Schedule

Friday * * Saturday * * Sunday * * Panelists' Schedules * * Fixed Function Hours * * Schedule in Excel * * Schedule in Numbers

You can now see the Boskone schedule on your iPhone or Android using the Guidebook app. You can install the from the App Store (it's free), then select "Download Guides" and search for Boskone.

Items are 55 minutes long except where noted.

Friday

5pm * 6pm * 7pm * 8pm * 9pm * 10pm

5pm

Friday, 5pm, Galleria-Discussion Group: The Publishing Industry for the Teen Perspective

An interactive discussion for pre-teens and teens about the whole publishing process, plus a creative group activity.

Leah Wilson

Friday, 5pm, Docent Tour, Galleria-Discussion Group: Welcome to Boskone!

Is this your first Boskone? Welcome! Join us in the Galleria (look for the cluster of blue balloons in the Discussion Group area), and we'll give you the grand tour.

Laurie Mann

Friday, 5pm-7pm, Galleria-Gaming: Illuminati

The classic game of conspiracy -- with all three decks and the bonus pack.

Friday, 5pm, Harbor I: How To Build A Genius

Our panel of really intelligent writers will discuss how to create characters that are even smarter than they are.

Greer Gilman, Resa Nelson (M), Charles Stross, Catherynne M. Valente

Friday, 5pm, Boskone Science Speaker Talk, Harbor II: On the Human Side of Security and How It Improves Society

Our Hal Clement Science Speaker, Bruce Schneier, gives a talk on the human side of security, and how it induces trust in society.

6pm

Friday, 6pm, Galleria-Discussion Group: Sexual Harassment & Assault In Fandom

Shira Lipkin

Friday, 6pm, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Making Art Show Awards

Friday, 6pm, Burroughs: Fuzzies Must Die!

Be brave, and come declare your hatred of cute BEMs from every genre. If you hold a Smurf's head in a plastic bag, what color does it turn? Tribbles are vermin! Is Little Fuzzy a fur-bearing animal? Do you like Hokas...stewed or broiled? Which furry sidekicks should be kicked to the curb? And do you know any recipes for tasty BEMs?

S. C. Butler (M), Jordin T. Kare, Catherynne M. Valente

Friday, 6pm-6:45pm, Carlton: Sui-sui: Currents in Anime

What directions has anime taken? What trends are hot at the moment? What type of productions are fans likely to see over the next couple of years? And given several big shake-ups in the industry recently (studios closing, prices shifting, digital releases), how can we expect to see them?

Reuben Baron, Gillian Daniels, Lisa Hawkridge, Timothy P. Szczesuil (M)

Friday, 6pm, Griffin: SF/F/H in the Classroom

Kids today don't have to hide their SF book in class. It is their class. How are science fiction, fantasy, and horror taught in a typical course today? What do the teachers know that we fans don't, or vice versa? What works work best in the classroom? Does studying the stuff in school recruit lifelong speculative fiction readers, or drive them away in droves?

B.A. Chepaitis, F. Brett Cox, Jack M. Haringa (M), Kenneth Schneyer

Friday, 6pm, Harbor I: Winter is Here: How Game of Thrones Plays on TV

The HBO series Game of Thrones was must-see TV for fans of the George R. R. Martin books and millions of others. And everyone has an opinion. Did the onscreen depiction live up to the written word -- the story, the casting, the action, the food? Will you tune in next season? What are you anticipating when Game of Thrones returns in April?

Joshua Bilmes, Myke Cole, Bob Devney (M), Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Friday, 6pm, Special Speaker Dialog, Harbor II: How Scientists Influence SF & Vice Versa

Join Boskone Special Guest Toni Weisskopf in a discussion about the way scientists have had an impact on SF -- and the way SF has impacted scientists.

Friday, 6pm, Harbor III: Dressing the Parties -- Regalia and Symbolism

Developing symbols and regalia in your worlds. Associations of colors and creatures. Displays of rank. Pilot patches. Japanese symbology and family. A lot of the systemization of heraldry is a very late development. Any hints from SCA experience? Has awareness of all this increased from Game of Thrones?

