I’ll be at Boskone this weekend, and I’m scheduled for a whole weekend of events, including panels, a signing, and a kaffeeklatsch.
So if you’re in the Greater Boston Area, by all means head to the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, come over, and say hi.
Wild Cards: Inside the Series
Friday 18:00 – 18:50, Griffin (Westin)
Dating back to 1987, the Wild Cards series continues to be as popular as ever with readers and writers alike. Wild Cards writers Walter Jon Williams, Carrie Vaughn, and David Anthony Durham take turns reading excerpts from their favorite stories and discussing the ins and outs of writing stories within this shared-world series that brings metahumans into our world back in the 1940s, changing the course of history. Join the discussion and find out what might be in store for the Aces and Jokers in the future!
How to Get Your Story Rejected
Friday 20:00 – 20:50, Marina 2 (Westin)
Every writer has received the dreaded rejection letter. Pros from both sides of the publishing fence share their anecdotes and tales of woe when it comes to tragic turndowns. Through the laughter and tears, you may even pick up a few tips and tricks to increase your odds with an editor!
What’s Past Is Prologue
Saturday 12:00 – 12:50, Marina 4 (Westin)
Every character came from somewhere, whether their story involves jumping buildings in a single bound or being tied to a train track. Where did our favorite protagonists and antagonists come from? How does that inform where their stories may go? When does an origin story work and when does it flop? At what point should an author reveal the backstory for the central characters?
Dune — 50 Years later
Saturday 13:00 – 13:50, Harbor I (Westin)
Frank Herbert’s Dune, published in 1955, was an epic science fiction saga that won the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award in 1966. Now, 50 years after its publication, we look back at the legacy left by Frank Herbert and his unique vision of a feudal interstellar society that was rocked by political machinations, contentious religious orders, and a very lucrative spice trade — and giant worms! How has this seminal work held up over time? What place might it take in the science fiction hall of fame? Panelists also discuss the impact that Dune has had on their own work as well as on the development of science and science fiction.
Reading: Walter Jon Williams
Saturday 14:30 – 14:55, Griffin (Westin)
Kaffeeklatsch: Walter Jon Williams
Saturday 16:00 – 16:50, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsch 1 (Westin)
Autographing: Bruce Coville, Walter Hunt, Thomas Sweterlitsch, Walter Jon Williams
Sunday 11:00 – 11:50, Galleria-Autographing (Westin)
The Romantics and the Development of Speculative Fiction
Sunday 13:00 – 13:50, Harbor I (Westin)
Shelly, Keats, Coleridge, Byron, Polidori, Blake, Hugo, Grimm, Wilde, Dickinson, and Poe are just a few of the iconic authors from the Romantic period (approx. 1780-1850) who had a significant impact upon the development of the speculative fiction genre. Panelists discuss the art and literature of the Romantics that has had the most influence upon their own work. What should you read? What should you avoid? And what is a Romantic anyway?
