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.
I'll be reading at Readercon with other members of Broad Universe, an international organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative genres.
