Programming
Foolscap 12 Program
All Foolscap members are potential panelists. You sent in your panel ideas — now let us know which panels you’d like to be on (see the list of potential panels, below). Send e-mail to our Programming Committee.
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Potential Panels for this year:
Science Fiction Creation
Whatever Happened to the Shared-World Anthology? – In the 1980s, SF literature saw an explosion of shared-world anthologies: Thieves’ World, Liavek, Wild Cards, Merovingen Nights, Medea. But while shared worlds (or shared universes) continue to be widely used in comics, computer games, television, and movies, the literary form has all but died out. Why?
Nonfiction for Fiction Writers – Not The Chicago Style Manual, but books that fiction writers should read for other ideas. Darwin’s reading of Malthus influenced the idea of natural selection. Examples: The World Without Us, Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, and Ghost Map. This would be a round robin, something for the lobby or chairs, not a panel thing. Share.
Ageism in the Hugo Awards? – Someone did a chart showing the increasing ages of the nominees and winners of the Hugo awards over the last 40 years. In the last decade not a single author in their 20s was nominated, while in the 1960s, a fair number were! What’s up with that?
The Heroine’s Journey – If you take a classic “hero’s journey” story and put a female in the lead role, does it work, or does it necessarily change the story? Why? What is the parallel for girls and women, if any?
All Access Authors – How do Twitter, blogging, etc, change the relationship between the audience and the author’s work? How does it work for authors and readers to interact via social media, and what’s the most effective way to do it?
Interactive Fiction (Panelists have already been set for this one.)
The Truly Alien in SF – Getting past the prosthetic forehead and writing aliens that are very much not like ourselves. How would we know them? How can we relate to stories about them? As a writer, how do you get plausible ideas for them?
The Bride of Nanofiction – Let’s do it again! A repeat of last year’s popular panel on writing super-short fiction: defining it, discussing it, walking through some exercises for producing it, then actually writing it. Come prepared to write!
Scriptwriting – How is writing for the screen or the comic book different from writing books or stories? Tips & techniques.
Stress Management for Artists/Writers – Combating stress endemic to creative professionals, such as writer’s block, procrastination, juggling freelance work, coping with bad reviews, etc.
Collaborating for Fun and Profit – In the age of the Internet, collaboration is easier than ever. Should you collaborate on a project? What tools should you use? What are some of the common pitfalls and benefits?
Science, Technology, & Futurism
Open Science – Exploring the real world and science-fictional implications of the move toward more transparency in scientific research, including researchers making their lab notes available online.
Homo digitalis – People who can’t do anything without their iberrydroid, and will we all be that way soon?
Transports of Delight – Beyond light rail: making public transportation work.
Who Shot VR? – Virtual reality was the next big thing 20 years ago. Where did it go?
The Science Behind SF Multiverses – Does everything possible exist? Talking about cosmological theories in which it does, as well as some consequences, such as the quantum suicide thought experiment and such classic works of multiversal SF as Greg Egan’s Permutation City.
Molecular Gastronomy – Tomorrow’s food today, and the future of kitchens as lab-grade precision equipment becomes available for home use. Will this intrinsically change the way we cook? What kinds of new and exciting comestibles are on the boil?
Permaculture – Building things for forever: the Clock of the Long Now, time capsules, the Rosetta Project, and other things meant to project into deep time.
Space Station Towns – How will communities evolve when they’re enclosed in a space vessel, in stationary orbit or en route to somewhere else? How should space stations be designed to provide a sane setting for communities to thrive?
Witnesses to Space – Memories of the Apollo 17 launch, the advent of the Space Shuttle, and other first-hand experiences from those who were there.
The Long Tail Culture – The fragmentation of global culture into smaller interest groups and direct connections between obscure writers and artists with the small audiences for their work, via many-to-many Internet channels such as Amazon.
The Dream is Asleep – Obama has put forth a budget that consciously moves us away from manned space. Is this OK? Why or why not?
Clothing Without Cloth – Couture in the fou-ture: what will we be wearing on the next cutting edge of fashion? Non-traditional materials like plastics and papers? Neo-cloth materials like beta cloth? Effects that mimic clothing like body paint, skin ink, or even virtual clothing-like body decoration? Come share your visions.
Who Are Tomorrow’s da Vincis? - In a culture where every kid sits in front of the computer, who are our polymaths? Is everyone multitalented by necessity? What is exceptional?
Art
New Types of Artwork – New media, new materials for creating art, etc.
Typography 301: Visual Layout & Presentation – Beyond typefaces; composing pages and more. How does this affect your response to the material?
Hi-Fructose, Juxtaposition, and Pop Surrealism – Art that transcends genre and trend, cross-pollination and convergence in cutting-edge street, pop, and high art.
Avatar in the Basement – Equipment and production for the garage studio.
Makers and Steampunks – The maker and craft movement is exploding like never before. Fandom has always had a strong DIY ethic; how has this intensified and changed? Has it become easier to find resources or inspiration? What do you love about making things for your hobby?
Pack Your Sketchpad – Drawing anywhere and other means of refreshing your art.
Audubon of the Future – Biological art in SF, and how to draw the unnatural in a believable fashion.
Science Fiction Consumption
Science Fiction & Fantasy Training Wheels – What is (and isn’t) acceptable in Young Adult and Juvenile fiction now that wasn’t 10 years ago, and what might be accepted 10 years from now? What’s good, and how can you assess the good stuff?
James Joyce: SF Writer – Finnegans Wake considered as science fiction and fantasy. Really.
Words & Community – Why we like book clubs, or would you rather read by yourself? Can a book club be effective at a distance?
