|
|
Updates by webmaster |
2001
|
|
Updates by webmaster |
2001
December 2001:
Major News
14 Dec: Whitley's
writing a new book. Details on the Future
Works page.
Sorry for the lack of updates...
I've been developing my webdesign skills (learning
Dreamweaver). Primarily I've been designing the website of Alien
Art Wear, an independent t-shirt company with some very nice designs. If
your winter has been as warm as mine (it has been up to 70 degrees so far!)
then why not pick up a tee?
Alien Art Wear's shirts have a Pleiadian
theme (they seem like happy versions of the greys), and although I knew nothing
of them when I came in on the project (indeed, I viewed them as a fanciful and
unreal version of greys), as I've researched the subject I've been impressed
by how this star cluster appears in different cultures with an associated theme
of meditation and wisdom. For example, the early history of the Sa skya
school of Tibetan Buddhism refers to "seven brothers" who shared their
wisdom of meditation with humanity and then ascended to the heavens. This is
remarkable because in Western culture the Pleiades are known as the “seven
sisters,” and similarly, these “seven brothers” are also associated
with this star cluster. I was also impressed to discover cave paintings in France
that depict the constellations of Taurus (containing the Pleiades in the shoulder
of the bull) and my favorite constellation, Orion. That these predate Greek
mythology is evident by the paintings having been made over sixteen thousand
years ago. You can see the painting in the History section of the Alien Art
Wear site. Check it out.
So I haven't had time to keep up with
Whitley news, but the official message board over at Whitley's site is always
active, just click the link on the lower left.
November 2001:
A Message and Invitation from Ted Seth
Jacobs
Ted painted the memorable cover of Communion.
“The World Biographical Institute has created a web page exhibition
of my paintings, done in France. The address is www.bwwsociety.org/gallery/tedsethjacobs.htm
I hope you will like it! Please feel free to let me know what you think.
–Ted”
October 2001:
Speculation on "Speculative
Reality"
Some bookstore databases - which are notoriously unreliable regarding future
releases - are now listing a new Whitley Strieber book titled Speculative
Reality as due in early 2002; described as a paperback from Dell (the same
publisher that released the Hidden Agenda series). We would encourage
people to doubt the accuracy of this data, for if these bookstore databases
were reliable, we'd have seen the release of the fiction title Nightman
by now.
Gothic Cover Art
This
striking cover of The Hunger is available exclusively
from a book club; no data on which book club is offering this.
The Coming Goobers and Popcorn
On 10 August 2001, Paraview, the literary agency that represents
Whitley Strieber, announced on its website that the feature film rights to The
Coming Global Superstorm have been purchased by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich,
producers of Independence Day. Paraview notes that this potential feature film
is in addition to the television movie which has long been in development by
Turner Broadcasting. This effectively doubles the chance that we'll see a rendition
of this story, though as with all films, there is never any certainty.
Dreamland Gets Real
RealAudio that is. Whitley reports that "We are happy to report that Dreamland
will be archived on Unknowncountry.com from now on, for your listening pleasure."
"Passport to the Cosmos" Gets Detoured
Last month I mentioned that the remaining hardcover copies of Dr. John Mack's
book Passport to the Cosmos were about to be sold off (that's part of
a book's natural life cycle: paperbacks take over and any remaining hardcovers
go to "remainder," where they can be found at terrific savings). Well
the life-cycle of the remainders of Passport to the Cosmos was a little
unusual this time. In this case, the author's website intended to buy the bulk
of the remainders. A truckload of about 1,000 of the remaining books arrived
in Cambridge...but the driver refused to unload them, because there were stairs
involved, no loading dock. Phone calls ensued between the publisher and the
driver, and the publisher instructed him to unload the books and bill for any
excessive labor...but he drove away. The driver drove the books back to
the Maryland warehouse. Upon their receipt by the warehouse they were mistaken
as "returned" books (books that had gone unsold by stores and were
being returned for disposal) and were processed as such. Meaning, they were
accidentally ground up into paper mulch. So if you've got one of the original
hardcovers of Passport to the Cosmos, you've got more of a collector's
item than you had originally. Of the first edition of 10,000 there are now only
about 9,000 copies in existence. I only mention this because it's a pretty weird
story, and also because the cover art on the paperback is so much worse than
the paperback (the paperback is still available everywhere).
September 11, 2001:
Peace Be With Us
I'd like to put a quote here from the
novel Wolf of Shadows; a scene in which the wolf pack look to the horizon
to the human city and sense that something horrible has occurred. I do not have
my copy of the book here though, so all I can do is share in a howl. No words.
There is a fighter plane (presumably a fighter plane)
over Boston as I write this...the sound is newly disturbing.
