My Readercon panels

I got my schedule of Readercon panels the other day. Since the schedule is still tentative, I’ll hold off posting the schedule until it is finalized. But I will tell you that I will be appearing in two panels:

• We All Produce, We All Consume.¬†Paul Di Filippo, Gemma Files, Robert Killheffer, K.A. Laity (leader), Jamie Todd Rubin. In a 2008 blog post, Leah Bobet connected the dots of increasing media interactivity and increasing independent authorship. Both trends have only escalated in the years since. When every blogger is an author, every commenter is a reviewer, and every work is assumed to be the start of a conversation, how does that change the experience and culture of reading? Was it ever possible to be a passive reader, or are we simply bringing our marginalia and book-flinging out into the light?
• Capturing the Hidden History of Science Fiction. Eileen Gunn, David G. Hartwell, Fred Lerner, Barry N. Malzberg, Jamie Todd Rubin (leader), Darrell Schweitzer. Science fiction has a rich history. Some of this history has been explored in books like Alva Rogers’¬†Requiem for Astounding. Some of it has been uncovered in recent biographies like Mark Rich’s C.M.¬†Kornbluth and William Pattern’s¬†Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century. And of course, many of the dialogues by Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg that appear in the¬†SFWA Bulletin contribute to this history. This hidden history teaches us a lot about our genre. What is the best approach to getting those who were there to tell their stories? Who are the right people to talk to? What does such a history contribute to the field? And how much is best left hidden?

I am moderating the second panel on hidden history. It was a subject that I proposed, in a large part based on my experience with my Vacation in the Golden Age. I’m very excited about that panel, and I don’t think I could have asked for a better group of panelists. I really lucked out on this one.

This will be my third time at Readercon. It will be (I think) the 11th science fiction convention I’ve attended. But it is the first time I’ve ever been a participant and panelist. I’m a little nervous about that. Mostly, thought, I’m just thrilled by the fact that I get to be on a panel with one of my favorite writers ever, Barry Malzberg. How cool is that?

For those interested, the full program description is available. Once the schedule has been finalized, I’ll post the times for these panels. If you’re going to be at Readercon, I look forward to seeing you there in about two and a half weeks!