Non-Alternate History – What lies at the intersection of historical fiction and SF: how they are similar, what differentiates them, and historically-based subgenres of SF such as secret history.
Class Warriors From Beyond – Class and Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
Science Fiction’s Family Tree – The stylistic evolution of known SF writers: who influenced whom, where do things branch off, and who belongs together? This is an audience participation panel with visual aids – a big sheet of butcher paper with lines and boxes indicating influences and offshoots. Panelists will assist in both the creation of the time line as well as encouraging audience input.
Ludic SF – SF in games and games in SF, such as A Player of Games by Iain Banks, the young adult novel Interstellar Pig by William Sleator, and Halting State by Charles Stross.
Whose Book Is It Anyway? – Is there any SF story that you think resembles the life you’re living now?
Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain – If you see Behind the Scenes material, how does that change your perception of the work? Do you seek it or avoid it?
Cool Universes That Haven’t Seen Print – Online stories with community involvement, enhanced features, etc., like Shadow Unit by Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, and others. Now with Mark Teppo and The Mongoliad. Paneled, but please let us know if you’d like to be added.
Online Fiction – Are the major SF markets moving online? Let’s discuss great SF zines native to the Web, such as Rudy Rucker’s Flurb.
The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer – Let’s talk about the really new fiction. Who are the up and coming stars of the genre?
Beyond Patriarchy – Exploring matriarchal or gender egalitarian societies. Which books handle this subject well? Is domination of one sex over the other inherently immoral? How can we create a society in which both sexes “win” (neither oppressed by the other) without it becoming unrealistic or overly idealistic?
Rereading – How books “change” the second to tenth time through, or when reading the same book 30 years later (“I was sure that was in this book…”)
Other
Robot Sex – What is it like to have sex with a robot, if you’re a human? What if you’re a robot? How would robots reproduce? What are some interesting depictions of robot sex in SF, such as Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross?
It Followed Me Home – What we collect and why. Round table discussion.
Why Are Super Heroes So Superfreaking Funny? – There are comic books, and then there are comic comic books. From the various incarnations of The Tick to The Venture Brothers, what is it about superheroes that makes them ripe (or overripe) for parody?
Who Ought to be Able to Use My Idea? – intellectual property. The committee knows this is a very hot topic and wishes to have a strong moderator on the panel. If you wish to be on this panel, please let me know if you feel you can moderate. If I get multiple volunteers, I will discuss it with the committee and we pick chose one. [If no one wishes to moderate, the committee may decide to remove this panel from the roster.]
Superbowl by John Madden – Will physical sports become obsolete? Or are video games the future of sports training, appropriately augmented by virtual steroids and performance-enhancing drugs?
Fragmentation of Identities – Facebook, Twitter, deviantArt, LinkedIn – how does the ‘you’ at each differ from the others and from the ‘you’ at yesterday’s party, in the office, or at home doing the laundry? How do we cope with presenting ourselves in so many different ways? What kinds of filters do we use, and why?
Myth & Legend in the Information Age – Tall-tale characters and heroic archetypes: how do they change when lumberjacks and legendary heroes aren’t part of everyday context? What are the legends of the modern age? Where do legends come from now, and why do we still need mythology?
The Superpower I Wish I Had – Everyone has that secret fantasy, the one impossible ability you covet. Come confess!
Fen & Burners: Secret Siblings? – Where are the areas of overlap and convergence between SF fans & Burning Man fans?
The Next Political Parties – Many of us are disenchanted with both major political parties in the US, but what are the plausible alternatives? Do new parties stand a chance? Around what kinds of platforms should they be organized?
Biology of the Undead – Theories on the mysterious inner workings of the zombic community. Where do zombies come from? In most works of SF, it’s not a mommy and a daddy zombie. Sometimes it’s occult powers, but sometimes it’s a virus, or radiation. Prepare for the uprising now!
David Bowie, Big Giant Nerd – Because he is!
Culture and SF: Sociological Symbiosis – SF/F considered in the abstract as sociopolitical commentary: How SF shapes cultures and vice versa. With such an emphasis on world-building, is it even possible to write SF/F that isn’t social and political commentary, or at least reflective of a certain viewpoint? Is that intrinsic to SF? When SF ideas become mainstream, how does it affect a society as a whole (i.e., 1984 and Big Brother often cited in relation to spin-doctoring)? How does that cultural influence then feed back into SF?
Iron Crafter – Bring stuff, there’s a theme, you build something within a timeframe. This may have to wait until next year unless someone really wants to step up and organize it.
Glass Bead Game, Hands-On – (already paneled, ask if interested in joining panel) Hermann Hesse’s 1943 SF novel The Glass Bead Game won him the Nobel Prize for Literature. The imaginary 25th century Game of the novel uses an abstract mathematical language to unite science, art, philosophy, and music into a whole. In recent decades, there has been a movement to create “playable variants” of the Game in real life. Dunbar Aitkens and Ron Hale-Evans, two prominent designers of the playable variants, will discuss the past and present of the GBG movement, describe existing variants, and teach people to play the variants The Glass Plate Game (Aitkens), and Kennexions (Hale-Evans). They will also be available at Foolscap’s game nights to teach and play their games.
How to Do A Good Reading – This is a workshop filled with tips for writers, readers, and public speakers on how to give a good reading. We discuss how to select the scene, the number of characters, language, and other pointers that make writers better readers.
Past Programming
Check out what we’ve done previously:
Round Robin
The Round Robin table at Foolscap 10 (sponsored by the Tai-Pan group) produced three stories. Take a peek at the genius/craziness that ensured.