Elizabeth Bear, Walter H. Hunt, Leonid Korogodski, Darlene Marshall (M)

Friday, 6pm-6:25pm, Independence: Reading, John Langan

Friday, 6:30pm-6:55pm, Independence: Reading, Kathryn Cramer

7pm

Friday, 7pm-9pm, Galleria-Demo: Fascinator Construction Workshop

Join us for an event inspired by a certain astonishing royal wedding hat! Make your own, er, whatever-it-is!

Dina Flockhart

Friday, 7pm, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Storytelling with Bruce Coville

Friday, 7pm-9pm, Galleria-Gaming: 7 Wonders

Try out one of the hottest games on the market as you race to build up your empire -- whilst trying not to give your opponents the chance to build theirs. A game of manipulation...and just a tad of luck.

Friday, 7pm, Dialog, Burroughs: The Thorn and the Blossom -- Unique Challenges of Specialty Book Publishing

The Thorn and the Blossom is Theodora Goss's latest book, edited by Stephen Segal. They'll discuss the unique challenges that went into writing and producing it, and the process of crafting a story that reads both as mythic fantasy and as contemporary romantic realism.

Friday, 7pm-8:40pm, Carlton: Anime: Sword of the Stranger

(Bandai; PG-13 for violence)
A young boy is on the run from Ming Dynasty assassins, who want to use him as part of an experiment to gain immortality. His only company: his dog and a nameless ronin. Inspired by the epics of Kurasowa and Leone, this film is filled with amazing action from the animators of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Friday, 7pm, Filk, Griffin: NESFA Hymnal Singing

Group singing of "geek songs" from the NESFA Hymnals, Vol. 1 and 2. Loaner hymnals will be provided. A good way to learn some of the old classics of filk and find your inner geek.

Erwin S. Strauss

Friday, 7pm, Harbor I: Reboots: Refreshing or Depressing?

From Star Trek to DC comics to the Fuzzy saga, hitting the "start over" button is suddenly a popular move. Why do creators do it? (And how can they do it well?) Why do fans enjoy it? Is it a gravestone on top of exhausted ideas, or a neon sign pointing the way back to a brighter future?

Daniel P. Dern, John Scalzi, Ian Tregillis (M), Leah Wilson

Friday, 7pm, Harbor II: A Study of the Humours -- Medieval Medicine

For thousands of years, learned doctors insisted that health and illness was governed by "the four humours". A look at how old ideas persisted and how they led to odd treatments like bleedings.

Elaine Isaak, James D. Macdonald, Laurie Mann (M), Darlene Marshall, Kenneth Schneyer

Friday, 7pm, Harbor III: Why I Love/Hate Heinlein

Surveying the celebrated -- if sometimes controversial -- works of classic SF author Robert Anson Heinlein (1907-1988), writer Jo Walton observes, "Even when I don't like Heinlein I do like him." Discuss.

Dana Cameron, Karen Cooper (M), Fred Lerner, Sharon Sbarsky, Bud Sparhawk

Friday, 7pm, Lewis: Absent Friends

Diana Wynne Jones, Joanna Russ, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Joel Rosenberg, Martin H. Greenberg, L. A. Banks, William Sleator, Colin Harvey, Sara Douglass, Darrell K. Sweet, Anne McCaffrey, Rusty Hevelin, and John Christopher are no longer with us. Other writers, artists, fans, and other well-recalled members of our community have also died since last we met. Let's remember a little of what they did, and what they meant to us.

Don D'Ammassa, Tony Lewis (M)

Friday, 7pm-7:25pm, Independence: Reading, Resa Nelson

Friday, 7:30pm-7:55pm, Independence: Reading, Chad Orzel

8pm

Friday, 8pm, Children's, Galleria-DragonsLair: Art with Daniel dos Santos

Our Official Artist brings the kids deep into his own world of fantastic -- and fun -- images.

Friday, 8pm, Burroughs: Ten Best Books of the Past Ten Years

Let's take the longer view and pick the works of science fiction, fantasy, or horror that stood the test of the last decade or so. We'll bring our own lists and opinions; please share yours too. Do any trends stand out? What makes a book lasting rather than just latest and greatest?

Don D'Ammassa, Claire Eddy (M), Paul G. Tremblay, Michael J. Walsh

Friday, 8pm, Workshop, Griffin: Unusual Instruments

Filk instruments aren't just guitars and keyboards. Our participants talk about and demonstrate unusual filk instruments, including two -- count them, two! -- cellos.

