The Pollak Library will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the popular science fiction epic “Dune” this fall with a speaker series, an exhibition called “Dune: From Print to Cinema and Beyond,” film screenings and a costume contest.
The exhibit, expected to open in October in the Salz-Pollak Atrium Gallery, will highlight author Frank Herbert’s creative process, and illustrate the impact of his scholarship and imagination. It will include the university’s Frank Herbert manuscript collection, artwork by campus artists and other collectibles.
The speakers series is an interdisciplinary collaboration that features experts discussing the present-day relevance of the political and environmental themes in the novel and their implications to contemporary society.
Cal State Fullerton acquired the “Dune” manuscripts in the late 1960s from Herbert. He and the late Willis E. McNelly, CSUF professor of English and renowned science fiction scholar and critic, had developed a close relationship over the years. McNelly edited the critically acclaimed “Dune Encyclopedia,” and Herbert lectured in McNelly’s science fiction class.
McNelly characterized “Dune” as “a major work of ecological and sociological importance.” It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards as the best science fiction novel of year.
Along with the manuscripts from his six-book series, “The Dune Chronicles,” Herbert donated short stories, “California Living” articles, correspondence and research files — contributions that continued until his death in 1986. The collection includes all of Herbert’s personal copies of his books, both hardback and paperback, including in every language in which the books have been published.
The manuscripts include the second, third and fourth drafts of “Dune,” including handwritten revisions by Herbert.
Patricia Prestinary, university archives and special collections archivist, is curating the print collection, and Cliff Cramp, CSUF professor of art, is curating the artwork.
What:
Dune: The 50th Anniversary Celebration
Where:
Salz-Pollak Atrium Gallery
Exhibits & Displays
Sept. 18 – Dec. 20, 2015
Book Display: “Science in Popular Media and Banned Books: Science Fiction and Fantasy”
Oct. 3 – Dec. 23, 2015
Featured Exhibition: “‘Dune’: From Print to Cinema and Beyond”
Exhibit Launch & Keynote Talks
When:
Oct. 3, 2015
Time:
11 a.m. – noon
Location:
Ruby Gerontology Center, Mackey Auditorium
Admission:
Free and open to the public
Parking:
Free
Keynote Address: “Living with Frank Herbert’s Legacy: 50 Years of Dune” by science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson.
Keynote Reception Talk: “Pioneering Aquaponic Farming in Orange County” by chef Adam Navidi.
Speaker Series
Locations vary, check the websites.
Oct. 2, 2015
1-2 p.m. “The Popcorn Theory of Success” by science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson
Oct. 10, 2015
11 a.m. – noon “Every Last Drop: Extracting Water from Fog” by Daniel M. Fernandez, professor of physics.
Oct. 14, 2015
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. “You Can Please Some of the People Some of the Time… None of the People All of the Time: A History of the Art of Adaptation in Movies like ‘Dune’, ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Harry Potter’ and More!” by Rosanne Welch, a lecturer in the Radio, TV, Film department.
Oct. 20, 2015
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. “The Road to Arrakis: ‘Dune’ and a Sustainable Future” by John Bock, professor of anthropology.
Oct. 21, 2015
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. “Archiving the Future: Willis McNelly and Science Fiction in CSUF’s Special Collections” by David Sandner, professor of English Literature.
Oct. 23, 2015
10:30 a.m. Natural Resource Management Panel
Oct. 27, 2015
11 a.m.- noon “River to the Sky: How Plants Move Our World’s Water” by Jochen Schenk, director and curator of the MacFadden Herbarium at CSUF.
Nov. 3, 2015
1 p.m. -2 p.m. “The Spice Must Flow: The Short, Intense Trip of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)” by Jonathan Taylor, professor of geography.
Films & Fandom
Oct. 12, 2015, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Jodorowsky’s Dune Documentary screening
Oct. 26, 2015, 8 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. “Dune” miniseries screening
Nov. 6, 2015, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Costume Contest
More information about the speaker series and exhibitions is available online.
Media Contacts:
Patricia Prestinary, Pollak Library, 657-278-4751, pprestinary@fullerton.edu
Michael Mahi, 657-278-5143, mimah@fullerton.edu