Margaret Atwood gives sci-fi lectures at Emory this week

The great Canadian novelist will speak about the possibilities of imaginative fiction.

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I’ve never been a huge fan of readings. Reading is by nature a silent, solitary, self-willed pursuit, and the appeal of having it done for me in an auditorium full of people has always somewhat eluded me. I always find myself looking forward to the question and answer period at the end, when an author sets aside the pages and really gets down to talking about the nuts and bolts of the writing process. That’s what I came to hear.

That’s one reason I was excited to find out that novelist Margaret Atwood will be speaking at Emory this week. Her series of lectures on science fiction (The Richard Ellmann Lectures, no less) promises to be a fascinating look at the possibilities of imaginative fiction, and Atwood—the funny, prolific, and brilliant writer of such modern classics as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Cat’s Eye,” and “Oryx and Crake”—will no doubt make the talks a lively, engaging, enlightening “must hear” for area sci-fi fans, writers and readers. And for those who do love readings, don’t fret. The series ends with a traditional reading and signing of her work on the final night.


Margaret Atwood’s lecture series is titled, “In Other Worlds: Science Fiction and the Human Imagination.” The events will be on the Emory campus in Glenn Memorial Auditorium. The first lecture, “Flying Rabbits” was held yesterday afternoon. The second lecture, “Burning Bushes,” will be held tonight, Monday, Oct. 25, at 8:15 p.m. The third lecture, “Dire Cartographies,” will be held Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. with a book reading and signing at 8:15 p.m.