Alan Vincent Michaels' art & other stuff
I believe strongly in the written word, but the "visual word" can often convey more meaning and emotion than words do alone. I work in pencil/ink, oil, and digital photographic formats. I also enjoy creating computer-based artwork, some of which are found in my website page header, page buttons, and the artwork below.
Book cover art
Rochester Rewritten: Rochester in the Alternative (2013)
In 2013, I created the cover art and full cover design for R-SPEC's Rochester Rewritten: Rochester in the Alternative, an anthology of current and former Rochester-based authors and poets' "What if?" stories about Rochester, New York.
Rochester Rewritten takes you "on a journey through alternate histories, presents, and futures of our famous North Coast city... Welcome to Rochester in the alternative..."
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Take a closer look at the front cover. Things aren't always what they seem at first glance.
· To see a larger version of the front cover and a sample of the Kindle version: VIEW
· To buy the ebook versions, go to APPLE BOOKS STORE KINDLE BOOKS SMASHWORDS BOOKS
· To buy the paperback version: R-SPEC BOOKS
Front cover photography and full cover design by Alan Vincent Michaels. ©2013 Alan Vincent Michaels.
Voice-over work
Selected voice-over work for clients...
2019
Voice-over characters for several NTID student filmmakers' NTID Learning Center video projects (April).
Managed by Stacy Bick of RIT/NTID Communications, Marketing and Multimedia Services.
2017
Getting Started With Paychex ESR (December) VIDEO IN TRAINING CONTEXT VIDEO
R-SPEC presentations
I have been the Rochester Speculative Literature Association, Inc.
I coordinate the monthly meeting programs, present writing and special interest topics, and moderate selected topic meetings and our quarterly reading meetings. Additional tasks include the design of meeting posters, social media postings, and other collateral materials for R-SPEC and third-party presenters.
‐ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
‐ is a group of Rochester, NY writers, readers, and thinkers that celebrates and creates speculative literature
‐ meeting topics run the gamut from science and technology to creative writing and publishing
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Selected R-SPEC sessions that I have presented, moderated, or served as a panelist...
2020
Breaking the Formula & Subverting the Trope (March 2020; presenter/moderator) LEARN MORE
Hooking that Plot! (February 2020; presenter/moderator) LEARN MORE
2019
Techniques for Getting Sh*t Done! (October 2019; presenter/moderator) LEARN MORE
Focusing on the Dilemma (September 2019; presenter/moderator) LEARN MORE
You Finished Writing! Now What? (March 2019; presenter/moderator) LEARN MORE
Using Speculative Fiction Tropes (February 2019; moderator and panelist) LEARN MORE
2018
Overcoming Writing Roadblocks (October 2018; presenter) LEARN MORE
Writing Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (September 2018; presenter) LEARN MORE
Technologies That Were Once Science Fiction (July 2018; presenter) LEARN MORE
World Building: Part 2 – Science Fiction Worlds (March 2017; panelist) LEARN MORE
World Building: Part 1 – Fantasy Worlds (February 2017; panelist) LEARN MORE
2017
Speculative Poetry Reading & Writing Workshop (September 2017; presenter/moderator) LEARN MORE
Writing Workshop: Creating Believable Alien Characters (March 2017; presenter/moderator) LEARN MORE
Distractions to Writing Speculative Fiction (February 2017; presenter/moderator) NO LINK AVAILABLE
2016
What Do We Want from Spec Fic? (October 2016; moderator) LEARN MORE
Writing Workshop – The Short-Short Story (September 2016; moderator) LEARN MORE
Using Current Events in Speculative Fiction (April 2016; presenter) LEARN MORE
Naming Objects, Characters, and Worlds (February 2016; presenter) LEARN MORE
2015
How to Create Realistic Fantasy and Science Fiction Settings (June 2015; panel moderator) LEARN MORE
Revealing Backstory Without the Dreaded Info Dump (May 2015; presenter) LEARN MORE
Dialogue-Only Writing Workshop (February 2015; moderator) LEARN MORE
2014
Flash Fiction Exercise (September 2014; presenter) LEARN MORE
Far-Out Tech: How SF Tech Has Transformed Our World (June 2014; presenter) LEARN MORE
Publishing Your Story or Novel (February 2014; moderator) NO LINK AVAILABLE
2013
What is Speculative Fiction Poetry? (September 2013; presenter) LEARN MORE
Generating Story Ideas (June 2013; moderator) LEARN MORE
Blurring the Line Between SF and Fantasy (February 2013; moderator) LEARN MORE
2012
Asteroid Mining—The New Gold (and more) Rush? (November 2012; presenter) LEARN MORE
Story visualizations
Exodus (2008)
This image was created to help me visualize my short story, Exodus, which is a tale of the last ark ships leaving Atia, a depleted and nearly lifeless world. The inhabitants have exhausted their solar system's resources, and increased radiation from their sun now threatens all life on Atia and its colony moons.
After years of horrific, devastating planet-wide wars, droughts, disease, and natural calamities, the Atians decide that journeying to the stars is the only chance for their survival and for the survival of the remaining flora and fauna.
Will the last, few Atians survive?
Will they find a new world to call their home?
Artwork ©2008 Alan Vincent Michaels
Non-writing stuff
I've done a lot of non-writing stuff over the years, and I am showcasing some of the cooler items here. In brief, I've done sound work on movies, voice-overs for corporate training and commercials, and numerous professional, non-speculative fiction artwork, photography, and graphic design pieces.
The Dying (Released 10-10-1997, USA) by David P. Nicholson (Producer, Director, Writer)
I have a film credit on IMDb.com! How cool is that?
From the Puzzlemore official website...
"Frank is a vampire who likes to play with his food. But he's met his match when he confronts Fred. It would seem fortunate for Frank that vampires don't always stay dead, however, when he returns, he finds that his son's girlfriend has moved in with them. To make matters worse, he begins to have recurring dreams of a recent victim. When a rival vampire shows up bent on revenge, Frank begins to envy The Dying." · For more about David P. Nicholson's movies, LEARN MORE
· To see my Sound Department - Boom Operator credit on IMDb.com:k LEARN MORE
· To read more about David P. Nicholson's movie on IMDb.com: LEARN MORE
Photo by Puzzlemore, Inc. ©2013 Puzzlemore, Inc.
