Events – Joe Monson – SF Editor & Author

Kovel Writing Retreat

Posted on May 16, 2026 - May 16, 2026 by Joe

The Moon, as seen many times by Edward M. Kovel.

The 2026 Edward M. Kovel writing retreat just concluded. I was able to rewrite one story, edit part of another, and edit part of a collection that should be coming out next year. My young son, who came for a couple hours yesterday, wore himself out playing with one of Dave Butler’s dogs. There were a dozen or so writers here, and we had a great time writing, chatting, eating, and enjoying our time together. I’ve been attending for several years now, and every year we’ve all been able to focus and get things done.

Looking forward to next year. Should be fun!

LTUE 2025

Posted on February 12, 2025 - May 16, 2026 by Joe

Life, the Universe, & Everything 43 starts tomorrow and runs through Saturday evening (February 13-15). I’ll be on a panel about Hayao Miyazaki, then MC-ing the release of Dog Save the King (the seventh in the LTUE Benefit Anthologies series, co-dited with Jaleta Clegg). Following that, I’ll be overseeing a memorial gathering for my long-time friend, Melva Gifford, who passed away at the beginning of January. She was one of the founders of the Leading Edge and LTUE, and she helped with both of them for many, many years. She will definitely be missed.

Most of my time at LTUE will be at the Hemelein Publications table just outside the Boardroom at the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Come by and chat, hang out, pick up a few books, and get a chance to win a signed and numbered Kickstarter hardcover edition of The Horror at Pooh Corner, an anthology of Lovecraftian Winnie-the-Pooh stories. There are only 100 of them in total, and only three left. It’s beautifully illustrated by Leila May and Meredith Dillman and has a gorgeous dust jacket illustration by Jessica M. Douglas.

LTUE Day 1, Kickstarter begins

Posted on February 16, 2023 - February 15, 2023 by Joe

Today is the first day of Life, the Universe, & Everything 41, the annual science fiction and fantasy symposium (think “more academic than most cons”) in Provo, Utah. I’m on a number of different panels, if you’d like to come and see (title, time, location; * indicates I’m the moderator)):

“Advanced Topics: Crafting the Ideal Elevator Pitch for Your Story” * (Thu, Feb 16 at 10am, Elm)
“Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Legends and Folktales” (Thu at 6pm, Zion)
“A Hero of a Different Stripe – LTUE Anthology Release” (Fri, Feb 17 at 11am, Juniper)
“All the Monoliths in the Universe Release” (Fri at Noon, Maple)
“Different Types of Editing” (Fri at 1pm, Bryce)
“Pitch Sessions for Authors and Illustrators” * (Fri at 5pm, Cedar)
“Mass Book Signing” (Fri at 7-9pm, Zion)
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Outside of those times, I’ll generally be at the Hemelein Publications table near the South Tower elevators, so drop by and say hello, pick up a book or two, and hang out!

Additionally, the Kickstarter for The Horror at Pooh Corner, a Lovecraftian Winnie-the-Pooh anthology I’m editing, starts at about 9:00 am Mountain Time today, so check that out. I’m working with many amazing authors and artists to put this together, and we’d appreciate your support!

Update for Summer 2021

Posted on July 30, 2021 - July 30, 2021 by Joe

I have several announcements to make:

A Universe of Stories was released on June 30, 2021. The official release event is on August 14 at American Fork Library at 11am. Come out, pick up your copy, and get signatures from the authors and the editor.

The Florilegium of Madness, a collection of short fiction and essays by D. J. Butler and co-edited by Callie Butler and myself, was released on July 28! It has a bunch of Hiram Woolley stories (The Cunning Man), as well as a bunch of other Cthulhu mythos and other dark fantasy stories. I enjoyed working with Dave and Callie to create this volume. This is the first collection of Dave’s stories, and the first in the Legacy of the Corridor publication series from Hemelein Publications. We’re still working on a release event for it.

We have a cover for Parliament of Wizards! This is the fourth volume in the LTUE Benefit Anthologies series that I co-edit with Jaleta Clegg. It comes out in February 2022.

I plan to be at FanX, too. Check out my schedule for more details.

Westercon 72, NASFic 2019, and more!

Posted on July 1, 2019 - July 1, 2019 by Joe

This weekend is Spikecon. It’s a combination of Westercon 72, the North American Science Fiction Convention (since Worldcon is in Dublin this year), the 1632 Minicon, Manticon, the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award, and the Chesley Awards all rolled into one big event! It’s from July 4-7 in Layton, Utah.

I have two things on my schedule:

Signing (Friday, 4:30pm, Horizon Hall)
Editing vs. Beta Reading (Saturday, 2:00pm, Meridian F)

I’m looking forward to the “Editing vs. Beta Reading” panel. I’m moderating, and Susan Chang, C.H. Hung, Melissa Meibos, and Dan Wells are the panelists who will do most of the talking. We will hopefully be able to clear up any confusion people have on the topic.

I will also be helping out a lot in the art show, so feel free to stop by there and say, “Hello!”.

See you there!