Here’s where you can find me at this weekend’s downtown SF convention…
Fan Writing – There and back again
Fanzines, ezines, and blogs come and go, and often return again in altered forms. What is it about fanzines that give them such resiliency? What are the advantages of these forms? What do readers and writers get from them? Friday 8PM – Gardenview
With Warren Buff, Neil Jamieson-Williams, Ed Treijs,
“Eppur Si Muove” (And Yet It Moves)
Charged with heresy for saying the planets orbit the sun, Galileo answered the Inquisition with the famous words that meant that truth could be seen regardless of the preferences of the powers that be. By what methods did Galileo influence both scholars and the wider culture of his time and the generations that followed? What have we learned, and failed to learn, from Galileo’s life and example? Saturday 11 AM – Ballroom B
with Dan Falk, Alex Pantaleev(M), Henry Spencer, David Stephenson
Fantasy and Science
What can the scientific method lend to fantasy? Does the presence of gods and magic exclude the need for science? Whether it leads to technology, or just a scientific understanding of the setting and magic, what can the practice of science add to fantasy? Saturday 1PM – Room 207
with Cenk Gokce (M), Alex Pantaleev, Ed Treijs
Author Branding
Gaining exposure can be a challenge for an author, whether experienced or brand new and shiny. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Google+ have important tools for reaching an audience. Merely having an account is not sufficient. How do you develop content to attract your target audience while being creative and standing out in the crowd? Can you keep a private social presence separate from your professional persona? Saturday 3 PM – Room 207
With Robin Hobb, An Tran, Peter Watts
Monsterless Horror
It’s often said that some of the most terrifying horror fictions stir fear without ghouls or gore. Is this true? What are the psychological horror tales that stay with us past the final page? Does the greatest terror lie within ourselves? Sunday 12 PM – Ballroom C
With Alisse Lee Goldenberg, David Lamb, David Nickle
The Galileo problem wasn’t just clerical obstructionism. There were real problems of proof with the Copernican hypothesis in his time. The fact that Galileo was an arrogant SOB didn’t help, of course.
I think I might talk more generally about religion vs. science and the most recent Pope’s moves in that area.