Ben Deschamps, Denise Gendron, Betsy Tinney

Friday, 8pm, Dialog, Harbor I: The Fairyland Roadshow

Come one, come all! See the Panther of Rough Storms, the Green Wind, and beautiful women weaving wonders! Singer S. J. Tucker (Tricky Pixie), Wordsmith Catherynne Valente and friends split a reading-concert on the other side of dream in celebration of Valente's novel, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Applause most welcome (Fairies love that sort of thing).

Friday, 8pm, Harbor II: The Year in Review: Dramatic Presentations

What fantastic moving images moved you the most this past year? Join us to discuss the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies, TV shows, theatrical productions, and more of 2011. And if you're into awards, let's hurry: those Hugo nomination ballots are due in Chicago by March 11.

Bob Devney, Vince Docherty, Daniel Kimmel, Jim Mann (M)

Friday, 8pm, Lewis: How to Read Aloud

Guidance for professionals reading their own work, as well as parents reading Dr. Seuss for the zillionth time.

B.A. Chepaitis, Bruce Coville, Justine Graykin, Bob Kuhn (M)

Friday, 8:45pm-10:30pm, Carlton: Anime: Redline

(Manga Entertainment; PG-13 for violence, nudity)
In the far future, Sweet JP has been chosen to compete in the Redline, an illegal underground car race where he will compete with robots, cyborgs, magical girls, and gorilla aliens. Director Takeshi Koike of Animatrix fame spent 7 years creating this visual spectacular. And you thought Speed Racer got crazy...

9pm

Friday, 9pm-11pm, Galleria-Gaming: 3 Dragon Ante

A wonderful take on the game of poker.

Friday, 9pm, Burroughs: Looking Forward to John Carter

This long-awaited film of the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic Barsoom series (1912-1943) will finally be released next month, in a first-class 3-D production. (Get in the Martian mood with a new hardcover not otherwise related to the film, just-released original story anthology Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom.) What elements of the original sword-sand-and-six-limbed-tribesmen story do we hope will be retained, or removed? Could the flick possibly live up to our expectations? And why on Jasoom (Earth) would they drop the "of Mars" bit from the title?

John Joseph Adams, Bob Devney (M), Bob Eggleton, Melinda Snodgrass, Allen M. Steele

Friday, 9pm, Griffin: The Faust Legend

The story of the man who sold his soul to the Devil has taken many forms, from old German legends to modern movies. What is the story's appeal? How has it changed over the years? Hear the panel, then stay to see the spectacular 1926 silent movie (witih live musical accompaniment) coming up next!

John Langan, Gary D. McGath (M), Faye Ringel

Friday, 9pm, Harbor I: Occupy SF: The Corporation in Speculative Fiction

From Rossum's Universal Robots, U.S. Robotics, General Services, Fowler Schocken, and Solar Spice and Liquors to CHOAM, Tyrell, Weyland-Yutani, Blue Ant, Blue Sun, Buy n Large, Jeeves, Viprine, and of course Soylent, how has science fiction seen the future of big business? What works seem to get corporations right? Are visions of corporations more powerful than nation states or planetary governments looking more likely lately?

S. C. Butler, Justine Graykin, Teresa Nielsen Hayden (M), Charles Stross

Friday, 9pm, Harbor II: Changing Views of the Aristocrat in SF/F/H

The first fantasy we know featured a king (Gilgamesh). Ever since, readers of the fantastic have dearly loved a lord. Since few genre writers actually are aristocrats, how realistic can such depictions be? Are growing concentration of wealth and power in the real world, plus budding populist backlashes, likely to affect our fictions?

B.A. Chepaitis, Gregory Feeley, Mary Kay Kare (M), Leonid Korogodski

Friday, 9pm, Harbor III: How Much Steam Is There in Steampunk?

Is steampunk destined to remain a distinct subgenre, or will its edges blur into the rest of alternate history? Why does it appeal to us? Are its appeals enduring aspects of the genre?

Rosemary Kirstein (M), Margaret Ronald, Stephen Segal, Genevieve Valentine

Friday, 9pm-1am, Lewis: Open Filk

Filk singing through the night. Come to sing or just listen.

