I have my schedule for Readercon! There's a lot of it!
Thursday July 11
8:00 PM
The Bit I Remember
Ellen Brody, Lev Grossman, Rosemary Kirstein, Yoon Ha Lee, Sonya Taaffe (leader), Howard Waldrop
What do we remember from books read long ago, and why? What makes these glowing moments stick in our heads? And conversely, what falls away only to startle us when we return to the narrative years later?
9:00 PM
Write What You Know All Too Well
Mike Allen, Gemma Files (leader), Shira Lipkin, Sonya Taaffe
Gemma Files is currently making the transition from writing a series of novels (the Hexslinger series) to a stand-alone novel (Experimental Film), from historical fantasy to contemporary horror, and from something very separate from her life to something that actively riffs off it in a somewhat intimate, vulnerable-making way. She will discuss this process and invite others to talk about similarly intimate work they might have created or experienced.
Friday July 12
12:00 PM
Of Gods and Goddesses
Richard Bowes, Lila Garrott (leader), Greer Gilman, Sandra Kasturi, Patricia A. McKillip, Sonya Taaffe.
Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light used gods and goddesses as modern characters. Powerful, imperious, vulnerable, gods seem to be everywhere again these days. In American Gods, Gods Behaving Badly, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms et seq., Discord's Apple, Going Bovine, and other recent works, we meet familiar and unfamiliar deities who behave more often than not in recognizably human fashion rather than with a god-like dignity, power, and majesty. What draws writers to bring gods to earth and readers to the adventures in the modern world of characters as old as storytelling? And why is this trend increasing at this particular time?
1:00 PM
The Revelator Group Reading
Richard Bowes, Matthew Cheney, Eric Schaller, Brian Francis Slattery, Sonya Taaffe
First published in 1876, the Revelator (www.revelatormagazine.com) made its debut as an online publication in 2011 under the editorship of Matthew Cheney and Eric Schaller. Each issue features fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art, and comix. It was in the Revelator that the first authenticated photographs of the Thunderbird, the Unktehila, and the giant squid appeared. It is with this grand tradition in mind that the current incarnation of the Revelator upholds its history-altering motto, "The Truth and All." This multi-media presentation will feature readings, visuals, and performances from recent contributors.
3:00 PM
Characters Who Break the Binary
Steve Berman, Liz Gorinsky (moderator), Alaya Dawn Johnson, Sonya Taaffe, JoSelle Vanderhooft.
Young adult literature often centers on questions of identity and a growing corpus of YA lit is exploring the lives of characters who are outside the gay/straight (monosexual) and male/female binaries: Corner in Leah Bobet's Above, Fire in Kristin Cashore's Fire, Dela and Ryko in Allison Goodman's Dragoneye duology, A in David Levithan's Every Day, and just about everyone in Alaya Dawn Johnson's The Summer Prince. How do these characters relate to similar characters in adult paranormal romance, fantasy, and SF, such as Jay Lake's Green? And how can monosexual and gender-normative authors thoughtfully and respectfully write "the other" in this regard, avoiding stereotypes and understanding the numerous and varied ways that non-binary identities manifest?
5:00 PM
Readercon Classic Fiction Book Club: Tam Lin
Gwynne Garfinkle, Lila Garrott (leader), Caitlyn Paxson, Sonya Taaffe
Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, which reimagines the Scottish ballad as an account of young, bright Janet Carter's tumultuous time at college in the 1970s, was lauded upon its publication in 1991 and has endured as a classic since. We'll explore its resonance and relevance to present-day readers and writers in the context of real-world events that recall Janet's experiences—lengthy wars, challenges to reproductive rights, and activism and tensions on college campuses—as well as the increasing popularity of folk tale retellings.
8:30 PM
Reading
Sonya Taaffe
Sonya Taaffe reads a new novella, "The Boatman's Cure."
Saturday July 13
1:00 PM
Authorial Metanarrative
Leah Bobet (leader), Lila Garrott, Theodora Goss, Glenn Grant, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Sonya Taaffe
A number of authors build in subtle links between otherwise unconnected works. A link may not be something as literal as a common character or name; perhaps, instead, there's a repeated trope or event. Leah Bobet, discussing Patricia A. McKillip's works in a 2011 blog post, described this as writing "epic poetry, and the whole of [McKillip's] output is the poem." How do such links affect a reader's interpretation of or approach to a body of work, and what motivates authors to link their works together?
