I’ll be returning to Capclave 2019 this weekend in Rockville, Maryland! Here’s where you can find me.
Friday
- 5:00 PM: Psychos (panel)
- What is a psychopath and are they really running the world? Do psychopaths have an advantage when it comes to running countries and major corporations? What can we do about it? What if we developed an accurate test (as in Sawyer’s Quantum Night) to see who is a psychopath?
- With Robert J. Sawyer, Larry Hodges, Lawrence M. Schoen, and Michael A. Ventrella (moderator)
- 7:00 PM: Nontraditional Protagonists (panel)
- Until recently, the typical sf/fantasy protagonist was a white male in his late teens early 20s. Now we have more diversity. How has greater inclusion changed science fiction/fantasy? How does this diversity affect plot and characterization beyond just descriptions of the protagonist? Can this diversity attract new readers who now can see characters who look like them; or does it alienate existing readers? Have things gone too far or not far enough?
- With Martha Wells, Brenda W. Clough (moderator), Natalie Luhrs, and Ted Weber
Saturday
- 4:00 PM: Alternate History: Creating Stories by Changing the Past (workshop)
- Author J.L. Gribble presents a workshop on alternate history. Learn what defines alternate history by exploring successful alternate history stories. After learning the basics, participants will then collaborate interactively to build a full featured alternate history.
- 7:00 PM: Beyond Hero(ine)s Journey (panel)
- Has SF/fantasy progressed beyond the templates established in the early days? Is this a good thing? Which models can and do replace it?
- With Sarah Avery (moderator), Leslie Burton-Lopez , Craig L. Gidney, and Dina Leacock
- 10:00 PM: Reading
- Anyone who actually shows up for a reading this late at night will get to pick what they want me to read from!
Sunday
- 2:00 PM: Female Villainy in Fiction and Media (panel)
- How can SF/Fantasy move beyond hypersexualization, Fem Fatale clichés, and abuse-related motivations and write better binary and non-binary villains. What can readers do to encourage this?
- With Beth Brenner (moderator), Shahid Mahmud, and A.C. Wise