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Cryptic ConFusion happens next month, January 23-25. I'm passing on a partial (and likely tentative) topic list and there are a few panels that might grab your interest if you're attending. Jeff Beeler and Randal Bradakis are programming chairs at ConFusion and they would love to hear from you if you wish to add your expertise to a panel or two (seven for us Gohs) listed below - contact confusionprogramming@... for Randy and/or jeffrey.a.beeler@... or confusionprogramming@... for Jeff.
There are many writing related panels and a healthy handful of general fandom topics, for which they are (eternally) in need of participating panelists. I personally suggested a few film culture topics to kinda get ConFusion in on the film industry growing here in Michigan, so read up and see if you want to help out - if you have a topic idea too, it would not hurt to tell them though it's getting pretty late in the plan. Panelist hours count toward your membership cost, so get with them for details. Nothing to lose!
f
-----Original Message-----
From: ConFusion Programming [mailto:confusionprogramming@...]
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:00 AM
To: confusionprogramming@...
Subject: Cryptic ConFusion time to pick your panels
From: ConFusion Programming [mailto:confusionprogramming@...]
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:00 AM
To: confusionprogramming@...
Subject: Cryptic ConFusion time to pick your panels
First please respond and let me know you got this message.
What I would then ask is to have you go through this list and pick out your seven favourite panels and list them in order of preference.
Also let me know which other panelists you have good chemistry with, list at end of message.
Finally let me know which of your picks you would willing to be a moderator for.
Themes we are thinking of examining this year include:
The experience of Clarion and other intensive workshops.
Writers and Artists of the Future: participants talk about the experience, was it a good thing or irrelevant to their career? What are Scientologists really like up close?
The Short Story The best of these are an art form unto themselves. Where can we find them? How has the electronic age affected them? Selling short stories -- aimed at telling people how to submit short stories, how to get started and keep it up.
Self-promotion and networking for writers
Podcasting -- the future of it
Podcasting -- a how to panel
Gender and genre how has SF portrayed this over the years?
Meet the New Medium: games are as much a part of the younger generations entertainment mix as books Writing for/about games
Superhero fiction -- what is it and where's it going?
Gadgetering creating gadgets in science fiction
Luddite- Old Technology for the Historical SF writer Freon lays out everything from a car phone to a carburetor to a Kodak land camera to the care and feeding of a Boeing B-17. Brief discussion on fading technology that writers CANNOT ignore.
Popular Culture Track
Arthur! Arthur! King Arthur in legend, history and popular culture
Popular Culture: John Carpenter
Popular Culture: Stanley Kubrick
Renaissance Fan- I'm a game designer, but I also have a book in print. Oh, and I make chain mail. And I recently cut an album...Fans of multiple disciplines discuss their careers and backgrounds - and why Conventions are such a big part
Why The Dance Will Always Suck- They started late. They didn't do requests. The fog machine's gluten-free, right? And they SKIPPED THE TIME WARP! WTF?
Fannish DJ's talk about the hard work of pleasing an eclectic crowd with fannish expectations, and how this totally differs from the wedding gig.
Elves, ELFs and GELFS: Celebrate the Non-Human-Awe and Admiration for the things we will never be, cultural impact of the nonhuman role model.
Oral History-in general as opposed to written history in its impact on culture,
Ancient Astronauts: Von Daniken to Fringeworthy-examines the SF/F trends in the face of new developments in archaeology regarding the standard Mysteries Without Histories.
Did Captain Kirk own a wallet? Economics and SF how has science fiction has portrayed economics of the future over the years how have things changed, what are some of the enduring themes?
Wuffies? Total meltdown? Libertarianism? The actual future of economics what are some current ideas on where the world economy is headed,
Paranormal Romance: Meet the New Boss about love, vampires and werewolves is the new economic engine of the genre. Where did it come from? Who writes it? Who reads it?
In Dark Fantasy the Elves and the Unicorns are out to get you and the good guys dont always win or are even the focus of the story. Lets explore its foundations from Glen Cook to Mary Gentle to Terry Pratchett, discuss its development and current definition, and explore its future.
Meet the Newer Boss: Young adult SF and how it is the same and different from adult SF and how it has evolved over the years and where it is going. Will it overtake Paranormal Romance and become the next big thing?
