23 May 2012

WisCon!

Tomorrow morning I head North, to cross the Cheddar Curtain, to attend my very first WisCon! Here is my panel schedule:
Schedule Location
Chicks Dig Comics (scheduled) Fri, 9:00–10:15 pm Assembly
Moderator: Sigrid Ellis.
Come celebrate the delightful truth: women create, produce, read, and really, really dig comics! Join the editors and writers of Chicks Dig Comics, a just-released collection of essays, as they share their love for this medium and the stories it can tell.
SF on TV (scheduled) Fri, 10:30–11:45 pm Conference 4
Moderator: Richard S. Russell.
Hello to Terra Nova, Falling Skies, and the fairy-tale shows Once Upon A Time and Grimm. So long to V, Chuck, Stargate, Smallville, and Haven. Alphas is a terrific cross between Heroes and Fringe. British imports include Being Human and Merlin as well as the good ol’ Doc. Fringe, Warehouse 13, The Walking Dead, and especially Game of Thrones gave fans plenty to drool over. And more! Handouts included. Since it's impossible for anyone to keep up with all the shows, audience participation is mandatory.
Women in Comics (scheduled) Sat, 8:30–9:45 am Assembly
Moderator: Jessica Plummer.
What did the past year bring us for women in comics? What fates befell female characters; what women are doing good work in the field? Discussion of Marvel's Fear Itself event and DC's New 52 reboot are welcome, as well as conversation about non-superhero and indy works.
Spoiler Rules (scheduled) Sun, 10:00–11:15 am Conference 4
Moderator: Jeanne Gomoll.
Guest of Honor Debbie Notkin wrote a fascinating essay, "On Spoiling the Plot." http://www.strangehorizons.com/2005/20050815/notkin-c.shtml What are your preferences for plot spoilers? Do you hate it when people give away a major plot twist? Are you equally frustrated when someone gives away even minor elements of a plot in your presence? Is there a time limit for revealing spoilers? And why do the same people who hate to have book plots spoiled for themselves eagerly view very spoiling movie previews?
What I Like About You: Negotiating Layers of Fannishness (scheduled) Sun, 10:00–11:15 pm Senate B
Moderator: Cat Meier.
What does it mean to be a fan of a source? Fannish love takes many different forms: consumption, discussion, squee, analysis, transformative works, critique, and deconstruction are just some of the many ways we engage with fandom. How do we balance the many, sometimes competing modes of fannish engagement within ourselves and our communities?
Can We Talk? (scheduled) Mon, 8:30–9:45 am Conference 4
Moderator: Georgie L. Schnobrich.
Let's talk about conversational styles and unshared contexts between (among) generations. Why do both the young and old so often hear only their imagined, inferred sub-texts? How can we find a way to really listen and hear each other? What are the difficulties, and how might we solve them? From our Greatest Generation to Generation Text, can we afford not to? Bring ideas!

I'm VERY excited, as I've been hearing about the wonders of WisCon for many years, but have never been. If you will be at the show this week-end, be sure to say hello!

No comments: