Boskone 37 Program as of 17 January 2000
This is the latest version of the Program.
We think it is fairly close to what will actually happen at-con, but
There Will Be Changes!
As always, we can't promise that
any of these items will actually happen or that the people listed
will actually be at the con or on the particular program item.
But we think this -- bad weather, illness, travel disuptions, giant meteor impacts or the like not
withstanding -- is pretty close to what will really happen. Check Helmuth for late-breaking changes.
This is the last version we will be posting before Boskone! We hope to see you there!
Friday
Fri 6PM
Clear Ether and Hot Jets: E.E. Smith's Lensmen
Camelot C/N
Hal Clement
Jordin T. Kare
William Keith
Ben Yalow
Fri 7PM
The Best Trek Ever: A Look Back at Deep Space 9
Camelot C/N
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 started slow, but by the end of its run it was
perhaps the best Star Trek show ever, producing many great episodes and
exploring its characters in ways other Trek shows have not. The panel
examines DS9.
Michael A. Burstein
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Mark Keller
Daniel Kimmel
Jim Mann
Fri 7PM
The Secret Museum: A Slide Show and Discussion
Camelot South
Cortney Skinner
Fri 8PM
Long Live the Legion!
Camelot South
Our annual discussion of the Legion of Superheroes. Need we say more?
Brenda W. Clough
Daniel P. Dern
Priscilla Olson
Don Sakers
Fri 8PM
The SF Roadshow: Evaluating Collectibles
Grand
Mark L. Olson
Joe Siclari
Jerry Weist
Fri 8PM
SF in Popular American Cartoons
Camelot C/N
SF and fantasy have long been popular subjects for American cartoons.
The Jetsons are probably the best known, but there have been many, many
others. The panel looks at SF and fantasy cartoons, both TV shows and
movies.
Pam Fremon
Larry Gelfand
Daniel Kimmel
Jim Mann
Fri 8PM
Dragonslair Reading
Dragonslair
Jane Yolen
Fri 9PM
NESFA Hymnal Singing
Kildare
Lois H. Mangan
Fri 9PM
Reading
Camelot South
Paul Levinson
Fri 9PM
How I Survived the Fall of Civilization and Made It to Boskone: Y2K Overreaction
Camelot C/N
Well, we're all here, we have electricity, the starving mobs haven't
ransacked the hotel. The panel looks at Y2K over-reaction (or was it
really over-reaction?).
Andrew Adams
Daniel P. Dern
Laurie Mann
Don Sakers
Fri 9:30PM
Reading
Camelot South
Fri 10PM
The Boskone Trivia Challenge
Camelot C/N
Mark L. Olson
Fri 10:30PM
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Grand
Ginjer Buchanan
Michael A. Burstein
Nomi Burstein
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Esther Friesner
Josepha Sherman
Saturday
Sat 9AM
Odyssey Workshop (closed)
Baron Suite(243)
Barnaby Rapoport
Sat 10AM
Flann O'Brien: Reading and Discussion
Wexford
Sharon Lee
Steve Miller
Sat 10AM
What You Can't Get Away with Any More in Hard SF (and how to anyway)
Camelot South
Hal Clement
Sat 10AM
The Trouble with Harry: Pros and Cons of the Harry Potter Phenomenon
Grand
Harry Potter seems to have taken over the world -- or at least the YA
market. Why are the Harry Potter books so popular? Why Potter and not
one of the scores of similar books out there?
Bruce Coville
Debra Doyle
Jane Yolen
Sat 10AM
Into the Next Millenium: What's on the Schedule to Be Published
Camelot C/N
Ginjer Buchanan
Paul Giguere
Laura Anne Gilman
David G. Hartwell
Anthony R. Lewis
Sat 10AM
Storytelling in Dragonslair
Dragonslair
Josepha Sherman
Sat 11AM
Beading Demo
Art Show
Deborah M. Geisler
Sat 11AM
The McDonaldization of Cover Art: Why SF Illustration Remains Conservative
Camelot South
Rick Berry
Jerry Weist
Sat 11AM
Reading
Waterford
Esther Friesner
Sat 11AM
The Year in Physics and Astronomy
Wexford
Jeff Hecht
Jordin T. Kare
Mark L. Olson
Sat 11AM
J.R.R. Tolkien -- Modernist
Camelot C/N
Was J.R.R. Tolkien a modernist. Several of the panel members think so.
