Philip K. Dick Festival in August

David Gill of Total Dick-Head writes:

Even as you read this, preparations are underway for one of the largest gatherings of Dick-heads in history. Luckily, the Dick-heads, in this case, are fans of Philip K Dick, the counterculture’s favorite science fiction writer and disheveled prophet whose dystopian futures seem more and more prescient with each passing year and whose literary reputation is on the rise ever since his inclusion in the lofty Library of America collection.

The Philip K Dick Festival is scheduled to take place in Blackhawk, Colorado (along with two other nearby towns located along scenic Highway 119) August 13, 14, and 15 of this year, and is being organized by veteran Dick-head Lord Running Clam (aka David Hyde) whose book Pink Beam: A Philip K Dick Companion is an indispensable resource for serious fans.

Tentative speakers include:

Anne Dick (PKD’s third wife, author of The Search for Philip K Dick), Erik Davis (PKD scholar and author of Techgnosis), Jason Koornick (Webmaster Philipkdickfans.com, producer ‘Next’,) Patrick Clark (Author of PKD Otaku), Sam Umland (University of Nebraska at Kearny), Marleen Bar (Fordham University, author of several books on SF), and others.

Planned activities include: PKD book and panel discussions, android hunting workshops, scenic drives, a visit to PKD's grave, meeting and greeting fellow Dick-heads, and experimentation with time-binding drugs.

Check here for regular updates from Lord RC.

If you have any questions or would like to make a donation, contact Lord RC.

• [Manooshi]

  I love this pic of PKD and how his cat’s expression says, “Fucking let me go, asshole!” ;)

• [hassenpfeffer]

  Oh, how I wish I could go…

• [jeligula]

  sigh. I wish I could hear about things like this well in advance so I could make plans to attend. Too bad the PKD android went missing long ago.

• [Greg Weeks]

  If you haven’t read any PKD Project Gutenberg has about 10 shorts. I’m sure you’ve seen movies made from PKD works, though you might not know it.

• [Chuck]

  Oooh… I didn’t know this was happening in my backyard. Thanks.

  *scours website for info*

• [Anonymous]

  Any chance that the preceding of the festival will be recorded or streamed live on the internet? It would be great if people around the world could listen in to this event.

  thanks!

• [Anonymous]

  I would go to it, but I’m afraid that there is as much as a 50% chance that this is only a simulated festival occurring inside the mind of an android who dwells in an alternate universe, and that news of it only appeared on boing boing because David’s drug addled state opened him up to pink-light trans-versal cyber bleed off.

• [spaceling]

  I’ll be tweeting the festival using the #pkdfest hashtag — @aharonium

• [Anonymous]

  Blackhawk, the same town which recently made news for banning bicycles from almost all of the streets in town. I’m a PKD fan, and have family in CO, so such an event would be of great interest to me. I’m also an avid cyclist though, so I’m not going to support Blackhawk with any of my tourism dollars, and I’d encourage others to avoid the place as well.

  Maybe it’s not too late for the organizers to move to another venue?

• [Fiddy]

  Too bad I won’t be able to make it. Just started a new job and won’t have enough vacation time accumulated by August to attend the festival, even in the unlikely event I’d have sufficient funds to blow on such a trip. Sounds like it will be great.

• [Anonymous]

  I live in South Africa and I will be in Colorado until August 19 so I will be doing my utmost to attend.

• [Anonymous]

  PKD Festival Events begin 10:00AM on Friday August 13th at the Last Shot Restaurant & Bar on scenic peak-to-peak hiway 119 in Gilpin County, Colorado, about 10 miles north of Black Hawk. The town of Black Hawk itself is barely involved. Hope to see you all there! Lord Running Clam