Marscon

I'm going to be at Marscon this weekend -- if you want to track me down, here's where to look:

Friday
4:00-4:45 PM--Krushenko's/Concierge (Room 1332)
Panel: Magic in Science Fiction
Stargate's ancient technology, Star Trek?s Heisenberg compensator and Doctor Who's TARDIS. What are some of the ways in which sci-fi uses magic as a surrogate for science, passing it off as either too advanced or too commonplace in-universe to spend time explaining? Why not simply write the story around accepted understandings of physics instead? Does the use of magical Doctor Who science help or hurt the story? Share your questions, ideas and preferences with a panel of creatives who work in this area.
Rob Callahan, mod.; Lois McMaster Bujold, Naomi Kritzer


9:00-9:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)
Panel: Magic in Children's Literature
From folk and fairy tales through Alice, Oz, Narnia, the Meg Murray adventures, Patricia C. Wrede, and beyond.
Rick Gellman, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

Saturday

6:00-6:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: The Woods are Lovely
How do we create modern fairytales and myths? How do we tap into the primal emotions of fairytales in a modern era?
Michael Merriam, mod.; PMF Johnson, Naomi Kritzer

Sunday, March 6

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: The Future is Seriously Dark for 16 Year Olds
What's up with all the science fiction YA books set in dystopias? From Scott Westerfield?s Uglies to Suzanne Collins? Hunger Games (even the final Harry Potter book, to some extent), there are a surprising amount of very dark futures that are topping the bestseller lists.
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

2:00-2:45 PM--Krushenko's
Panel: Writing in a Series: Harmonies and Discords
Writers who have done multiple novels or stories about continuing characters and/or a linked world share their experiences, positive and negative, and their advice to aspiring series writers.
Michael Merriam, mod.; Lois McMaster Bujold, Naomi Kritzer

I will also have my daughters in tow for much of the weekend. (Molly for most of it, Kiera for part of it.) Molly's favorite things at the con are Steam Century and gaming, so if I'm not actually scheduled for anything ... there's a good chance that's where I'll be.