Big Brother is Watching You! Personal privacy in the electronic age we now have or will have chips on everything we own including pets, where is this all going? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
Plot: What turns great ideas into short stories or novels?
We all know where ideas come from, don't we? But what are we supposed
to do with them after that? How do we translate those ideas into successful
stories and novels? Come and find out!
Characters: More than just a babe with a sword?
What makes a character great? What are the secrets of creating compelling, sympathetic characters?
Setting: Haven't I been here before?
How important is setting to a reader's understanding and enjoyment of the story? Is setting the real difference between S and SF? Are we overusing the settings we have, and are there any new ones?
Sorry, I left my translator at home. Where do authors get their ideas for alien languages and names? What are some examples that really work, or others that don't? How can you create an alien language?
Blending of genres:
What effect does this have on reader expectations....
Playing with Genre Conventions
How can we take the mundane and shopworn conventions of science fiction, fantasy and horror and reinvent them?
The Autobiographical Voice
Making the reader believe a story is in some way autobiographical is a popular mainstream literary device. Is it applicable to genre fiction? What's it like to write these stories? Do they work only for certain types of writers? What are the techniques? Can this be done covertly as well as overtly?
Idea Triggers: Writing and Interactive Inspiration.
Why talking to fans and other authors about one's books can be a good thing. Are blogs a good way to do this?
Smut and Nothing but Smut:
A discussion of sex scenes in genre fiction and whether they have any redeeming literary value or are they just inserted for prurient interest to sell the book.
The Small Press
Is the small press a breaking ground for new writers, or a trap for those who can't cut it in the big world of publishing? Who and what is the small press, why is does it exist, where can it be found, and how to use it as both a reader and a writer.
THE GUESTS OF HONOUR
Cory Doctorow Cryptic Guest of Honor
Cat Rambo Pro Guest of Honor
Diana Harlan Stein Artist Guest of Honor
Elizabeth Turtle Scientist Guest of Honor
Ralph D. Lorenz Scientist Guest of Honor
Davroz (David Rozian) Raconteur of Honor
Freon (Michael Andaluz) Fan Guest of Honor
TOR EDITORS:
Jim Frenkel
AUTHORS:
Kelley Armstrong
Melodie Barker
Tobias Buckell
Steven Climer
Merrie Fuller
Anne Harris
Jim C. Hines
Philip Kaldon
David Klecha
Violette Malan
Sandee Rodriguez
Catherine Shaffer
Karl Schroeder
Sarah Zettel
Jeff Beeler
Literary Programming,
Cryptic ConFusion
January 23-25 2009
Marriott Hotel in Troy, Michigan
confusionprogramming@...
jabeeler@...
What I would then ask is to have you go through this list and pick out your seven favourite panels and list them in order of preference.
Also let me know which other panelists you have good chemistry with, list at end of message.
Finally let me know which of your picks you would willing to be a moderator for.
Themes we are thinking of examining this year include:
The experience of Clarion and other intensive workshops.
Writers and Artists of the Future: participants talk about the experience, was it a good thing or irrelevant to their career? What are Scientologists really like up close?
The Short Story The best of these are an art form unto themselves. Where can we find them? How has the electronic age affected them? Selling short stories -- aimed at telling people how to submit short stories, how to get started and keep it up.
Self-promotion and networking for writers
Podcasting -- the future of it
Podcasting -- a how to panel
Gender and genre how has SF portrayed this over the years?
Meet the New Medium: games are as much a part of the younger generations entertainment mix as books Writing for/about games
Superhero fiction -- what is it and where's it going?
Gadgetering creating gadgets in science fiction
Luddite- Old Technology for the Historical SF writer Freon lays out everything from a car phone to a carburetor to a Kodak land camera to the care and feeding of a Boeing B-17. Brief discussion on fading technology that writers CANNOT ignore.
Popular Culture Track
Arthur! Arthur! King Arthur in legend, history and popular culture
Popular Culture: John Carpenter
Popular Culture: Stanley Kubrick
Renaissance Fan- I'm a game designer, but I also have a book in print. Oh, and I make chain mail. And I recently cut an album...Fans of multiple disciplines discuss their careers and backgrounds - and why Conventions are such a big part
Why The Dance Will Always Suck- They started late. They didn't do requests. The fog machine's gluten-free, right? And they SKIPPED THE TIME WARP! WTF?
