest tours offer the chance to explore the Fairelands and seeking the stories they have to tell as well as their special secret places and details. Stories can also be submitted for publication on the Fantasy Faire website, provided they are submitted within two days of each tour.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
LitFest Special Guests: this year the LitFest special guests are writing partnership Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, perhaps best known for their Liaden Universe® works – and are also long-term Second Life Residents.
Over the course of their partnership, Lee and Miller have written thirty-two novels, twenty-three in their original space opera setting, the Liaden Universe®, where honour, wit, and true love are potent weapons against villainy. In addition, Sharon Lee has published three novels in the urban fantasy genre, the Crimson Trilogy (also known as the Archer Beach Trilogy).
The couple will be appearing at Fantasy Faire as follows:
Tuesday April 27th 15:00-16:00 – Interview with Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: Sharon and Steve will talk to Saffia Widdershins about their lives, their work and the challenging of world-building in a universe that stretches for millennium.
Friday April 30th 15:00-14:00 – Reading by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: the couple will read from their works set in the Liaden Universe® and, if there’s time, take audience questions.
For the full schedule of activities, please refer to the LitFest schedule.
Role-Play and Table-Top Gaming
2021 will once again have numerous opportunities for role-play within the Fairelands.This year the Children of Stories will return this year as the Junior Society of Extra-ordinary Explorers. The children (previously appearing as the Rickety Weasels, the Mouse Guardians, the Children of Echtra, the Lilypods, the Magpies, the Bubo Owls, and the Grizzly Cubs) will be investigating the mysterious Amethyst Rift where an ancient society of sorcerers vanished into the mists one day.
In addition:
There will also be regular Meet ’n’ Greets with the NeoVictoria Project. These are out-of-character events where players from the NeoVictoria community will be available to discuss the project, the story-world and how to get involved. For more information read more here.
Role-play classes will be available for those new to role-play in Second Life. Again, details can be found here.
Table-top games have been a part of Fantasy Faire 2018, and will again a part of activities – check the game page for details.
There are many ways of keeping up to speed with events and activities at the Fairelands:
Join the Fantasy Faire in-world group (just search for Fantasy Faire Fans under Groups)to get up-to-the minute notifications whilst logged-in to Second Life.
The Raglan Shire Artwalk is one of the staples of the SL art calendar, and for 2021 the 16th Artwalk will take place between Sunday, May 16th and Sunday, June 20th, inclusive.
A popular event among artists and residents, the Artwalk can see over 150 artists displaying their work – 2D and 3D – across the regions of Raglan Shire. All the displays are open-air, with 2D art is displayed on hedgerows in and around the regions, while sculptures and 3D art is displayed in a number of designated areas, all of which allows visitors to both appreciate the art and explore the Shire regions.
A Call For Artists for the 2021 event has been issued for those wishing to participate, and key points about the exhibition are as follows:
It is a non-juried show.
Artists can display more than one piece if they wish.
2D (“flat” art pieces will be awarded a maximum of 15 LI, and individual pictures should be 1 prim, including the frame.
3D art (sculptures, etc.), will be awarded a maximum of 500 LI for up to three pieces of work. Artists are requested to state the LI per piece in their application.
Sales of art are allowed.
Types of art supported by the show are: representations of RL photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and digital fine art that can be displayed on a prim; and SL photography, manipulated SL photography and SL sculpture.
Pictures of RL crafts, such as beadwork, leatherwork, etc., are not part of the show’s definition
All the above art forms are welcome, but should be rated PG / G – so no nudity, please!
Group membership will be required in order to display work.
Tip jars are not allowed.
Questions and enquiries should be forwarded via note card to Artwalk Director Karmagirl Avro, or Artwalk Assistants Kayak Kuu, Linn Darkwatch, or RaglanShireArtwalk Resident.
Tuesday, May 11th: Notification of exhibit space location issued to artists – note that hedgerow space for 2D artists is on a “first come, first serve” basis.
