Neal Stephenson was at the Bagdad a couple of weeks ago to promote Anathem, and I met Michael and a friend of his there. It was a good time, though perhaps a little shorter than I'd anticipated. Stephenson read a few short passages from the book, answered questions for about half an hour, and then it was time to queue up for autographs. Having someone's signature on something they've made is a phenomenon I've never really understood, so I'm glad that a little entertainment was offered to those who weren't standing in line: a brief performance by a few gentlemen who helped record the music inspired by Anathem.Anyway, the Q&A was the meat of the appearance for me, and I wasn't disappointed. Some of the questions left a little to be desired, but Stephenson himself was friendly and interesting. I tried to convince Cara to read The Diamond Age recently, but she didn't care much for its frequently digressive tone. On the other hand, I've really enjoyed that Stephenson's work has always been free to pursue whatever tangents seemed appropriate, and that same breadth of interest was apparent in person.
Incidentally, while answering one question, Stephenson briefly mentioned a lengthier lecture he'd given on the future of SF, which is readily available here.
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