The panel discusses the reasons for and against considering Tolkien a
modernist.
James D. Macdonald
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Sarah Smith
Michael Swanwick
Jo Walton
Sat 11AM
The Science Fiction of H.G. Wells
Kildare
Ellen Asher
Mark R. Leeper
Sharon Lee
Steve Miller
Melissa Scott
Sat 11AM
The Many Ways of Workshops: Differing Styles of Writers Groups
Grand
Writers groups and writers workshops help writers to develop their
skills. But there is one approach. The panel looks at the various ways
writers groups and writers workshops function.
Michael A. Burstein
Alexander Jablokov
Jennifer Jackson
Rosemary Kirstein
David A. Smith
Sat 11:30AM
Reading
Waterford
Susan Shwartz
Sat Noon
What Makes a Good Award? A Look at Hugos, Nebulas, and Others
Wexford
If it is granted that some art is better than other art, then what
criteria might plausibly be employed to decide what's good? Is it
reasonable that different awards with different electorates, while all
allegedly for The Best, may in fact be looking for different things?
How do
the existing awards work? Are there clear trends in what they select?
Are
there clear failure modes they tend to fall into? Take a look at the
various awards' track records.
John R. Douglas
Jim Mann
Mark L. Olson
Sat Noon
What's In a Name: Brand-Name Writers
Camelot C/N
Authors seem to be pushed into writing the same type of story time and
again. They seem to be less likely than they used to to stray away from
series. Standalone novels are rare, and authors who write very
different books each time out (this year's GoH Michael Swanwick is one
example; Michael Bishop is another) do not sell as well as authors who
write similar books time after time. Why is this happening, and will
this trend change?
Ginjer Buchanan
Geary Gravel
Alexander Jablokov
Michael Swanwick
Joan D. Vinge
Sat Noon
Hard Science Fiction: The Classics and the Newcomers
Grand
Hard SF continues to be at the center of the SF field. In the sixties
and seventies, many predicted it's death, but it's still going strong.
Why is it so popular? What are the best examples from the past? Who are
the best practitioners today? And are there certain kinds of science
mistakes you can get away with (or not get away with)?
Catherine Asaro
Hal Clement
Kathryn Cramer
Paul Levinson
Allen Steele
Sat Noon
Magic Tricks
Dragonslair
Daniel P. Dern
Sat Noon
Rewriting and Polishing Songs
Kildare
Barry Gold
Lee Gold
Jordin T. Kare
A. Joseph Ross
Sat Noon
Reading
Waterford
Darrell Schweitzer
Sat Noon
Slide Show
Camelot South
Bob Eggleton
Sat 12:30
Reading
Waterford
Brenda W. Clough
Sat 1PM
Concert Set
Kildare
Gary Ehrlich
Sat 1PM
The Art of Cover Illustraton
Camelot South
The March 2000 Analog features Michael Burstein's first cover story, a
painting by Bob Eggleton. Find out how the writer and artist
collaborated to create a great cover.
Michael A. Burstein
Bob Eggleton
Sat 1PM
Before Tolkien: The Fantasy of Dunsany, Smith, and Eddison
Wexford
The publication of The Lord of the Rings may have created the fantasy
genre, but before Tolkien their were a number of significant fantasy
authors, including Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and Clark Ashton Smith.
The panel explores early fantasy.
Greer Gilman
Mark Keller
James D. Macdonald
Darrell Schweitzer
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Sat 1PM
Origami Demo
Art Show
Mark R. Leeper
Sat 1PM
From the Ashes: Rebuilding Society Afterwards
Camelot C/N
Bruce Coville
Laura Anne Gilman
Rosemary Kirstein
Priscilla Olson
Melissa Scott
Sat 1PM
Reading
Waterford
Jo Walton
Sat 1PM
Return of How to Lie with Statistics
Grand
Michael F. Flynn
Sat 1:30PM
Concert Set
Kildare
Barry Gold
Lee Gold
Sat 1:30PM
Reading
Waterford
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Sat 2PM
Three British Giants: Banks, Baxter, and Hamilton
Kildare
Peter Weston
Sat 2PM
The Next Hundred Years: What's Next in Space Travel
Grand
Over the years, SF spaceships have been powered by all sorts of novel
technology aimed at getting them around the solar system and to the
stars. Now, NASA is really looking at such technology. What does the
future of spaceflight look like? What kind of technology will we use?
