Literature

The Introduction to 'Dandelion Wine,' written by Ray Bradbury, read by RM (Duration: 19 Minutes)

Arrow through the Axes concludes the "Odyssey of a Slave" trilogy that began with the Red Maple–nominated Torn from Troy, retelling Homer's Odyssey. The slave Alexi, now free of his Greek captors, infiltrates the Greek strongholds of the Bronze Age in search of his sister. In so doing he participates in the stories of Orestes, son of Agamemnon, as he seeks revenge for his father's murder, and of Telemachus, son of Odysseus, who lands on Ithaca, the home island of Odysseus, just in time to witness the arrival of a mysterious stranger. As Alexi comes to understand the damage that the Trojan War has visited upon its victors, both he and the reader are forced to confront an unpleasant truth, while Alexi must decide where his allegiance really lies. Re-casting the Odyssey as a YA adventure, this trilogy brings ancient mythology to life in a way that traditional retellings cannot. We see what life would have been like for Bronze-Age warriors as Bowman interweaves adventure, ritual and historical detail into a realistic and compelling narrative. Readers who have experienced pop mythology, and now want to dive deeper, will find Arrow through the Axes especially satisfying, but all readers will enjoy this powerful excursion into the classic mythology that shaped western culture

Arrow Through the Axes

Arrow Through the Axes, by Patrick Bowman, read by Gerard Doyle

March 4, 1999

Conducted for chicagotribune.com, back when the idea of a "radio interview for the Web" was a strange new thing. On the occasion of the DVD release of his "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit," and his impending visit to Chicago. 

8:45: "I don't have a computer, I don't believe in the Internet. It's a step backward. It's a game show. It's idiotic. ... It's a toy, and toys are all very well ... but you can't get the information you need off the Internet. You go to the library, or you own the Encyclopaedia Britannica and you get the information that way."

9:55:  "The remarkable thing is I didn't set out to write children's books. But all my books are children's books ... which is just wonderful." 

(1975 photo by Alan Light)

My interview with Ray Bradbury

To read Neil's blog - "Ray Bradbury" - from 2012.06.06, visit http://bit.ly/ngjRAY1
To read his blog - "Ray Bradbury: In Memoriam and In Green Town Illinois" - posted in the evening of 2012.06.06, visit http://bit.ly/ngjRAY2

This recording was released via the Kickstarter/fan-funded live album "An Evening With Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer" - additional info available at http://kck.st/pF2lMG
Recorded on 2011.11.08 in Portland, OR at the Aladdin Theater.

Written and Read by Neil Gaiman | @NeilHimself

Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Jaron Luksa | @JaronSound
Original artwork by Cynthia von Buhler | @CynthVonBuhler
Microphones furnished by Ear Trumpet Labs 

http://www.neilgaiman.com 
http://www.jaronsound.com 
http://www.cynthiavonbuhler.com 
http://www.eartrumpetlabs.com

The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury

Here we have a few words about one of the greatest minds and author of the last one hundred or more years. Spoken by John Anthony Miller, a friend of the icon for 27 years.

A Few Words About Ray Bradbury at Ventura, CA

Author Ray Bradbury has died in Los Angeles at the age of 91.

His daughter Alexandra confirmed that her father died on Tuesday night in Southern California.

Bradbury wrote hundreds of novels, short stories, plays and television and film scripts in a career dating back to the 1940s.

His most famous novels include Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The writer's grandson, Danny Karapetian, said: "He influenced so many artists, writers, teachers, scientists, and it's always really touching and comforting to hear their stories.

"His legacy lives on in his monumental body of books, film, television and theatre, but more importantly, in the minds and hearts of anyone who read him, because to read him was to know him".

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Tributes have been paid by famous fans of the writer, Moon director Duncan Jones mourned "another amazing sci-fi visionary gone".

Bradbury was born in Illinois, and as a teenager moved with his family to Los Angeles.

For three years after leaving school he earned a living selling newspapers, writing in his spare time.

From the early 1940s, his short stories started to appear in magazines like Weird Tales, Astounding Science Fiction and Captain Future.

In 1947, he married Marguerite 'Maggie' McClure and published his first book, Dark Carnival.

Three years later, Bradbury began to establish his reputation with The Martian Chronicles, a collection of stories about materialistic Earthmen colonising and ruinously exploiting Mars.

His most celebrated novel, Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953, depicts a future society in which books are banned.

The story, which gets its title from the temperature at which paper supposedly ignites, proved to be uncannily prophetic - the characters are addicted to television soap operas, while miniature headphones, known as "ear thimbles", provide a constant stream of music and news.


Bradbury preferred his work to be called "fantasy" rather than "science fiction"
A film version, directed by Francois Truffaut, was released in 1966.

For years, Bradbury tried to prevent the publication of Fahrenheit 451 as an e-book. He told the New York times that electronic books "smell like burned fuel" and called the internet "a big distraction".

"It's meaningless; it's not real. It's in the air somewhere," he said.

But he relented in 2011, when his publishing deal was renewed. His agent said: "We explained the situation to him, that a new contract wouldn't be possible without e-book rights. He understood and gave us the right to go ahead."

Bradbury also wrote several works for film and television. He wrote the screenplay for John Huston's film Moby Dick and scripts for many TV series, including Suspense, The Alfred Hitchcock Show and The Twilight Zone.

Bradbury was passionate about literature. In 2008, he told The National Endowment for the Arts: "If you know how to read, you have a complete education about life, then you know how to vote within a democracy.

"But if you don't know how to read, you don't know how to decide. That's the great thing about our country - we're a democracy of readers, and we should keep it that way."

The author had four daughters - Susan, Ramona, Bettina and Alexandra. His wife died in 2003

/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18345350

Diligens - Ray Bradbury

RAY BRADBURY in conversation with BRIAN SIBLEY
Readings by BLAIN FAIRMAN
First Broadcast on 'Meridian', BBC World Service, 1988

Ray Bradbury – Encountering the Illustrated Man

The Midsummer Station available now!

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/OwlCityTMSitunes
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/OwlCityTMSamz

The Midsummer Station

Embers

"Kaleidescope" By Ray Bradbury

"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury

Excerpt from Jeff Goldsmith's Q&A with Ray Bradbury, recorded at Comic Con 2010. Discussion and other highlights here: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/04/ray-bradbury-comic-con-interview/

Full audio here: http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2012/06/ray-bradbury-q.html

Ray Bradbury on Predictions and the Secret of Life

Ray Bradbury on Space Exploration

Ray Bradbury on Libraries

Ray Bradbury on NASA

Ray Bradbury on Monorail

Ray Bradbury on (Not) Growing Up

Ray Bradbury on Loving Life

MC Lars's song "Mr. Raven" from "the Laptop EP".

Mr. Raven

'The Last Night Of The World,' written by Ray Bradbury, read by RM.

'The Last Night Of The World,' a short story, written by Ray Bradbury, read by RM.

A track from Rachel Bloom's album, "Please Love Me."

Fuck Me Ray Bradbury

When it comes to music, I have an open mind about it. Music is the universal language after all so what one listens to can certainly have come from another genre. All the more discovery to be had! I also have a Spotify account which happens to be a maelstrom of playlists, but I've made a definite Folder entitled My Spotify Playlists (hey, originality doesn't mean you can single me out... Or can you? Well, you get the idea.) Feel free to follow me if you so wish on both as I plan on taking music from each. Happy listening!

Literature

Brent Wiggins