Friday, May 14th (after 09:00 SLT) and Saturday May 15th: Artist set-up days.
Sunday, May 16th: Artwalk Opens.
Sunday, June 20th: Artwalk closes.
Sunday, June 20th (after 21:00 SLT) through Tuesday, June 22nd: takedown of works.
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, April 19th: 19:00 The Mote in God’s Eye
In the year AD 3017, humanity is recovering from an interstellar civil war that tore apart the first Empire of Man. The Second Empire is busy establishing control over the remnants of its predecessor although some worlds don’t appreciate bring brought to heel. Following the quashing of a rebellion on New Chicago, Commander Roderick Blaine is given temporary command of the battlecruiser INSS MacArthur, and charged with transporting the suspected leader on the New Chicago uprising Empire’s centre, the planet Sparta.
The route takes the MacArthur to the New Caledonia system, where she is ordered to intercept a sub-light vessel that appears to come from a yellow star referred to as the Mote, as from New Celedonia, it sits in front of a massive red star, like a mote in an eye.
Unfortunately, the encounter with the alien vessel does not go well. But has a result, the MacArthur is dispatched to the Mote alongside of the battlecruiser Lenin, charged with trying to establish first contact with the race the built the sublight ship – whom humans have nicknamed “Moties”.
Arriving at the star, the human ships find a race far more technically developed than had been thought, and old enough to have developed into a series of highly-specialised sub-species. Thus begin an fascinating tale of first contact between races, one that encompass a range of dances – political, strategic, and more – in which motives are varied and secrets hidden.
Gyro Muggins reads the classic sci-fi novel by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
When the Jones family move into a Victorian house that has been converted into a set of flats, and her parents always busy and wrapped in their work, young Coraline sets out to discover all she can about her new home.
Along the way, she meets a pair of retired actress sisters, an old man trying to train a mouse orchestra, and a door that, unlike all the others that lead somewhere, oddly opens onto a brick wall.
Until the day it doesn’t, and instead opens onto a hallway leading to another world.
It’s a world just like her own, but also very different. The flat she enters looks just like her own, the neighbours are just like those she has met – but oddly younger – and the mother and father she finds within the “other “home dote on her: marvellous toys, magical books and wonderful food.
This other home and the parents within it are all that Coraline has ever wanted – until her other mother tells her she can stay and live forever – if she will have buttons sewn into her eyes. Scared by the request, Coraline returns to her real home, only to find her parents now gone. Realising they have been taken by her “other mother”, she realises she must return along the hallway and risk her future in order to rescue them.
With Willow Moonfire.
Wednesday, April 21st, 19:00: When You Trap a Tiger
When Lily and her family move in with her sick Halmoni (grandmother), a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.
Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers and now the tigers want it back. So the tiger visiting has arrvied with an offer for Lily: return what Halmoni stole in exchange for the return of her health Halmoni’s health.
It is a tempting offer; but deals with magical tigers are not always what they appear to be. So Lily must, with the help of her sister and her friend Ricky, find her voice and her courage, and face whatever trickery the tiger may conjure.
Caledonia Skytower reads the 2021 2021 Newbery Medal winning story by Tae Keller.
Thursday, April 22nd
19:00: Revisiting the Poetry of the Planets
Caledonia shares Holst’s music and the poetry written and submitted as part of her 2017 LEA project, in the Glen.
21:00 Seanchai Late Night
Late night contemporary sci-fi and fantasy with Finn Zeddmore.
Sunday, April 18th will see the Community Virtual Library celebrate its fifteenth anniversary with the opening of their new in-world library building and resource centre.
Founded in 2007, the Community Virtual Library (CVL) carries the tag line of “a real library in a virtual world”, and is affiliated with the American Library Association. As a library, it includes all of the facilities you might expect: the ability to select and read books on a wide range of subjects (courtesy of the Gutenberg project) and categorised as one would find in a physical world library; a reading room, resources to help with research, links to world literature presented by country / language that reflects the international nature of Second Life, and so on.
