Boskone
This year Boskone is February 13-15, and I’ll be there.
For those of you who don’t know, Boskone is the longest-running Science Fiction convention. I try to do it every year (but was not able last year, it being in the midst of my heaviest sessions of chemo).
But here’s a thing I just noticed: On Friday from 2PM to 6PM, all the events are FREE to the public. So, if you’ve never been to a science fiction convention, and want a free taste, here’s your chance. Head over to the program schedule and take a look: there are some really interesting items taking place in the “free” period. The convention takes place in Boston, at the Westin Waterfront .
As for my schedule, it’s this:
Reading: Rosemary Kirstein
Saturday 10:30 – 10:55, Independence (Westin)
Mining Fiction and Music for Creative Inspiration
Saturday 14:00 – 14:50, Marina 4 (Westin)
While fiction inspires music, music also inspires fiction. How do these two forms of expression interact? Panelists discuss examples of music or fiction that were inspired by the other genre. Who are the great literary musicians? Discussion may also include some live demonstrations as examples. Panelists: F. Brett Cox (Moderator), Maya Bohnhoff , Rosemary Kirstein , Beth Runnerwolf, Mary Ellen Wessels
Writers on Writing: Worldbuilding from the Ground Up
Sunday 12:00 – 12:50, Harbor III (Westin)
Some spectacular stories take place in worlds very different from our own: from life on (or in) a gas giant to a civilization that lives on a world-tree as big as the Himalayas. But there are perils associated with venturing far beyond human experience. An inconsistent or poorly described worldscape can furnish a confusing story, or challenge a reader’s ability to suspend disbelief. Hear from writers who have created fully realized worlds that their readers can almost see, touch, and smell. Panelists: E. C. Ambrose (Moderator), Myke Cole, Peadar Ó GuilÃn, Lauren Roy, Rosemary Kirstein
Autographing: Steven Brust, Rosemary Kirstein, Darrell Schweitzer, Jill Shultz
Sunday 14:00 – 14:50, Galleria-Autographing (Westin)
This is only the second convention I’ve done since going through my various treatments and surgery. Â I made it to Readercon last year, but I was pushing it, a bit. Â I had only one panel, and that was about all I could handle, really; and I don’t feel I was at my best.
I’m still not quite at my best… I don’t feel as sharp as I’d like, nor as mentally nimble (very useful during panel discussions, where one sometimes has to be certain to get heard).  Still, I must come out of hiding at some point!
And yes, I am doing a reading. I have no idea what I’ll read, yet. But something will be read. By me.
I note that I seem to have no Kaffeklatsch, and I wonder if I forgot to ask for one? Too late now.
Of particular interest: Jo Walton is conducting an interview with Guest of Honor Steven Brust. Both Jo Walton and Steve Brust have readings, as do Jane Yolen, James Patrick Kelly, and Charles Stross (whose reading takes place during the “free” part of the convention).  Also, some of the panels sound fascinating — they always do, and I can never manage to get to as many as I’d like.  I hope to catch some poetry and music, too. (Alas, I won’t be performing, myself — I’m not fit for that, yet. Chemo and peripheral neuropathy have conspired to make it hard for me to play guitar for very long, meaning that not only can I not play for long, I’m also seriously out of practice. And my singing voice is sort of… shredded. And my breath control is non-existent! As a performer, I’m a mess. But! Next year! I’ll get it all back!)
Well. Must get back to work now (my work, not the day job), which at the moment consists of prepping for my panels and figuring out what of this great mess of a book can possibly be extracted to read in public in a coherent fashion — and if possible can it be something that I have not read in public before?
Plus: getting ready for the next great snowstorm, which apparently should hit, oh, any minute now.
