INDIANAPOLIS — Jon Eller, professor of English, director of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies, and senior textual editor of the Institute for American Thought in the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, will be the featured speaker during a weekend-long celebration of Ray Bradbury. All events are free and open to the public.
Ray Bradbury Weekend kicks off at 7 p.m., Friday, March 22, at Indy Reads Books, 911 Massachusetts Ave., in downtown Indianapolis, where Eller will discuss Bradbury’s 1950 breakthrough book, The Martian Chronicles.
The weekend celebration of Ray Bradbury continues with three events on Saturday, March 23 at the Indianapolis Public Library-Irvington Branch, 5625 E. Washington St. At 10:30 a.m., Eller will speak on the subject “A Miracle of Rare Device: The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies.” Eller will also lead a discussion of Fahrenheit 451 at 2 p.m. The Irvington Branch will screen the film Fahrenheit 451 at 5:30 p.m. with a short introduction from Eller. The library will also feature a display of Bradbury memorabilia courtesy of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies.
“Since Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books of all time, I was thrilled to learn about Jon’s work at the center and to have the opportunity to help share the love of Bradbury through the events of the Ray Bradbury weekend,” says Kathleen Angelone, a co-organizer of the weekend series and owner of the Indianapolis bookstore Bookmamas.
Eller co-founded the Bradbury Center within the Institute for American Thought in 2007, and became the center’s director in August 2011. He first met Ray Bradbury in 1989, eventually developing a working relationship that lasted until Bradbury’s death in June 2012. Since 2000 Eller has edited or co-edited several limited-press editions of Bradbury’s works, including The Halloween Tree (2005), Dandelion Wine (2007), and two collections of stories and precursors related to Bradbury’s 1953 publication of Fahrenheit 451: Match to Flame (2006) and A Pleasure to Burn (2010)
Eller’s most recent book, Becoming Ray Bradbury (2011, University of Illinois Press), centers on Bradbury’s early life and development as a writer through the 1953 publication of Fahrenheit 451. He recently completed Bradbury Unbound, a companion volume focusing on the middle decades of Bradbury’s career and his rise to cultural prominence. Professor Eller is also working on Simon & Schuster’s 60th anniversary edition of Fahrenheit 451, scheduled for publication in 2013.
“The Bradbury Center has an ongoing archival and publishing function, including The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury book series and The New Ray Bradbury Review, both published by Kent State University Press,” said Eller, “but the Bradbury Weekend events will provide one of the first opportunities for the center to connect with the local Indianapolis community. Much of Bradbury’s work reflects his Midwest roots, and this event provides the perfect opportunity to bring his legacy back to the Heartland.”
The weekend is a collaboration of Indy Reads Books, the Indianapolis Public Library-Irvington Branch, Bookmamas and the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies.
For additional information on Ray Bradbury Weekend, please contact Bookmamas by email or by calling (317) 375-3715. To contact the Indy Reads Books, please call (317) 384-1496. To contact the Irvington Branch, please call (317) 275-4450.
For additional information on the Bradbury Center, please check the center’s website.