Literary Community: My Sasquan Schedule

[hrj]

The full Sasquan (Worldcon) schedule is out. Here are my programming items, for those who are interested. (You can pull up the programming for any specific participant using this convenient interface.

Future Pharma
Aug 20 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM (45 minutes)
Peter Charron, Heather Rose Jones (Moderator), Barry Gold

How will biotechnology and genome research revolutionize pharmaceuticals? How can biotech be better integrated into fiction? This panel will help provide an understanding of the diversity of contemporary and theoretical pharmaceuticals and how biotechnological breakthroughs can help move a plot along.

Given the number of panel participants, I'll be a bit more involved than simply as moderator. It's always amusing to intersect my Day Job with SFF, given that I don't actually write biotech-based fiction. (I have a very vague story idea for a murder mystery set at a biotech plant, but more for the amusement of figuring out how to have a discrepancy investigator as amateur detective.)

Autographing - Joe Haldeman, Jeanine Hennig, Heather Rose Jones, Laurey Patten, Courtney Schafer, Sarah Stever
Aug 20 01:00 PM to 01:45 PM (45 minutes)

Keep in mind that you can bring more than just the Alpennia books for me to autograph! Every once in a while, someone even decides to be funny and offers up a copy of Baby Names for Dummies for my signature.

Exploring Orientation and Gender in Fiction
Aug 20 08:00 PM to 08:45 PM (45 minutes)
Catherynne M. Valente (Moderator), Julia Smith, Heather Rose Jones, Gregory Gadow, Ctein

Fiction has evolved from presenting all characters born with a specific gender and sexual orientation to presenting a broad spectrum of genders and sexual orientations. What are some of the early works to explore these areas? Who are some of the best authors exploring them now? Does the gender/orientation of the author matter?

Orientation and gender both is a lot to cover in a single session! But I'm delighted to have been given a panel slot that relates to the themes of my books.

Kaffee Klatche - Heather Rose Jones
Aug 21 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM (45 minutes)

Spaces are limited but you can sign up in advance online. This is your chance to hear more about my plans for Alpennia, for the collected volume of skin-singer stories, and to help me brainstorm the next two "Merchinogi" stories. Want to know more about the geography of Alpennia or the linguistics of the Kaltaoven language? Want to debate the mechanistic heresy? Want to hear me read the openings to "Hoywverch" and "Hyddwen" in the original Medieval Welsh?

In addition to having a chance to talk to me about my work, there will be genuine Alpennian almond cakes served and some giveaways that you'll have to attend to find out about.

Reading - Heather Rose Jones
Aug 22 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM (30 minutes)

I haven't decided exactly what I'll be reading yet, but I can promise you that it will include something nobody has seen yet, as well as teasers for works you can buy.

Writers Workshop section 19
Aug 23 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM (180 minutes)
James Van Pelt, Heather Rose Jones, Laura Anne Gilman

This isn't a public event, but I thought I'd lay out my full schedule. I'm honored to have been asked to participate as an industry professional in the Sasquan writers workshop. I'll be part of a team critiquing and commenting on stories submitted by the participants.

* * *

And, of course, the other part of my Sasquan schedule is socializing with old friends and having a chance to meet new people (including a number of people I've only met online at this point). If you want to make sure we meet up, drop me a note and we can do some tentative coordination.

Comments

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Do you have a recipe for the Alpennian almond cakes? For those of us who can't make it to the con at all, let alone the Kaffee Klatche...

(And whose POV chapter gives insight into recipes in Alepnnia? So far I have only read chapters from characters who can plan a dinner party, but not cook one.)

[hrj.livejournal.com]

I'll have the recipe once I finish customizing it from the cookbook I lifted it from. I did a column on how I use food and dining in my writing. Let's see ... here is is: http://hrj.livejournal.com/489370.html

Food is meant to be deep-background: always meaningful but rarely center stage. The fact that I research the plausibility of all my food references is simply a reflection of my standard approach. Eventually, there may be an Alpennian cookbook, just for fun. Or if opportunity arises, an Alpennian themed dinner party. One never knows.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

You know, if you write the cookbook, I would buy it, especially if the recipe comments were as informative as I would expect you to make them...

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Nice schedule, and autographing with Joe Haldeman. Cool. Sorry I won't be there.