Milford event to pay tribute to Writers Conference

MILFORD — In cooperation with the Milford Readers and Writers Festival, the Pike County Historical Society and Museum will host an informative and fun event Friday, Sept. 30, that will focus on the original Milford Writers Conference. The Conference was started in the 1950s by Milford residents and "Futurians" Virginia Kidd, James Blish and Damon Knight.
The event, which takes place Friday, Sept. 30, will kick off at 7 p.m. at The Columns. The evening will feature a short presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session on the origins and history of the famed method of critique known simply as "the Milford Method," and the time spent at Arrowhead, home of Science Fiction Agent Virginia Kidd, practicing this method.
The original Milford Writers Conference saw its origins here and later moved to the United Kingdom, where it is still alive and well. The special guest for the evening will be John Grant, author of about 70 books, including 20 novels and, in nonfiction, "Discarded Science," "Corrupted Science" and "Denying Science," plus texts like "Debunk It!" and the forthcoming "Eureka! — 50 Scientists Who Shaped Our World."
The presentation is free, and will serve as an introduction to the science fiction panel held on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 12-2 at the Columns Museum.
After the presentation, the Historical Society invites people to stay for a sampling of "stellar recipes and gourmet lore" from Fantasy and Science Fiction's Star Authors. Five recipes from the book "Serve it Forth Cooking With Anne McCaffrey" will be offered in a sampling. Recipes from Anne McCaffrey and Damon Knight will be included.
The evening will be capped off with a tribute to the genre with a showing of "To Serve Man," an episode of the Twilight Zone, mwhich was adapted from a short story written by Damon Knight. Knight once spent much time in Milford and hosted many get-togethers for fellow science fiction authors at his home, which he referred to as "The Anchorage".
The event begins at 7pm, admission to the presentation on the Milford Writers Conference origins is free, as is the panel discussion on Saturday. A donation of $10 is requested for the sampling and showing of "To Serve Man." To register, call 570-296-8126. Wear your best "alien attire."