UCI Explores Philip K. Dick in OC

Flickr user NikiSublime

Dick head on a train.

​Six years ago, OC Weekly wrote about what happened when one of the greatest minds in sci-fi made plastic-land U.S.A. his home. Yes, Orange County drove Philip K. Dick mildly insane (can you blame the man?), but it also inspired some of his best work.

UC Irvine is picking up the thread now with a literary event that will explore the strange mojo between Dick and OC.

The event is this Friday at noon, and it's titled "A County Darkly: Philip K. Dick in the OC."

"A panel of acclaimed local science fiction writers will discuss how Dick--author of some of the bleakest and most influential science fiction in American literature--was influenced by Orange County, where he spent the last 10 years of his life."

The moderated panel will include:

• Gregory Benford, author of The Sunborn and UCI physics & astronomy professor;
• James Blaylock, author of The Shadow on the Doorstep, 1986 winner of the Philip K. Dick Award and assistant professor of English at Chapman University;
• Jeff Hicks, English doctoral candidate at UC Riverside;
• Rob Latham, editor of Science Fiction Studies and associate professor of English at UC Riverside; and
• Tim Powers, author of Last Call and two-time Philip K. Dick Award winner.

The event is free (besides parking; $8 in the structure at West Peltason and Pereira drives) and open to the public. Noon, Friday, May 21. Room 1030, Humanities Gateway (bldg. 611, grid E7 on campus map)