My List of Panels for 8Pi-Con (that is, Pi-Con 2014)

Billed as "the friendliest little convention in New England," Pi-Con is held at the Holiday Inn, Enfield, CT, just south of Springfield, MA. This year it's June 27-29, 2014 (next weekend) and I'll be on six panels.

Here's the list:

Fri 6:00pm     How to be a Good Panelist (mod)

Sat 1:00pm     Day Jobs for Writers

Sat 7:00pm     Broad Universe RFR

Sat 8:00pm     Vampires Past, Present & Future--Are They Morphing?

Sun 11:00am    So You Want to Write a Series (mod)

Sun 1:00pm     Kickstarter and Other Microfunding Programs (mod)



And here are the descriptions and lists of panelists.


Fri 6:00 p.m.

How to be a Good Panelist — Agawam

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Morven Westfield (M), Michelle Wexelblat

We’ve all been to panels where things got wildly off-topic or where a panelist or audience member hogged the panel. Sometimes it’s been a lot of fun or extremely interesting. Other times, it’s been aggravating. In this panel, experienced panelists talk about preparing for a panel, participating on a panel, being a good moderator, handling someone who’s obviously aggravating, and how different cons have different styles.




Sat 1:00 p.m.

Day Jobs for Writers — Agawam

M. L. Brennan, Ellen Larson, Kristi Petersen Schoonover (M), Morven Westfield, Trisha J. Wooldridge

What’s the best day job for a writer? Is it a writing job that helps you learn to craft a sentence, work with an editor, and meet deadlines? Or a less-demanding job that gives you time—and brain-width—to think about your current work-in-progress. Writers talk about their day jobs and how they’ve helped or hindered their writing progress.


Sat 7:00 p.m.

Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading — Suffield

Terri Bruce, Ellen Larson, Jennifer Pelland, Jennifer Allis Provost, Roberta Rogow, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Morven Westfield, Trisha Wooldridge

Eight talented writers have six minutes each to blow you away! Broad Universe is an international organization supporting women authors of SF, fantasy and horror. Visit them on Dealer’s Row!


Sat 7:00 p.m.

Vampires Past, Present & Future–Are They Morphing? — Suffield

M. L. Brennan, Susan Hanniford Crowley (M), Morven Westfield

A serious and not so serious discussion of Vampires: Past, Present, and Future. Are they morphing into something else—worse—better? What do the legends teach us? Let’s really get into the teeth of the topic and explore where we would like to see vampires of the future go? Can science create the better vampire?



Sun 11:00 a.m.

So You Want to Write a Series — Somers

M. L. Brennan, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Allen Steele, Morven Westfield (M)

For writers who have written series of two or more books. How do you decide your plot and character arcs for each book? For the whole series? Trilogy or longer? How do you keep track of details? How do you bring new readers up-to-date, or do you put the onus on them to read the earlier books? Are series still being done the same way, or are there new trends in writing and publishing series?


Sun 1:00 p.m.

Kickstarter and Other Microfunding Programs — Suffield

David Larochelle, Jennifer Allis Provost, Morven Westfield (M)

Writers, artists, and musicians are using crowdfunding for their projects. People with experience with this booming trend this tell us how it’s done, what does and doesn’t work, and what they’d do differently.

Pi-Con: A Celebration of Geekery

Pi-Con bills itself as "The friendliest little convention in New England" and I won't accuse them of exaggerating. They describe themselves as a "celebration of geekery" and have panels and events on Science Fiction, Fantasy, Gaming, LARPs, and Comics. They have readings, panels, parties, performances, and vendors. 

 

This year -- year number 8 -- it will be held June 27-29, 2014 at the Holiday Inn, Enfield, CT. Having made the trip a number of times myself (check out my past events page), I can attest that the hotel is easy to find, right off the highway. It's small enough to feel homey, but large enough to accommodate the con.

Here's this year's line-up of guests:

Guest of Honor
3-Time Hugo Award Winner
Allen Steele

Guest of Awesome
Justine Graykin

Artist of Awesome
Sarah Morrison

Featured Filker
Dave Weingart

Interested? Find out more here:

https://www.facebook.com/PiConSF
http://pi-con.org/

 

If you're interested in volunteering, please check out the following page. Volunteering is a great way to meet people if you're new to conventions, new to the area, or traveling solo. There's usually some sort of thank-you involved (like a cool tee-shirt), but that's not why you do it. You do it because it's FUN.

 

http://pi-con.org/get-involved/staff/