Science fiction icons Ray Bradbury and Frederick Pohl, as well as other science fiction authors and international scholars, will explore the role of Mars in science fiction literature in the Eaton Science Fiction Conference May 16-18. Other celebrated science fiction authors on the program include Gregory Bear, Gregory Benford, David Brin, Howard Hendrix, Geoffrey Landis, Larry Niven and Kim Stanley Robinson.

“Chronicling Mars” is the theme of the conference, which is returning to the campus after nearly 10 years. The Eaton Conference program will include the presentation of the first Eaton Award for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction to Bradbury, as well as academic papers and panel discussions, a Science Fiction Poetry Association poetry reading, films about Mars, and exhibitions and receptions. Other events include a donation ceremony for the archives of the Science Fiction Poetry Association to the Eaton Collection, and an award ceremony for the winners of the first University of California Science Fiction Short Story Contest.

Bradbury, author of more than 500 published works including “The Martian Chronicles” and “Fahrenheit 451,” will be honored for his life’s work on Saturday, May 17. He will be introduced by Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The conference is being supported by the UCR Libraries, the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost.

A highlight of the conference will be the “Science Fiction Heritage” panel discussion with Bradbury and Pohl, award-winning author of the “Heechee” series, moderated by George Slusser, professor of comparative literature emeritus and curator emeritus of UCR’s Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Utopian Literature. Mars has figured prominently in the writings of Bradbury and Pohl.

Scholars from across the United States, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Australia will present papers in sessions ranging from scientific and mythical uses of Mars to 21st century possibilities for fiction about Mars. Three UCR faculty are among them: Slusser; Lisa Raphals, professor of comparative literature; and Ekaterina Yudina, lecturer in Russian.

Conference organizer Melissa Conway said bringing the Eaton Conference back to UCR has been a dream of hers since she became head of Special Collections at UCR Libraries in 2001. Since 1999 conferences have been held abroad or elsewhere in the United States.

“The idea to focus on Mars originated with Professor Emeritus George Slusser, who served as curator of the Eaton Collection for more than 25 years,” Conway said. “Mars has always been important to science fiction writers, and perhaps even more so today. We’ve been to the moon. Mars is the next frontier.”

Science fiction has moved from being regarded as the realm of ephemeral literature to being appreciated as an important literary genre, Conway said.

“There’s great imagination in science fiction literature and respect for the reader,” she said. “There’s a flexibility to the minds of these authors. They open vistas to possibilities and what the future can be, good and bad. The confluence between science fiction and reality is exciting.”

The return of the Eaton Science Fiction Conference has been a major priority of the UCR Libraries for more than a year, said Ruth M. Jackson, university librarian. Given the world-class reputation of the Eaton Collection, the conference represents a vital component of the Libraries’ commitment to supporting scholarly and popular exploration of science fiction writing, publishing, study and research as a literary genre, she said.

The Eaton Collection and the long-standing presence of science fiction studies on campus, led by Professor Slusser, make UCR the logical choice for the conference, said CHASS Dean Stephen Cullenberg.

“The fact that National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia will be attending to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ray Bradbury is testament to the importance and reach of this conference,” said Cullenberg.

Science fiction studies has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in recent years and is now a respected genre in literature, film and creative writing, Cullenberg said.

“Indeed, our college is making a major investment in science fiction studies this year by hiring Rob Latham from the University of Iowa, who is currently co-editor of Science-Fiction Studies, the leading journal in the field,” the dean said. “We will also be hiring two more faculty in science fiction studies next year, hopefully a writer and someone with a film background. So, we are making a major investment in science fiction studies, and we are planning to make UCR the leading university in the world to study science fiction.”

Until May 1, registration for faculty and staff is $50, or $5 for UCR students. After May 1 the cost will be $125 for faculty and staff or $20 for UCR students. Registration information is available at eatonconference.ucr.edu. For information, call (951) 827-3233. Space is limited.