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Please join us for our September 1st roundtable discussion, where we’ll examine the prevalent factors driving the current SF narrative:

• How does the sensationalist appeal of news and social media noise affect SF?
• Does SF still strive to show societal and scientific extrapolations of the human condition?
• Does a growing futurism focus on modernity, speed, youth, and technology, ignore our collective, cultural histories and lessons hopefully learned?

With world-destabilizing conflicts, natural disasters, and pandemics in the news, the rise and fall of political dynasties, the governments’ tantalizing releases of previously classified UAP/UFO files, and even the recent release of Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, it seems to many that SF is chasing present trends and drifting away from exploring our collective futures.

What do you think?

Moderator: Alan Vincent Michaels

Location: Our September meeting will be in person at Barnes & Noble, Pittsford and on Zoom. (Please join us at least 10 minutes before the 7:00 p.m. start time to ensure a good connection.)

Meeting Time: Tuesday, September 1, 2026 from 6:30-8:45 p.m.

• Open chat: 6:30-7:00 p.m.
• Discussion: 7:00-8:45 p.m.
• Close meeting: 8:45 p.m. (or sooner to break down the Community Room before the store closes)

Note: R-SPEC reading meetings are not recorded.