Food stockpile suggestions: from
UTNE Reader
September 2001:
Whitley Strieber on FOXNews Sept. 15
Whitley Strieber is reportedly one of the experiencers featured in UFOS:
Proof of Life? an upcoming FOXNews (cable channel) television special that
will air September 15th. The special also features Pamela Stonebrooke. Updated: Airdate suspended due to continuing news coverage
of the crisis.
I Can Name That Author in 4 Sentences
An extremely brief interview with Whitley Strieber (about 5 sentences) appears
on the Pages Magazine website.
Venturing from Shadows Into Light:
LA Times on Alien Encounters
An extremely well balanced article on alien encounters appeared in the LA Times on Tuesday September 4. The
title of the article is beautiful: Venturing From Shadows Into Light
perhaps refers both to experiencers and to the aliens themselves.
Whitley Strieber's Denver Media Appearance
Whitley's August interview with Kirk Montgomery in Colorado is now available
on this website as an MP3; it is only a brief excerpt from a nice in-studio
television interview. Click here or visit The
Last Vampire section of this website.
Art Bell
I've never had much to say about Whitley's
colleague Art Bell, but I found a quote by Picasso that seems to be perfect.
"We know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth."-Picasso
August 2001:
Whitley Strieber Author Tour Announced
Six cities only! Reading & booksigning.
Whitley Strieber returns with the sequel to his bestselling novel, The Hunger.
Don't miss these rare author appearances.
Please check with the stores for confirmation,
and for any changes.
August 8,The Tattered Cover: LoDo, Denver
August 9, Boulder Bookstore, Boulder
August 13, The Booksmith, San Francisco
August 14, Dark Carnival, Berkeley
Aug 15, The Book Carnival, Orange County
Aug 15 or 16, there may be a last-minute addition
to the schedule
Aug 16, Brentano's Century City, Los Angeles
Aug 23, BookPeople, Austin
We will post pics of the events, if anyone
sends any in.
Media Alert
On August 16 Whitley was on Politically Incorrect. Host Bill Maher
was joined by Whitley, comedian/animal rights supporter Kevin Nealon, skeptic
Michael Shermer and actress Marion Ross. Listen to a recording of it here.
More west coast media appearances are also scheduled, get your radio and tv warmed up. As I am
on the east coast, I regret I won't be able to capture many of the media streams
since the time difference means I will be at work when most of the "morning
drive time" radio appearances will be airing.
9 Aug: Denver's
KUSA 9News TV entertainment news anchor Kirk Montgomery reported
in that his interview with Whitley went well. "I'm a big fan as well and
loved doing the interview," he related, but unfortunately his segment won't
be streamed on the 9News website. I'm working on getting a tape.
Whitley Strieber Reading
Whitley reads a 36 minute excerpt from his
new book The Last Vampire in a RealAudio clip, now available on Whitley's
official website. “Listen as his vampire, Miriam Blaylock, struggles to
cope with modern Paris, a place changed for her beyond recognition, and at the
same time journey with her across the sweep of centuries as she fights to understand
and survive the modern world.” Click here.
July 2001:
The eternal heroine of Whitley Strieber's classic
novel The Hunger, Miriam Blaylock, returns in The Last Vampire
-- a new tale of stunning invention and mounting suspense...
In Stores Now
28 July: The Last Vampire arrived in stores this weekend; a bit
earlier than the August 15th release date would have led us to believe.
Website Launched
30 July: The Last Vampire website has launched, and you can literally
hear the breath of Miriam emanating from some subterranean lair... It is a shockwave
enhanced website that you will really enjoy. (Site design and execution by Louis
Steiner, with music by Asim Khan). Dig the glyphs...what do you suppose they
mean? And I want to express my deepest appreciation for being part of the Whitley
Strieber 'Community' links on the site. Brings a tear to my eye...or is that
a drop of blood to my neck?
Excerpt Released
3 July: Simon & Schuster has provided BeyondCommunion.Com with the
first chapter of Whitley Strieber's upcoming novel The Last Vampire.
Their excerpt is now online; see The Last Vampire section of this website.
(On a related note, if you've not yet
read The Hunger, a taste of that novel
is also available.)
A New Interview with Whitley Strieber
Publishers Weekly interviewed Whitley Strieber about The Last Vampire and
the sad state of publishing in the 26 June issue. We've posted the interview
in The Last Vampire section
of this website.
Also, an interview by Sean Casteel about The Key from this past March
has been added to The Key section of this website.
This interview hasn't yet appeared in print anywhere except on Sean Casteel's
website and it is now here by kind arrangement. Do a search (keyword “Casteel”)
for all of Casteel's interviews with Whitley - he's been following Whitley's
career for many years.
