Cast my name in salt and stone

[sovay]

I have my schedule for Readercon!

Old Hollywood in Recent Speculative Fiction
Thursday 9:00 PM
Randee Dawn (m), Heath Miller, Nikhil Singh, Sonya Taaffe, Terence Taylor

Tim Powers's Medusa's Web, Catherynne M. Valente's Radiance, and Lara Elena Donnelly's Armistice all draw on images of vintage Hollywood in very different ways, both honoring and criticizing a crucial era in the making of media that shaped a generation. What brings that era to the front of our awareness now? Is the fantastical reworking of old Hollywood linked in some way to recent criticisms of racism, sexism, and harassment in present-day Hollywood?

Reading: Sonya Taaffe
Friday 12:30 PM
Sonya Taaffe

(In which the chances are good that I will read from a work in progress, containing WWII servicemen and the sea.)

In Memoriam: Ursula K. Le Guin
Friday 1:00 PM
Kenneth Schneyer (m), Sonya Taaffe, Holly Walrath, Lila Garrott, Torger Vedeler

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) was a powerhouse in American literature for over 50 years. She won countless awards, including the SFWA Grand Master Award and World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her Hainish sequence, Earthsea novels, and Orsinia stories remain benchmarks of speculative fiction. Her feminist and utopian visions influenced generations, as did her essays, criticism, and educational writing. We were thrilled to make her a guest of honor at Readercon 7. Join us in celebrating her life and work.

Speculative Poetry Deathmatch!
Friday 4:00 PM
Holly Walrath (m), Sonya Taaffe, John Edward Lawson, Anatoly Belilovsky, Romie Stott, Erik Amundsen, C.S.E. Cooney

This entertaining and interactive panel on science fiction, fantasy, and horror poetry will teach attendees a little about speculative poetry. Poets will read some of their works and then participate in a lyrical death match in which audience members decide which poet walks away with a tin foil crown and bragging rights.

Born Sexy Yesterday
Friday 7:00 PM
Gillian Daniels (m), Tom Greene, Rachel Pollack, Sonya Taaffe, Natalie Luhrs

While analyzing SF/F films such as Splash and The Fifth Element, the Pop Culture Detective Agency coined the term "born sexy yesterday" to describe setups in which an ordinary guy is treated as incredibly attractive and interesting by a physically mature but intellectually and sexually naive woman. The trope intersects with colonialist narratives, the fetishization of childlike women, and male fears of comparison and rejection. This panel will look at how "born sexy yesterday" is depicted and sometimes undermined in speculative literature.

Our Bodies, Our Elves: Sexual Awakenings in Epic Fantasy
Sunday 1:00 PM
Josh Jasper (m), Sonya Taaffe, Noah Beit-Aharon, Steve Berman, Marissa Lingen

Starting in the later 20th century, the bildungsromans of epic fantasy began to include sexual awakenings. Some are raunchy, some are awkward, and almost all are self-directed; the wise elders of the genre are mysteriously silent on this crucial topic. When authors can imagine elves and dragons, why is it so hard to also imagine decent fantastical sex ed? How do today's writers and readers approach this aspect of adolescent self-discovery stories?

So this should be fun. Who can I hope to see there?

Comments

[muccamukk]

Those all look really interesting! I'm sad it's so far.

[sovay]

Those all look really interesting! I'm sad it's so far.

I hope you and nenya_kanadka can come down some year!

[muccamukk]

Yes! We're going to WorldCon this year, partly to test the waters of con-going with Nenya's hearing. If it works out, I hope to go to more. I haven't been in years.