Friday, May 30, 2008

Big Science Read Launch


Jodrell Bank will be running its second Literary Weekend 'First Move.2' on June 13th and 14th. During the weekend there's a chance to hear celebrated authors Brian Aldiss and Piers Bizony, build rockets and hear about the work of Jodrell Bank live from astronomers who work there. The weekend also marks the launch of the Big Science Read—an initiative to get people reading and talking about the exciting things that happen in Science and Science Fiction!

Friday 13th June
7.30pm: Award-winning science journalist and space historian Piers Bizony will talk about 'The Culture of Spaceflight' in our 'Hot Spot' Pavilion. He is the author of The Man Who Ran the Moon, Atom, Space50 and How to Build Your Own Space Ship, amongst others.

Saturday 14th June
1.30pm: Rocket Workshop: Come and find out how rockets work—and see how far you can make yours fly! This workshop is free of charge, but places are limited. Please call 01477 571339 to book.
7.30pm: Celebrated Science Fiction Author Brian Aldiss will talk about 'Science and Civilisation' in our 'Hot Spot' Pavilion. He is the author of books too numerous to list here, but 'A Science Fiction Omnibus' came out in November last year and stormed the Science Fiction charts.

The bar will be open each evening from 7pm and there will be an opportunity to ask the authors questions about their work after their talks. There will also be a book-signing at the end of the events. Tickets are £5.00 per person per event and are available from Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre by calling 01477 571339.

The weekend marks the launch of the Big Science Read in collaboration with the Manchester Science Festival and the Manchester Literature Festival. This is an opportunity for people of all ages to explore, re-discover and get excited about science-themed books.

The bookshop for the weekend will be Simply Books in Bramhall. First Move.2 is in association with The Times Books. The Hot Spot Pavilion is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council