Message Board Activity
15 July: Whitley wrote several essay-length messages on his message board
today. Of particular interest is one in the Dreamland>Inside Interviews section.
|
The first 4 figures now set to be released at year's end will be Leeloo Minaï Lekarariba Laminai-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat (Leeloo), Korben Dallas, Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Zorg), and a mean Mangalore. Click on the graphic on the right to see the the prototypes. Later in 2002, a gentle Mondoshawan will be released (if the first figures sell, that is). Previously announced but yet to be scheduled are figures of the Diva Plavalaguna and Ruby Rhod. Note from Editor added later: N2 Toys went out of business before they were able to secure the rights to release the planned figures. |
|
A Selection of the Musical Stylings
of Wax Tadpole
...are now being archived on BeyondCommunion. These song spoofs, or "Waxpoofs,"
have been appearing on the Unknown Country message board like musical crop circles
for some time. Early on, some fame graced Wax when Whitley mentioned the Slobbergnome
during one of the Dreamland broadcasts. The Slobbergnome, a character
from Whitley's book Breakthrough (he isn't called that in the book!),
has since appeared in a couple songs besides his primary ode, "Whitty's
Gnome." Check the main menu (Home button) for the selection called "Music."
Whitley Returns to the Webwaves July
9
Whitley Strieber appeared on Art Bell's Coast-to-Coast
radio program on the night of July 9/10, discussing the subject, "UFOs:
the Dark Side." Whitley read stories from The Communion Letters
that illustrated a range of experiences not commonly reported. Here's a quote:
“I have seen [the UFO community] coaching witnesses to get rid of the
high strangeness in their accounts...as if to say the high strangeness part
is all your imagination, the stuff that makes sense to us is what really
happened. But actually, the opposite is probably the case."
“The more innocent people ignore [high strangeness] because they want this
to come out right in the press. They want to be believed. So they want to tell
a consistent, structured story that makes sense. Even at the expensive of the
truth."
Whitley also again shared a detail of his Communion experience that was
not written of in his initial book, in which a deceased friend was present during
an encounter.
Click here for more
about that portion of the conversation; I have prepared some brief excerpts
and added them to a page about this story. (A full transcript cannot be presented
due to copyright issues).
Dreamland ReAwakens
We also have heard that Dreamland, Whitley's own radio show, may
return to the internet soon after a season of being distrubuted by airwaves-only.
Update: 7 July: Dreamland is indeed available for online listening once
again! I just tuned in Dreamland via the stream located at www.wrko.com, and presumably other stations are now streaming it as well
- www.610cktb.com is another.
June 2001:
Happy Birthday, Whitley!
13 June: Whitley was born June 13, 1945,
04:45:00 AM CWT, +05:00, 098W30', 29N25', San Antonio, TX
BeyondCommunion Advance Opinion on
Whitley Strieber's The Last Vampire
10 June: I've read the first 150 pages of The Last Vampire, and I just want to voice my opinion of the story so far: The
Last Vampire reads in the same way that Luc Besson's film La Femme Nikita
explodes. This is a thrilling tale. I'll have more
to say when I finish the book. Advance copies are turning up on ebay frequently
now, if you can't wait for the August release date. You can also read the first
15 pages of Last Vampire presented as an appendix at the end of the newly
reissued paperback of The Hunger, in stores now.
Update! 20 June: I've finished
the remnant and would love to write my review now, but I am exceptionally busy
so my review may not appear until closer to the release date. I'm also considering
requesting an interview with Whitley, but again, I could not do this until later.
Kirkus Loves The Last Vampire
Kirkus loves The Last Vampire! "...flowing,
sexy, intellectually rousing" are but
a few of the superlatives saturating their capsule review, which can be read
in full at Barnes & Noble's webstore. As usual, the review contains many
plot spoilers, so be sure not to read the review if you want to be surprised.
Lost Chat Found
The “lost” chat of March 5, 1996
(“lost” only because I never knew it took place) turned up on a website
located in Germany, and we now have it on BeyondCommunion.Com. Thank goodness
some people saved this stuff! As this chat took place a few months after Whitley
had written The Secret School - though before that book was published
- it is the first entry in the section devoted to The Secret School.
Tour
Be sure to scroll down for earlier news of Whitley Strieber's upcoming book
tour.
Summer Reading Suggestion
Click here for a fun
suggestion from the BeyondCommunion.Com webmaster.
