My Preliminary Capclave Programming Schedule

The good folks who run Capclave have once again graciously included me in the programming for this year, which is wonderful. Capclave is my local convention and I get to see a lot of local writer/editor/artist/fan friends there. For those who have never heard of Capclave, it is described on its website as follows:

Capclave is a small relaxed literary convention with a program that usually focuses on the short fiction form. Our Guests of Honor and other notable authors, editors, artists, and fans of the short fiction form will explore the creation and enjoyment of short fantasy and science fiction genre stories.

The author guest of honor this year is a rabid New York Jets and Giants fan. He’s also written a few books and edited and co-edited a few more. You may have heard of him. His name is George R. R. Martin.

The convention goes from Friday, October 11 through Sunday, October 13. I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday and here is the programming I’ll be on, if you are interested in stopping by and checking it out:

Saturday, October 12

• 9:00 – 10:25 am: Online Writing Tools (Jamie Todd Rubin and Bud Sparhawk).  Bud Sparhawk and Jamie Todd Rubin guide you through the use of some of the most helpful tools available today.
• 11:00 – 11:55 am: Writers and Fandom (Catherine Asaro, Laura Anne Gilman, Bob Greenberger, Pamela K. Kinney (M), Jamie Todd Rubin, Hildy Silverman). Some authors were fans before they wrote, others came to the convention scene after getting their start. How does that affect fan interaction? Does it make a difference in how authors view conventions?
• 12:00 – 12:55 pm: Space Wars (Catherine Asaro, Edward M. Lerner, Jamie Todd Rubin, Janine Spendlove, Christopher Weuve (M)). How would it be waged and why? Why would you want to go to war with a planet that takes 30 years to get to? What books have the best space wars?
• 4:00 – 4:55 pm: The Worlds of Clifford D. Simak (Jamie Todd Rubin (M), Darrell Schweitzer, Alex Shvartsman). 50 years ago Simak won a Hugo for Way Station. He also wrote City and the Hugo and Nebula winning “Grotto of the Dancing Deer.” Yet today, few younger fans have read his work which is available only in the small press and “public domain” compilations. What happened? What makes his stories so timeless? What do you think is his best work and how can it be revived for today’s audiences?

Sunday, October 13

• 10:00 – 10:55 am: Handwaving or Sci-Fantasy. (David Bartell, D. Douglas Fratz, Inge Heyer, Jamie Todd Rubin, Lawrence M. Schoen (M)). Many classic Science Fiction authors didn’t spend a lot of time describing the technology or science of their futures. Things worked, but if you look more closely, they may not make sense. Today authors still use this technique. Is this a legitimate form of science fiction or lazy writing? Have the standard furniture of sf — the FTL drive and time machine — become so common the author does not need to explain them, just use them for a story? Do all the details and the scientific equations get in the way?
• 2:00 – 2:55 pm: Low Tech Writers. (Dina Leacock, Jamie Todd Rubin (M), Howard Waldrop). Harlan Ellison uses a typewriter, a manual typewriter. Asimov refused to fly. And our special guest Howard Waldrop doesn’t use email. Why might some writers about the future refuse to use technology? How does this influence their fiction? What would happen to society if more people followed their example and opted out?
• 3:00 – 3:55 pm: Anything You Say May End Up In My Novel (Charles E. Gannon, Laura Anne Gilman (M), Annette Klause, Jamie Todd Rubin, Jim Stratton). How do writers mine their own lives? Are they always on duty, ready to steal what they see and hear? What changes do you make to real life in your fiction (assuming you don’t normally hang out with elves and aliens)?

It is possible that I will also have a reading scheduled. (I was scheduled for a Friday evening reading, but since I won’t be there until Saturday…) If I end up getting one scheduled I’ll let you know.

Capclave is a fun, friendly convention, run by good people and focused on short fiction. If you are in the area and are looking for something fun on the weekend of October 11-13, stop by and say hello.