The Okal Rel Universe in evolution and in the world.

 

I am featured on the homepage of UNBC, today, with Part 5: Far Arena in hand.

Labels: Far Arena, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 12:10   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Did you know there's a 'summarize' command in WORD that can generate an automated conclusion to your essay? This and other curious and contentious issues were discussed at 'Guerrilla Essay Writing' organized by Mike Stanyer, a graduate student in the English program at UNBC who is interested in narrative in gaming. I took part to discuss my contributions to the Northern Log.

Labels: Mike Stanyer, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 06:54   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Received the following lovely thank you from Andrew Bailey, Editor in Chief for Over the Edge for my presentation Saturday at the Canadian University Press conference on campus at UNBC.

******

Hi Lynda

Thank-you so much for talking at our conference on Saturday. We here at Over the Edge are extremely grateful to you for giving up part of your weekend to help make our conference successful. UNBC had never held a Canadian University Press conference before but after hosting such an awesome weekend I think we will no doubt have more oppurtunities to host in the future, thank-you for making this possible for us.

Don't Forget to Live
Andrew Bailey

Labels: Andrew Bailey, Over the Edge, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 11:19   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

The Message Plays in All Media

Lynda Williams, author of the Okal Rel Saga and editor of the ORU Legacies
series, spoke to a gathering of university newspaper journalists on how the flow of information not only across different media but across barriers of societal classification. Lynda has taught applied computing for twenty years, received three awards for pioneering in social uses of computing, managed the Centre for Teaching and Learning at UNBC from 1997 to 2006 and holds two post-graduate degrees in information-related topics. Lynda has also worked as a professional journalist, blogs at "Reality Skimming", ran an online literary journal from 1999 to 2006 and currently writes a monthly column for the Northern Log. She is a member of the UNBC Arts Council.

Many thanks to Samantha Farrow for the invitation. Audience members are shown here looking over the review Samantha's daughter, Mel, wrote of the Okal Rel Saga for the UNBC student newspaper Over the Edge. Samantha is arts and entertainment editor for Over the Edge.

Labels: Samantha Farrow, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 07:08   2 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 2 comments links to this post

 


Couldn't resist snapping a picture of this poster of the cover of Okal Rel Saga Part 2: Righteous Anger, on the door Rob van Adrichem's office. Rob is the director of Media/Public Relations at UNBC. The poster replaces Horth's face, on the cover, with Rob's picture. Chuckle. Better not tell the Nersallians or they may be gunning for the jokester who created this chimera.

Labels: Righteous Anger, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 07:28   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 


Wonderful display of Okal Rel Universe books at the UNBC Bookstore. They blew up the press release for Pretenders and put a special display at the end of one book rack in addition to the usual two on a back wall. When I asked about it, store manager Mardena told me I was their best seller! Happy news. And many thanks one and all at the University of Northern B.C. who bought a book.

In the picture below, I've outlined the wall display, shown above, in red. ORU books also featured on the "end of the shelf" display shown in this picture, as a special, short term affair.

Labels: UNBC

posted by Lynda at 22:03   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
Honored by the wonderful review of the Okal Rel saga written by Mel for the UNBC student newspaper, Over the Edge. I confess I was a little worried when I first heard about it for fear Di Mon would feature in those pink slippers she keeps threatening him with. :-) But for this Mel -- hell, I'll have to see what I can do in the pink slipper department for that promised novella of Ranar and Di Mon taking a holiday on one of the Commercial worlds. You are awesome, woman. Thank you from all the ORU gang.

Labels: Mel, Review, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 07:10   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 

I had fun explaining the nature of reality skimming and the moral problem of social control it poses for societies dependent on it, at the math and physics symposium organized by Hal Friesen. I hope the audience of serious math and physics students enjoyed the fiction break and returned, refreshed, to the scientific presentation. I couldn't coax this audience to read, but I managed to give away books in exchange for questions. Unlike an SF crowd, this group had no trouble imagining there could be social control mechanisms for the safe use of a potentially destructive but essential technology. Much thanks to those who got in the spirit of it with me, including the two writers who attended. Special thanks to organizer Hal Friesen for agreeing to take pictures.

Labels: Hal Friesen, Morality, Reality Skimming, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 07:54   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post

 
I was one of an intrepid group of diverse readers and musicians performing at the UNBC coffee house last night, with intermittant competition from a loudly buzzing light in the Atrium. Enjoyed it all more than I had anticipated! Not that I don't usually enjoy listening to readings, but the short-and-many format worked well and it has been a long time since I got the chance to sit in the audience at the arts scene. I showed off Righteous Anger and Okal Rel Anthology 2 as well as reading from YA fantasy work in progress, from my new Fanga Stone series. Much thanks to Dee, who MC'd, read, and sold copies of Rebecca Bradley's Lateral Truth, for throwing the gig. Writers - check out her innovative creation, Scrollinspace, online.

The line up last night included: Dee Horne, Mike Stanyer, Lisa Dickson, Kevin Hutchings, Brenda Koller, Jay Lewyn, Ann Tiffany, Jeremy Stewart, Rob Budde, Adam Pottle, Tonia Mills, Justin Foster, Ken Belford, Si Transken, Lynda Williams and Bud Baldry whose short reading from Chapter 11 of his novel-in-eternal-progress about the life of a skinny insurance salesman was delightfully funny. Ken and Si are always uplifting. Appreciated Si's poetic tribute to the unsung and underpaid women of the social services world and Ken's encounter with a grizzly, so remarkable for being an ordinary run-in between beings who share a world - or in this case a tent. Always have a soft spot for Robert Budde's "Poem" poems, about how a poem would contend with the world as a character in everyday situations. The "poem" poems, as this series is known, highlight how bizzare so-called normal experience is, in the face of "poem"'s inquisitive, meaning-conscious efforts to interact. Jennifer Lott, my daughter, attended and remarked to me afterwards about Adam Pottle's story of securing a Barbie doll to photograph for the cover of his chapbook. Missed Dee, Lisa and Mike's readings because I have to run off to do a driving chore for family. Maybe next time! Came back in time to catch Kevin Hutchings' last William Blake song on the guitar. Always had the image of Blake as a dry, bible-thumping type for some reason so hearing about his musical side and some of the Blake quotes Jeremy Stewart favors, has been an education on that front. Kevin reminded us it is Blake's 250th anniversary this year and there are celebrations all over the world to commemorate his life and work.

Labels: Dee Horne, reading, UNBC

posted by Lynda at 09:08   0 comments permalink comment? e-mail lynda@okalrel.org 0 comments links to this post