As part of the Big Read for Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” the Friends of the Homer Public Library sponsor a talk with Alaska novelists Michael Armstrong and Don Rearden at 6 p.m. Feb. 24 at the library. Both novelists have written about worlds gone awry. They’ll discuss, among other issues, “What does it take to create a dystopian world? What does science fiction have to offer its readers?” Audience questions and participation are encouraged. 

Erin Hollowell, coordinator of the Friends of the Homer Public Library, said, “We wanted folks who are reading ‘Fahrenheit 451’ to have a connection to Alaska authors who are writing science fiction. It’s a different mind-set, imagining what could happen if technology either becomes too rampant or ceases to exist at all. I am excited to hear what Don and Michael have to say.” 

Armstrong, a reporter for the Homer News, is the author of the post-nuclear apocalypse novels “Agviq” and “After the Zap,” and also wrote “The Hidden War” and “Bridge Over Hell.”

Rearden is the author of the critically acclaimed novel, “The Raven’s Gift,” which made The Washington Post Notable List for Fiction in 2013. He is board president of 49 Writers, a produced screenwriter and sometimes poet. He teaches writing as an associate professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Recent honors include a 2014 Rasmuson Individual Artist Project award and The Raven’s Gift selected as novel of year for the 2015 Anchorage Reads.