Chicago, I am there. Plus: let’s update that program schedule.

Rosemary

Just so’s you know.  Visiting friends and new acquaintances, taking in the scene and the culture, for a week before Worldcon.

My updated Worldcon program:

Living with Cancer

Wednesday 14:00 – 15:00, 2206 (Kansas City Convention Center)

$£%* Cancer. Our panel talks about the experience of cancer, how it affected their writing and lives, and how we can support the fan community.

Janet Freeman-Daily, Rosemary Kirstein, Ms Pat Cadigan (M), Priscilla Olson

(For those of you just joining us, I’m doing fine now; the cancer exeperience took place a couple of years ago, and I am cancer-free!)

Writing Major Minor Characters

Wednesday 16:00 – 17:00, 2210 (Kansas City Convention Center)

Do you ever read a book and come across a character that is so wonderful you want to know everything about them, yet you know you never will because they aren’t the main character? Such characters add immeasurably to our reading experience and yet they are very hard to write. This session discusses how to do just that.

Michelle (Sagara) West (M), Julia Mandala, Connie Willis, Rosemary Kirstein

(I’ve been told that I’m good at this.)

 

Reading: Rosemary Kirstein

Thursday 13:00 – 13:30, 2203 (Readings) (Kansas City Convention Center)

Rosemary Kirstein

Autographing: Rosemary Kirstein, Larry Niven, Robert Silverberg, Jeff Sturgeon, Connie Willis

Friday 15:00 – 16:00, Autographing Space (Kansas City Convention Center)

Rosemary Kirstein, Larry Niven, Mr Robert Silverberg, Jeff Sturgeon, Connie Willis

(I expect this to be an exercise in humility.  I shall observe the long lines for the other authors, and acknowledge their superiority.  It will be good for me.  Plus: ebooks, hard to autograph. )

Transcending the Genre

Sunday 13:00 – 14:00, 2209 (Kansas City Convention Center)

Critics still use the term “transcending the genre,” but what does that really mean? Do we want to completely transcend genre, or are we experiencing snobbish reactions rooted in fannish history? When Zadie Smith talks about reading Octavia Butler, or Marlon James says his next novel will be “an African Game of Thrones”? do we really want all the genre walls to disappear? 

Dr. Tom Easton, Rich Horton, Jennie Goloboy (M), Rosemary Kirstein, Teresa Nielsen Hayden

(Teresa is part of the crowd I’m hanging with this week… She’s so damn smart!)

 

More later

 

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3 Responses to “Chicago, I am there. Plus: let’s update that program schedule.”

  • Lindig Says:
    August 10th, 2016 at 11:37 am

    You are good at the major/minor character thing. My favorite is the innkeeper’s son who oversaw the service, had a subtle sense of humor, and an unexpectedly deep voice (in Language of Power). He was charming.

  • Ben Says:
    August 11th, 2016 at 8:08 am

    I’m sure writing a “major minor” character is difficult, but I’d still think it’s easier than coming up with a “major major” character. Having someone fun/interesting/weird/intriguing in a plot for a few scenes is “easy”, having some character hold the same amount of attention over a bunch of books infinitely more difficult …

    It seems like a bit of a standard strategy to make the main character the “most normal” (aka boring) one, so readers can relate to them, and then throw in the crazy characters in really small roles.

  • bnanno Says:
    August 11th, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    You can imagine a vurtual me camping out to be 1st in that queue waving both my ebook s and hard copies … I am sure I would have a large crowd for company!