Friday, July 19, 2013

Upcoming Public Conversation, or What Am I? Crazy?

I got my schedules for LoneStar Con - the World SF convention in San Antonio this Labor Day weekend - and boy am I intimidated. Here's how it looks:

What Happened to US-Based Spanish Language Publishing?
Friday 10:00 - 11:00
Less than a decade ago Spanish-language readers in the US were looked upon as next big untapped market, a rare bright spot of growth in the otherwise saturated book market. So what happened? Did US publishers fail to find the Spanish readers, or were they never there to begin with?
Liz Gorinsky, Peni Griffin, Norman Spinrad, Rudy Ch. Garcia (rudy.ch.garcia@gmail.com), Miguel Angel Fernandez

Dear heaven, what did I checkmark to make them think I might be qualified to sit on a panel like this? I’ll be in the audience but the amount of research I’d have to do to be a useful contributor is too much. Somebody should really represent the educational/MG/YA angle though. Why didn't they get Guadalupe Garcia McCall to do it? She’s teaches MG and is on the front lines of the demographic wave.

Yellow Roses: Texas SF/F Authors and Traditions
Friday 13:00 - 14:00
Women writing sf/f in the Lone Star state talk about their work including their influences and challenges.
Elizabeth Moon, Peni Griffin, Stina Leicht, Lillian Stewart Carl

I’ll be there with bells on. Figurative ones, anyway.

The Future of the Border
Friday 14:00 - 15:00
The future of the (US-Mexico) border as fortification, as passage, as imaginative interzone, as DMZ. The future of the Mexico-US relationship, including the Mexicanization of the US and the Americanization of Mexico.
Madeline Ashby, Walter Hunt, Peni Griffin, Dave Hardy, Chris N. Brown

I’ll have to do research for this to make sure I'm up to snuff. Oh dear, I'll have to go to the library, however will I bear it? :)

Alternate Mexicos and Alternate Texases
Friday 16:00 - 17:00
Dave Hardy, Alberto Chimal, Harry Turtledove, Peni Griffin

Bring it on.

Mexican Folklore
Saturday 10:00 - 11:00
Carole Parker, Bridget Duffy, Peni Griffin, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Miguel Angel Fernandez

More research to make sure I've got stuff at my tongue's end, but I can do this. It's too bad the Anglo names outnumber the Spanish ones but I'll try not to run my mouth too much. I work best as a support figure in this context.

You've Got Texas in my Epic Fantasy: The Lone Star State as Setting/Influence in Speculative Fiction
Saturday 12:00 - 13:00
Texas is a weird place. They have a whole city devoted to staying Weird. What makes Texas so weird? And how does the weirdness of Texas spill over into its massive creative community? Our panelists will attempt to futilely struggle with an answer that may be bigger than San Antonio.
Peggy Hailey, Martha Wells, Don Webb, Howard Waldrop, Peni Griffin

Ha! Yes! Bring it on!

Xenoarchaeology in SF
Saturday 13:00 - 14:00
Xenoarchaeology, a field of hypothetical science concerned with the physical remains of extraterrestrial civilizations, can be traced back to the Giovanni Schiaperelli's 1877 observation of channels on Mars. Xenoarchaeological themes are common in science fiction. Examples of xenoarchaeological fiction include Arthur C. Clarke's novel Rendezvous with Rama and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Frederick Pohl's Gateway, and The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt. Come and discuss this popular subgenre. What might real xenoarchaeology look like?
Marianne Dyson, Charles E. Gannon, Peni Griffin, William Ledbetter

I hope I’m not too disappointing in this one but I know Marianne, I'll be hobnobbing with archeologists soon, and I’ll give it a go.

Cambrian explosion: a Developmental toolkit for complex body plans
Monday 11:00 - 12:00
Peni Griffin, Mel White, Jeffrey Shanks

I’m so sorry, this is waaaaaay too early for my limited paleontological expertise. I was hoping for megafauna. I hate to leave them with only two people, but I couldn’t contribute enough, even with research. I hope to be in the audience asking intelligent questions, though.

3 comments:

  1. Gosh, Peni - they should have made you a Guest of Honor! Are these all main program events, or are they fringe items like an Academic Track? Even if the latter, they're really giving you a lot of exposure! Unfortunately I won't be able to travel 5000 miles for this one, although I might make next year's Worldcon in London.

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  2. It seems you'll be very busy on labor day. Congratulations. It's good to be in demand!

    Alberto

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  3. I suspect I'm on a lot of these because I'm local and checked a mark that didn't get a lot of takers. I'm certainly not Guest of Honor material even at an SCBWI con - at a World Con I'm surprised and thrilled to be in such company and hope I don't get on a sugar fit and start babbling. My two conversational modes - talking and can't shut up - make paneling risky. But you've got to take risks for your art, right?

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