Sci-Fi master Ray Bradbury brings star power to IVC
BOOK SIGNING (Joseph Espiritu)
Literary legend Ray Bradbury visited Irvine Valley College Wednesday, Jan. 27, for a lecture and book signing. Bradbury, 89, is most well known for his novel “Fahrenheit 451”, and for his science-fiction classics such as “The Martian Chronicles” and “The Illustrated Man”.
The IVC Performing Arts Center was crowded with people who came to listen to Bradbury speak about himself and his books.
Bradbury talked about his life including how he started out as a writer. The lecture was followed by a short question and answer segment.
When asked what technology he thought that humankind could master next, Bradbury replied that of utmost importance was space colonization.
“We’re going to go back to the Moon. Leaving there was a mistake,” said Bradbury. “We are going to go to Mars, and Alpha Centauri. The Earth is too small for us, and if we stay here, it’s going to be too hot or too cold or a meteor could hit us. In a billion years, we will be out amongst the universe.”
Bradbury is one of the most revered and prolific American authors alive, having written hundreds of short stories and poems, along with many award-winning novels. He is the recipient of the National Medal of Arts, has earned an Emmy, and was awarded the French Commandeur Ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In addition to his literary honors, the science community has honored him as well. The main-belt asteroid “9766 Bradbury”, discovered in 1992, was named after him. An Apollo 11 astronaut gave the author a tremendous compliment by naming a crater on the moon after the book “Dandelion Wine,” calling it the Dandelion Crater.
Discussing his motivations for writing, Bradbury said, “I cannot plan, I don’t intellectualize, I just write, and I explode every day.”
In closing, he advised the audience to “keep on loving. Keep on doing. Find the people you love working with and work with them. Go to the library and find what you love, not what anyone else tells you to love.”
Ticket for fans who wanted to hear the wisdom of Bradbury. (Joseph Espiritu)
Fans surround author Ray Brandbury after his speech at the Irvine Valley College Performing Arts Center on Wednesday. (Joseph Espiritu)