3:00 PM
Mythic Poetry Group Reading
Mike Allen, Leah Bobet, C.S.E. Cooney, Gemma Files, Gwynne Garfinkle, Andrea Hairston, Samantha Henderson, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Rose Lemberg, Shira Lipkin, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Dominik Parisien, Caitlyn Paxson, Julia Rios, Romie Stott, Sonya Taaffe, JoSelle Vanderhooft
Over the past decade, speculative poetry has increasingly turned toward the mythic in subject matter, with venues such as Strange Horizons, Goblin Fruit, Mythic Delirium, Stone Telling, Cabinet des Fées, Jabberwocky, and the now-defunct Journal of the Mythic Arts showcasing a new generation of poets who’ve redefined what this type of writing can do. This reading will feature new and classic works from speculative poetry’s trend-setters.
8:00 PM
A Most Readerconnish Miscellany
Mike Allen, C.S.E. Cooney, Lila Garrott, Andrea Hairston, John Kessel, Daniel José Older, Caitlyn Paxson, Sonya Taaffe
C.S.E. Cooney and Mike Allen emcee an extravagant evening of music, theater, and readings to benefit the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and Operation Hammond. Bring cash or credit cards to make donations toward these very worthy organizations, all while being entertained by exquisite performers including Andrea Hairston and Pan Morigan, Daniel José Older, John Kessel, Sonya Taaffe, C.S.E. Cooney and Caitlyn Paxson, and a capella group Sassafrass. Don't miss this unforgettable event.
Sunday July 14
1:00 PM
Egalitarian Character Trauma
Amanda Downum, Natalie Luhrs, Daniel José Older, Julia Rios (moderator), Sonya Taaffe
In 2008, Ekaterina Sedia wrote a blog post titled "PSA: Female Trauma!" in which she generated a list of traumatic things that can happen to female characters (spanning a scale from "high heels" to "losing a limb") that don't involve sexual violence. In 2012, Seanan McGuire blogged about an anonymous correspondent who asked her "when" her female protagonists were "finally" going to be raped, implying that rape is an inevitable outcome of being a woman. How can we counteract the predominance of sexual(ized) threats to female characters? Is it enough to simply write other things and move the Overton window, or does the status quo need to be directly subverted? Who's doing it right and what are some examples of doing it wrong?
So, yeah. Who can I hope to see there?
Thursday July 11
8:00 PM
The Bit I Remember
Ellen Brody, Lev Grossman, Rosemary Kirstein, Yoon Ha Lee, Sonya Taaffe (leader), Howard Waldrop
What do we remember from books read long ago, and why? What makes these glowing moments stick in our heads? And conversely, what falls away only to startle us when we return to the narrative years later?
9:00 PM
Write What You Know All Too Well
Mike Allen, Gemma Files (leader), Shira Lipkin, Sonya Taaffe
Gemma Files is currently making the transition from writing a series of novels (the Hexslinger series) to a stand-alone novel (Experimental Film), from historical fantasy to contemporary horror, and from something very separate from her life to something that actively riffs off it in a somewhat intimate, vulnerable-making way. She will discuss this process and invite others to talk about similarly intimate work they might have created or experienced.
Friday July 12
12:00 PM
Of Gods and Goddesses
Richard Bowes, Lila Garrott (leader), Greer Gilman, Sandra Kasturi, Patricia A. McKillip, Sonya Taaffe.
Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light used gods and goddesses as modern characters. Powerful, imperious, vulnerable, gods seem to be everywhere again these days. In American Gods, Gods Behaving Badly, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms et seq., Discord's Apple, Going Bovine, and other recent works, we meet familiar and unfamiliar deities who behave more often than not in recognizably human fashion rather than with a god-like dignity, power, and majesty. What draws writers to bring gods to earth and readers to the adventures in the modern world of characters as old as storytelling? And why is this trend increasing at this particular time?
1:00 PM
The Revelator Group Reading
Richard Bowes, Matthew Cheney, Eric Schaller, Brian Francis Slattery, Sonya Taaffe
First published in 1876, the Revelator (www.revelatormagazine.com) made its debut as an online publication in 2011 under the editorship of Matthew Cheney and Eric Schaller. Each issue features fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art, and comix. It was in the Revelator that the first authenticated photographs of the Thunderbird, the Unktehila, and the giant squid appeared. It is with this grand tradition in mind that the current incarnation of the Revelator upholds its history-altering motto, "The Truth and All." This multi-media presentation will feature readings, visuals, and performances from recent contributors.