However, CVL is far more than just a virtual reproduction of a physical world library – it is a community hub offering opportunities and resources for learning, resource-sharing, and exploration. It offers facilities and presents opportunities for CVL members and affiliated groups to mount exhibitions and presentations and hold events and meetings. It also connects with library communities throughout Second Life, bringing together digital citizens with the information and resources they seek, and provides support to educators and educational organisations.
Community Virtual Library
CVL’s Full region provides a range of facilities operated directly by CVL and also by affiliated groups, offering a rich mix of literature and arts, and is a core member of the IRC 501(c)3 non-profit New Media Arts Inc. In addition to a presence in Second Life, CVL has also extended into various virtual worlds utilising OpenSimulator, including 3DWebWorldz, Avacon, CybaLOUNGE, and Kitely, either by establishing a dedicated facility within these worlds or by partnering with libraries already operating within them.
To mark CVL’s 15 years of operation and the opening of the new library building, there will be a special 2-hour event visitors and CVL members alike are invited to attend. Commencing at 12:00 noon SLT, on Sunday, April 18th, 2021, it will include opportunities to tour the new building and hear from staff and volunteers about CVL’s history and future plans.
The Virtual Ability community in Second Life is hosting its tenth annual Mental Health Symposium on Friday, April 16th, 2021. The theme for this years even is Mental Health in Trying Times, focusing on mental health in the age of the pandemic.
The symposium will once again feature an international group of presenters offering a wide interpretation of the theme, based on their interests and academic backgrounds.
Virtual Ability Inc (VAI) and the Virtual Ability community hosts this annual Symposium to share information about mental health and mental disabilities with the general population. Within this cross-disability community are people who deal with a variety of mental health issues. So, not only is this an opportunity for community members to learn more about topics related to mental health from experts they probably would not have an opportunity to otherwise meet, it also allows the general public to attend a professional conference for free.
Sojourner Auditorium
The schedule is as follows (all times SLT):
07:00-08:00: Clara González Sanguino, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) – the impact of Covid-19 on our mental health. A longitudinal study from the beginning of the pandemic to the return to the new normality in Spain.
08:30-09:30: Laura Ritchie, University of Chichester Conservatoire, UK, and Daniel P Cervone, University of Illinois, will share their research Projects pursued and abandoned: Pandemic reactions of care & coping.
10:00-11:00: Catherine Ettman, Boston University School of Medicine – the prevalence of depression symptoms in US adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
11:30-12:30: Tom Boellstorff, University of California, Irvine, and students Evan Conaway and Sandy Wenger discuss their research on the impact of Second Life and Animal Crossing during the COVID pandemic.
13:00-14:00: Ryan Schultz, Sciences and Technology Library, University of Manitoba, Canada – Acedia During the Coronavirus Pandemic: A 5th-Century Term for a 21st-Century Problem.
14:30-14:30: Mark Czeisler, Monash University, Australia, Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic—disproportionately affected populations.
Sessions will also be available on the Virtual Ability You Tube channel.
Virtual Ability, Inc. is a non-profit corporation, chartered in the state of Colorado, USA. We are a non-profit tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. This means that for US citizens, contributions made are deductible as a charitable donation for federal income tax purposes.
For further information on the board of directors, please visit the Virtual Ability About Us page. If you wish to keep up with Virtual Ability news and updates when on the move, you can follow them on Twitter.
In an unspecified time in the future, a team of astronauts is sent to Saturn on what could be a one-way mission. Financed by a multi-national consortium, their mission is to establish a factory in to upper reaches of the planet’s atmosphere where it can “mine” Saturn’s abundant helium to produce “meta” (nitro-stabilised metastable helium), a powerful propellant.
When Lily and her family move in with her sick Halmoni (grandmother), a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. 
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 