Book Launch: Not A, Not B, &c
by Lance Strate
Please join us on Wednesday, February 19 to celebrate the publication of Not A, Not Be, &c by Lance Strate, President of the Institute of General Semantics, with a discussion and book signing.
Not A, Not Be, &c is not just another collection of essays on general semantics. Not that it is not exactly that, a collection of essays on general semantics specifically, and on what Neil Postman described as general semantics writ large, aka media ecology. 
This colorful collection of essays, complete with illustrations and indexes, covers topics related to human communication and the human condition, the contrast between alphabetic and electronic cultures, a new tree of life model, understanding different types of symbolic form (i.e., words, images, and numbers), problems and possibilities regarding the copula and conjunctions, the nature of imagination, and coping with and changing the world we live in.
Lance will discuss his book with Professors Paul Levenson and Thom Gencarelli, and we will save time after the discussion for book signings.
Our Panelists:
Lance Strate, Ph.D., is Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University, President of the Institute of General Semantics, and one of the founders of the Media Ecology Association. He is the author of eleven books, including Media Ecology: An Approach to Understanding the Human Condition and Concerning Communication: Epic Quests and Lyrical Excursions Within the Human Lifeworld. He has published three books of poetry, the most recent being First Letter of My Alphabet.
Thom Gencarelli, Ph.D., is Professor and founding Chair of the former Communication Department at Manhattan University in Riverdale, New York. He is Editor of the IGS official journal ETC: A Review of General Semantics, as well as Past President of the Media Ecology Association, the New York State Communication Association, and the New Jersey Communication Association (twice). He is co-editor (with Brian Cogan) of Baby Boomers and Popular Culture: An Inquiry into America’s Most Powerful Generation, and he has two books due out this year: Searching for the Right Notes: Essays on Media, Music, and Meaning (Peter Lang) and, with Corey Anton, General Semantics and Politics (the New Non-aristotelian Library).
Paul Levinson, Ph.D., is Professor at Fordham University. His science fiction novels include The Silk Code (winner of the Locus Award for Best First Science Fiction Novel of 1999), The Consciousness Plague, The Pixel Eye, Borrowed Tides, The Plot to Save Socrates, Unburning Alexandria, Chronica, and It's Real Life. His novelette “The Chronology Protection Case” was made into a short film and is on Amazon Prime Video. His novelette, “Robinson Calculator,” was published in the Robots Through the Ages anthology in July 2023. He was President of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) 1998-2001. His nonfiction books, including The Soft Edge, Digital McLuhan, and New New Media, have been translated into 15 languages.
This event will take place from 6 PM to 9 PM Wednesday, February 19 at the historic Players Club in Gramercy Park.
Registration is free, but all attendees must be registered in order to gain admittance to the club. This includes any guests you might want to bring with you.
The program will take place in the Library on the 2nd floor of the club. Please note that, as an historic 19th century landmark, the site is not handicap accessible. Dress code is business casual and is strictly enforced, including no sneakers, shorts, ripped jeans, or t-shirts.
