Visitors from Other Worlds

The truth about any given book signing is that one of two things will happen: Flocks of adoring fans will ring round the room, striking up conversations with each other to fritter away the time until they hit the head of the line, or authors will sit, hands folded, eyes pleading to passersby as they, well, pass by. There"s a mix of both at mass signings, which give one the opportunity to browse by author -- literally. Philcons and literary festivals aside, the best opportunity to catch science fiction and fantasy luminaries will be this weekend at the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) mass signing, held in conjunction with the Nebula Awards weekend that"s drawing them all here. A comprehensive list of the potential autographs that await would eat up half the column, but those you"ll definitely want to check out include Roxborough resident and Choice Award winner Michael Swanwick, and Texan Joe Haldeman, whose Forever War bears (re)reading in times like these. For the rest of the goods, visit www.sfwa.org/awards/2003. Or just come to the Free Library on Saturday and play writer roulette.

Nebula Mass Signing, Sat., April 19, 1 p.m., free, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322.

—Helen Thompson