Storming the ConFusion
I have been home sick today. I hope this will not prevent me from attending ConFusion this weekend, as I could not attend for the same reason last year. I am doing better, and expect to do better this Friday . If you happen to be in the Detroit neighborhood this weekend, you can catch me at one of these multiples panels.
Friday 6 pm.
Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance
Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance have a lot in common: mythical creatures in modern settings, noir and crime fiction aesthetics, and, often, romantic plotlines. What distinguishes the two genres, and where to they overlap? How do they use their common elements to create different goals?
Jennifer Blackstream (M), Andrew M. ‘Fish’ Popowich, Josef Matulich, Michael Cieslak, Delilah Dawson
Saturday 11 am.
Applying the Social Model of Disability to Genre Worldbuilding
The social model of disability holds that whatever someone’s physical traits, what renders a person disabled are physical and social structures not built to accommodate them. In The Princess Bride, Count Rugen’s six fingers don’t impede his swordsmanship–the fact that swords aren’t built for his hand does. In the real world, what limits a wheelchair driver’s freedom isn’t their wheelchair, but spaces that aren’t built for wheelchair access. We’ll discuss how to incorporate the social model of disability into fantasy and science fiction world-building to build fictional worlds where people with wide ranges of physical traits and abilities have agency and self-determination, and talk about our favorite fictional worlds that are doing this right.
Josef Matulich (M), Jordan Kurella, Sandee Rodriguez, Petra Kuppers
Saturday 3 pm.
Autograph Session (I will have all my Arcanum Faire books with me)
Ada Palmer, Angus Watson, Anthony W. Eichenlaub, Cat Rambo, Diana Rowland, Dyrk Ashton, Jason Sanford, Joe R. Lansdale, Josef Matulich, Keith Hughes, Lucy A. Snyder, Mackenzie Flohr, Mark Oshiro, Michael R. Underwood, Mur Lafferty, Stacey Filak, Tracy Townsend
Saturday 4 pm.
Reading (I will give the audience their choice of two WIPs: Killer GMO Squirrels, or Chinese Air Pirates.
Tracy Townsend, Josef Matulich, Mackenzie Flohr
Sunday 2 pm.
Expanding The Definition of Witchcraft
Witchcraft in fiction often taps into real world tragedies, myths and folklore, spiritual practices, sexuality and gender treatment through the lens of Western occultism. Witchcraft, however, is more than riding brooms or dancing naked. Panelists will explore the definition of witch and then provide examples of witches through underrepresented lenses.
Monica Valentinelli (M), Josef Matulich, Paul Kemner, A. Carina Spears
I hope to see you all there!
