Worldcon Schedule!
I will be in person at Worldcon this year (I can’t even believe it!) and here is the schedule I’ll be keeping!
Friday, September 2
10am - Art, Ethics and Copyright. Throughout history, artists have made reproductions of others' works and created new works inspired by each other. In the digital age, where should we draw the line? When is something an acceptable fan work or new derivative creation, and when is it a copyright violation? And what can you do if you find someone using your art without your permission?
1pm - 45 Panels in 60 Minutes: Aiming to go to as many panels as possible during the convention? Knock out a whole bunch in one go! Panelists and audience members will write down panel titles at the beginning. We’ll draw them out of a hat, and try to get through as many of them as time will allow! WIll we achieve 45 panels in 60 minutes? Come find out!
2:30pm - Jewish Fan Gathering: Join other Jewish members of the Chicon community in a low-key meetup at the hotel.
5:30pm - Beyond CODA: Representation for People With DIsabilities: TV shows and films are not traditionally kind to persons with disabilities, either in casting or storytelling. But CODA, The Politician, and The Eternals are recent examples that feature not just strong storytelling for characters who are disabled, but also characters of color. Clearly, though, there's room for improvement for more authentic representation. Panelists will discuss which shows/films and which storylines got it right, and also explore where things can be improved. What specific stories still need to be told?
7pm - Table Talk: Come chat with me about disability representation, prosthetics, welsh corgis and whatever else you want to pick my brain about!
Saturday September 3
1pm - Autographing! Come let me sign your copy of Being Seen, Sword of the White Horse, The Fate Accessibility Toolkit, or Women of Marvel #1!
4pm - Equity vs. Equality in Science Fiction. Optimistic science fiction often depicts societies that have achieved equality—all people are "treated the same"—but this is very different from the more complicated and meaningful feat of achieving equity—making sure that all people have the resources and opportunites they need. We'll talk about the difference between those two terms, with examples of science fiction that engages these issues to tackle unconscious biases and issues of structural injustice in society.
Sunday September 4
10am - Expanding the Concept of the Perfect Body. As video games slowly begin to allow for more variety in avatar choice, and as medical science invents new methods of safe body modification, we often still find ourselves stuck in the philoshopical weeds of deciding which bodies are good and which aren't. From anti-trans bigotry to fat-phobia, we still aren't good at recognizing the intrinsic goodness in all bodies. How can SFF help us expand our ideas and embrace bodies both as they are and as their consciousness wants them to be?
The Hugo Awards!
Monday September 5
All’s Not Safe On the Set? The shooting on the set of "Rust" highlighted what happens when movies are made too fast, for too little budget, without basic oversight. There are systemic problems in the making of TV/films that have a human cost, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe pushing its crew to push dates up, to a toxic Lord of the Rings set and The Crow movie for starters. Is the ramping-up of content for exponentially more channels and screens to blame? Can those in the industry establish an ethical framework, as on Wynonna Earp? Do actors have a responsibility to push back?