May 2001:
The Hunger has returned to bookstores
in a new paperback edition
...with a 15 page teaser chapter from the upcoming
companion piece, The Last Vampire. Here is a look at the
new cover art for The Hunger. See The Last Vampire page to notice how well the two books look together.
 |
Eternal youth is a wonderful thing for the few who have it, but for Miriam Blaylock, it is a curse -- an existence marred by death and sorrow. Because for the everlasting Miriam, everyone she loves withers and dies. Now, haunted by signs of her adoring husband's imminent demise, Miriam sets out in serach of a new partner, one who can quench her thirst for love and withstand the test of time. She finds it in the beautiful Sarah Roberts, a brilliant young scientist who may hold the secret to immortality. But one thing stands between the intoxicating Miriam Blaylock and the object of her desire: Dr. Tom Haver...and he's about to realize that love and death come hand in hand. |
Urgent Advisory Regarding Amazon.Com's
listing of The Last Vampire
You must avoid reading Amazon.Com's "Booklist"
review of The Last Vampire if you have any wish to be surprised by the
storyline. I repeat, do not read Amazon.Com's "Booklist" review – it gives away far too much of the
plot. (The reviewer also somehow gazed into Whitley's soul and decided he wrote
the book for money).
Whitley Strieber Author Tour
Announcements regarding the first author appearances for The Last Vampire
are starting to emerge:
|
Whitley Strieber August 13, 7 pm - reading & booksigning The Last Vampire Strieber returns to The Booksmith with the sequel to his bestselling novel, The Hunger. Don't miss this rare author appearance. The Booksmith 1644 Haight Street, San Francisco, California 94117 |
Dreamland Nightmares II
4 May: I found this over at Fantastic Forum, I guess I missed it when
it was reported on Whitley's site: "Along with many other radio programs,
Dreamland's internet feed has been suspended pending resolution of a financial
dispute between the actors' union AFTRA and the radio industry. The issue is
one of how and if additional payment is to be made for internet transmission
of commercials. Premiere Radio Networks, which is a subsidiary of Clear Channel
Communications, has suspended most of its internet feeds pending resolution
of the dispute." Premiere's own stream is not the only stream effected
- radio stations which carry Dreamland and have their own streaming ability
from their own websites have been told to block Dreamland from their streams
until this matter is resolved. Prerecorded messages such as this one have replaced
most radio stations' streams: "Due to uncertainties over rights issues
regarding the streaming of radio commercials over the internet we have been
asked to temporarily suspend the transmission of content... We look forward
to resolution of these issues..."
A better option existed for Premiere: They could have simply muted the commercials
from the audio streams. The show is currently only available through the airwaves.
April 2001:
Dreamland Nightmares
The Dreamland radio show hosted by Whitley
Strieber moved to Saturday night (from Sunday) starting April 28. It was meant
to start April 21 but Premiere Radio Networks failed to provide the streaming
audio resources the program requires. A small number of radio stations also
carry the program, so the program can be listened to live if you live in one
of the areas being served, or if you access a radio stations' own audiostream.
[See May update above for a report that radio stations' own audiostreams have
been suspended as well]
The Hunger Paperback Reissue Coming
Next Month
As previously noted, to prepare readers for
the upcoming hardcover release of The Last Vampire in August, Whitley
Strieber's neo-gothic masterpiece The Hunger will be reissued in paperback.
The release date for the paperback of The Hunger has now been set as
May 22nd (a week earlier than previously announced), and it will contain a “teaser
chapter” from The Last Vampire.
 |
Free Album An entire set of live songs by Stuart Davis has been posted in MP3 format on the Twisted Mystic website (click photo on left to get them!). This is completely authorized and official. It is the best opportunity yet to check out this highly talented musician who philosopher Ken Wilber calls...um, well, I've lost the blurb where Wilber says good things about him, but be assured, he likes him a lot, and probably not just because they both have shaven heads. |
The Last Vampire Film Plans?
The book is not even out yet, so it is premature to speculate on any film
plans, but, if I may indulge for a moment with a predication based on nothing
more than intuition: There will be an overture from the film studio asking
David Bowie (who starred in the original film The Hunger) to provide
a signature tune for The Last Vampire, much like the goth-band Bauhaus
provided the signature tune for The Hunger. Possibly a modern version
of Bowie's song "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" with a more Egyptian/Techno
feel to it, suitable for Miriam Blaylock's ancient heritage and modern sensibilities.
This has beauty in it - it completes a circle in Bowie's relationship to this
vampire story - therefore it is more likely to happen than not. And I'll stand
by this prediction until I am walking out of the theatre after the show.
Feel Like Crying?
WiredNews reports "Some of the largest cuts
in the president's budget proposal are in the alternative energy sector..."
Biography
By popular request (judging by the 'Search' requests), we have added a basic
biography
of Whitley Strieber to the site. It
can only be accessed via the search function. Why? Just because.
March 2001:
The Last Vampire:
beyondcommunion.com exclusive!
11 March: We have it! A BeyondCommunion.Com exclusive first-glimpse of
the cover art of Whitley Strieber's next novel, The Last Vampire. It's
a beauty.
