About the Eaton Science Fiction Conference
About the Conference
UC Riverside's Eaton Science Fiction Conference is a premier academic conference devoted to the study of all aspects of science fiction as a literary genre and social phenomenon.
It highlights an exceptionally large collection of science fiction, fantasy, fanzines and SF ephemera donated to UCR and built upon over the years. It has established and cultivates science fiction studies as a serious academic discipline, and introduces prominent academic critics to SF literature, film and culture. The conference brings together academics from all disciplinary areas, scientists, SF writers, illustrators, critics and editors.
Past Conferences
The conference was initiated in 1979 by George Slusser, a comparative literature professor who became a longtime curator of Eaton Collection. Of past conferences, nineteen have been held in Riverside, others have taken place at international venues, co-sponsored by UCR and various host institutions: London Polytechnic University,1984; The Sorbonne-Nouvelle, 1986; University of Leeds, 1989; Texas A&M University, 1990; The Maison d'Ailleurs Yverdon-les-Bains and the Université de Neuchâtel, 1991; Imperial College, London, 1995; The Chinese University of Hong-Kong, 2000; and The Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, 2005. In 2008, after a three-year hiatus, the conference returned to the UCR campus and is now held every other year.
Guest Writers and Critics
The conference has hosted dozens of well-known guest writers and critics over the years. Many have contributed significant papers to conference volumes.
Among the writers have been:
Brian Aldiss, Greg Bear, Ray Bradbury, David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke (via satellite), Samuel R. Delany, Tom Disch, Ursula K. LeGuin, Larry Niven, Lewis Shiner, Theodore Sturgeon, Roger Zelazny.
Literary critics included:
Paul Alkon, Harold Bloom, Leslie Fiedler, H. Bruce Franklin, Frederic Jameson, Brooks Landon, Harry Levin, Gerald Prince, Eric S. Rabkin, Mark Rose, Robert Scholes, Tom Shippey, and many others.