10pm

Friday, 10pm, Galleria: Art Show Reception

This tasteful close to your Friday evening is open to all. Stroll about and appreciate all the art, enjoy light refreshments, and perhaps engage in some artful conversation.

Friday, 10pm, Burroughs: Short Friction

Short tales are the root of fantasy; short stories were long the heart of SF and horror; YA, which like short fiction may feature less complexity and fewer characters, has never been more popular. So given the breakneck rhythms of life today, you'd think short fiction would still rule. But some writers always struggle at this length. Why? And many readers never read the stuff. Again, why? If they only tried it, would they like it?

John Joseph Adams, F. Brett Cox, James Patrick Kelly (M)

Friday, 10pm, Harbor I: Trivia for Chocolate

How much chocolate can you collect in an hour? The MCs ask the questions, and the audience shouts out the answers. The people with the correct answer first win a small wrapped chocolate.

Mark L. Olson, Priscilla Olson

Friday, 10pm, Harbor II: The Influence of Lovecraft on Horror Today

In his thesis Lovecraft's Progeny, horror scholar John Langan considers how Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Thomas Ligotti, and other writers were influenced by the weirdest New Englander of all, Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937). OK, we'll bite. How did the long-dead creator of the Cthulhu cult insinuate his unspeakably squamous sensibility into the unresisting intellects of these and other scribes and screenwriters? How can you tell?

Theodora Goss, Jack M. Haringa (M), John Langan, Darrell Schweitzer, David Wellington

Friday, 10pm-Midnight, Griffin: Silent Movie: Faust

F. W. Murnau's classic 1926 silent version of the Faust legend, with dramatic and diabolical special effects. (Roger Ebert applauds its "landscape of nightmares," and notes a poll naming this one of the best horror films of all time.) Extra special feature: live keyboard accompaniment by Gary McGath.
Seating limited to 40. [This is a licensing issue.]

Friday, 10:30pm-Midnight, Carlton: Anime: Hetalia: Paint It, White

(FUNimation; R for language, ethnic humor)
The anthropomorphic-personifications-of-countries series was a hit at last year's Boskone, so this year we will be showing the movie. Decidedly less historically-themed than the TV series, the film's official promotional tagline is "Alien invaders. A world united. Weird goo. LOL, WUT?" That probably says it all.

Friday, Midnight-1:30am, Carlton: Anime: Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl

(FUNimation; R for sexual content, incredibly unrealistic violence, horrific racial stereotypes)
And now, for something completely different. Welcome to a world where sunlight affects vampires like gravity affects Wile E. Coyote (AKA only when they notice it), sexy nurses dance around in puddles of gore without getting any blood on their clothes, and schools somehow are OK with wrist-slitting and blackface clubs. Oh, Japan...

Saturday

9am * 10am * 11am * Noon * 1pm * 2pm * 3pm * 4pm * 5pm * 6pm * 7pm * 8pm * 9pm * 10pm

9am

Saturday, 9am, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Costuming: Mad Hatter Hats

10am

Saturday, 10am, Galleria-Art Demo: Slide Show - Jean-Pierre Normand

Canadian artist Jean-Pierre Normand presents his work.

Saturday, 10am, Galleria-Autographing: Elizabeth Bear

Saturday, 10am, Galleria-Discussion Group: Boskone 101

Is this your first convention? Welcome! Join us in the Galleria to learn all about Boskone and fandom.

Priscilla Olson

Saturday, 10am, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Clay Magic

Lisa Hertel

Saturday, 10am-Noon, Galleria-Gaming: Frag

Based on the video game Quake Arena, this is a board game version of a first-person shooter. All the weapons, all the power-ups, and all the action you could hope for.

Saturday, 10am, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Guy Consolmagno
Saturday, 10am, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2: Toni L. P. Kelner

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10

Saturday, 10am, Burroughs: Medical Myths and Errors in SF/F

A look at common mistakes about medicine that writers make in their fiction.

Christopher Kovacs, Susan MacDonald, Kenneth Schneyer (M)

Saturday, 10am, Carlton: The Baen Roadshow

SF publisher Baen Books discusses its 2012 lineup.

