Brigham Young University will host the 28th Annual Marion K. Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy, "Life, the Universe and Everything," Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 11-13, in the Wilkinson Student Center.
Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE) is a three-day symposium with panels, workshops, presentations and papers on writing, art, literature, media and science on all aspects of speculative fiction. A special educator's forum on how to use science fiction and fantasy writing in the classroom will be held Saturday.
Admission is to the symposium is free, but there will be a $15 fee for the Saturday banquet, which will begin at 7 p.m. in the Skyroom. Reservations for that event must be made by Feb. 6. For a complete schedule of events and additional information, visit www.ltue.org.
This year's special guests include Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn Trilogy, the Alcatraz books and the new Wheel of Time series; Marty Brenneis, special effects specialist formerly with George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic and now with Kerner Studios; and James C. Christensen, a popular fantasy artist and emeritus BYU professor of art.
LTUE provides a unique forum for cross-discipline exploration of a wide range of topics related to science fiction and fantasy across multiple genres. There are four primary tracks — academics, writing, create your own world, and art/media — that typically run concurrently. Events in past years have totaled well over 50 hours of programming over the three days.
The event is sponsored by the BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts. For more information, call Dave Doering, (801) 709-1701 or e-mail ltueinfo@gmail.com.
