So, this would have been high on the list of Things I Was Not Expecting To See when I drove into my local library to drop off a copy of 24 Frames Into the Future for their collection:

However, it did remind me to let those of you in the area know that I’ll be doing an event at the Bradford Public Library, here in my hometown of Bradford, Ohio, on Saturday, March 31. It’ll be a morning event — it starts at 10:30 am — but that just means you’ll have a spring in your step for the whole rest of the day. I’ll be talking about the life of the writer, doing a reading, and also be signing copies of the soon-to-be-released paperback editions of Fuzzy Nation, among other books folks would like me to sign. The library site promises that “Space Refreshments” will be served, and of course those are the best kind of refreshments. Ever.

The event is free and open to the public, including folks who are not from Bradford. So if you’re from Troy, Piqua, Greenville, Versailles, Tipp City — heck, from anywhere in the entire Miami Valley! — come on down and see my library, and me. We’ll have fun.

And not as part of America’s Most Wanted! This time!

Rather, I will be on Alien Encounters, a two-part show whose first part is airing in the US on Tuesday at 10pm on the Science Channel. Here’s a description of the show:

In two dramatic hours, Alien Encounters lays out a plausible hypothetical scenario for a first contact event. What would really happen if we got a message from space? How will humans react when we learn a spacecraft is on its way to Earth? Will humans learn from aliens, or become colonial subjects?

Some of the world’s leading astrophysicists, astrobiologists, sci-fi writers and and futurists help unravel the scientific, cultural and psychological impact of this world-changing global event.

Alien Encounters is made in cooperation with SETI Institute (the highly respected organization devoted to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), which was founded in the early 1960s by renowned astrophysicist Carl Sagan.

I’m part of a group of interviewees which includes Nick Sagan, Seth Shostak, Jill Tarter and Neil Degrasse Tyson. I’m on hand to contribute the science fiction writer point of view regarding alien encounters. Part of my gig was answering questions along the lines of “So, what do you see happening if [insert highly speculative event] happens?” Because, you know. That’s what I do for a living.

To answer anticipated questions, yes, this was one of my secret projects I could not tell you about, no, I don’t know when/where/if it will be screened in countries outside of the United States, and no, I have no idea just how much I will be featured in the actual show. Since they have several experts on hand, I expect my overall face time may be relatively small, and (because I tried to be pithy and amusing) that I may be used primarily for comedy relief. I have reason to believe much of my stuff will be in the second hour, which will air next week. I’ll be watching it for the first time along with the rest of you, so we’ll see.

In any event: Tuesday! 10pm! Eastern! Now you know what you’re doing at that time.