Who knew back in 2012 when I started going to Readercon that I’d come to think of it as my home convention — even when going home, in this instance, means traveling 3+ hours from Philadelphia to the Boston-adjacent town of Quincy where this most literary of speculative fiction conventions takes place.
But it really does feel like a homecoming every time I go, and I even have a super eclectic playlist I listen to as I settle into the café car of the Amtrak Northeast Regional.
This year Readercon takes place July 11 through July 15, and the Guests of Honor are Tananarive Due and Stephen Graham Jones, so if you’ve never attended, it’d be a great year to go. Register here.
I am scheduled to be on the following panels at Readercon and, if you are there, I’d love to see/meet you:
Latinx Authors Tear Down the Wall
Lisa Bradley (mod), Carlos Hernandez, José Pablo Iriarte, Julia Rios, Sabrina Vourvoulias
Fri 2:00 PM, Salon 4
Isolationist governments portray immigrants (and citizens perceived as foreigners) as vectors for disease, crime, and terrorism. Currently, the U.S. administration is demonizing Latinx immigrants in this fashion, and oppressing asylum-seekers from Central America. How can authors dismantle anti-immigrant myths while portraying immigrants in all their human complexity? Led by Lisa M. Bradley, Latinx writers will discuss their work regarding borders and immigration, providing historical context and exploring possibilities for future stories.
Why Does Space Get the Opera and Cyber the Punk?
Liz Gorinsky, Austin Grossman, Catherynne M. Valente, Sabrina Vourvoulias, T.X. Watson (mod)
Fri 4:00 PM, Salon 3
For Arisia’s 50 Panels in 75 Minutes panel in 2018, Cecilia Tan suggested “Why Does Space Get the Opera and Cyber the Punk?”, which was universally acclaimed as too good for 1.5 minutes. Our panelists will give this exploration of speculative and musical genres the full hour it deserves. (And where is the spacepunk and cyber opera?)
Reading: Sabrina Vourvoulias
Fri 9:00 PM, Salon C
Incorporating the Media into Fantasy Worlds
Zig Zag Claybourne, Randee Dawn, L. Penelope (mod), Sabrina Vourvoulias, Paul Weimer
Sat 11:00 AM, Salon B
From the 24-hour news cycle to online journalism, the media plays an enormous role in our society, but it tends to make less of an appearance in fantasy works. L. Penelope will lead a discussion on how authors incorporate the media into their fantasy writing, as well as the challenges and benefits of doing so.
I Don’t Know Why I’m on This Panel
Jeffrey Ford, Elizabeth Hand, Arkady Martine, Cecilia Tan (mod), Sabrina Vourvoulias
Sat 2:00 PM, Salon 4
This phrase is often spoken during panelist introductions at conventions. In this case it’s literally true: the panelists have no idea why the program staff have put them on a panel together or what they’re supposed to discuss. They may try to figure it out, or they may have a totally unstructured chat for an hour. Either way, it’s sure to be entertaining.
Food at the Corner of Fiction and Community
N.S. Dolkart, Andrea Martinez Corbin (mod), Greer Gilman, Michael Swanwick, Sabrina Vourvoulias
Sat 9:00 PM, Salon A
Food plays a central role in many cultures and accordingly takes center stage in the work of many speculative fiction writers. How does cuisine help define, or build, a community? How can food be used to communicate important information about a people to the reader? What are some particularly noteworthy examples of the way food can be used to set, or subvert, expectations?
Hope to see you there!
Sabrina Vourvoulias 