Charles Gannon, Toni Weisskopf (M)

Saturday, 10am, Griffin: Occupy Luna

How do we have a lunar society that avoids some of the problems we have today?

Vince Docherty (M), Alexander Jablokov, Allen M. Steele, Ian Randal Strock

Saturday, 10am, Harbor I: Creating Alien Characters

From the outside, how do we create alien species that are not just giant X or sentient Y -- like big ants or smarter cats? From the inside, how do we even conceive mentation that is fundamentally nonhuman, rather than just like us with an obsession for Z -- like money, honor, or status?

Claire Eddy (M), Michael F. Flynn, Benjamin Tate, Frank Wu

Saturday, 10am, Harbor II: SF/F/H As a Mirror on Society

It's simplistic to say genre fiction maps to current politics. Vampires are bankers, zombies are the revengeful victimized classes, and werewolves are the media in feeding frenzy? C'mon. But did we write more optimistic SF when the space race was young? Or victorious spacewar stories when we were losing Vietnam? If fiction in any way reflects societal anxieties or moods, what do we make of steampunk, or sparkly vamps, or dystopian YA, or upticks in stories about ghosts or gaming?

John Joseph Adams, Peter V. Brett, Dana Cameron, Jeanne Cavelos (M)

Saturday, 10am, Harbor III: Survive and Thrive in the New World of Publishing

Traditional publishing is under siege from all sides as online publishing proliferates, cheap and easy self publishing is available, and readership in general declines. Can the rise of e-books, audiobooks, print-on-demand save the industry? What must you do to be successful today?

Alan F. Beck, Beth Bernobich, Joshua Bilmes (M), Jeffrey A. Carver, Neil Clarke

Saturday, 10am-10:25am, Independence: Reading: Jennifer Pelland

Saturday, 10am-10:25am, Lewis: Reading: Sharon Lee

Saturday, 10:30am-11:30am, Galleria-Demos: Higgins Armory - Demonstration of a Fencing Class

This is the routine class held weekly. Narrated for the benefit of the convention.

Saturday, 10:30am-10:55am, Independence: Reading: Justine Graykin

Saturday, 10:30am-10:55am, Lewis: Reading: Steve Miller

11am

Saturday, 11am, Galleria-Art Demos: Official Artist Demo

This year's Boskone Official Artist displays some of his work and outlines the making of a Magic card. With his career scarcely a decade old, Daniel dos Santos is already a two-time Chesley Award winner, and nominee for the Best Professional Artist Hugo the past 3 years (and counting?). The saturated colors, luminous light, deceptive depth, and sheer sexy intensity of his work will keep you watching. Come see an upside-down ninja girl, a sulky white trash zombie, everybody's favorite Browncoat -- and the war between angels and demons fought out on the inky canvas of one man's skin.

Saturday, 11am, Galleria-Autographing: Darrell Schweitzer, Michael F. Flynn

Saturday, 11am, Galleria-Discussion Groups: Writing Freelance: How to Pitch Your Idea

A journalist and critic for _The New York Times_ and _The Boston Globe_, as well as an instructor at Grub Street, talks about how to pitch your SF/F story, article, and book ideas to publications, editors and agents.

Ethan Gilsdorf

Saturday, 11am, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Higgins Armory Swordsguild

Saturday, 11am, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Dana Cameron
Saturday, 11am, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2: Peter V. Brett

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10

Saturday, 11am, Burroughs: The Year in Astronomy

So what happened in astronomy and physics in 2011? Old mysteries solved? New mysteries found? Join us for the annual panel on the wonders of our universe!

Guy Consolmagno, Jeff Hecht, Mark L. Olson (M)

Saturday, 11am, Carlton: The Writing of Short Fiction

Let's take a close-up view of what to do when you create a horror, science fiction, or fantasy story in one of the shorter lengths. How do you decide that this idea will work best short? How many characters can you fit? What's got to go in? What must you leave out? What short form masters should you steal blind?

Beth Bernobich, F. Brett Cox, Craig Shaw Gardner, Alexander Jablokov (M), James Patrick Kelly

Saturday, 11am, Griffin: Life Without Borders

The country's second-largest bookstore chain closed its last 399 doors last fall. What effects has Borders' closing, along with similarly transformational events, had on other chains, independent booksellers, con dealers, publishers, authors, agents--and oh yes, readers? We talk about the e-book--what's the future of the p-book?

