Who Could It Be? Believe It or Not, It's Just Me
Other than a single oblique reference to attending an official Star Trek convention in my last entry, I haven't really posted around here about the fact that I've been doing a bunch of con-related travelling lately--especially to Worldcon, having gone to both Dublin 2019 in Ireland and DisCon III in Washington this past December.
Keeping up that newfound pattern, I will be attending Chicon 8 in Chicago next week, which I initially thought would be a fairly laidback affair...sure, I've applied to be a panellist at each of these Worldcons, but I only ended up on one panel in Dublin and none at all in Washington, so I thought I might get on a panel or two after submitting another enthusiastic application.
I must've really been on the same wavelength as this particular Worldcon, however, because I now find myself on seven panels all throughout the convention, some of them quite prominent. For that reason, I actually need to list a proper Chicago Worldcon Programming Schedule:
Finding a Place in the DC Universe (Thursday, 1 September, 7 PM)
Moderated by Linda Deneroff, with Valerie Estelle Frankel and Terry Gant
A discussion of onscreen adaptations of DC properties, which should prove much more...interesting...than some might've anticipated when they first signed up for it.
Adventures Through Time and Space (Friday, 2 September, 10 AM)
Moderated by Kelli Fitzpatrick, with Joe Haldeman (!), Connie Willis (!!), and Eric Wilkerson
Time travel and its continued appeal in various media, a subject close to my heart (as any longtime reader here could tell you).
Space Westerns (Friday, 2 September, 2:30 PM)
Moderated by Kurt Pankau, with Kelli Fitzpatrick, Chris Gerrib, and Siobhan Krzywicki
Revisiting the topic on which I was also a panellist in Dublin. Based on that previous experience, I expect Firefly to come up a lot.
This Is Us: Relationships, Partnerships, and Singlehood (Friday, 2 September, 8:30 PM)
Moderated by Avani Gadani
Not a panel about the television series, but rather about different relationship structures in fandom and "the geek community" as a whole. (Yes, Friday will be a particularly full and varied day for me.)
Adapting SF Shows and Movies Into Comics (Saturday, 3 September, 10 AM)
Moderated by Gordon Dymowski, with Barbara Barnett, Keith Carmack, and Meg Elison
Exactly what it says on the tin, and a topic reflective of my general comic book purchasing and reading habits.
The Glories of the Tie-In Novel (Saturday, 3 September, 1 PM)
Moderated by Will Frank, with Sarah Rees Brennan, Seanan McGuire, and Tim Waggoner
Another subject close to my heart (if my plugging of Star Trek tie-ins in that last entry, including my own, didn't make that obvious enough), especially in terms of defending media tie-ins from misplaced fannish snobbery.
Back to the Future: 1990s in TV and Film (Sunday, 4 September, 5:30 PM)
Moderated by Tracy Townsend, with Vincent Di Fate and Nikhil Singh
A deep dive into that formative decade's genre offerings. At last, my years of watching obscure first-run syndication series will pay off!
The sheer number of people who've won the Hugo Award, people who've won the Nebula Award, people who've won both, and assorted other luminaries with whom I'll be sharing a stage is extremely intimidating. One way or another, this will be a memorable weekend...I can only hope it'll be because I managed to hold my own.
Keeping up that newfound pattern, I will be attending Chicon 8 in Chicago next week, which I initially thought would be a fairly laidback affair...sure, I've applied to be a panellist at each of these Worldcons, but I only ended up on one panel in Dublin and none at all in Washington, so I thought I might get on a panel or two after submitting another enthusiastic application.
I must've really been on the same wavelength as this particular Worldcon, however, because I now find myself on seven panels all throughout the convention, some of them quite prominent. For that reason, I actually need to list a proper Chicago Worldcon Programming Schedule:
Finding a Place in the DC Universe (Thursday, 1 September, 7 PM)
Moderated by Linda Deneroff, with Valerie Estelle Frankel and Terry Gant
A discussion of onscreen adaptations of DC properties, which should prove much more...interesting...than some might've anticipated when they first signed up for it.
Adventures Through Time and Space (Friday, 2 September, 10 AM)
Moderated by Kelli Fitzpatrick, with Joe Haldeman (!), Connie Willis (!!), and Eric Wilkerson
Time travel and its continued appeal in various media, a subject close to my heart (as any longtime reader here could tell you).
Space Westerns (Friday, 2 September, 2:30 PM)
Moderated by Kurt Pankau, with Kelli Fitzpatrick, Chris Gerrib, and Siobhan Krzywicki
Revisiting the topic on which I was also a panellist in Dublin. Based on that previous experience, I expect Firefly to come up a lot.
This Is Us: Relationships, Partnerships, and Singlehood (Friday, 2 September, 8:30 PM)
Moderated by Avani Gadani
Not a panel about the television series, but rather about different relationship structures in fandom and "the geek community" as a whole. (Yes, Friday will be a particularly full and varied day for me.)
Adapting SF Shows and Movies Into Comics (Saturday, 3 September, 10 AM)
Moderated by Gordon Dymowski, with Barbara Barnett, Keith Carmack, and Meg Elison
Exactly what it says on the tin, and a topic reflective of my general comic book purchasing and reading habits.
The Glories of the Tie-In Novel (Saturday, 3 September, 1 PM)
Moderated by Will Frank, with Sarah Rees Brennan, Seanan McGuire, and Tim Waggoner
Another subject close to my heart (if my plugging of Star Trek tie-ins in that last entry, including my own, didn't make that obvious enough), especially in terms of defending media tie-ins from misplaced fannish snobbery.
Back to the Future: 1990s in TV and Film (Sunday, 4 September, 5:30 PM)
Moderated by Tracy Townsend, with Vincent Di Fate and Nikhil Singh
A deep dive into that formative decade's genre offerings. At last, my years of watching obscure first-run syndication series will pay off!
The sheer number of people who've won the Hugo Award, people who've won the Nebula Award, people who've won both, and assorted other luminaries with whom I'll be sharing a stage is extremely intimidating. One way or another, this will be a memorable weekend...I can only hope it'll be because I managed to hold my own.