Arisia starts on Friday, so I figured I should post my schedule. There's a lot of it this year:
Sing-Along: Yiddish Songs
Friday 7 PM
Sonya Taaffe (m), Danny Miller, Marnen Laibow-Koser
There is a rich tradition of song from Jewish communities in Russia and Eastern Europe. Come sing along with some of these. Songs of work and play will be featured; no liturgical songs will be included. Leaders may play accompaniment to support the singing.
Dramatic Readings from the Ig Nobel Prizes
Friday 9:30 PM
Marc Abrahams (m), David Kessler, Michele Liguori
Highlights from Ig Nobel prize-winning studies and patents, presented in dramatic mini-readings by luminaries and experts (in some field). The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions about the research presented—answers will be based on the expertise of the presenters, who may have a different expertise than the researchers.
[I am one of the panel of readers, meaning I have no idea what particular improbability I will be dramatizing until the night. Come find out with me!]
Box Office Bombs That Are Better Than You Think
Saturday 2:30 PM
Sonya Taaffe (m), Griffin Ess, Gabriel Valdez, Deirdre Crimmins, Ari Donnelly
Every year there's a film that comes out and tanks something awful. Sometimes, however, that's not because they were terrible; perhaps the studio overspent, or promotion was lacking, or the stars failed to align, and a worthy(-ish) film just didn't work. Perhaps you thought Hugo was gorgeous, or John Carter was fun, or you're the one who'll defend Speed Racer to anyone who'll listen. What movies do you feel deserve a better reputation, despite their not having been financially successful?
Traditional Ballad Bingo
Saturday 4 PM
Angela Kessler (m), Rebecca Maxfield, Jeremy H. Kessler, Sonya Taaffe, Dan "Grim" Marsh
Join the fun as attendees (that's you!) take turns performing traditional ballads for the assemblage. Listen carefully to mark your Ballad Bingo cards when you detect such classic tropes as drowning, pregnancy out of wedlock, or murder of a loved one. Compete for "valuable" prizes! Bingo cards will be provided, but it wouldn't hurt to bring a pen or pencil.
Songs of Rudyard Kipling
Saturday 5:30 PM
Ellen Kranzer (m), Jeremy H. Kessler, Benjamin Newman, Sonya Taaffe
Rudyard Kipling wrote a wealth of poems that make excellent songs, as demonstrated by the likes of Peter Bellamy and (especially in filk and SCA circles) Leslie Fish. Come "Kiple" with us as we indulge in a number of them and maybe a few parodies. If you can, bring some to share!
Weird New England
Saturday 7 PM
Stephen R. Wilk, Alex Feinman, Sonya Taaffe
Reading. Weird and wonderful stories set around New England.
[I expect to read from my as yet unpublished story "As the Tide Came Flowing In," which is the one with late nineteenth-century whaling, sea-hauntings, and pregnancy horror.]
Chantey Sing
Sunday 11:30 am
Jeremy H. Kessler (m), Sonya Taaffe
Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you'll sing) songs of sailing in all forms, with an emphasis on work songs from the age of sail. Fun for all!
The Resurgence of Horror Fiction
Sunday 4 PM
Gillian Daniels (m), Sam Schreiber, Gordon Linzner, Sonya Taaffe, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Morgan Crooks
Horror has always been a somewhat disdained genre, even more so than SF. But in recent years it's growing in popularity and sophistication, with publishers like Tom Doherty launching new horror imprints. But like other genres, horror is defined by specific conventions, themes and tropes. Is some horror fiction regressive (especially concerning women) or transgressive? Do horror tropes reinforce stereotypes or force us to face our fears and weaknesses?
Talking Cats and Political Rabbits
Sunday 7 PM
Julia Gilstein (m), Gabriel Valdez, Rebecca Maxfield, Sonya Taaffe, Elisabeth Birdsall
There are several kinds of anthropomorphic fiction, from fantasy in which animals talk and interact with humans, to allegories, to stories in which humans don't appear at all. They can be played for humor or for intense drama (Watership Down). We'll talk about our favorite anthropomorphic fiction, how it's done well . . . and how it sometimes falls short.
The Fantasy Fiction of John Bellairs
Monday 11:30 am
Sonya Taaffe (m), Lisa Batya Feld, Inanna Arthen
John Bellairs wrote several adult fantasies and multiple series of middle-grade fantasy-adventure novels before his untimely death at 53 in 1991. Bellairs' quirky fiction about wizards and magic predated Harry Potter by decades. With The House With a Clock in Its Walls turned into a big-budget film in 2018, let's explore what makes Bellairs' work so distinctive and the influence he had on middle-grade fantasy.
Ray Bradbury at 100: From Green Town to Mars
Monday 1 PM
James Hailer (m), Andrea Martinez Corbin, E. C. Ambrose, Timothy Luz, Sonya Taaffe
Ray Douglas Bradbury, who passed away in 2012, would have turned 100 this year. From his first published SFF work at the age of 18, Bradbury was beloved worldwide as the author of The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes, and is perhaps most famous for his masterwork, Fahrenheit 451. He remains one of the most influential figures in American and international genre fiction. We'll look at his life and legacy.
Using New England in Speculative Literature?
Monday 2:30 PM
James Hailer (m), Monique "Moniquill" Poirier, Inanna Arthen, Sonya Taaffe
Boston and New England have served as the setting for a great many speculative stories, from Hawthorne to Lovecraft to Atwood. For writers interested in joining that tradition, what makes the New England setting special even in the hyperconnected 21st century? A larger topic for discussion: is it possible to talk about setting when so much of a person's day is spent in consideration of things happening in the internet and media?
