Three months into the year, and it’s a FOURTH
convention schedule I’m posting! Woohoo!
(At some point my personal blog posts will be more
than convention schedules; I promise! I have thoughts on a variety of things
and some health updates, too...)
Anyway, I know it sounds redundant, but this is another
beloved convention of mine! Conbust!
Conbust is a student-run feminist SF/F convention
held at Smith College every spring. I
found out about Conbust through Broad Universe, not realizing that such a gem
was basically in my back yard.
(I grew up in Springfield, about 15-20 minutes
from Northampton.)
I have a pretty ambitious schedule this year at
Conbust, so if you’re looking to follow me to all my panels (and they are
pretty awesome panels, so you might want to), make sure you are loaded up on
your favorite coffee or energy product! I’m scheduled in the very first panel
slot, the very last—with eight panels in between!
Also, I’ll be traveling to and from the convention
with my friend and editing colleague, Suzanne Lahna, who has their first novella out. They’ll be on a bunch of excellent panels,
too. Find out more on their blog!
Since Conbust is on a college campus, I won’t be hosting a party here, and we don’t have either a Broad Universe or New England Horror Writers table here, so it’s all panels and catching up with some of the great people I only get to see at this convention. I’m excited!
Oh—quick note, these aren’t the official convention
descriptions. They’re mine—and subject to change depending on the audience /
panelists. I’m also not listing the
panelists here because there were some last minute changes that I don’t know
got finalized... but just
check the guest list! I’m on panels
with almost all of these spectacular people!
Without further ado, here’s where I’ll be:
Friday,
March 23; 5:00 PM; Room 101 – Fandom and Criticism
Can you criticize what you love? Should you? Why is
it important?
Friday,
March 23; 6:00 PM; Room 201 – Hero, Protagonist
Discussing writing the protagonist hero, or
analyzing them.
Saturday,
March 24; 9:00 AM; Room TBA – Believable Fight Scenes
This was my favorite panel of last year’s Conbust.
Actual reenactment fighters play out writer battle scenes! Of course, now I
need to figure out which gods’ awful fight scene of mine needs the most work /
will provide the most entertainment to the audience...
Saturday,
March 24; 10:00 AM; Room 101 – Suspension of Disbelief
What throws a reader out of a story? How can writers
avoid these pitfalls? What’s the term “Flying Snowman” (coined by John Scalzi)
and what does it mean to writers and readers?
Saturday,
March 24; 11:00 AM; Room 109 – Freelancing: More Ways to Make Money Writing
This panel will discuss the ways people can make a
living working with words. No, it’s not easy, but it’s also not impossible. See
if this career works for you or if you want to stick to the day job.
Saturday,
March 24; 2:00 PM; Room 204 – Everything but the Writing
Note above panel on making money
while writing? That’s Making Money Writing 101.
This is Making Money Writing 102 and talks about the business decisions
you’ll have to make if you decide you want to make money while writing.
Saturday,
March 24; 4:00 PM; Room 109 – Children’s Fairy Tales
Fairy tales is my jam. So is
writing for kids. This is a thing that far predates my efforts, though, so I
love studying and talking about it. Come discover all the nerdy, geeky goodness
children’s fairy tales have to offer!
Saturday,
March 24; 5:00 PM; Room 109 – Fairies
Rather apropos that this is in
the same room immediately following Children’s Fairy Tales. Except the fey are
NOT just for children. In fact, they can be kind of predatory on children—or humans
in general. And they go waaaay beyond “fairy tales.”
Sunday,
March 25; 9:00 AM; Room 106 – Female Protagonists / Female Villains
Because, yes, we still really
need to talk about women characters, how they’re included in stories, and how
authentic they are.
Sunday,
March 25; 1:00 PM; Room 102 – A Monster Manual Beyond Dragons
There’s already a panel about how
awesome dragons are, but other fantastical creatures need and deserve our love,
too! Find out about other magical beasts and their proper care and feeding.
Sunday,
March 25; 2:00 PM; Room 204 – Tarot and Writing
Two great tastes that taste great
together! I love giving this workshop at convention. Come learn a little about
the Tarot and how you can use it in your life and writing.
There it is! It is SUPER crazy, and I am SUPER
excited because it’s my last convention until probably July. I am so excited to
return, and SUPER excited to catch up with a lot of amazing people.