Joshua Bilmes (M), Kathryn Cramer, Laurie Mann, Michael J. Walsh

Saturday, 11am, Harbor I: The Women of Doctor Who

Why is there such a love/hate relationship between Dr. Who Fandom and River Song and Amy Pond?

Vince Docherty, Theodora Goss, Stephen Segal (M), Catherynne M. Valente

Saturday, 11am, Harbor II: Truly Awful Eyefuls: Bad SF/F/H Movies and TV

You know them. You may even love them. They stink. Let's plunge joyfully into the muck and come up with the most authentically abysmal genre flicks and shows of all time. How did they get so bad? Is there any way they could have been worse?

Bob Eggleton, Daniel Kimmel, Steven Sawicki (M), Leah Wilson

Saturday, 11am, Harbor III: Hell in the High School: Evolution in Science and Fiction

The greatest threat to high school today is not drugs or alcohol: It's evolution. Then in college, students conduct their own evolution in the lab, overturning centuries of knowledge. And industry evolves bacteria for synthetic biology. Finally, the science fiction of Vonnegut and Slonczewski concocts mind-blowing forms of evolution.

Joan Slonczewski

Saturday, 11am-11:25am, Independence: Reading: Bud Sparhawk

Saturday, 11am-11:25am, Lewis: Reading: Bruce Coville

Saturday, 11:30am, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Higgins Armory Swordsguild

Saturday, 11:30am-11:55am, Independence: Reading: Darlene Marshall

Saturday, 11:30am-11:55am, Lewis: Reading: Jane Yolen

Noon

Saturday, Noon, Galleria-Art Demos: Watercolor Demonstration

Alan F. Beck

Saturday, Noon, Galleria-Art Show: Docent Tour of the Special Art Exhibit

Join the curators of the Special Art Exhibit on the SFWA Grand Master Illustrations for a tour of the exhibit.

Joe Siclari, Edie Stern

Saturday, Noon, Galleria-Autographing: Bruce Coville

Saturday, Noon, Galleria-Demo: Higgins Armory - A Game of Thrones Demo

From swaggering bravos to knightly judicial duels, George R.R. Martin drew on historical exemplars in creating his ultra-realistic, ultra-gritty fantasy world. But how did these martial arts really work, and where does truth end and fiction begin? Join renowned historical combat master Dr. Ken Mondschein and the Higgins Armory Academy of the Sword for an exploration and demonstration of the combative skills found in A Game of Thrones.

Saturday, Noon, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Joan Slonczewski
Saturday, Noon, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2: Myke Cole

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10

Saturday, Noon, Burroughs: Writing Workshops & Critique Groups

A look at periodic writers workshops and ongoing groups where writers frequently critique one another's work.

S. C. Butler, Jeffrey A. Carver (M), Jeanne Cavelos, James Patrick Kelly, Suzanne Palmer

Saturday, Noon, Carlton: SFWA Eastern Regional Meeting

Kate Baker, John Scalzi, Bud Sparhawk, Catherynne M. Valente

Saturday, Noon, Griffin: Performance Workshop

Suffering from stage fright? Want to learn how to be a better musical performer? Come on in and pick up some tips from experienced filk performers.

Ben Deschamps, Edward L. Stauff

Saturday, Noon, Harbor I: My Favorite Writer and Why

Not necessarily the best, and usually not the most popular. But if everybody you've ever read came out with a new book, and you could read only one, whose would it be? Our panelists discuss this whole favoritism phenomenon, then present their choices and their reasons.

Ellen Asher, Gregory Feeley, Toni L. P. Kelner, Jacob Sommer (M), Allen M. Steele

Saturday, Noon, Harbor II: How Not To Produce An E-Book

For prospective publishers (and authors who want to pub their own stuff in e-format), veteran designers offer tips for what to avoid -- and best practices for what to do right.

Neil Clarke, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Stephen Segal (M)

Saturday, Noon, Harbor III: Robocop State

The growth of the surveillance society. Proliferating new crowd control technologies. Increasingly militarized police forces--and progressively more privatized security entities such as prisons and guard companies. Our panelists will survey these highlights, and decide if they bring bright new prospects for future dystopian storytelling.

