Five Great Reasons to Attend Readercon 26
Getting excited for Readercon 26? Still wondering whether you should attend? (Hint: Yes, you should!) Here are just five of the many exciting panels you’ll enjoy at the con.
From the French Revolution to Future History: Science Fiction and Historical Thinking.
General-interest panel. “It’s no accident H.G. Wells wrote both [The] Time Machine and The Outline of History (one of the most popular history books ever), [and] it’s no accident that science fiction writers are also often historical novelists: Kim Stanley Robinson, Nicola Griffith, etc.” writes arts journalist Jeet Heer. For Heer, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and horror can all be grouped under the meta-genre of Fantastika, and emerged from the “epistemological rupture” of the French Revolution, which “forced us to think of history in new way, with new emphasis on ruptures and uncontrollable social forces.” Is Heer right to see these commonalities? Is it useful to think of historical fiction in fantastika terms? Does science fiction in particular borrow more from historical thinking than alternate and future histories?
How Readers Use Spoilers. General-interest panel. Some readers seek out spoilers so they know what to brace for. Trigger warnings are spoilers that serve a protective purpose. Reading a book constitutes spoiling oneself for the reread, but a book can't become a comfort read until it's well-worn and familiar. Fanfic tags indicating the central relationship of a story can be seen as spoilers, but their purpose is to draw in readers looking for that relationship more than to warn readers away. We'll discuss these and other ways that readers use spoilers as tools to shape the reading experience.
Fandom and Rebellion. General-interest panel. "No one is more critical of art than fandom. No one is more capable of investigating the nuances of expression than fandom-because it’s a vast multitude pooling resources and ideas. Fandom is about correcting the flaws and vices of the original. It’s about protest and rebellion, essentially.... Fandom is not worshipping at the alter of canon. Fandom is re-building it because they can do better." (http://ifeelbetterer.tumblr.com/post/ 54202921785/a-word-about-fandom) It's clear that authors ignore fandom at their own risk, but what is it about fandom that makes their remixes/fanfic "better" (if we accept that)?
A Palantir in Every Pocket: Magical Tech in Speculative Fiction. General-interest panel. In his “Not A Manifesto” (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/10/not-a-manifesto.html), Charles Stross writes: “we are living in a 21st century that resembles a mutant Shadowrun-by turns a cyberpunk dystopia and a world where everyone has access to certain kinds of magic. And if you want to explore the human condition under circumstances which might plausibly come to pass, these days the human condition is constrained by technologies so predictably inaccessible that they might as well be magic. So magic makes a great metaphor for probing the human condition. We might not have starships, but there's a Palantir in every pocket.” Is urban fantasy more suitable for describing our world than space opera or fantasy? How will writers approach a future that is growing increasingly urban and magical?
Writing in the Anthropocene: SF and the Challenge of Climate Change. General-interest panel. Science fiction and fantasy have often dealt with fictional apocalyptic scenarios, but what about the real-world scenario unfolding right now? Climate change, or climate disruption, is the most challenging problem faced by humankind, and some have called it a problem of the imagination, as much as economics and environment. In the wake of the latest scientific reports on what is happening and what might be in store for us, it is important to examine how imaginative fiction might convey the reality, the immediacy, and the alternative scenarios of the climate problem. Where do we go from here?
STILL NEED TO BUY YOUR MEMBERSHIP
FOR READERCON 26?
CLICK HERE
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT
AND MAKE READERCON 26 THE BEST EVER!
• Tell your friends, your SF readers, and your social media followers about Readercon and why they should come.
• Join and post often on our Facebook Group.
• Tweet up a Readercon storm! Follow @Readercon. Use hashtag #readercon.
• Don't miss a single update! If you haven’t already done so, join our mail list and get Readercon news sent right to your inbox. SIGN UP HERE.
From the French Revolution to Future History: Science Fiction and Historical Thinking.
General-interest panel. “It’s no accident H.G. Wells wrote both [The] Time Machine and The Outline of History (one of the most popular history books ever), [and] it’s no accident that science fiction writers are also often historical novelists: Kim Stanley Robinson, Nicola Griffith, etc.” writes arts journalist Jeet Heer. For Heer, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction and horror can all be grouped under the meta-genre of Fantastika, and emerged from the “epistemological rupture” of the French Revolution, which “forced us to think of history in new way, with new emphasis on ruptures and uncontrollable social forces.” Is Heer right to see these commonalities? Is it useful to think of historical fiction in fantastika terms? Does science fiction in particular borrow more from historical thinking than alternate and future histories?
How Readers Use Spoilers. General-interest panel. Some readers seek out spoilers so they know what to brace for. Trigger warnings are spoilers that serve a protective purpose. Reading a book constitutes spoiling oneself for the reread, but a book can't become a comfort read until it's well-worn and familiar. Fanfic tags indicating the central relationship of a story can be seen as spoilers, but their purpose is to draw in readers looking for that relationship more than to warn readers away. We'll discuss these and other ways that readers use spoilers as tools to shape the reading experience.
Fandom and Rebellion. General-interest panel. "No one is more critical of art than fandom. No one is more capable of investigating the nuances of expression than fandom-because it’s a vast multitude pooling resources and ideas. Fandom is about correcting the flaws and vices of the original. It’s about protest and rebellion, essentially.... Fandom is not worshipping at the alter of canon. Fandom is re-building it because they can do better." (http://ifeelbetterer.tumblr.com/post/ 54202921785/a-word-about-fandom) It's clear that authors ignore fandom at their own risk, but what is it about fandom that makes their remixes/fanfic "better" (if we accept that)?
A Palantir in Every Pocket: Magical Tech in Speculative Fiction. General-interest panel. In his “Not A Manifesto” (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/10/not-a-manifesto.html), Charles Stross writes: “we are living in a 21st century that resembles a mutant Shadowrun-by turns a cyberpunk dystopia and a world where everyone has access to certain kinds of magic. And if you want to explore the human condition under circumstances which might plausibly come to pass, these days the human condition is constrained by technologies so predictably inaccessible that they might as well be magic. So magic makes a great metaphor for probing the human condition. We might not have starships, but there's a Palantir in every pocket.” Is urban fantasy more suitable for describing our world than space opera or fantasy? How will writers approach a future that is growing increasingly urban and magical?
Writing in the Anthropocene: SF and the Challenge of Climate Change. General-interest panel. Science fiction and fantasy have often dealt with fictional apocalyptic scenarios, but what about the real-world scenario unfolding right now? Climate change, or climate disruption, is the most challenging problem faced by humankind, and some have called it a problem of the imagination, as much as economics and environment. In the wake of the latest scientific reports on what is happening and what might be in store for us, it is important to examine how imaginative fiction might convey the reality, the immediacy, and the alternative scenarios of the climate problem. Where do we go from here?
STILL NEED TO BUY YOUR MEMBERSHIP
FOR READERCON 26?
CLICK HERE
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT
AND MAKE READERCON 26 THE BEST EVER!
• Tell your friends, your SF readers, and your social media followers about Readercon and why they should come.
• Join and post often on our Facebook Group.
• Tweet up a Readercon storm! Follow @Readercon. Use hashtag #readercon.
• Don't miss a single update! If you haven’t already done so, join our mail list and get Readercon news sent right to your inbox. SIGN UP HERE.