Click to View
Thanks to Barbara for sending the image!
10 March: Advance Reading Copies of The Last Vampire have started
to emerge in the real world, well in advance of the August release date. We
may have pictures of the cover within the next couple days, though we'll be
bound not to reveal the storyline for awhile longer. Advance Reading Copies
are sent by the publisher to reviewers, and are not intended for the public;
reviews are typically held back until the release date.
On a related note, I am dismayed that ARCs have
been sent out but I have not received one as of today. I put in my request
with Simon & Schuster last month, and am sending another request today.
The Wolfen Cover Art
The scariest cover art, bar none, of The
Wolfen has to be this UK paperback published in 1992 by
Coronet.
The Hunger Film News
The Hunger will be released on DVD in 2002...or will it? MGM Home Video,
during a live chat over at Home Theatre Forum on Tuesday, March 6th, replied
to a question about when The Hunger and a couple other films will be
released on DVD with the answer "all 3 titles are scheduled for 2002."
An hour later in the same chat, responding to another question, they said "The
Hunger is under consideration for a future release."
World Trade Center UFO
When I heard about another video clip of a UFO,
this one flying over Manhattan, I assumed it was yet another desktop-video and
didn't bother to even check it out. My default position on UFO photos is that
they can't be photographed, because I figure they do not typically travel through
exactly the same level of reality as the world we know. But someone else played
me the video today and I was stunned. If it is real, and if it is alien, it
is the most overt gesture they've made in fifty years -- revealing themselves
in the most famous city on Earth. The video was allegedly shot from a tourist
helicopter, and shows a saucer or blimp-like shape moving behind the World Trade Center, amid a cloud of white vapor, before darting away
to a safe distance, then launching itself directly at the tourist helicopter,
hazardously, as it peels away. The object actually first becomes visible between
the two towers as an area of white vapor...quite an entrance. And quite an exit.
Too theatrical to be real? I've been examining the QuickTime movie version of
the clip. Without the actual tape it is difficult to make any decisions about
whether this was created on a desktop computer. If it was real, it was meant
to be seen. So go see it.
It's at the Sci-Fi Channel website.
What the clip needs is supporting testimony from the pilot of the tour helicopter.
And an accompanying letter looks a bit made up, overly cutesy and with a ridiculous
request for anonymity -- considering the woman writing the request for anonymity
is apparently visible in the video itself.
Sandra Seen in Soho
Sandra Martin, Whitley's literary agent, was
seen at the March 4th performance of The Abduction Project. I am now
officially a gossip columnist, yikes.
Touched By An Alien Film Update
01 March: While we're on the subject of theatre arts (see The
Abduction Project play, now playing in New York City), would you like an update
about the Touched By An Alien film? (This film does not feature Whitley
Strieber, but I feel it may be of interest to experiencers)
The film has become truly global in scope.
It began with filming in the northeast United States and the United Kingdom,
focusing on the conflict and struggle of experiencers and their spouses as they
try to adjust to having this phenomenon in their lives. Last year, while filmmaker
Laurel Chiten was on a break, taking a course at a school in Italy, she took
the opportunity to hook up with Monsignor Balducci and others who live around
the Vatican. She is now headed to Brazil, where she will be meeting up with
a woman who I think of as a kind of “Brazillian Bridgette Bardot,”
in that she is a star and model of the sixties. That is my impression; I am
not actually familiar with her, nor can I print her name yet. But she has a
wonderful open-minded view of the this amazing world, and she has put Ms. Chiten
in touch with many people in her country who have had experiences. The way the
production of this film has developed can only be described as “blossoming.”
Thank to everyone who has visited the Blind Dog
Films website and helped fund this
independent film.
19 March: Update! The DP (Director of Photography ) for Touched By An Alien
is Andy Abrahams Wilson, whose productions include the HBO special Bubbeh
Lee & Me, and the PBS-broadcast Hope is The Thing With Feathers.
He and Laurel Chiten are still in Brazil and I'm not sure they want to leave...
Dreamland Sweet Dreamland
Dreamland, Whitley's Sunday evening radio show (with Anne producing) is
now being broadcast from the Strieber homestead. Anne
has a new diary entry (28 Feb) about this up
on their official website, Unknown Country; Anne expects that “we'll be
more relaxed and Whitley's conversations with guests will flow more naturally.”
Whitley's FBI File
5 March: On Dreamland, Whitley asked John Greenewald of The
Black Vault if his own FBI file might be obtainable
under the freedom of information act. They seemed interested in trying this,
so I wish them success. (The question was sent in by yours truly, by the way!).
February 2001:
Whitley's Back
22 Feb: Whitley Strieber has a new journal entry over at his official
website, UnknownCountry.com. Sail on over and take a look.
