As science fiction fans prepare to descend upon WorldCon next weekend, fans and researchers of author Philip K. Dick have staged their own celebration of the genre at Cal State Fullerton.
The fourth annual Philip K. Dick Festival took place Aug. 20-23, splitting locations between the CSUF Pollak Library and the nearby Fullerton Marriott, a change from the festival’s previous meeting grounds located in Colorado.
The convention’s namesake stems from sci-fi writer Dick, who was born in 1928 and died in 1982. Over the course of his career, he was the author of 36 novels as well as five volumes of short stories, most notably the 1977 “A Scanner Darkly” and “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?,” which was published in 1968. This novel would go on to inspire the 1982 “Blade Runner” franchise.
Dick’s work garnered him a devoted and international fanbase who host biannual festivals in honor of the writer’s legacy. The fan base also meets online weekly to discuss his books and ideas at length.
His fans have made newsletters, zines, anthologies and podcasts over the decades to create an evolving community of writers and readers influenced by Dick and his life’s work alike.
“He was more like a philosopher who used science fiction to communicate philosophical ideas. And that’s why you have this wide swab of people who have come from multiple countries to be here,” said author and event organizer David Agranoff. “We’re very inspired by his work and as a writer Phil is the biggest influence.”
Although the writer was born in Chicago and spent the majority of his life in Northern California, Dick spent the last decade of his life in Orange County at the invitation of CSUF professor Willis McNelly.
Dick left his manuscripts and papers to the university’s archives after his death for future students to observe and study. His works are currently a part of the larger Willis E. McNelly Science Fiction Collection in the Pollak Library archives and special collections.
The convention’s first day opened cheerily with a meet and greet at the nearby Marriott’s hotel bar, followed by a “PKD in Orange County” trivia panel hosted by Langhorne J. Tweed and Agranoff, the host of the “DickHeads Podcast.”
During Friday’s activities, festival attendees could visit the Pollak Library to view some of Dick’s manuscripts housed in the university’s archives.
Each presentation tailored to sci-fi fans, physics fans, political science fans and the like dissected Dick’s work from a specific angle or perspective, in lectures such as “Inside Dick’s Head: A Psychospiritual Portrait,” “PKD and Quantum Theology” and “The Conquest of Death and the Divine Afterlife.” Each lecture painted the writer’s legacy in a way that was specific to each fan’s area of expertise.
Friday also brought five student presentations discussing Dick’s work from various lenses, including his depiction of female characters and how his work relates to current topics of discussion such as generative artificial intelligence.
English graduate student Alli Lappin Dubin, who presented one of the student papers featured at the festival, spoke to the significance of Dick’s writing on a personal level.
“PKD really is so good at exploring the existential questions that kind of plague the voice in the back of your mind, he’s that voice,” Dubin said. “All of his novels, not just the one that I wrote about, really have this thread of the individual versus the state and how that kind of fractures your sense of self.”
Dubin’s paper, “Taking Donna Back: Gender and Sexuality in A Scanner Darkly,” explored Donna, a female character in “A Scanner Darkly,” who specifically sparked conversation about Dick’s portrayal of women compared to his treatment of women in his personal life.
To close out its penultimate day, and commonly the convention’s last full day, the festival hosted an inaugural award ceremony, wherein they gave four “Pink Beam” awards to recognize the Best in Show, Best Book, Best Paper and Lifetime Achievement in Philip K. Dick Research, which was awarded to Lord Running Clam, a longtime member of the community and the individual who began hosting the Philip K. Dick Festival.
This year’s festival concluded on Sunday with an OC caravan car tour of notable OC locations that Dick lived in or frequented during his time spent in the area.
The 2028 festival will take place in Berkeley and will recognize the year where Dick spent his youth and early career. Additionally, they will celebrate this as the year that Dick would have celebrated his 100 birthday.