This section is about my experiences in science fiction fandom. Letter From J.R.R. Tolkien (January 1968) - This may be my first contact with a kind of fandom. My Life as a FanEd  (March, 1990) How Louisville Changed My Life (August, 1991) ...

In 2004, I was recruited to run an event called "First Night" at Noreascon 4.  History and Concept The original idea for First Night came out of a brainstorming session the N4 committee held early in the planning period. Priscilla Olson was the ...

This was written in August, 1991. It was intended to serve a speech at Rivercon, where I had been invited as the Fan Guest of Honor. But as it turned out, I didn't have to give a speech; I was interviewed instead. At the time, I was relieved, because...

In 1986 I edited a role-playing game about the problems encountered when running a science fiction convention. The game has become a cult classic among the small group of people who work on sf conventions, and has been reissued several times. In ...

When I was a freshman at Radcliffe college, in January, 1964, I saw an announcement for a meeting of people interested in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. This was before the paperback edition of Lord of the Rings had been published, so he was not well known...

This article was written in March, 1990. Some of you know me as chairman of Noreascon 2 and/or editor of The Mad 3 Party , but I've been in fandom quite a bit longer than that. In the beginning there was MITSFS and The Twilight Zine . I discovered MITSFS  (...

(This article appeared in the "First Night Times", published at Noreascon IV in 2004.) Tricon, Cleveland, 1966. The memory fades, but a few things stand out... The terrifying overnight drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in a car full of fans, o...

  I am a retired software engineer living in the Boston area. Some of my interests that I will write about here: Personal life.  I l grew up in the idyllic town of Stratford, Connecticut, with a brief stop in Duluth Minnesota in my senior ...

Back in the 90's I took courses in the Landscape Design program at Radcliffe Seminars. I completed most of the requirements for a Certificate in Landscape Design, except for completing an independent project. Landscape Design is a challenging profession...

Copyright © Leslie Turek 1993 Written for Radcliffe Seminars course "The Arts and Crafts Garden" 10 November 1993 The concept of enclosure has been basic to the idea of the garden since the beginning of civilization. Whenever a boundary is drawn, ...

Copyright © Leslie Turek 1995 Written for Radcliffe Seminars course "Plants in Historic Landscapes" 21 November 1995 If a Styphnolobium japonicum  grows in your neighborhood, you may have first noticed it during the dog days of summer—a time...

Copyright © Leslie Turek 1993 Written for Radcliffe Seminars course "The Arts and Crafts Garden" 20 October 1993 In The Wild Garden , William Robinson extols the beauty of plants growing unfettered in natural settings. Robinson pictures r...

Losing Weight in the DPP  - In 1998, I joined a long-term study with a goal of preventing or delaying Type II diabetes. It worked! (At least so far.) This article is about my experiences in the study. My Dad, Walter Peter Turek - What I wrote about ...

(Written in 2000.) Since 1998, I have been a research subject in a long-term study aimed at preventing the onset of Type 2 diabetes. As a member of the "Lifestyle" group, I have been encouraged to exercise and lose weight, and have lost over 50...

November 13, 1922 — April 14, 2008 (I wrote this for my Dad's funeral in April, 2008.) Dad was born in 1922 in Bridgeport Connecticut. His parents were immigrants from Torysky, Slovakia, Peter Turek and Mary Tabak. They had two children, W...

My family moved from Stratford, Connecticut, where I had grown up, to Duluth, Minnesota, in the summer before my senior year in high school. Any upheaval like that is going to be hard for a teenager, of course. I had a small group of really good friends...

In 2015, I was a Guest of Honor at Sasquan , the World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington. This page is a record of my activities there. GoH Exhibit Here are scans of some pieces of my exhibit: 1 - Early Days 2 - Twilight Zine ...

All four of my grandparents were immigrants from Slovakia.  Starting in 1999, I took several trips with my father and other members of my family to find family roots and reconnect with our relatives there. 1999 Journey to Slovakia - My first trip ...

Journey to Slovakia This is the story of a trip I took with my father to find my family roots in the hill villages of eastern Slovakia. 1. Getting There 2. Levoča 3. Torysky - Saturday 4. Torysky - Sunday 5. At the Archives 6. Košice ...