What's our next big step -- a moon base, an orbiting colony, a trip to
Mars?
Catherine Asaro
Jordin T. Kare
William Keith
Ian Randal Strock
Sat 2PM
Reading
Waterford
Michael Swanwick
Sat 2PM
Everything You Know Is Wrong: SF that Questions Reality
Camelot C/N
Over the years, a number of SF works have played with reality. Phil
Dick wrote many novels asking what is real. The trend has accelerated
recently, to the point where even wildly popular movies like The Truman
Show, Pleasantville, and The Matrix are looking at similar issues. The
panel discusses SF that plays with reality. What are the seminal works
in this subgenre? Is it really getting more popular now? If so, why?
John R. Douglas
David G. Hartwell
Daniel Kimmel
Evelyn C. Leeper
Sat 2PM
Writing Scams and Pitfalls
Wexford
Brenda W. Clough
Paul Levinson
James D. Macdonald
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Sat 2PM
Short SF -- Still the Cutting Edge
Camelot South
Every year, we hear dire predictions about the death of short SF. Yet
short SF remains the cutting edge of the field, and there are a number
of prominent sources, ranging from the magazines to original
anthologies like Starlight. Why does short SF act as such a cutting
edge, and will it continue to do so?
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Nancy C. Hanger
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Charles Ryan
Steven Sawicki
Jane Yolen
Sat 3PM
Concert Set
Kildare
Mark Mandel
Sat 3PM
Reading in Dragonslair
Dragonslair
Bruce Coville
Sat 3PM
Ingathering: The Panel of the People
Wexford
Geary Gravel
Priscilla Olson
Tamora Pierce
Jo Walton
Ann Tonsor Zeddies
Sat 3PM
Between the Classics and Now: Horror in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s
Camelot South
Who were the great horror writers in the period between the time of the
classic horror writers like John Collier and H.P. Lovecraft and the
rise of the contemporaries like Stephen King and Clive Barker? How did
the field change and develop in that time period?
Don D'Ammassa
Steven Sawicki
Darrell Schweitzer
Sat 3PM
Masters of Fantasy: Ray Harryhausen and Willis O'Brien
Camelot C/N
Bob Eggleton
Daniel Kimmel
Mark R. Leeper
Jim Mann
Sat 3PM
reading
Waterford
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Sat 3PM
Web Page Dos and Don'ts for Writers and Artists
Baron Suite(243)
Nancy C. Hanger
Timothy E. Liebe
Sat 3:30PM
Concert Set
Kildare
Denise Gendron
Sat 3:30PM
Reading
Waterford
Debra Doyle
James D. Macdonald
Sat 4PM
Conventions on Three Continents: The Challenges of Running Cons in Different Loc
Wexford
How do conventions -- Worldcons and local cons -- differ around the
world? What differences will fans attending the cons see? How about
those running the cons?
Stephen Boucher
Joe Siclari
Peter Weston
Sat 4PM
SF Criticism: A Look Back
Kildare
Over the years, science fiction has produced a number of perceptive
critics in the field. Damon Knight and James Blish were two of
important critics who established a standard for criticism. More recent
critics include Alexi Panshin, Norman Spinrad, and Algis Budrys. The
field has also had its share of good book reviewers, such as P.
Schuyler Miller. The panel discusses the history of writing about
science fiction and fantasy.
Don D'Ammassa
Thomas A. Easton
Gregory Feeley
David G. Hartwell
Frederick Andrew Lerner
Sat 4PM
Filk Concert
Grand
Jordin T. Kare
Sat 4PM
Rick Berry: A Look at His Art
Camelot South
Rick Berry
Sat 4PM
Reading
Waterford
Allen Steele
Sat 4PM
The Dark Night of the Soul: The Works of Michael Swanwick
Camelot C/N
Daniel P. Dern
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Jerry Weist
Sat 4:30PM
Reading
Waterford
Greer Gilman
Sat 5PM
Genetics and Bioengineering: The Monsters and the Critics
Kildare
Emmet O'Brien
Sat 5PM
A Really Good Year: 1999 Year in Review
Camelot C/N
Claire Anderson
Kathryn Cramer
Daniel Kimmel
Evelyn C. Leeper
Mark L. Olson
Sat 5PM
Mastermind
Camelot South
Frederick Andrew Lerner
Peter Weston
Sat 5PM
Murder in Other Places: Historical Mysteries, Fantasy Mysteries
Wexford
The mystery field has expanded, and there are now many subgenres. It's
not just hard-boiled vs. cozy anymore. We have cat mysteries and food
mysteries and art mysteries and travel mysteries. Two subgenres that
seem particularly popular with SF fans are historical mysteries and
fantasy mysteries. Why is this so? Which ones would you recommend?
