Boskone Starts A Week From Today: My Schedule

Boskone 52 takes place at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA, the weekend of February 13th – 15th.  There’s still plenty of time to register!

Last year, Boskone had me on three panels.  This year, it’s seven.  If that pattern continues, it won’t be but a couple of years before I’m on every panel….

Below are listed the subjects, locations and times of those seven panels I’ll be contributing to.  I hope some of you take the time to attend Boskone and maybe even pop in to one of my sessions.  I’m happy to talk about anything science fictional, not the least about Amazing Stories, so please, make yourselves known.

25 Things I Learned From SF

Friday 18:00 – 18:50, Harbor III (Westin)

How much of what you know was learned from science fiction? Chromatophores and Kuiper belts, tesseracts and teratogens — what Newton dreamt and how anarchy might work — we’ve all received numberless info dumps. What are your favorites? Your most exotic? How has science fiction shaped your life, your worldview, and the fancy factoids you spout at parties?

Oh, just about everything about the life, universe and…everything.  It’s made me realize that life is all about nuance and shades of gray.  But perhaps more than anything else, it’s made me appreciate how complicated human beings are:  how can they not be when SF has taught me to regard my species as frequently idiotic, while also teaching me to look forward to the future?

Building Fandom and Community

Saturday 13:00 – 13:50, Marina 4 (Westin)

Fandom is a many-legged thing that spans generations and genres. It’s become more than a little fragmented over the years, but we are all still part of a larger whole. What have we lost with the fragmenting of fandom? How can its niche groups engage with the wider fan community while still honoring and protecting what makes them unique?

EXACTLY:  Since before joining the Orlando in 2015 bid (which we lost, obviously) and through the introduction of Amazing Stories, I’ve been searching for ways to encourage fandom to “get back together again”.  I sure hope someone on the panel has some good ideas.

The Walking Dead: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Saturday 14:00 – 14:50, Marina 2 (Westin)

The Walking Dead opened its fifth season with a literal bang and seems to be going strong despite the occasional halting plot, erratic pace, and poor choices made by several characters in past seasons. Still, it remains the most popular show on cable television. What is it about TWD that compels 17 million viewers to keep watching a show that is possibly one of the most violent on television?

Whoo boy.  Want to see some upset faces?  Just wait until I start tearing this show up.  I mean, I love it, but it is sooooo full of stupid…

Hugo Awards: Dramatic & Written Works

Saturday 17:00 – 18:30, Harbor I (Westin)

What’s the greatest stuff you saw or read last year? Join us to spend 90 minutes discussing 2014’s best speculative fiction books, stories, movies, TV shows, theatrical productions, and more! Bring your own suggestions, and help us build a world-class reading/viewing list in preparation for the Hugo Awards at this year’s Worldcon in Spokane, WA. Also, find out how to become eligible to nominate your favorite 2014 items for the 2015 Hugos — the ballot is due soon!

Well, I’d mention some of them here, but then I might be accused of lobbying for votes, so I’ll refrain.  And no, this is not a meeting to encourage bloc voting – though I suspect some will gleefully cast it as such.

Small Press Marketing Roundtable

Saturday 21:00 – 21:50, Burroughs (Westin)

Publishers, editors, and marketing specialists from some of today’s hottest small presses share stories, tips, and advice on marketing small press works in an ever-changing landscape.

I think the most important thing I can say during this panel is “maintain flexibility” (and maintain a strong sense of delusion)

Designing and Marketing Games

Sunday 10:00 – 10:50, Marina 2 (Westin)

Do you have a good idea for a game that you’ve been playing with, but you’re not sure how to build a great game around your idea? Or do you want to convert your gaming code into cash? Our panelists share their experiences with the video game design process as well as the marketing needed to achieve success. However, are there any similarities or crossover experiences that compare to RPG game design?

I did this back in the olden times, when there weren’t no such thing as da interwebs.  Old school stuff still works though, and I’m hoping that some of the techniques I used over thirty years ago still apply.

Promoting Your Project

Sunday 14:00 – 14:50, Marina 2 (Westin)

Learn the ins and outs of promotions that get your projects seen by as many people as possible. Find out about hidden opportunities, pitfalls to avoid, and best practices for networking your way to publication success.

I’m moderating this one, so get ready for a bit of craziness!  Actually, I’ve very highly structured this panel, so I expect it to be very focused and very informative.

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