Please join us Wednesday, August 31st, starting at 6:30 PM for a reading with author and musician CONRAD ZERO.

If you take the glow of 70’s psychedelic rock, add the sparkles of 80’s goth glam, inject it with 90’s grunge rock nihilism – then take away the music – you’d end up with something like the writings of dark fiction author, Conrad Zero. Former front man for Minneapolis bands String Union and Jagged Spiral, he converted a recording studio into a writing studio in 2013. The dress code is the same, but no one’s ever called the police to stop him from writing at 2AM. Conrad writes paranormal fiction, urban fantasy, classic horror, monster stories and gothy YA comedy, best summarized as “Dark Fiction.”  He utilizes his BA in Philosophy to add interesting moral situations (without being preachy) and his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science to add a dash of tech-pop geekery (without being too nerdy) to his writing. His published stories include “Big Game,” “Homeward Through Darkness,”and “Invisible Flying Pony vs the Giant Carnivorous, Poisonous, Exploding Spider Leeches.” He is currently working on two novels and seven short stories… all at the same time. His latest work, The Gloom Queen is described as Carrie crossed with “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and will be available later this year.

Speculations is a co-production of DreamHaven Books and SF MINNESOTA, a multicultural speculative fiction organization that also hosts a midsummer SF convention, DIVERSICON, the 25th edition of which will be held July 21-23, 2017, in the Twin Cities, with Guest of Honor ELEANOR ARNASON.

Jon Arfstrom is best know to our eclectic community as one of the artists for Weird Tales. But his career encompassed so much more than that.

Later this year the Anoka County Historical Society will be hosting a grand exhibit of many of Jon’s original paintings, as well as recreating the working corner of his studio.

On October 11th they will have a reception to kick off the exhibit, and it will be a great chance to see Jon Arfstrom’s work up close, and meet up with some of his many other enthusiasts.

On Wednesday, December 7 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., there will be a special Speculations memorial edition celebrating the life and work of JOHN CALVIN REZMERSKI (1942-2016).

Also known as Rez. Mr. Rezmerski was born in Pennsylvania, and again in Ohio, then again in Kansas, and at least three times more in Minnesota. He was a member of Lady Poetesses from Hell by virtue of the fact that he channeled Grace Lord Stoke (via email), from whom he learned a great deal. He published over 20 books, chapbooks, and anthologies, including _The Frederick Manfred Reader_, a screenplay, and three plays. He performed his work for schools, libraries, bookstores, science fiction conventions, clubs, professional organizations, senior centers, museums, festivals, fairs, coffee houses, bars, and on television, and on radio, including National Public Radio’s _Wha’d Ya Know?_, and collaborated with painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, dancers, theatrical troupes, and scientists. Over 35 years, he taught creative writing, journalism, linguistics, science fiction, and storytelling at Gustavus Adolphus College. His poetry includes _22 from TOTU_ and _Breaking the Rules: Starting with Ghazals_. He had been planning to do a Speculations Reading this fall, consisting of a single long poem–the complete text of his recently published chapbook, “Cataloging the Flow: Elegy” published by Red Dragonfly Press.

For the December 7 memorial, people are invited to bring a favorite poem or poems by Rez to read, and/or an anecdote about him to share.