The Abduction Project Debuts Feb 24
in NYC
Just
a reminder, the play has started its run!
Collision Theory (647-0202) presents The
Abduction Project conceived and created by Stephanie Gilman and K Tanzer
with the Collision Theory Company. Using the company’s own highly developed
choreographic style, their newest theatre production tackles one of the most
enduring mysteries of our time: Alien Abduction. Set against the backdrop of
1950’s American suburbia, Collision Theory leaps beyond the familiar, the
tangible, and the scientifically observable into the surreal landscapes of outer
space, hyper-space and the vast inner spaces of the human mind. Mon, Wed-Sun,
Feb. 24–March 17 at 8:30pm. At HERE Arts Center, 145 Ave
of the Americas, one block south of Spring St. at Dominick St.
A representative of the Intruders Foundation, and a rep. from SPACE will
be at a special performance on March 4; Dr. John E. Mack had to cancel due to
an approaching noreaster storm.
Click here for more information
Search Feature Added to BeyondCommunion.Com
You can now search the site for any particular words you may be seeking. I spent
a couple weeks prepping the pages so each one would display an informative title.
The search feature is located on the main
page; I tried fitting it on the side menu, but it was not practical. The search
seems to run smoothly, but if you have any problems please let me know. (By
the way, you can't search for the words “Whitley” or “Strieber”
– they're on every page anyway, so
I've excluded them).
|
|
|
Whitley Welcomes Back Art
Whitley was on Art Bell's
new Coast to Coast radio show late-night February 7th. He took a lot of
good natured ribbing from Art for drinking a white liquid that the mysterious
visitor in Toronto gave him (as described in his new book The Key) – prompting Whitley to add a note to his message board
stating “...the Greeks had the Milk of Nepenthe,
that was given to people who visited the world of the gods, so that they would
forget its beauty and not suffer its loss. And I just got off Coast and FORGOT
to mention that until this minute. So, to the listeners, the white liquid remained
a mystery!” The interview starts 1 hour
in. Whitley mentioned that Turner Broadcasting (TBS) is now actively working
on a script for a telefilm of The Coming Global Superstorm.
More Cover Art
Pan-ultimate cover art has arrived from a friend in Nishinomiya, Japan. Preston Nevins
has supplied BeyondCommunion.Com with images of the Japanese editions of both
Communion (released in 1994) and Transformation (released the
following year). He has also kindly provided information about the books, such
as what the Japanese titles translate into. I'd be lying if I said I thought
this website could expect to ever get any covers that are more rare than these.
Click on the cover art selections on the Communion
and Transformation pages
to view. Thanks, Preston!
New Key Interview Transcript
By kind permission of Constance Clear (and I hear Whitley Strieber said it was
fine by him, as well) comes a complete transcript of Whitley's recent appearance on Clear
Talk radio. Ms. Clear interviews Whitley all about The Key, and Anne
Strieber was there as well. I made this transcript using voice recognition software,
so if you come across any particularly weird sentences (though, how could you
set them apart from the rest of the conversation, I wonder?) there's a chance
it misheard what I was saying. Let me know of any typos.
In the interview, Whitley talks a great deal about the revelation that “We
Are One”; see the top of an
update I wrote January 1st 2000 for something similar that was inspired
in part by a meditation and in part by a friend!
|
|
|
Design and Illustration Copyright © 2001 Louis Steiner |
Collision
Theory's New Play Debuts in NY
The following is something I (the webmaster for BeyondCommunion.Com) took a
small part in, and I want to encourage people in New York to see. It is a play.
While I haven't seen the production yet, speaking with the creative directors
as they did their research was an absolute pleasure that I will remember for
a long time. (When I said I “took a part” in it, I did not mean as
an actor! Strictly a behind-the-scenes engagement for me). For not only did
they ask the right questions, they asked with an open heart and an open mind.
And when they had finished asking questions, they asked me if there was more
that I felt I needed to say. To put it simply, they listened – a rare gift,
to listen well. It was a joy to talk to them, and I suspect they've put together
something colorful and dynamic and great fun:
The Abduction Project
Landing Soon at the HERE Arts Center, New York City, Earth:
The Abduction Project
–
Collision Theory's newest theater production tackling one of the most enduring
mysteries of our time: Extraterrestrial Visitations and Alien Abduction. Set
against the backdrop of 1950's American suburbia and the “ideal” nuclear
family, The Abduction Project explores the nature of domesticity (and
its effects on the brain); the semi-permeable line between dream and reality;
and the complex (and little understood) nature of memory. With this project,
Collision Theory leaps beyond the familiar, the tangible, and the scientifically
observable into the surreal landscapes of outer space, hyper-space and the vast
inner spaces that comprise the human mind.