Ellen Asher
Lisa A. Barnett
Barbara Chepaitis
Glen Cook
Peter J. Heck
Paul Levinson
Sat 5PM
Reading
Waterford
Jane Yolen
Sat 5PM
Releasing Your Inner Music
Baron Suite(243)
Denise Gendron
Sat 5:30PM
Reading
Waterford
Tamora Pierce
Sat 9PM
Anime
Camelot C/N
Alice N. S. Lewis
Sat 9PM
Guest of Honor Speech
Grand
Michael Swanwick
Sat 10PM
The Buffy Panel
Camelot C/N
The title of Buffy the Vampire Slayer often leads the unitiated to
believe that it is either a spoof or that it is a teenager show. The
WBs commercials can reinforce the latter. However, Buffy is actually a
serious fantasy/horror show, with a well-developed universe and good
characters. The panel discusses why Buffy isn't just for kids.
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Laura Anne Gilman
Madeleine E. Robins
Josepha Sherman
Ben Yalow
Sunday
Sun 8:30AM
Writer's Workshop (private)
Baron Suite(243)
David A. Smith
Sun 10AM
Kaffeeklatch
Wexford
Debra Doyle
Steven Sawicki
Joan D. Vinge
Sun 10AM
Storytelling for Adults
Waterford
Barbara Chepaitis
Josepha Sherman
Sun 10AM
Is Science Fiction Sublime?
Camelot South
David Nye, in his essay American Technological Sublime, said "The
sublime underlies [the] enthusiasm for
technology. One of the most powerful human emotions, when experienced
by
large groups the sublime can weld society together. ... The sublime
taps
into fundamental hopes and fears. ... it is an essentially religious
feeling, aroused by the confrontation with impressive objects, such as
Niagara Falls ... or the earth-shaking launch of a space shuttle. The
technological sublime is an integral part of contemporary
consciousness, and
its emergence and exfoliation into several distinct forms during the
past
two centuries is inscribed within public life. ... the sublime
represents a
way to reinvest ... the works of men with transcendent significance."
As a European literary notion, it represented the terror and awe
aroused by
thunderstorms and Grand Canyons that liberated the mind from mundanity.
For
Kant, "the feeling of the sublime is really the feeling of our own
inner
powers." Nye uses the concept to follow the history of technology in
America from the dawn of the railroads (early 1800s) on and to
illuminate
our responses to grand technological achievements.
It is possible to describe Verne and Wells and Gernsback and their
heirs as expressing the sublime emotion response to technology.
Hal Clement
Thomas A. Easton
Michael F. Flynn
Alexander Jablokov
Sun 10AM
Beyond Harry Potter: The Scope of YA Fiction
Camelot C/N
Harry Potter gets all the attention these days, but there's a lot more
to YA fiction than Harry Potter. The panel looks at the best of recent
YA fiction as well as what makes good YA fiction. To be a really good
work, does it also need to be something adults can appreciate?
Bruce Coville
Esther Friesner
Katherine Macdonald
Tamora Pierce
Jane Yolen
Sun 10:30AM
The Art Show: Tour and Commentary
Art Show
Bob Eggleton
Nicholas Jainschigg
Sun 11AM
Kaffeeklatch
Wexford
Brenda W. Clough
Paul Levinson
Allen Steele
Sun 11AM
SF and the Mainstream: A Dialog
Camelot C/N
Many people talk about which SF and fantasy authors have been
influenced by which other SF and fantasy authors. But many have also
been influenced by mainstream writers. This dialog explores the
influence mainstream books have had on SF.
