I will be on three panels at the upcoming Arisia convention (Jan. 13-16 at the Boston Westin Waterfront Hotel), all of them on Saturday, Jan. 14:
11:30 a.m.
Hold the Door: Game of Thrones Season 6 and More
Media, Panel – 1hr 15min – Douglas (3W)
Game of Thrones continues to move the plot well past the novels, and continues to introduce and kill characters in ways that are surprising and occasionally heartbreaking. We’ll discuss the ever-complicated handling of the show’s core female characters (and the pivot in handling most of them compared to Season 5), the rushed Dorn plotline, the deaths of characters we’ve loved and hated from day one, and more.
Santiago Rivas (m), Jeanne Cavelos, Genevieve Leonard, Mark W. Richards, Sabrina Vourvoulias
4 p.m.
Broken Earth: Writing SF from Societal Trauma
Literature, Panel – 1hr 15min – Marina 1 (2E)
Authors create memorable works from personal trauma, but the political is also personal. N. K. Jemisin has been quoted as saying that her series The Broken Earth stems from her own processing of systematic racism in America through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement. We’ll discuss The Broken Earth and other works that come forth when societal trauma enters the author’s sphere and how awful truth inspires fiction.
Andrea Hairston (m), Steve E Popkes, Kiini Ibura Salaam, Sabrina Vourvoulias
7 p.m.
Latinx SFF
Literature, Panel – 1hr 15min – Marina 4 (2E)
The recently released Latin@ Rising anthology has raised the profile of stories from Latinx authors writing in English. We’ll talk about the anthology and other works, new and old, of SFF from Latinx authors. What perspectives and themes are important to these stories and their authors, and how do they explore the speculative world?
Julia Rios (m), Mark Oshiro, Dianna Sanchez, Sabrina Vourvoulias
Sabrina Vourvoulias 