I’m going to be doing a heap of panels, two formal autograph sessions, and I’m throwing a Circlet Press Tea Party with special guest, Laura Antoniou.
All the details, in chronological order:
Ordinary People
Format: Panel
16 Aug 2018, Thursday 4pm, 210F (San Jose Convention Center)
with Cecilia Tan (M), Nick Mamatas, Christine Taylor-Butler, Rosemary Claire Smith, Sheila Finch
Sometimes, main characters in a story are ordinary people – not everyone is extraordinary. Can such a focus make a story more powerful? What makes them appealing? How does such a story differ from a story of heroes and villains?
Original Characters: Putting the ‘Fan’ in Fantasy
Format: Panel
17 Aug 2018, Friday 10am, 210C (San Jose Convention Center)
with Tex Thompson (M), Anna Meriano, Cecilia Tan, Elektra Hammond, Foz Meadows
They say sharing is caring – and it’s no accident that many of the most successful story-worlds are those big enough for fans to make their own Jedi, benders, wizards, and ponies. What makes a universe ‘fan-friendly’, and what can and can’t you do with original characters?
Queer Joy in SF/F
Format: Panel
17 Aug 2018, Friday 4pm, 210B (San Jose Convention Center)
with Nina Niskanen, Cecilia Tan (M), Bogi Takács, Rivers Solomon, Erica Frank
Queer Tragedy is over! It’s time to celebrate Queer Joy. We’re burying the “bury your gays” trope, and ringing in the era of happy stories for queer characters. We’ll talk about who is bringing joyful queerness to the world in books, comics, films, and television, and why this movement is important in terms of culture and craft.
Transform This: Fanfic as a Vector for Reclaiming Hostile Canons
Format: Panel
18 Aug 2018, Saturday 10:00am, 210B (San Jose Convention Center)
with Cecilia Tan, Amanda Hackwith, Constance Penley, Michi Trota (M), Jennifer Mace, Nino Cipri
In a world that routinely ejects, mistreats, or outright erases marginalised people from its media and fiction, how can transformative works shine light on stories which have gone unspoken? Whose needs does fanfic fulfill, and whose end up compromised or neglected? This panel will discuss both the queering of beloved canons and the formation of safe, exploratory spaces away from the gatekeepers of publishing in which traditionally-underrepresented writers can hone their craft.
The Meta of Slash: Its Influence on Fan Culture
Format: Panel
18 Aug 2018, Saturday 6pm, 210DH (San Jose Convention Center)
with Constance Penley (M), Cecilia Tan, Laura Antoniou, K.M. Szpara, Megan Kent, Charlotte C. Hill
Today, slash fandom is a thriving community of millions of creative women (and some men) producing fiction, fan vids, art, short films, academic works, and conventions. In its early days, slash was considered deviant, demeaning to the fandoms it touched, or even ridiculous. Join the panelists to discuss slash meta: how women asked and answered the big questions of sexual interest and acceptance, stopped answering the question “why would women like two guys?”, and why slash fandom thrives so vibrantly. Let’s discuss slash fandom’s contributions to the advances in our culture while we enjoy discussion of our “pornography in the wild.”
Baseball and SF/F
Format: Panel
19 Aug 2018, Sunday 12:00 noon, 211C (San Jose Convention Center)
with Rick Wilber (M), Steven Silver, Cecilia Tan, Karen Joy Fowler, Harry Turtledove
Why have so many writers of science fiction and fantasy used baseball in their stories and novels? What is it about the game that appeals to these writers? The panel will discuss the history and current state of baseball in storytelling, with a focus on speculative fiction.
The Book Bin Autograph Session: Cecilia Tan
Format: Autographs
19 Aug 2018, Sunday 1pm – 2pm, Dealers (San Jose Convention Center)
The Book Bin will be hosting autograph sessions in their booths (R4-R5) periodically during the convention.
Circlet Press Tea Party!
Format: party
19 Aug 2018, Sunday, 4pm – 6pm, Fairmont Hotel party block, room TBA
with Cecilia Tan, Laura Antoniou, and other authors/guests who may show up…
Come by to talk about fine erotic literature with the editors and authors of Circlet Press, Erotic Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishers. We’ll have an assortment of teas to drink, snacks to snack upon, a smattering of our books for perusing and sale. First 30 guests to arrive receive a Circlet Press flashlight!
Autographs
Format: Autographs
20 Aug 2018, Monday 12:00 noon, Autographing (San Jose Convention Center)
David Gerrold, Cecilia Tan