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Michael Swanwick
Sun 11AM
The Enchanted Apple: New York in SF and Fantasy
Kildare
Esther Friesner
Madeleine E. Robins
Don Sakers
Josepha Sherman
Susan Shwartz
Sun 11AM
We've Got Planets: Real Science Discoveries
Camelot South
Jordin T. Kare
Mark L. Olson
Sun 11AM
Reading
Waterford
Catherine Asaro
Sun 11AM
Dragonslair Reading
Dragonslair
James D. Macdonald
Sun 11AM
Scribble Demo
Art Show
Rick Berry
Sun 11AM
It Was Raining on the Planet Mongo: Dos and Don'ts of Worldbuilding
Grand
Hal Clement
Thomas A. Easton
William Keith
Ann Tonsor Zeddies
Sun 11:30AM
Reading
Waterford
Rosemary Kirstein
Sun Noon
Myths and Legends of Olde British Fandom
Camelot C/N
Special Guest Peter Weston will explain such mysteries as the Hum-&-
Sway, knurdling, the
Astral League, and what Ted Tubb was doing on that hotel roof anyway.
Peter Weston
Sun Noon
The Thing That Wouldn't Die: Fanzines in the E-Age
Wexford
Much fannish activity is now electronic, and some fanzines are now
electronic. Is this the future of fanzines, or will mimeo continue into
the next millennium? What are the major fanzines? And, in this new age,
are fanzines still important to the SF field.
Robert Devney
Frederick Andrew Lerner
Joe Siclari
Sun Noon
After the Dinosaurs: Pleistocene Megafauna
Camelot South
Everyone knows about the dinosaurs, but the Pleistocene Era produced a
number of mammals that were as strange and fascinating
as the dinosaurs. This talk describes them.
Priscilla Olson
Sun Noon
Reading
Waterford
Barbara Chepaitis
Steven Sawicki
Sun Noon
From the Regency to Space: Jane Austen to Lois McMaster Bujold
Grand
Jane Austen continues to be popular. Moreover, we are seeing a number
of modern novels that can be considered descendants of Austen, Heyer,
and others. In the mainstream, we have, among others, Patrick O'Brian.
In SF, Louis McMaster Bujold has written some fine Regencies. The panel
examines the continuing popularity of Regencies.
Brenda W. Clough
Tamora Pierce
Madeleine E. Robins
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Sun Noon
Twilight of the Millennium (Theme Concert)
Kildare
Sun 12:30
Reading
Waterford
Sun 1PM
Languages and SF
Wexford
Many science fiction and fantasy works have dealt with language. Some
have invented their own elaborate languages and alphabets. Computers
can produce Tolkien's Elvish and Dwarvish scripts, and it's been
reported that there are more people in the U.S. who can speak Klingon
than can speak Esperanto. The panel looks at how SF treats languages.
Debra Doyle
Mark Keller
Mark Mandel
Laurie Mann
Sun 1PM
Reading
Waterford
Sun 1PM
The Evolution of Societies: Society and History in the Works of K. S. Robinson
Kildare
Andrew Adams
Mark L. Olson
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Sun 1PM
The Ultimate Worldbuilder: J.R.R. Tolkien and His World
Camelot C/N
J. R. R. Tolkien created perhaps the most complete and detailed
universe in imaginative literature. Why does Tolkien's world seem so
real? How did he accomplish this?
Hal Clement
Bruce Coville
Josepha Sherman
Sun 1:30PM
Art Show Auction
Grand
Anthony R. Lewis
Sun 1:30PM
Reading
Waterford
Geary Gravel
Sun 2PM
Reading
Waterford
Michael A. Burstein
Sun 2PM
The American Civil War: Reality and Counterfactuals
Camelot C/N
The American Civil War is a topic of much discussion and the basis of
many alternate histories. Why is this such a popular topic? Why is it
such a popular basis for counterfactuals?
Michael F. Flynn
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Peter Weston
Ben Yalow
Sun 2PM
Avram Davidson
Wexford
Gregory Feeley
Darrell Schweitzer
Michael Swanwick
Sun 2PM
Video Killed the Radio Star?
Camelot South
Andrew Adams
Sun 2PM
SFWA Charity Auction
Waterford
Peter J. Heck
Paul Levinson
Sun 3PM
Welcome to Darwin's Universe: Histories that Earth Missed (Fortunately)
Camelot South
Mark Keller