I will be in Chicago for the 80th WorldCon! This year’s convention is a hybrid of in-person and virtual events, though I will be there in person at the Hyatt Regency Chicago from September 1st to 5th.
I hope to see you there, and if you haven’t yet, registration is still open here.
Here is a rundown of my events over that long weekend:
Panel: Best SFF Murder Mysteries
Participants: Mark Painter; Lucy A. Synk; Rebecca Inch Partridge; Roberta Rogow; Victor Manibo
Description: The murder mystery is a classic plot structure, and has been written into SF settings many times, from classics such as Alfred Bester's "Fondly Fahrenheit" and Pat Cadigan's Tea From An Empty Cup to Tade Thompson's Far from The Light of Heaven. What are some of our favourite books in this genre? What books put a uniquely SFF twist on the locked room mystery or the unbreakable alibi, and use their setting to write mysteries that couldn't be written outside the genre?
Where/When: Grand Hall K; Thursday, September 1, 2022, 2:30 PM CDT
Panel: The State of Asian SFF
Participants: Gautam Bhatia; Aparna Verma; Claire Light/Jadie Jang; Neon Yang; Victor Manibo
Description: With permission from FIYAHCON, we continue the annual series on the State of Asian SFF—Where have we been? Where are we going? How do we get there? Asian authors, agents, filmmakers, and publishers speak to trends, challenges, and opportunities in science fiction and fantasy genres for Asian creatives.
Where/When: Airmeet 3 (virtual); Friday, September 2, 2022, 10:00 AM CDT
Panel: Writing Authority Figures: Military, Police, and Government
Participants: Victor Manibo; Alyx Dellamonica; Brandon Ketchum; Heshe Leontess; Jaime Garmendia
Description: The lives and duties of military personnel, police officers, and government officials vary wildly and come with real-world baggage that cannot be written away even in an imaginary setting. Complicating matters, when a writer doesn’t clearly define the unique rules and roles that authority figures fill in a society, the plot will blur and the story will remain unpolished. Learn how various branches of law enforcement, government, and military would realistically operate, what equipment and powers are likely available to them, and what community roles they may fill in regional societies and cultures in this world or in a speculative land.
Where/When: Grand Hall L; Sunday, September 4, 2022, 10:00 AM CDT
Panel: The Fantastic, Speculative, Science-Fictional City
Participants: Victor Manibo; Arkady Martine; Fran Wilde; Meg Elison; Micaiah Johnson
Description: Cities are essential parts of speculative fiction, from James Bliss's Cities in Flight to N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became, where the city itself is the main character. How has the city been used within the genre, and how has our approach to it changed? What's different about authors writing from within urban settings, as opposed to describing them from outside?
Where/When: Grand Hall MN; Sunday, September 4, 2022, 1:00 PM CDT
Panel: Life Extension in Fact and Fiction
Participants: Leonardo Espinoza Benavides; Dan Koboldt; K.G. Anderson; Victor Manibo
Description: How long could a human live? Forever or just a really, really, really long time? We'll discuss whether there are hard limits to how long a being who's made out of meat can last.
Where/When: Airmeet 1 (virtual); Sunday, September 4, 2022, 4:00 PM CDT
Reading: The Sleepless
Description: Victor Manibo will be reading from his debut science fiction noir novel, The Sleepless. He will sign copies of the book afterward.
Where/When: Roosevelt 1; Monday, September 5, 2022, 11:30 AM CDT