Daniel Hatch (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Bruce Schneier, Charles Stross

Saturday, Noon-12:25pm, Independence: Reading: Debra Doyle

Saturday, Noon-12:25pm, Lewis: Reading: Greer Gilman

Saturday, 1pm, Harbor II: Higgins Armory - Open Fencing Demostration with Q&A

A demonstration of fencing in which con members who are experienced fencers are allowed to participate. Waiver required, and use the provided protective gear. Attendees questions answered by some of the participating Higgins historical martial artists.

Saturday, 12:30pm-12:55pm, Independence: Reading: James D. Macdonald

Saturday, 12:30pm-12:55pm, Lewis: Reading: Ian Tregillis

1pm

Saturday, 1pm, Galleria-Art Demos: Science Fiction and Fantasy Pictionary

Two teams of four celebrities vie for bragging rights, drawing pictures so their team works out titles of science fiction and fantasy books/films/TV shows suggested by the audience.

Alan F. Beck, S. C. Butler, Craig Shaw Gardner, Bob Kuhn (M), Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Benjamin Tate, Suzanne Palmer, Jennifer Pelland, Ruth Sanderson

Saturday, 1pm, Galleria-Autographing: Charles Gannon, Toni L. P. Kelner

Saturday, 1pm, Galleria-Discussion Group: Knitting/Knit-along

Priscilla Olson

Saturday, 1pm, Children's, Galleria-DragonsLair: Making Art Show Awards Part 2

Saturday, 1pm-6pm, Galleria-Gaming: Guru of the Game Room Tournament

Munchkin, Dominion, 7 Wonders, and 3 Dragon Ante.

Saturday, 1pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Michael F. Flynn
Saturday, 1pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2 - Literary Beer: Irene Gallo

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10

Saturday, 1pm, Burroughs: Liaden Universe

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have written more than a dozen novels set in the Liaden Universe. And they have won both romance and science fiction awards for them. What inspires the fervor of the fans of this husband-and-wife writing team?

Guy Consolmagno (M), Sharon Lee, Steve Miller

Saturday, 1pm, Carlton: Character and Hard SF

A stereotype of hard SF is that it's all about the hardware, and that the characters are one-dimensional. This hasn't been true for a long time. The panel discusses whose character works in hard SF.

Peter V. Brett, Kathryn Cramer, Justine Graykin (M), Bud Sparhawk, Allen M. Steele

Saturday, 1pm, Griffin: Song Sequitur

A performance circle in which each performer has to follow the previous song in some way -- same tune, same subject, whatever -- but the next person has to follow in a different way. Weird and silly kinds of "following" are encouraged.

Gary Ehrlich, Paul Estin, Mark Mandel, Roberta Rogow, S. J. Tucker

Saturday, 1pm, Harbor I: Are Movies Ready for Wild Cards?

Can these shared-world stories of the alternate-history aftereffects of an alien virus masterminded by George R. R. Martin (the series, not the virus) infect the big screen? Melinda Snodgrass is writing the screenplay for a Wild Cards flick to be produced by Syfy Films! Let's talk about the books, and speculate wildly about the movie to come. Why has the series lasted since 1987? What cool stuff should transfer well to film? Who should play what super-powered Ace or monstrous Joker? Could this be the next Game of Thrones?

Melinda Snodgrass (M), Ian Tregillis

Saturday, 1pm, Harbor II: Higgins Armory - Misuse of Weapons in Movies and on TV

Historians and sword experts from the Higgins Armory talk about how movie makers don't understand weapons.

Saturday, 1pm, Harbor III: Send in the Clones: The Near Future of Bioscience

What we want are corner clone booths, nanodocs, designer babies, brainiac pills, safe chocolate-flavored heroin, diet guns, and immortality rays. In these and similar regards, what have fields from biotechnology and medicine to genetics and biochemistry done for us lately?