Part 1 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Introduction A Note on Pronunciation Setting Out Driving to Levoča Introduction This is the story of a trip I took with my father to find my family roots in the hill villages ...

  Part 2 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Arriving in Levoča A shopping expedition First glimpse of Torysky Arriving in Levoča After driving east for another hour or so, passing through several industrial towns l...

  Part 3 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Driving to Torysky with Paula Visiting Great-aunt Anna Great-uncle Juraj and Great-aunt Katya The Babey family Driving to Torysky with Paula My father had located...

  Part 4 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Sunday morning at church Marta's tales of the people who left the village Mačanka and the wise old man Cousin Marie, then back to Katya and Juraj Sunday morning at ...

  Part 5 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Levoča archives and around town Prešov archives Levoča archives and around town I slept a bit later this morning (Monday, April 12), but woke with a splitting headache, probably be...

  Part 6 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Cousins in Košice An encounter with the policia Cousins in Košice After leaving the archives in Prešov, we drove south to the major city of Košice, where we were going to vis...

  Part 7 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia   Return to the Levoča archives Lunch with Helena and Peter Spišsky Hrad Peter in his office Peter's uncles Marina and John Casper Return to the Levoča ar...

Part 8 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Driving to Kyjov Mayor Chamila of Kyjov The Mikita family A walk through the village Driving to Kyjov Paula arrived early this morning bearing all sorts of gifts - dried flowers...

  Part 9 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia   Morning errands Cousin Katherine and family Torysky Mayor Čarak Torysky cemetery Father Šturak Aunt Anna and Uncle Juraj Morning errands This Friday mo...

Part 10 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Book-shopping in Spišska Nova Ves Visiting Jan Babey Sunday morning in Bardejov Book-shopping in Spišska Nova Ves Saturday, the beginning of our second week in Slovakia, dawned c...

Part 11 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia A Quick Tour of Poprad Visiting the Petaks Kežmarok The High Tatras A Quick Tour of Poprad We had spent the morning of our second Sunday in Slovakia visiting Bardejov, and ...

Part 12 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Last lunch with Katya and Juraj Mayor Čarak Goodbye to Marta and Anna The museum village of Vlkolinec Driving to Vienna Last lunch with Katya and Juraj Today was to be ...

Part 13 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Arriving in Vienna The Spanish Riding School Arriving in Vienna Leaving Slovakia was harder than getting in. First we made a wrong turn while driving through Bratislava, getting thoroughly...

Part 14 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Bus tour of the Ringstrasse The Schonbrunn and Belvedere Palaces A quiet evening, with demonstration Bus tour of the Ringstrasse After I finally tore myself away from the Lippizanner...

Part 15 of Leslie Turek's Journey to Slovakia Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) Hofbibliothek (The National Library) Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) On our last full day in Vienna we had nothing specific planned -...

Part 16 - Strolling Through Vienna Hofburg Area Street Scenes Stadtpark Hofburg Area After leaving the National Library, we strolled through courts and passageways of the Hofburg, emerging onto a large open area called the Heldenplatz....

This page has some e-mail comments I received when I first published this story, and also excepts from some letters I received from Slovakia shortly after my trip. Letter from Cousin Marta (translated by Paula 5/00) My dear cousin Walter Peterko, I...

1284 - 1994 (Village pamphlet translated by Paula Kieferova) Torysky belongs to the characteristic Spiš villages with a rich tradition in folk architecture, clothes, crafts, dances, and songs. The territory of the village, which is spread in t...

The village of Torysky as seen from the hill above the cemetery. I wish you could hear the birds singing! Easter in Torysky We finally got to attend an Easter service at the church in Torysky, and got to see the Easter custom of the blessing...

Here are some links to amateur videos of Slovakia, taken by my brother Richard and niece Lisa in 2004 Driving to Levoca Visiting Torysky Easter Sunday in Torysky Wooden Churches of Slovakia Dancing in Torysky

Details of area from Poprad to Prešov Click on a location to go to that part of the narrative.