About Collision Theory's Process – As with each of Collision
Theory's previous productions, The Abduction Project is based in part
on interviews. In this instance, we have conducted extensive interviews with
individuals who report having experienced extraterrestrial abductions. Our interviewees
include members of S.P.A.C.E. and the Intruders Foundation (New York City),
as well as the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based PEER (Program for Extraordinary
Experience Research) run by the Pulitzer-winning author Dr. John Mack.
About Collision Theory – Collision Theory
is an award-winning ensemble theater company that creates and produces innovative,
adventurous physical theater using the company's own highly developed choreographic
style. Collision Theory fuses the real, the unreal, and the hyper-real, using
documentary material, especially in person interviews, as the “spark”
for making rebellious, image saturated theater. In this spirit, each Collision
Theory production takes on a large, multidimensional topic – for example,
the corporate world or the sex industry or death, dying and the medical system
– pulling it apart and then putting it back together again using the company's
distinctive and thought-provoking approach to its subject matter.
|
|
|
HERE Arts Center: 145 Sixth Ave (between Spring and Dominick), New York, NY *Special Performance time: Sunday March 4th 4:00 PM show with Panel Discussion following. Tickets: On-line: www.here.org; By Phone: Call HERE’s Box Office at 212.647.0202 ; In-Person: at HERE, from Noon to Curtain time daily Click Here for Collision Theory Website |
Communion Cover Art
We've added an image of the original 1987 UK
hardcover of Communion, featuring similar cover
art with a slightly different layout. BeyondCommunion.Com presents alternate
cover art whenever possible, whenever people from overseas send in scans. To
see more, select the book title from the home
menu. Update! Even more cover art! We've added a bunch of covers that
came all the way from the Netherlands. Best of the lot is this vintage cover
of The Hunger
(De Honger). The rest of the Dutch editions we found are Warday, The Wolfen (De Weerwolven), and The Night Church (De Nachtkerk). We also replaced our small picture of
The Forbidden
Zone (Verboden Gebied) with a larger picture.
These all came from Kees Buis of The
Bookshelves, who has put all his Dutch covers online
– a wide range of fantasy books including Douglas Adams. Some
great covers there, be sure to visit. Lastly, we've got the cover art from the
Italian edition of The Coming Global Superstorm (Tempesta Globale).
Sightings Cabin a Decoy?
Was the cabin shown on the Sightings television program during the Breakthrough
tour (in 1995) not the actual cabin? When I posted the stills
from Sightings, I knew that it did not seem
to match the cabin photo seen in the 1989 book Report on Communion, but
I attributed the differences to renovations. What is the truth? A little white
lie to protect privacy, or just a superb architect at work? The cabin on Sightings
is quite lovely, whoever's cabin it may have been! By the way, the smaller cabin
seen in Report on Communion and again on Whitley's World matches news
footage of the cabin from 1987 (thanks to TK for the still), so Sightings cabin is the only cabin in question. I
have updated the webpage with the following opinion: “Please note
that this does not appear to be the cabin at which Whitley Strieber had his
original Communion experiences. The visual discrepancies between these
images and images of the cabin as seen at
the time of Communion have been the subject of some debate. It is the
opinion of this website that no renovation, no matter how masterful the architect,
can explain the difference in the structures.” Update!
Another cabin pictorial, this one from a video circa 1988, has been added to
the Transformation section of this
website.
Short Stories News
We've updated the Evenings With
Demons page to include mention of three short
stories that were published since the release of Evenings. I am still
hesitant to devote a new page exclusively to multi-author anthologies, since
I don't really enjoy them, so this update may have to do.
Stuart Davis News
Another brief news item
for fans of the punk monk (the musician, not the painter), whose music I am
trying to turn you all onto by mentioning it here amid Whitley Strieber updates:
There's a new road journal
on his website, with a better-than-fiction story about models and
bowling alleys. Definately worth checking out. Heck, print out all the
journals and bind them into a book.
Update! Lyrics from the upcoming album can be read here, and demos
for two songs from the upcoming album are now available: Ladder
(mp3) is the best one, and Nothing In Between (mp3) is pretty good too;
click to listen.
January 2001:
Two important developments in the month of January. One book has been released...
|
 The KeyWhitley Strieber's new autobiographical book became available on January 3rd! The Key is self-published and is only available via Whitley's World. It is a trade paperback, about 6" x 9". You can read more about The Key here on BeyondCommunion.Com, or click the image to be taken to Whitley's World (Whitley's official site) where you can order the book today.
|
...and one is being prepared.
|
|
|
|
|
Design and Illustration © 2001 Louis Steiner |
Day of the Dead Transcript
I've transcribed a selection from Whitley's Day of the Dead discussion with
Katherine Ramsland; just the parts in which they talk about The Last Vampire.