3:00 PM
Characters Who Break the Binary
Steve Berman, Liz Gorinsky (moderator), Alaya Dawn Johnson, Sonya Taaffe, JoSelle Vanderhooft.
Young adult literature often centers on questions of identity and a growing corpus of YA lit is exploring the lives of characters who are outside the gay/straight (monosexual) and male/female binaries: Corner in Leah Bobet's Above, Fire in Kristin Cashore's Fire, Dela and Ryko in Allison Goodman's Dragoneye duology, A in David Levithan's Every Day, and just about everyone in Alaya Dawn Johnson's The Summer Prince. How do these characters relate to similar characters in adult paranormal romance, fantasy, and SF, such as Jay Lake's Green? And how can monosexual and gender-normative authors thoughtfully and respectfully write "the other" in this regard, avoiding stereotypes and understanding the numerous and varied ways that non-binary identities manifest?
5:00 PM
Readercon Classic Fiction Book Club: Tam Lin
Gwynne Garfinkle, Lila Garrott (leader), Caitlyn Paxson, Sonya Taaffe
Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, which reimagines the Scottish ballad as an account of young, bright Janet Carter's tumultuous time at college in the 1970s, was lauded upon its publication in 1991 and has endured as a classic since. We'll explore its resonance and relevance to present-day readers and writers in the context of real-world events that recall Janet's experiences—lengthy wars, challenges to reproductive rights, and activism and tensions on college campuses—as well as the increasing popularity of folk tale retellings.
8:30 PM
Reading
Sonya Taaffe
Sonya Taaffe reads a new novella, "The Boatman's Cure."
Saturday July 13
1:00 PM
Authorial Metanarrative
Leah Bobet (leader), Lila Garrott, Theodora Goss, Glenn Grant, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Sonya Taaffe
A number of authors build in subtle links between otherwise unconnected works. A link may not be something as literal as a common character or name; perhaps, instead, there's a repeated trope or event. Leah Bobet, discussing Patricia A. McKillip's works in a 2011 blog post, described this as writing "epic poetry, and the whole of [McKillip's] output is the poem." How do such links affect a reader's interpretation of or approach to a body of work, and what motivates authors to link their works together?
3:00 PM
Mythic Poetry Group Reading
Mike Allen, Leah Bobet, C.S.E. Cooney, Gemma Files, Gwynne Garfinkle, Andrea Hairston, Samantha Henderson, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Rose Lemberg, Shira Lipkin, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Dominik Parisien, Caitlyn Paxson, Julia Rios, Romie Stott, Sonya Taaffe, JoSelle Vanderhooft
Over the past decade, speculative poetry has increasingly turned toward the mythic in subject matter, with venues such as Strange Horizons, Goblin Fruit, Mythic Delirium, Stone Telling, Cabinet des Fées, Jabberwocky, and the now-defunct Journal of the Mythic Arts showcasing a new generation of poets who’ve redefined what this type of writing can do. This reading will feature new and classic works from speculative poetry’s trend-setters.
8:00 PM
A Most Readerconnish Miscellany
Mike Allen, C.S.E. Cooney, Lila Garrott, Andrea Hairston, John Kessel, Daniel José Older, Caitlyn Paxson, Sonya Taaffe
C.S.E. Cooney and Mike Allen emcee an extravagant evening of music, theater, and readings to benefit the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and Operation Hammond. Bring cash or credit cards to make donations toward these very worthy organizations, all while being entertained by exquisite performers including Andrea Hairston and Pan Morigan, Daniel José Older, John Kessel, Sonya Taaffe, C.S.E. Cooney and Caitlyn Paxson, and a capella group Sassafrass. Don't miss this unforgettable event.
Sunday July 14
1:00 PM
Egalitarian Character Trauma
Amanda Downum, Natalie Luhrs, Daniel José Older, Julia Rios (moderator), Sonya Taaffe
In 2008, Ekaterina Sedia wrote a blog post titled "PSA: Female Trauma!" in which she generated a list of traumatic things that can happen to female characters (spanning a scale from "high heels" to "losing a limb") that don't involve sexual violence. In 2012, Seanan McGuire blogged about an anonymous correspondent who asked her "when" her female protagonists were "finally" going to be raped, implying that rape is an inevitable outcome of being a woman. How can we counteract the predominance of sexual(ized) threats to female characters? Is it enough to simply write other things and move the Overton window, or does the status quo need to be directly subverted? Who's doing it right and what are some examples of doing it wrong?
So, yeah. Who can I hope to see there?
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