What we’re about
Q: If you were departing from the Earth on a new Mayflower and could only take one book, and it could not be the Bible, what book would you take?
A: Dinosaur Beach. Join this meetup if you agree.
(The converse needn't be true, of course.)
Quick links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Laumer
http://www.keithlaumer.com/ [or] http://www.oregonherald.com/forward/laumer/laumer-biography.htm
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/584217.Dinosaur_Beach
This group is not exactly a fan club of a particular writer, though, as (seemingly) the only such group in the Bay Area, we can't but welcome and support the usual fan club activities. This is, rather, a group about everything that makes Keith; everything in philosophy, history and culture that his books represent. This includes, but is in no way limited to, the apocalyptic sublime and the space opera, King Arthur and King John, the intersection of Francis Bacon, dark magic and hacker mythology, time travel, alternative history, the Industrial Age, AI and transhumanism, duty and sacrifice, "The Use of Knowledge in Society", one mile of runway and resistance to all forms of social engineering. And yes there are a few interesting parallels with William Shakespeare and C.S. Lewis.
We welcome references and juxtapositions of all kinds, other than totally groundless.
We welcome critique, analysis and research, both literary and biographical.
We welcome art and writing that champion individualism, skepticism and free will.
We welcome studies of the American conservative literary art tradition in the broadest sense possible. (If your definition does not include Ray Bradbury or H.P. Lovecraft, consider it too narrow.) Again, include influences and references.
We welcome just, well, sharing books and talking about them. If we drain the stock of old "Imperium", "End as a Hero" or "Great Time Machine Hoax" copies on *mazon/B&N, I would consider it a success indicator.
We don't mind pilgrimage. (I don't know if Keith would have objected or not.)
Rules: nobody would be turned away for any reason other than counterproductive behavior.
Disclosure: we aren't a 501 but we can start it if we grow big and serious enough.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Digitizing the Keith Laumer ArchiveLink visible for attendees
We have a fair number of new members, so it's probably the right time for both an introduction and a bi-annual report (after all, Keith would have turned a centenarian this year...).
With immense help from the family and estate of Keith Laumer, who triple-handedly provided the place, time, coffee, sandwiches, electricity and the original documents themselves, we have (optimistically, more than) halfway progressed towards a navigable digital personal archive of Keith's.
Some of our findings are true gems. We discovered a few short sketches (a parable, a poem, a writing course plan...) that have never been published, as well as longer work that's never seen the light of day either. We now have a better idea of Keith's "social graph", including some of the people he dedicated his books to. And we have ourselves learned invaluable lessons in the field of digital preservation -- lessons we'll gladly share.
The link for the meeting is https://zoom.us/j/5027419686?pwd=M3pHUXY0d2MveTk5dUVGbGVSdzE4Zz09
To join by phone, dial:
+1 669 900 6833 (meeting ID) 5027419686# (password) 979481We have a waiting room to protect the meeting from "zoombombing". If your Meetup name is substantially different from your Zoom name, please give us a heads up in the comments.
