A little late, but here it is!
- Wednesday, August 9, 1500-1600 – Global Warming and the Gaia Concept. Is Global Consciousness already here, and doesn’t have a clue? (Room 205)
- Is there global self-regulation? Could the world as a whole, in some ways, be consideredto have thought processes, emotions, and/or intentions? Where does humanity come in to all of this? Has our kind of consciousness and thinking ruined a perfectly good setup? We examine the validity of the Gaia concept (a version of which is central to Asimov’s later Foundation novels) and its relation to man-made global warming.
- Thursday August 10, 1000-1100 – In Defense of the Unlikeable Heroine (Room 101 a&b)
- Far too often female protagonists need to be pretty and nice. But are they all – are all women pretty and nice and is that a stereotype that needs to be highlighted? The panelists defend their unlikable heroines in fiction!
- Friday August 11, 1300-1400 – Signing (signing area)
- Saturday August 12, 1400-1500 – Built Upon the Shoulders of Giants (Hall 3)
- You know how to build an imaginary world, and you know which authors have constructed your favourites. But what do publishers do when they are inundated with speculative fiction novels full of great worlds. What are the defining elements that set a novel (and the world it’s built in) apart from the crowd? Our panel of publishers, editors and authors will tell all on exactly what type of world building make them squeal with delight.
I will also be at all of the WSFS business meetings, which go from Thursday through Sunday, 1000-1300. I will be liveblogging, though the first hour on Thursday guest bloggers will be taking care of the meeting for me, as I’ll be in a panel.