Eustace, SFWA, and SVA

Just a quick catch up on a a few art and/or SF related events I went to over the last few weeks.

It turns out that Eustace was a neighbor. By which I mean, Rae Irvine, the man that drew Eustace Tilley, the monocled New Yorker logo, used to live down the block from me. (And if I'm looking at the picture correctly, in my dream house.) A few weeks ago I attended a local historical club's lecture given by John Dietz outlining the various artistic residents of Brookhaven Hamlet in the first half of the 20th century. It turns out to be quite an impressive list, especially considering how tiny the Hamlet is. The quote of the day was about pianist Emily Wagner, apparently the New York Times obit reported she was "one of those women with short hair and long vision." William Glackens, also a neighbor.

Then there was the annual Science Fiction Writers of America cocktail party, affectionately known as the "Mill & Swill". Always a good time, but this year particularly so because two friends I had not seen since High School showed up. Out of the blue, Jen Salerno and radio host/screenwriter/all around cool guy Mike Sargent. Oddly-but-entertainingly, they brought Melvin Van Peebles with them. Bridget McGovern writes up the evening here.

Lastly, Bridget McGovern, Liz Gorinsky, and I attended the SVA graduate class exhibit, including a Cthulu show. I was glad to meet Viktor Koen in the non-email sense. Viktor had just completed a cover for Tor's steampunk novel The Affinity Bridge. Also in attendance were a number of illustration's luminaries, including Marshal Arrisman and Brad Holland. (Brad talked about possibly doing some sequential work for Tor.com. Which would be awesome, needless to say.)

IMAGES: Irvine's Eustace. Joe and Gay Haldeman and Mike
Sargent. SVA opening. SVA student You Byun.