I am scheduled to be on:
- Fri 8:00pm Race and Identity in SF/F
- Sat 11:00am Idols with Feet of Clay
- Sat 8:00pm Many Ways to Tell a Story
- Sat 9:30pm Playing in Other People's Sandboxes
- Sun 11:00am Foundlings and Orphans
- Sun 12:30pm LOTR: Movies vs. Books
Fri 8:00pm Race and Identity in SF/F (Paine)
Does genre literature have tools and tropes uniquely suited to complex discussions about race and identity? Is the very notion of a post-racial society hopelessly naive? Jack Dietz, Woodrow Hill (m), Kate Nepveu, Don Sakers, Rachel L. Silber
Sat 11:00am Idols with Feet of Clay (Carlton)
The late James P. Hogan was a Holocaust denier; Orson Scott Card is a well-known homophobe, and Harlan Ellison is infamous. Is it okay to like the works when you hate the person behind them, or should principles override a good read? What obligation does the author have (if any) to keep their personal views in check in their stories or in public? Can you still read the works of someone with whom you are on opposite sides politically? If not, why? Erik Amundsen, John Bowker, Adam Lipkin (m), Kate Nepveu, Ian Randal Strock
Sat 8:00pm Many Ways to Tell a Story (Lewis)
How does a particular medium change the telling of a story? Novels, comic books, and movies can all have the same source material. At what point do they diverge and why? What works in one medium and not another? Can one story work well in multiple media? Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Andrea Hairston, Gordon Linzner, Kate Nepveu (m), Ian Randal Strock
Sat 9:30pm Playing in Other People's Sandboxes (Paine)
This discussion will explore the pleasure for both writers and readers in augmenting pre-existing characters and universes. Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Kate Nepveu, Meredith Schwartz, Cecilia Tan (m)
Sun 11:00am Foundlings and Orphans (Burroughs)
The orphaned baby who grows up to become a master wizard. The lonely farmboy who becomes a powerful Jedi. The last son of the planet Krypton, who assumes the mantle of the world's greatest hero. Foundlings and orphans form a common and powerful theme in popular culture and fiction around the world, but why? What is the origin of this storytelling theme, and why does it appeal to writers and audiences so much? Mary Catelli, Debra Doyle, Kate Nepveu, Sheila M. Oranch
Sun 12:30pm LOTR: Movies vs. Books (Douglas)
Are the Tolkien books done justice in Peter Jackson's films? Do the films surpass the books? Are there people who don't know there are books? How does it all look now that the hype is behind us? Peter Maranci, Kate Nepveu, Charlie Spickler (m), Eric M. Van, The Wombat
I will be very busy. But, I hope, having a good time.