I’m almost completely sure I did not see a netbook panel for WisCon this year (had to go though aaaaalllll the items the other week). Would anyone have interest in an informal technology meetup at WisCon where folks can talk about their netbooks, tablets, phones and other cool tech, others can ask questions and play with said cool tech, and we can pow wow about the tech we care about and why? There’s got to be some sort of feminist theme in there, right?
Hugo Award nominations were announced yesterday and this shiny book got a nod in the Best Related Work Category:
That’s right! Chicks Dig Time Lords is a Hugo nominated work! I am so incredibly happy, yay!
And, if I am allowed to say: well deserved! Lynne and Tara put together a really solid lineup and the fan response has been overwhelmingly positive. I hope that remains the case as Hugo voting commences :)
On equally happy notes, I see a lot of friends scattered throughout the nominations, but I wanted to give a special shout out to fellow Altered Fluidians N. K. Jemisin and Saladin Ahmed. Ms. Jemisin’s first book, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, is on the best novel list and Mr. Ahmed is up for the Not A Hugo Campbell award for best new writer.
I posted the whole list over on the ABW and noted that there are quite a few women on the list, more POC than I’m used to seeing, and many “new” or young writers, which is an achievement for the Hugos. Can’t wait to see how the winners balance out on these fronts.
How To Describe Nonwhite Characters Sans Fail
Sat, 4:00–5:15 pm | Wisconsin
M: Mary Doria Russell, K. Tempest Bradford, Moondancer Drake, Amal El-Mohtar, Rachel Virginia Swirsky
How do we get beyond “Her skin was the color of a delicious Coca-Cola?” What metaphors, similes, techniques, and descriptors are less problematic when describing nonwhite characters’ physical bodies? We’re starting from this post by Jed.
How to Respond Appropriately to Concerns About Cultural Appropriation
Sun, 1:00–2:15 pm | Wisconsin
M: Victor Raymond, K. Tempest Bradford, Mary Doria Russell, Geoff Ryman, Rachel Virginia Swirsky
At WisCon 33, the Carl Brandon Society taught a course which reviewed the basic concepts around race, colonial history, and cultural appropriation, along with a discussion of ways to build a vocabulary to discuss these topics. Let’s use that background to discuss what would be appropriate, considered, thoughtful responses by authors to concerns that their work contains cultural appropriation.
SIBLING OF REVENGE OF NOT ANOTHER F*CKING RACE PANEL1
Sun, 2:30–3:45 pm | Wisconsin
M: K. Tempest Bradford, Amal El-Mohtar, Michelle Kendall, Victor Raymond, LaShawn M. Wanak2
Back for a third go-round, by popular demand! Writers of color working in F/SF face unique challenges, it’s true. But, at the end of the day, being a “person of color” is only one aspect of what makes up our identities as writers. While it’s very flattering to asked to be on panels, most of these panels never crack the ceiling of Race 101. With that in mind, wouldn’t it be nice for multiple writers of color to sit on a panel that isn’t about race at all? Here’s our chance to do just that. So, what are we gonna talk about, instead? Practically anything! Presented in game show format, SIBLING OF REVENGE OF NOT ANOTHER F*CKING RACE PANEL brings together writers of color to get their geek on about any number of pop culture topics—none of them race related.
Reading: For Colored Girls Who’ve Considered Shapeshifting, Teleporting, & Conjuring….3
Sun, 4:00–5:15 pm | Conference 2
K. Tempest Bradford, Neesha Meminger, Nnedi Okorafor, LaShawn M. Wanak, Ibi Aanu Zoboi
Is Science Fiction the New Reality?4
Mon, 10:00–11:15 am | Caucus
M: K. Tempest Bradford, Richard Chwedyk, James Frenkel, Naomi Kritzer, Shira Lipkin
Star Trek offers a vision of the future that includes personal, networked communicators, talking, intelligent computers, and the tricorder, a portable, hand-held networked computing device. Today we have cellphones, IBM’s Watson,and the iPad. Are we already living in the science-fiction future? What does this mean for writers of speculative fiction?
I’m also going to do my best to coordinate the POC dinner for Friday.
Many moons ago the awesome John Klima emailed and asked if I had any fairy tale retellings since he was putting together an anthology of such things. I sent him Black Feather (my Interfictions story), he accepted, I made a happy face. Life is good. Yesterday, for the first time, I saw who else is also in this anthology from a post on SFSignal. People, I had No Idea. I sporfled so hard on the subway train New Yorkers gave me the side eye.
Just look here and sporfle with me, won’t you?
Susanna Clarke, Kelly Link, Jeff Vandermeer, Genevieve Valentine, Holly Black, Neil Gaiman, the list of awesome just keeps getting longer and longer! Nancy Kress was my first Clarion West instructor and now I am in an anthology with her. What.
But the most exciting bit is this. No anthology of this kind would be complete without Theodora Goss, that goes without saying. But the story in here, “The Rose in Twelve Petals,” is one of my favorite stories of All Time1. One of the first that ever moved me to track down an author’s website and email her2. That one of my stories gets to be in the same book as that is a most excellent way to begin my next year of life.
