The robot cometh
April 19, 2011
Precisely three years ago today, I interviewed Chris Dahlen on my podcast. I had never met or spoken to him before - heck, I was still figuring out how to do a decent interview back then - so I was surprised and delighted that he agreed to do the show.
We spoke for an hour and covered a wide range of topics. Chris was charming and thoughtful, and I remember feeling happy about how well we hit if off. We said goodbye, I logged off Skype, and it suddenly hit me: I had forgotten to hit the record button. Our entire conversation was lost.
I had small meltdown, and my wife said, "Why not just call him back?" I said I felt humiliated, but she insisted, so I rang up Chris again on Skype and explained my screw-up. "No problem. Let's do it again," he replied. And so we did.
And so began my friendship with Chris Dahlen and my continuing high regard for his work as a writer, editor, and family man. No one has done more than Chris to advance the cause of thoughtful writing about games, and no one is more respected among his peers. Nice guys don't always finish last.
Today I'm delighted to note that Chris is visiting Wabash College as this year's McGregor Visiting Artist and Scholar in the Humanities. He will visit a variety of classes; meet with students and faculty; and deliver a presentation on professional writing and the challenges of launching a new magazine (Kill Screen) aimed at an audience that supposedly isn't intererested in reading or thinking hard.
If you happen to live in the vicinity, you're welcome to attend two events open to the public. One is a conversation about the graphic novel Watchmen with students in my Enduring Questions course. The other is Chris's noontime presentation. Here are the details:
- Watchmen discussion - 11:20am, Wednesday, April 20, Fine Arts Center
- Public presentation - 12:00pm, Thursday, April 21, Center Hall 216 (lunch served)
A campus map is available here. Directions to Wabash (located in Crawfordsville, Indiana) can be found here. All are welcome.
Since most of you live nowhere near me, I'll post a recording (audio for sure, possibly video) of Chris's talk later this week.