Life, the Universe, & Everything

Life, the Universe, & Everything: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy is an academic conference held annually since 1983 in Provo, Utah. It is the longest-running science fiction and fantasy convention in Utah,[1] and one of the largest and longest-running academic science fiction conferences.[2][3] An annual proceedings volume, Deep Thoughts (named after the computer Deep Thought from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), publishes the academic papers and main addresses given at the event. The symposium was named, jokingly, after the Douglas Adams novel Life, the Universe and Everything.[4]

For the book by Douglas Adams, see Life, the Universe and Everything.
Life, the Universe, & Everything
StatusActive
GenreFantasy, horror, science fiction
VenueProvo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
Location(s)Provo, Utah
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1982
Attendance600-1700
Organized byUtah County Events, LLC
Websiteltue.net

History

The roots of the Life, the Universe, & Everything (LTUE) and other science fiction efforts at Brigham Young University (BYU) began with a one-day symposium on science fiction held on January 20, 1976.[4] Four years later, Orson Scott Card gave a speech in 1980 at the university about morality in writing, which showed some of the students and faculty that a serious, academic forum for discussion of science fiction writing was a possibility at BYU, but there weren't enough students interested in trying to make things work at that time.[4]

This changed in February 1982 when Ben Bova was invited to speak at a university forum event. The English Department assigned Marion Smith, the professor whose name is now part of the title of the symposium, to take care of Bova while he wasn't speaking. He[5] and a handful of his writing students (including M. Shayne Bell) got together and held a discussion with Bova. This inspired those students to try to create something like that the following year, when they invited Card back to be the first guest of honor.[4] The first official symposium was held in 1983.

From 1982 through 2012, the symposium was held at BYU. In 2013, it was held at Utah Valley University, and in 2014, it moved to the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Provo.

The Leading Edge science fiction and fantasy magazine was started by these same students,[6] all members of a 1980 creative writing class at BYU.

Guests

This is a list of guests of honor (in bold) and notable special guests.

Year # Dates Guests References
1983 1 February 7–12 Orson Scott Card [4][7]
1984 2 February 16-18 James C. Christensen [4]
1985 3 February 6–9 Elizabeth Boyer, C. J. Cherryh, Frederik Pohl [4]
1986 4 February 5–8 Orson Scott Card, Alan Dean Foster, Madeleine L'Engle[note 1] [4]
1987 5 February 4–7 Orson Scott Card, Stephen R. Donaldson, Jack Williamson, Julius Schwartz [4]
1988 6 February 3–6 Algis Budrys, Tim Powers, Ray Bradbury,[note 2] Michael R. Collings, Michael Whelan [4]
1989 7 February 1–4 Karen Anderson, Poul Anderson, David Brin, Octavia Butler [4]
1990 8 February 7–10 Hal Clement, Robin McKinley, Mike Resnick, Tracy Hickman [4][8]
1991 9 February 6–9 Forrest J. Ackerman, Connie Willis [4][9]
1992 10 February 5–8 Jane Yolen [4]
1993 11 February 10–13 Kevin J. Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Barbara Hambly, Chris Heimerdinger, Rebecca Moesta [4][10]
1994 12 February 16–19 Robert L. Forward, Katherine Kurtz, Roger Zelazny[note 3] [4]
1995 13 February 1–4 Lois McMaster Bujold, Patricia McKillip, Richard Garfield, Sam Longoria, Néné Thomas [4][11]
1996 14 January 31 -
February 3		 Tracy Hickman, Dave Wolverton, Patricia C. Wrede, M. Shayne Bell, Michael R. Collings, Steve Jackson, Michaelene Pendleton, W. R. Thompson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch,[note 4] Dean Wesley Smith,[note 4] [12]
1997 15 February 27 -
March 1		 Orson Scott Card, Judith Moffett [13][14]
1998 16 March 12–14 Elizabeth Moon, Sherwood Smith, Dave Wolverton [15][16]
1999 17 Kevin J. Anderson, Marty Brenneis, Michael Liebman, Rebecca Moesta [17][18]
2000 18 March 23–25 David Howard, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Margaret Weis, M.K. Wren [19]
2001 19 Jeanne Cavelos, Tracy Hickman, Sam Longoria, Harry Turtledove [20]
2002 20 February 21–23 Marty Brenneis, Michael R. Collings, Larry Niven, Christian Ready [21]
2003 21 February 13–15 Esther M. Friesner, Patricia C. Wrede, Orson Scott Card [22][23]
2004 22 February 19–21 Matthew Candelaria, Michael R. Collings, Jim Conley, Robert J Defendi, Brian C. Hailes, Sam Longoria, Norman R. Peercy, William J. Widder [24][25]
2005 23 February 17–19 Michael R. Collings, David Howard, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Jerry Pournelle [26]
2006 24 February 16–18 Kevin J. Anderson, Michael R. Collings, Rebecca Moesta, Theresa Mather, Norman Peercy [27]
2007 25 February 15–17 Julie E. Czerneda, Gloria Skurzynski, Howard Tayler, Stacy Whitman [28]
2008 26 Orson Scott Card, Gail Carson Levine, Kevin Wasden
2009 27 Laura Hickman, Tracy Hickman
2010 28 February 11–13 Marty Brenneis, Nathan Hale, Brandon Sanderson [29]
2011 29 February 17–19 James Dashner, Steven Keele [30]
2012 30 Mary Robinette Kowal, James A. Owen, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells
2013 31 February 14–16 Megan Whalen Turner, James A. Owen [6][31]
2014 32 February 13–15 Orson Scott Card, Michael R. Collings, Michaelbrent Collings, David Farland, Brian C. Hailes, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., James A. Owen, Brandon Sanderson, Anne Sowards [3][32][33]
2015 33 February 12–14 Toni Weisskopf, Steven L. Peck, Eric G. Swedin [34]
2016 34 February 11–13 Kevin J. Anderson, Shannon Hale [35]
2017 35 Beth Meacham, Dan Wells
2018 36 February 15–17 Todd McCaffrey, Jo Walton [36]
2019 37 February 14–16 Kelly Barnhill, Brett Helquist

