I was sad to learn today that Michael Bishop, the southern science fiction writer, had passed away about a month ago on Nov. 13 in LaGrange, Georgia, a small town near the Alabama border–north of Columbus and southwest of Atlanta. I had the honor of moderating a discussion panel called, “Engineering the Future and Southern Fried Science Fiction and Fantasy,” at the 2009 Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) Conference in Atlanta that featured Mr. Bishop alongside F. Brett Cox, Paul Di Filippo, Andy Duncan, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Jack McDevitt, and Warren Rochelle. It was a lively discussion and I remember him being friendly and kind throughout the event where he was the Guest of Honor. The pictures above and below are from his GoH reading on Friday, June 12.