This excerpt also includes two more excerpts from The Last Vampire, so
check it out, but be warned: Some elements
of the storyline are given away. If you want to be entirely surprised by the
plot when the book is published in August, do not read this yet!
Last Vampire Film Plans?
If a film version of The Last Vampire develops, I hereby nominate Sarah Polley, Boston Society of
Film Critics Award-winner for Best Supporting Actress in 1997, to play the part
of ex-scientist Sarah Roberts. She is cerebral and beautiful. Suspense.Net has reported that The Last Vampire
is under option to Columbia Pictures, who paid in the low six-figures for it.
Options frequently expire without a film actually being made, however, so even
if this is true, it is nothing to get excited about yet.
Who is Mr. Baltimore?
I am posing the question now on the expectation that the answer may become relevant.
But I do not know the answer to the question. Mysterious, eh?
The Wild
I've added a scan of the rare UK hardcover
edition of The Wild; this
book was only released in paperback in the United States.
The Hunger to be Reissued in Paperback July 2001
Pocket Books will reissue The Hunger in paperback in July, one month
before the release of The Last Vampire. This
may come as great news to everyone who may have been considering buying used
editions of this classic novel via ebay. (The Hunger was last printed
in 1988 and very few bookstores have any unsold copies remaining). At this time,
I do not have cover art for the upcoming reissue, but it is expected to tout
or tie-in with the upcoming release of The
Last Vampire in some way. On a personal note,
may I add that I wish I had more info for you, but Simon & Schuster hasn't
sent me review copies or press releases in the past (for the release of Superstorm)
and without their support it is difficult for me to report on upcoming publications.
I am wishing for better relations.
Free Download
The annual PEER Perspectives newsletter from Dr. John Mack's organization,
featuring articles about the alien encounter phenomenon from the likes of Tulane
philosopher Michael Zimmerman, Ph.D., and Roberta Colasanti, LICSW, is available as a free download' at the PEER website.
Click here
to download the .pdf file
' While it is free, Dr. Mack and the staff of PEER are hoping that
some people may decide to make contributions to PEER if they like PEER's
style. My insider perspective (since I work for PEER) is that PEER is the bridge
between the academic-elite world and the experiences – a bridge across which cultural acceptance and respect for the
existence of the phenomenon is coming (see page 9 for mention of a tremendous
project on the psychophysiology of memory that PEER encouraged. Having been
privvy to some of the early results I expect it is going to have repercussions
not only among the experiencer community, but in courtrooms across the country).
These kinds of ripples (the rise of research in the best institutions) are moving
because people funded PEER to take the message of the importance of the alien
encounter phenomenon forward. The
download is free, and there are minimal production costs to providing it as
an online file, but if the work resonates with you, share it with a friend.
The more people who read it, the more people who may consider supporting the
effort.
Another Interview with Whitley Strieber
An interview with Whitley Strieber appears in the book Aliens Over America
by Timothy Guy. This paperback was published in the first quarter of last year
but the interview could be from an earlier time, I haven't seen the book myself.
2000 Archives
Click
here to enter.
Many more great updates!
1999 Archives
Click
here to enter.
Many great updates!
History
This website went online in November 1998.
On January 29th 1999, Is That Someone There? (as this website was then
known) joined Whitley Strieber's official website (then known as the Communion
Homepage) as one of only two sites recommended by Yahoo! for information
about Whitley Strieber. On May 11th 1999, Whitley Strieber's official website
linked to this website, tripling our number of visitors. In May 2000, with Whitley's
blessing this website secured it's own domain name, www.beyondcommunion.com.
Since late 2000 this website has been known as Beyond Communion.
People Living in the World Beyond the
United States are invited to send in scans of the covers of your (non-US) editions
of Whitley Strieber's books. Even if the artwork is only slightly different,
it may be interesting and fun!
Also, please let us know of any interviews we may have missed!
You can help send visitors our way by linking your page to ours.
I am also seeking photocopies of back issues of The Communion Letter, for my personal use.
Mircea Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion
Does anyone know where to find the CD-ROM of Mircea Eliade's
Encyclopedia of Religion? This CD-ROM version of his definitive sixteen volume
encyclopedia came out in the mid-nineties, and is out of print. It is incorrectly
listed on Amazon.Com (the description of the CD-ROM is here, but the item is the hardcover), and I am trying to find
a used copy. Please contact me.
Used Books Source
You need no longer worry about the “out-of-print”
status of most of Whitley Strieber’s earlier books; besides Amazon's used
selection, you can also find many of his books on ebay.
Please remember to send in scans of any
unusual editions you may buy!
(We remain a not-for-profit website; we
provide these links freely.)
Whitley Strieber’s in-print books can be purchased from
Whitley Strieber's
official website
