This special event will take place at Brunelle Performance Hall, 315 W 14th St in Davis, CA.
Kim Stanley Robinson is widely recognized as one of the foremost living writers of science fiction. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, but raised mostly in Southern California, Robinson is the author of twenty two novels and numerous short stories. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, cultural, and political themes and feature scientists as heroes. Robinson’s work has appeared in 24 languages and garnered numerous awards, including the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the World Fantasy Award. In 2016 he received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for outstanding science fiction that promotes space exploration. In 2018, Robinson was honored with an Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society for his entire body of works. Robinson has a Ph.D. in English from the University of California San Diego, where he wrote his dissertation about Philip K. Dick. He and his wife, Lisa Howland Nowell, an environmental chemist, have lived in Davis for many years. Stanley is best known for the Mars Trilogy, and his most recently published works include the science fiction masterpiece about climate change, Ministry of the Future, in 2020, and The High Sierra: A Love Story in June 2022, an ode to the California mountain range that has inspired much of his work.
Tim Gaffaney will read Kim Stanley Robinson's short story "Arthur Sternbach Brings the Curveball to Mars." Tim’s stage experience, spanning nearly 50 years, includes dramas, musicals and comedies. He appeared in eight seasons with the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble, where his credits included Frank Butley in Native Gardens, Egeon in Comedy of Errors, Oberon in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, de Guiche in Cyrano, Malvolio in Twelfth Night and Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing. Other local credits include Dance Nation, Pillowman and the Internationalist with Bike City Theatre Company; as well as Inspecting Carol, A Flea in Her Ear and The Miser with the Woodland Opera House. He worked with the Foundry Players in Washington, DC, where his credits included Fortinbras,Working, The Curate Shakespeare-As You Like It, Our Town and Shadowlands. He currently hosts the arts beat on “In the Studio” with Davis Community Television. He is also the Casting Director for Stories on Stage Davis, and serves as a member of the Bike City Theatre Company board. Tim is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Tristan Cooper is a senior at Winters High School and is expected to graduate this May. He is looking to pursue a career in the industry of animal care but is currently undecided on an exact focus. He is exploring possible trade certification programs and apprenticeships. He is a resident of Winters, California where he lives with his family, and a part-time resident in Vallejo where he visits with his mother and other siblings. He is the third oldest of six children. Tristan enjoys cooking and spending time with his cats. Currently, he participates in the RISE Inc. Dual Fuel program where he's learning cooking techniques and skills.
Three Davis Senior High School (DSHS) actors will read Tristan Cooper’s short story "We Made the Afterlife Better, which won our 2023 Yolo County high school sci-fi contest. Truman Duren (top), an 11th grader, is an aspiring writer and is interested in using science fiction to portray the fear and possibility of the unknown. Ila Oakley Bremson (bottom) is an 11th grader at DSHS. She enjoys performing, reading, and spending time outdoors. Ila trains with NorCal School of the Arts in Sacramento. Amarie Brown is a 10th grader at DSHS. They enjoy playing viola, hanging out with their cats, and cooking.