Notes
  1. L'Engle was invited as a guest to the symposium, but came later in the spring.
  2. Bradbury was invited as a guest to the symposium, but came later in the spring.
  3. This was the last major public appearance of Zelazny before he died in 1995.
  4. Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith put on the Kris & Dean Show, a writing workshop, as a fundraiser for the symposium on January 5–6. They did not attend the symposium itself.

References
  1. "Orson Scott Card speaks at writers' conference". Daily Herald. February 16, 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  2. Farland, David (May 3, 2016). "Introduction". In Farland, David (ed.). Writers of the Future, Volume 32. Writers of the Future. Galaxy Press. ISBN 978-1-61986-502-0. ...it has grown to be the largest of its kind in the world.
  3. Pace, David (February 10, 2014). "Fantasy & science fiction flying into Provo". The Universe. Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  4. Allred, Lee (1997). "Nobody Here Still but Us Orcs...: An Incomplete History of Life, the Universe, & (Mostly) Everything" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  5. Hyatt, Bethany (April 11, 2005). "English class is out of this world experience". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  6. Schouten, Lucy (February 20, 2013). "Life, the universe and fantasy literature". The Universe. Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  7. Life, the Universe, and Everything: A Symposium on the Impact of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Quark: The Science and Fiction Club. February 7, 1983.
  8. Life, the Universe, & Everything VIII: A Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 7, 1990.
  9. Life, the Universe, & Everything IX: A Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 6, 1991.
  10. Life, the Universe, & Everything XI: A Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 10, 1993.
  11. Life, the Universe, & Everything 13: A Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 1, 1995.
  12. Life, the Universe, & Everything 14: A Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. January 31, 1996.
  13. Melander, Nathan (February 26, 1997). "Symposium to discuss religion's affect on sci-fi". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  14. Life, the Universe, & Everything 15: An Annual Symposium on the Impact of Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 27, 1997.
  15. O'Kelly, Amy (March 11, 1998). "Symposium offers a look into the Sci-Fi universe". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  16. Life, the Universe, & Everything 16: An Annual Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. March 12, 1998.
  17. Furst, Amber (March 14, 1999). "'Filk' singer combines love of science fiction, music". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  18. Martin, Erin (March 10, 1999). "BYU launches science fiction symposium". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  19. Life, the Universe, & Everything XVIII: An Annual Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. March 23, 2000.
  20. Life, the Universe, & Everything XIX. LTUE Press. February 14, 2013.
  21. Life, the Universe, & Everything XX. LTUE Press. February 21, 2002.
  22. Ferguson, Bonni (February 12, 2003). "Symposium opens up new worlds". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  23. Life, the Universe, & Everything XXI: The Marion K. ("Doc") Smith Symposium on Sci-Fi & Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 13, 2003.
  24. Stout, Emily (February 17, 2004). "Quick move for science fiction symposium". The Daily Universe. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  25. Life, the Universe, & Everything XXII: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium of Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 19, 2004.
  26. Life, the Universe, & Everything XXIII: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 17, 2005.
  27. Life, the Universe, & Everything XXIV: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 16, 2006.
  28. Life, the Universe, & Everything XXV: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 15, 2007.
  29. Life, the Universe, & Everything XXVIII. LTUE Press. February 11, 2010.
  30. Life, the Universe, & Everything 29: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 17, 2011.
  31. Life, the Universe, & Everything 31: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 14, 2013.
  32. Pace, David (February 18, 2014). "Orson Scott Card delivers keynote science fiction address". The Universe. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  33. Life, the Universe, & Everything 32: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 13, 2014.
  34. Life, the Universe, & Everything 33: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 12, 2015.
  35. Life, the Universe, & Everything 34: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 11, 2016.
  36. Life, the Universe, & Everything 36: The Marion K. "Doc" Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy. LTUE Press. February 15, 2018.
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