Fannish DJ's talk about the hard work of pleasing an eclectic crowd with fannish expectations, and how this totally differs from the wedding gig.
Elves, ELFs and GELFS: Celebrate the Non-Human-Awe and Admiration for the things we will never be, cultural impact of the nonhuman role model.
Oral History-in general as opposed to written history in its impact on culture,
Ancient Astronauts: Von Daniken to Fringeworthy-examines the SF/F trends in the face of new developments in archaeology regarding the standard Mysteries Without Histories.
Did Captain Kirk own a wallet? Economics and SF how has science fiction has portrayed economics of the future over the years how have things changed, what are some of the enduring themes?
Wuffies? Total meltdown? Libertarianism? The actual future of economics what are some current ideas on where the world economy is headed,
Paranormal Romance: Meet the New Boss about love, vampires and werewolves is the new economic engine of the genre. Where did it come from? Who writes it? Who reads it?
In Dark Fantasy the Elves and the Unicorns are out to get you and the good guys dont always win or are even the focus of the story. Lets explore its foundations from Glen Cook to Mary Gentle to Terry Pratchett, discuss its development and current definition, and explore its future.
Meet the Newer Boss: Young adult SF and how it is the same and different from adult SF and how it has evolved over the years and where it is going. Will it overtake Paranormal Romance and become the next big thing?
Big Brother is Watching You! Personal privacy in the electronic age we now have or will have chips on everything we own including pets, where is this all going? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
Plot: What turns great ideas into short stories or novels?
We all know where ideas come from, don't we? But what are we supposed
to do with them after that? How do we translate those ideas into successful
stories and novels? Come and find out!
Characters: More than just a babe with a sword?
What makes a character great? What are the secrets of creating compelling, sympathetic characters?
Setting: Haven't I been here before?
How important is setting to a reader's understanding and enjoyment of the story? Is setting the real difference between S and SF? Are we overusing the settings we have, and are there any new ones?
Sorry, I left my translator at home. Where do authors get their ideas for alien languages and names? What are some examples that really work, or others that don't? How can you create an alien language?
Blending of genres:
What effect does this have on reader expectations....
Playing with Genre Conventions
How can we take the mundane and shopworn conventions of science fiction, fantasy and horror and reinvent them?
The Autobiographical Voice
Making the reader believe a story is in some way autobiographical is a popular mainstream literary device. Is it applicable to genre fiction? What's it like to write these stories? Do they work only for certain types of writers? What are the techniques? Can this be done covertly as well as overtly?
Idea Triggers: Writing and Interactive Inspiration.
Why talking to fans and other authors about one's books can be a good thing. Are blogs a good way to do this?
Smut and Nothing but Smut:
A discussion of sex scenes in genre fiction and whether they have any redeeming literary value or are they just inserted for prurient interest to sell the book.
The Small Press
Is the small press a breaking ground for new writers, or a trap for those who can't cut it in the big world of publishing? Who and what is the small press, why is does it exist, where can it be found, and how to use it as both a reader and a writer.
THE GUESTS OF HONOUR
Cory Doctorow Cryptic Guest of Honor
Cat Rambo Pro Guest of Honor
Diana Harlan Stein Artist Guest of Honor
Elizabeth Turtle Scientist Guest of Honor
Ralph D. Lorenz Scientist Guest of Honor
Davroz (David Rozian) Raconteur of Honor
Freon (Michael Andaluz) Fan Guest of Honor
TOR EDITORS:
Jim Frenkel
AUTHORS:
Kelley Armstrong
Melodie Barker
Tobias Buckell
Steven Climer
Merrie Fuller
Anne Harris
Jim C. Hines
Philip Kaldon
David Klecha
Violette Malan
Sandee Rodriguez
Catherine Shaffer
Karl Schroeder
Sarah Zettel
Jeff Beeler
Literary Programming,
Cryptic ConFusion
January 23-25 2009
Marriott Hotel in Troy, Michigan
confusionprogramming@...
jabeeler@...
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