My Readercon Schedule
Here is my schedule for Readercon 22, July 14-17, Burlington, MA.
Friday July 15
11:00 AM (Rhode Island Room)
What Writing Workshops Do and Don't Offer
Leah Bobet, Michael J. DeLuca, Eileen Gunn, Barry B. Longyear, Geoff Ryman, Kenneth Schneyer (leader)
Clarion, Clarion West, Clarion South, and Odyssey all follow the so-called "Milford Method" of roundtable critique. Many graduates of these programs praise the benefits of this method, but it may not be right for everyone. This panel will discuss not only the things the Milford Method does teach, but the things it really cannot teach, and the sorts of personalities who are likely (or unlikely) to benefit from it.
6:00 PM (Salon F)
The Dissonant Power of Alternative Voicing
Glenn Grant, Paul Levinson, Kate Nepveu, Kenneth Schneyer (leader), Howard Waldrop.
At Readercon 21, there was a panel discussion on the use of documentary text in fiction to lend "authority" to the voice. It can be argued, however, that alternative voicing strategies, particularly the use of documents, framing narratives, etc., are powerful precisely because they are not authoritative. Readers know that they are reading an incomplete version of the document, and consequently are led to imagine what is not being said. What lurks in the interstices between texts? What is this particular document-writer failing to say, or deliberately omitting? This panel will explore the use of dissonance occasioned by indirect voicing to make the reader a fuller, more active participant in the process of creating the fiction.
Saturday, July 16
11:00 AM (New Hampshire Room)
Clarion Class of 2009 group reading.
Heather Albano, Grady Hendrix, Matt London, Tanner Jupin, Kenneth Schneyer (organizer).
Members of the Clarion Class of 2009 read selections from their work.
Sunday July 17
10:00 AM (Maine Room)
Protecting Literary Legacies.
David G. Hartwell, Jeff Hecht, Barry N. Malzberg, B. Diane Martin (leader), Kenneth Schneyer.
Intellectual property is a nebulous idea, and the more so as duplication technology advances and digital rights change the definitions of terms like "in print." How can you protect your rights not only for yourself but for your descendants? Our panelists explain the ins and outs of wills, literary executors, copyright statutes, and everything you need to know to make sure your works live on after you're gone.
11:00 AM (Salon F)
Borders (if Any) Between Fan Fiction and "Original Fiction".
Gwynne Garfinkle, Eileen Gunn, Kate Nepveu, Madeleine Robins, Kenneth Schneyer (leader).
Maguire's Wicked books. Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Chabon's The Final Solution. Kessel's "Pride and Prometheus." Resnick's "The Bride of Frankenstein." Reed's "A Woman's Best Friend." Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Heinlein's The Number of the Beast. All of these stories employ characters, settings, and pre-existing plots from other authors, yet these authors (with the possible exception of Chabon) would probably deny that what they have written is "fan fiction." Lee Goldberg has spent thousands of words explaining why his dozens of authorized television tie-in novels are not "fan fiction." Is there an actual, definable difference between fan fiction and original fiction, or this just another instance, like Margaret Atwood's, of authors rejecting a label or genre in order to remain "respectable" or "marketable?"
12:00 PM (New Hampshire Room)
Cambridge Science Fiction Workshop group reading.
F. Brett Cox, Elaine Isaak, Alexander Jablokov, Steven Popkes (organizer), Kenneth Schneyer.
Members of the Cambridge Science Fiction Workshop read selections from their work.
2:00 PM (Vermont Room)
Reading by Kenneth Schneyer.
....from a work not yet selected.
Looks like Sunday is going to be something of a challenge!