Come talk and listen and Ask Me Anything

For those who have signed up for the Nebula Awards Conference next month, whether in person in Kansas City or virtually from anywhere in the world, I’m going to be doing a few things—parties, signings, panels, workshops, giving a speech (see my event schedule)—but the two main things will be my speech on Saturday night (you will be shocked—shocked!—to hear I Have Things To Say), and my 90-minute Grandapalooza on Friday afternoon.

Here’s the official description of the Grandapalooza (all times are Central Time):

Friday, 7 June. 1:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. Grand Master Nicola Griffith, “A Long, Strange Trip (So Far)”Join 41st Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Nicola Griffith, in conversation with the one who knows her best, wife and fellow writer Kelley Eskridge, for a 90-minute love letter to SFF and the wild ride of a career that’s still evolving. Come listen, laugh, and AMA—in person or online—about the importance of figuring out who you are and what you want, how to get there, and the joy of finding your people.

I might read some snippets from various books but mostly I’ll be trying to figure out in conversation with Kelley how my long strange trip of a career has ended up here—and where ‘here’ is (and isn’t—I have never, for example, been a bestseller). I’ll talk a lot about joy and about digging deep to cope with challenges, and of course I’ll answer everyone’s questions so I can’t say for sure how the conversation will evolve. Having said that, I suspect that I’ll tell a lot of stories that tend to follow the same essential pattern: Against the expectations and advice of some agent/ editor/ friend/ publisher/ instructor I do not do the usual sensible, reasonable thing; I then wonder with a sinking feeling if, this time, my career really *is* over…until I get told by some ‘helpful’ pompous ass that they told me so: You’re just not allowed to *do* that! At which point I stare, burst out laughing, and say, “Hold my beer…”

So do come. There’s still time to sign up and tune in from anywhere in the world. I promise not to be boring.