FanCons.ca Press Releases


July 2, 2008

News for Otakon 2008:

Peter S. Beagle to appear at Otakon 2008

Baltimore, Maryland (2 July 2008) – Hugo and Nebula Award Winning Author of "The Last Unicorn" to make his second appearance at Otakon.

We're pleased to welcome fan-favorite Peter S. Beagle as an industry guest at Otakon 2008. Peter's appearance is sponsored by Conlan Press.

Peter S. Beagle was born in New York City in 1939 and raised in the borough of that city known as the Bronx. He originally proclaimed he would be a writer when 10 years old: subsequent events have proven him either prescient or even more stubborn than hitherto suspected. Today, thanks to classic works such as A Fine and Private Place, The Last Unicorn, Tamsin, and The Innkeeper's Song, he is acknowledged as America's greatest living fantasy author; and his dazzling abilities with language, characters, and magical storytelling have earned him many millions of fans around the world.

In addition to stories and novels, Peter has written numerous teleplays and screenplays, including the animated versions of The Lord of the Rings and The Last Unicorn, plus the fan-favorite "Sarek" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. His nonfiction book I See By My Outfit, which recounts a 1963 journey across America on motor scooter, is considered a classic of American travel writing. He is also a gifted poet, lyricist, and singer/songwriter.

Two Hearts, Peter's sequel story to The Last Unicorn, has won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

2008 and 2009 will see a veritable flood of new Peter S. Beagle works, including the story collection, We Never Talk About My Brother from Tachyon; a manga-style graphic adaptation of The Last Unicorn from EigoManga; and numerous titles from Conlan Press, including two new novels (Summerlong and I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons), a Star Trek memoir (Writing Sarek), an essay collection, (Smeagol, Deagol, and Beagle: Essays from the Headwater Of My Voice) two story collections (The First Last Unicorn and Other Beginnings and Three Faces of the Lady), plus numerous audio book releases of his works.

For more information on Peter and his works, see www.peterbeagle.com or www.conlanpress.com.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its fifteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore's few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 "turnstile" attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see http://www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2008, see http://www.otakon.com/

###