The Fantasy and Science Fiction/Theory Reading Group is a casual, convivial group that usually meets on the second Tuesday of each month. We meet to discuss works (partial list of previous readings) that we have chosen collectively and to put those works in some sort of theoretical perspective, the sort, of course, depending on the works and the viewpoints of those assembled. The Group is open on a drop-in basis, because we are always interested in the views of those who are especially interested in a particular work or author, but most participants try to attend regularly. Our currently active members include faculty, graduate students, and staff from the University of Michigan and other Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan area residents with strong interests in the field. (We are not open to undergraduates. Interested undergraduates may want to consider joining a local science fiction club such as the Stilyagi Air Corps in Ann Arbor.) The Fantasy and Science Fiction/Theory Reading Group normally meets year round from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. although occasionally our schedule varies, so please consult the calendar below. Begun on campus in January, 1988, during the Covid pandemic we moved to a hybrid format and now meet via Zoom. Login information will be distributed through our mailing list. To join that list, please contact Eric Rabkin or write to the list: [email protected].
At our meeting of 14 Oct 2025, we agreed to continue meeting generally on the second Tuesday of the month and chose a slate of works for the upcoming year. All of the works listed below were available either new or used when the schedule was set, but some books may require ordering, so it is advisable to begin acquiring texts early. Our schedule for 2025/2026 follows:
|
Dates |
Works |
|---|---|
| T 11 Nov | Hyperion, Dan Simmons (Classic; 481 pp.) |
| T 09 Dec | Movie Night: Double feature for viewing before our virtual discussion: I Married a Witch, Rene Clair (Classic; 77m); Kpop Demon Hunters, Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans (100m) |
| T 13 Jan | The Vampyre, J. W. Polidori (60 pp.) & Carmilla, J. S LeFanu (160 pp.) (Classics; combined edition) |
| T 10 Feb | Tunnel in the Sky, Robert A. Heinlein (272 pp.; Classic, YA) |
| T 10 Mar | The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick (Classic; 288 pp.) |
| T 14 Apr | The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. LeGuin (Classic; 208 pp.) |
| T 12 May | They Were 11!, Moto Hagio (Graphic Novel, Classic, YA; 288 pp.) |
| T 09 Jun | Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby van Pelt (368 pp.) |
| T 14 Jul | Orbital, Samantha Harvey (224 pp.) |
| T 11 Aug | The Life Impossible, Matt Haig (384 pp.) |
| T 08 Sep | What We Can Know, Ian McEwan (338 pp.) |
| T 13 Oct | Book selection meeting! Please come ready to suggest books for the group to read. If you wish, bring a copy of each suggested book and/or bring reviews. Please check in advance to make sure that the books you suggest are available. In case our selection discussion takes less than our two-hour allotment, anyone who wants to can bring copies of a short-short story for us to read together and chew on. If you can't make the meeting but want to make a recommendation, please send it to our email list ([email protected]). |
| T 10 Nov | Departure 37, Scott Carson (400 pp.) |
If you want to send an electronic message to this Reading Group, please address [email protected]. If you want to see this message on the World Wide Web, please point your browser at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~esrabkin/fsftsched.html. If you want to add your name to the mail group or make suggestions or inquiries, please contact Eric Rabkin by e-mail ([email protected]).
Come join us!
| Friends of Eric (FOE) |
This page was last updated
on Monday, 20 Oct 2025.
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