The book is out in June, and you can pre-order it from Nightshade or Amazon or Barnes & Noble or likely your local bookshop.
P.S. I would also like to point out that, once again, I’m in a book with a gorgeous cover.
As part of my duties for the WisCon 35 programming committee, I’ve been put in charge (officially) of the Safer Space for POC at the con. Essentially they’d like me to address any issues the community has with said space and make it as useful and comfortable as it can be. Thus, I’m opening up the discussion here to make sure I address issues I’m not aware of. Hopefully, even though this is online, we’ll get a mostly representative mix of ideas and concerns.
First thing: the Safer Space is still in the Solitaire Room this year, just like last year. I remember hearing people complain that this ended up being a detriment as it is so out of the way. However, it’s too late at this point to move it this year. Next year, perhaps. The reason it ended up in the Solitaire Room (from what I understand) was to cut down on gawkers.
One solution to this issue is to plan events and meetups in the space to encourage people to come. And I wouldn’t mind having a lunch together again. The concom also said they’d look into having a coffee/tea service in the room.
So, my question to the WisCon-attending POC out there is: how can we make this room more useful to you beyond the basic function? Are there things you want to happen that didn’t last year? Events you want to see continue? Suggestions, comments, issues, cookies in the comments below! However, if there’s anything you’d like to bring up with me privately, please use the contact form on my website if you don’t know my email or message me on Facebook. I can keep your concerns private/anonymous if need be.
I finally compiled the complete list of fiction, poetry and essays that we’re going to pre-load on the eReaders in the Butler Scholarship fundraiser. The list is far longer than I’d hoped when I first conceived of this project. And the stuff on there is by a ton of really fancy people. We even got contributions from many of the Butler Scholars — that is Clarion & Clarion West students who’ve already benefited from financial assistance from this scholarship. Click here to see the full list.
The first week has gone really well. Thank you to everyone who has spread the word and bought tickets. I’m going to keep the momentum up because we’ve got 10 days to go and a high goal to reach.
Scott Edelman has been recording readings and such from World Fantasy in order to make everyone who isn’t here intensely jealous. He came to my reading and recorded it, and now it’s on YouTube for all to see.
I had a good sized crowd and people said they really loved the story, so I declare my first WFC reading a success. And I’m really glad I asked Mary to help me out by reading the poetry parts because she was really good and made the poems sound far better than they actually are.
After you check out my reading, head over to Scott’s journal and watch the others.
I say “schedule” as if I’m going to be doing a ton of stuff. Indeed, that is not the case this year, which means I can relax and enjoy myself.
The one thing I do have scheduled is a reading. 10:30 Friday morning in Reading 212. I know it’s a bit early, but I do hope people will attend. Joining me for my reading is Mary Robinette Kowal (who, incidentally, is giving a workshop later that weekend on how to be a more effective reader) who will lend some of her excellent skills to my story. How will this all work out? You will just have to come to the reading and discover.
Can someone please explain to me how one makes the leap from “We no longer want to honor this person” to “Book burning and censorship“? You people do not even understand what censorship means, do you? And to this asshole who threw up the Heinlein quote: since when was WisCon ever a government or a church?
Do you people even read? Do you have brains that work in a logical manner? Or do you just simply wander through life parroting the things you read without any understanding or absorption of them?
Goddamn you stupid, ignorant troglodytes. I am ashamed to share a planet with you, much less a community.
Also, can I just point out that at no point has anyone said Elizabeth Moon can’t come to WisCon. At no point has anyone said that there can’t be a discussion about the issues raised by her post, with or without her. Hell, it’s WisCon, there is going to be a lot of fucking discussion. But I love how these useless wankers run right to that mission statement and declare that there obviously won’t be any of those things because… apparently because they’ve imagined it in their tiny minds.
Your tiny, dirty imagination has no bearing on actual fact. And, you know what, I am hella glad you all won’t be coming to WisCon. I wish you would refrain from coming to World Fantasy, Readercon, or any other con I happen to attend. People like you we don’t need. But thanks to the free speech you so loudly claim no one at WisCon has1, you can spread your bullshit in public places and at public events. All the while whining about how you’re being oppressed.
I have reached a real breaking point with the cowards in this community. The sad, pathetic people who wish to stir up shit just for the sake of pageviews or getting well-known as crusader against people who think racism and sexism are bad2. I am tired of this utter bullshit that comes up Every. Single. Time.
The bottom line is this: you are wrong. You’re just wrong. Bigotry: is wrong. Elizabeth Moon: was wrong.
That doesn’t mean that things or people or ideas or thoughts can’t change. But this is immutable: Bigotry has no place at any con, and I can only be thankful that many of the people who run and attend WisCon work very hard to eliminate it from that one. And that starts by not honoring someone whose bigotry is not in question and who does not, apparently, feel she’s done anything wrong nor has shown any proclivity to dialogue that would lead to something valuable. Therefore, it was the right decision to remove her.
If you feel differently, then say so. But do it out in the open.
