For the last several years I’ve tried to make it to either Arisia or Boskone, to get a full weekend’s worth of geekery, inspiration, and writing research. Last year’s trip to Boskone got a little dicey thanks to the blizzard (1 of…14 or so, thanks, global warming). I’m keeping my fingers crossed for more beneficent weather this time around.
As always, there seem to be more options than time, but here’s where you’ll likely find me if you too happen to be at the con this weekend:
Friday
7 pm: “How Lord of the Rings Stunted Fantasy’s Growth” (Interesting premise, fairly sure I disagree, but I want to hear why they think so)
8 pm: “Mrs. Hawking: A Steampunk Play” (Sounds like fun, and I’m always up for a good performance. If I miss it on Friday I think it repeats later in the weekend)
Saturday
10 am: Oh, who knows. It will either be “The Founding Mothers of SF/F,” “Constructing Languages,” or watching the artist guest of honor make wood-turned rocketships on a lathe, which sounds awesome.
11: 30 am: “Nonstandard Paths to Magic” (If you didn’t know I was a fantasy writer, would you assume that this was ‘how to sneak into Hogwarts?’ Because I might)
1 pm: Short Story Contest
4 pm: John Scalzi Reading (there were a few other good looking sessions in this block, but I can’t *not* go to the Scalzi reading.)
Evening: Who knows (part 2)? Depends on how much energy I have left and how far I have to go to find food.
Sunday
10 am: Broad Universe rapid-fire reading (though “Headcanon and SF/F” looks good too, so I may end up there if the BU panel is full)
11:30 am: “Complexities of Voice” most likely, though I have the art director’s tour of the art show and NASA documentary films as back-up options.
1 pm: “Vivat Regina: Mrs. Hawking Part II”
2:30 pm: “Science Year in Review” (with “Themes of Afrofuturism in SF” as backup)
4 pm: “Everything I say is a lie” ie. the unreliable narrator panel, not a declaration of intent or challenge.
5:30 pm: “Worldbuilding with the Soft Sciences” unless I get in a mood, in which case I may end up in “Lesser Known Tropes v. Women in SF/F”
Evening: Ditto from Saturday. Might go swing dancing at 7:30?
Monday
10 am: “Inside Out: Pixar Gets Smart”
11:30 am: “Speculative Poetry is Awesome” or “Humor in Writing” No idea how I’m going to pick on that one.
2:30 pm: “The Story within the Story” or “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” (good advice, I like my day job!)
Chances are good if I’m *not* any of these places, I’ll be down in the vendors’ hall hanging out with my ever-talented friends from Emporium 32.
What are you up to this weekend?
Sea Dreams and Time Machines 