Neil Gaiman is coming to MIT!

MIT is truly the place where science, technology, and literature converge and I can't think of a better innagural speaker than Neil Gaiman for The Julius "Julie" Schwartz Lecture, which will be an annual event starting in May 2008. Given the speaker, the topic, and the location, I think it's safe to say that this is going to be a fantastic event. If you're nearby, you should attend. You will be sorry to miss it!

Don't worry about buying a ticket in advance since they will be available for purchase at the door (cash only from what I understand). Also, Kresge Auditorium is HUGE so don't worry about not getting a seat because there will be room for everyone.

The text below is taken from the MIT Comparative Media Studies web page. You can also view the bios of the speakers here.

The lecture is open to the public. Anyone can attend even if you are not part of the MIT community. So, bring yourself, your family, and your friends to MIT and give Mr. Gaiman a great big warm welcome!

The Julius Schwartz Lecture is an annual event held to honor an individual who has made significant contributions to the culture, creativity and community of comics and popular entertainment. The inaugural lecture will be held on May 23rd, 2008 at 7 PM in Kresge Auditorium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The lecture is hosted by the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT, and was founded to honor the memory of longtime DC Comics editor Julius "Julie" Schwartz, whose contributions to our culture include co-founding the first science fiction fanzine in 1932, the first science fiction literary agency in 1934, and the first World Science Fiction Convention in 1939. Schwartz went on to launch a career in comics that would last for well over 42 years, during which time he helped launch the Silver Age of Comics, introduced the idea of parallel universes, and had a hand in the reinvention of such characters as Batman, Superman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and the Atom.

The event is typically structured as a short lecture presented by the honored speaker, followed by a question-and-answer discussion between the speaker and the head of the Comparative Media Studies program, media scholar Henry Jenkins III. This will be followed by an open question-and-answer session between the lecturer and the audience. The inaugural speaker for the series is New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman.