Balticon is almost here, and
I can’t wait to see my friends—including you! I hope you’ll join us at the
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor May 27-30
for all kinds of fannish fun. I also hope you’ll check out one of my panels or
my Sunday reading. It’s a great slate of topics and participants. See you
there!
Friday
4 PM, James Meeting Room
Dark Baptism: Coming Into Her Power
How
does the supernatural teenage girl trope explore important themes like coming
of age, social alienation, and finding a path?
Panelists: Gwendolyn Clare, Michael N. Jones, Ryan O’Nan, Michelle D. Sonnier, Jean Marie Ward (moderator)
7 PM, Virtual Panel Room 1
Frontier Fiction
From undersea development to life in the asteroid belt, it's
not just "the weird wild west" out there. What other frontiers can be
sought out and explored through SFF? Why is life on the frontier an interesting
setting for SFF? How do you write frontier fiction without simply reworking
colonial/imperialist dogma?
Panelists: C.J. Cherryh, Monica Louzon, Gillian Polack, Jay
Smith, Beth Morris Tanner (mod), Jean Marie Ward
8:30 PM, Guilford Meeting Room
Alternate
History—Just Add Magic!
Starting
with a well-known period of history and throwing in magical elements into the
mix is a popular approach to developing a basic concept for a story. Examples
of this include Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Enchanted
Chocolate Pot, and the recent Dead Djinn Universe. We will talk about the
benefits and pitfalls of this approach, how much rigor to put into the magical
system, how much history you need to learn, and how to decide where to get
started.
Panelists:
Phenderson Djèlí Clark, Tom Doyle, JL Gribble, Michelle D. Sonnier, Jean Marie
Ward (mod)
Saturday
Most
Of What You Know About History Is Wrong
False,
popular "facts" about history are so widespread that people often
view documented facts with skepticism and even outrage. Medieval people did actually
bathe, Edison did not invent the light bulb, and more than 300 soldiers
defended Thermopylae. Let's tackle examples where real history runs into false
popular narratives and the problems that result.
Panelists:
Tom Doyle, Ada Palmer, Alan Smale, Jean Marie Ward (mod)
2:30 PM, James Meeting Room
Getting The Most From A Writers Association
Genre association groups such as the Science Fiction Writers
of America (SFWA) and the Romance Writers Association (RWA), as well as more
local groups like the Maryland Writers Association (MWA), can offer benefits
and perks. Panelists talk about what different groups have to offer and how to
get the most out of your membership.
Panelists: Joshua Bilmes, Carol Gyzander, Amy Kaplan (mod),
Rosemary Claire Smith, Jean Marie Ward
Breaking
the Hero’s Journey
There
are many ways to break the established pattern while still making the journey
entertaining for audiences. Panelists will examine examples of this and what
makes them still satisfying to the audience.
Panelists:
Sarah Avery, Carl Cipra, Robert L. Slater, Rosemary Claire Smith, Jean Marie
Ward (mod)
Sunday
1 PM, James Meeting Room
Magic In The Ancient Mediterranean
From Greek curse tablets to Mesopotamian healing spells, the
ancient world was brimming with magic, magicians, and demonic dangers. Let's
discuss what evidence survives, what it tells us about who wanted to use magic
and why, and how we reconstruct the magical worlds of the past.
Panelists: Tom Doyle, Rosemary Claire Smith (mod), John
Robison, Rosemary Claire Smith, Jean Marie Ward, Sherri Cook Woosley
2:30 PM, St. George Meeting Room
Readings
Brian Ketchum and Jean Marie Ward
7 PM, Virtual Panel Room 1
Giving Your Work Away For Fun And Profit
Everyone loves free stuff, but authors need to pay the bills.
Can you make money by giving your work away, and if so, how do you choose what
to distribute for free? What tools and metrics can you use to show a publisher
or business partner that the work that you give away for free is driving sales?