Who can I expect to see there as I run between panels, screaming like Sempitern Walker?
Sing-Along: Yiddish Songs
Friday 7 PM
Sonya Taaffe (m), Danny Miller, Marnen Laibow-Koser
There is a rich tradition of song from Jewish communities in Russia and Eastern Europe. Come sing along with some of these. Songs of work and play will be featured; no liturgical songs will be included. Leaders may play accompaniment to support the singing.
Dramatic Readings from the Ig Nobel Prizes
Friday 9:30 PM
Marc Abrahams (m), David Kessler, Michele Liguori
Highlights from Ig Nobel prize-winning studies and patents, presented in dramatic mini-readings by luminaries and experts (in some field). The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions about the research presented—answers will be based on the expertise of the presenters, who may have a different expertise than the researchers.
[I am one of the panel of readers, meaning I have no idea what particular improbability I will be dramatizing until the night. Come find out with me!]
Box Office Bombs That Are Better Than You Think
Saturday 2:30 PM
Sonya Taaffe (m), Griffin Ess, Gabriel Valdez, Deirdre Crimmins, Ari Donnelly
Every year there's a film that comes out and tanks something awful. Sometimes, however, that's not because they were terrible; perhaps the studio overspent, or promotion was lacking, or the stars failed to align, and a worthy(-ish) film just didn't work. Perhaps you thought Hugo was gorgeous, or John Carter was fun, or you're the one who'll defend Speed Racer to anyone who'll listen. What movies do you feel deserve a better reputation, despite their not having been financially successful?
Traditional Ballad Bingo
Saturday 4 PM
Angela Kessler (m), Rebecca Maxfield, Jeremy H. Kessler, Sonya Taaffe, Dan "Grim" Marsh
Join the fun as attendees (that's you!) take turns performing traditional ballads for the assemblage. Listen carefully to mark your Ballad Bingo cards when you detect such classic tropes as drowning, pregnancy out of wedlock, or murder of a loved one. Compete for "valuable" prizes! Bingo cards will be provided, but it wouldn't hurt to bring a pen or pencil.
Songs of Rudyard Kipling
Saturday 5:30 PM
Ellen Kranzer (m), Jeremy H. Kessler, Benjamin Newman, Sonya Taaffe
Rudyard Kipling wrote a wealth of poems that make excellent songs, as demonstrated by the likes of Peter Bellamy and (especially in filk and SCA circles) Leslie Fish. Come "Kiple" with us as we indulge in a number of them and maybe a few parodies. If you can, bring some to share!
Weird New England
Saturday 7 PM
Stephen R. Wilk, Alex Feinman, Sonya Taaffe
Reading. Weird and wonderful stories set around New England.
[I expect to read from my as yet unpublished story "As the Tide Came Flowing In," which is the one with late nineteenth-century whaling, sea-hauntings, and pregnancy horror.]
Chantey Sing
Sunday 11:30 am
Jeremy H. Kessler (m), Sonya Taaffe
Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you'll sing) songs of sailing in all forms, with an emphasis on work songs from the age of sail. Fun for all!
The Resurgence of Horror Fiction
Sunday 4 PM
Gillian Daniels (m), Sam Schreiber, Gordon Linzner, Sonya Taaffe, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Morgan Crooks
Horror has always been a somewhat disdained genre, even more so than SF. But in recent years it's growing in popularity and sophistication, with publishers like Tom Doherty launching new horror imprints. But like other genres, horror is defined by specific conventions, themes and tropes. Is some horror fiction regressive (especially concerning women) or transgressive? Do horror tropes reinforce stereotypes or force us to face our fears and weaknesses?
Talking Cats and Political Rabbits
Sunday 7 PM
Julia Gilstein (m), Gabriel Valdez, Rebecca Maxfield, Sonya Taaffe, Elisabeth Birdsall
There are several kinds of anthropomorphic fiction, from fantasy in which animals talk and interact with humans, to allegories, to stories in which humans don't appear at all. They can be played for humor or for intense drama (Watership Down). We'll talk about our favorite anthropomorphic fiction, how it's done well . . . and how it sometimes falls short.
The Fantasy Fiction of John Bellairs
Monday 11:30 am
Sonya Taaffe (m), Lisa Batya Feld, Inanna Arthen
John Bellairs wrote several adult fantasies and multiple series of middle-grade fantasy-adventure novels before his untimely death at 53 in 1991. Bellairs' quirky fiction about wizards and magic predated Harry Potter by decades. With The House With a Clock in Its Walls turned into a big-budget film in 2018, let's explore what makes Bellairs' work so distinctive and the influence he had on middle-grade fantasy.
Ray Bradbury at 100: From Green Town to Mars
Monday 1 PM
James Hailer (m), Andrea Martinez Corbin, E. C. Ambrose, Timothy Luz, Sonya Taaffe
Ray Douglas Bradbury, who passed away in 2012, would have turned 100 this year. From his first published SFF work at the age of 18, Bradbury was beloved worldwide as the author of The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes, and is perhaps most famous for his masterwork, Fahrenheit 451. He remains one of the most influential figures in American and international genre fiction. We'll look at his life and legacy.
Using New England in Speculative Literature?
Monday 2:30 PM
James Hailer (m), Monique "Moniquill" Poirier, Inanna Arthen, Sonya Taaffe
Boston and New England have served as the setting for a great many speculative stories, from Hawthorne to Lovecraft to Atwood. For writers interested in joining that tradition, what makes the New England setting special even in the hyperconnected 21st century? A larger topic for discussion: is it possible to talk about setting when so much of a person's day is spent in consideration of things happening in the internet and media?
Who can I expect to see there as I run between panels, screaming like Sempitern Walker?
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