Jeanne Cavelos, Tom Easton (M), Joan Slonczewski, Frank Wu

Saturday, 1pm-1:25pm, Independence: Reading: Alexander Jablokov

Saturday, 1pm-1:25pm, Lewis: Reading: B. A. Chepaitis

Saturday, 1:30pm-1:55pm, Independence: Reading: Beth Bernobich

Saturday, 1:30pm-1:55pm, Lewis: Reading: Walter Hunt

2pm

Saturday, 2pm-2:30pm, Galleria-Art Demos: Growing Up Geek

D&D taught this author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, how to emerge from his -5 Shell of Introversion and become a confident, decisive, even cocky, creative soul. This humorous, self-deprecating and inspirational talk -- punctuated by the author's own 1970s and 1980s-era slides and movies of maps, dungeons and character sheets and snapshots -- will take you on a nostalgic trip through a love affair with D&&D, and show you how to feel good about all those years spent in the dungeon.

Ethan Gilsdorf

Saturday, 2pm, Galleria-Autographing: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Saturday, 2pm, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Kids Concert

Heather Dale, Edward L. Stauff, Mary Ellen Wessels

Saturday, 2pm, Galleria Kaffeeklatsche 1: Jeanne Cavelos & Elaine Isaak
Saturday, 2pm, Galleria Kaffeeklatsche 2 - Literary Beer: Melinda Snodgrass

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10.

Saturday, 2pm, Carlton: Tabletop Gaming in the Electronic Age

What's the future of "Dungeons & Dragons" and other tabletop games played with dice, maps, and the imagination -- when everyone is playing "Call of Duty: Black Ops" on their PS3s, or "Angry Birds" on their iPhones? D&D/Wizards of the Coast just announced a major effort to reinvigorate their brand, re-engage their player base, and revamp the rules. So now is a key moment for the tabletop role-playing game industry. What is the role of tabletop games in an increasingly Internet/MMO/video gaming world? Come to this panel to hear and share perspectives, hopes, and fears.

Ethan Gilsdorf (M), Walter H. Hunt, Bob Kuhn, Jacob Sommer

Saturday, 2pm, Griffin: When Underpinnings Come Unpinned

Golden Age SF has mega (sometimes entirely sub rosa) assumptions that are naive by today's standards. Now apply that to today's classics and uncover the hidden subtexts.

Jeffrey A. Carver (M), Myke Cole, F. Brett Cox, Don D'Ammassa, Jane Yolen

Saturday, 2pm, Harbor I: Guest of Honor Interview and Portrait Painting

In this unique mega-mixed-media event, our Official Artist Daniel dos Santos will both interview and simultaneously create a fabulous painting of our Guest of Honor John Scalzi. We considered requesting that John also be suspended facedown in a tub of Coke Zero and Daniel ride a unicycle, but you can only take fan service so far.

Daniel dos Santos, John Scalzi

Saturday, 2pm, Harbor II: The Heroine's Path

Maureen Murdock's 1990 study The Heroine's Journey served as a complement (and sometimes corrective) to Joseph Campbell's work on the Hero's Journey. Both put deep store in stories drawn from world myth. But what do working genre writers actually do with these theories or materials? Are they present at the creation, or useful for analysis afterward? Do they affect your characters or their origins, relationships, arcs, or resolutions? Which mythic or theoretic elements have you actually incorporated? What path do -- must -- your own heroines tread?

B.A. Chepaitis, Greer Gilman, Theodora Goss (M), Margaret Ronald, Phoebe Wray

Saturday, 2pm, Harbor III: Certainty Is For Wimps: Unstable Reality In SF

SF starts speculating early that reality may be purely subjective, as in the 1941 Heinlein short story "They" or practically anything by Philip K. Dick. But recently, the unease grows in movies such as The Matrix, Inception, The Adjustment Bureau, and Source Code. Why now? Is blaming current societal, economic, or political instability too easy? Are the aliens moving our interdimensional furniture again?

Elizabeth Bear, Daniel Kimmel, Benjamin Tate (M), Steven Popkes, Steven Sawicki

Saturday, 2-2:25pm, Lewis: Reading: Dana Cameron

Saturday, 2:30pm-2:55pm, Independence: Reading: Charles Gannon

Saturday, 2:30-2:55pm, Lewis: Reading: From the Anthology Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom John Joseph Adams

Just in time for the John Carter movie, here's an anthology of brand-new stories set on Edgar Rice Burroughs' romantic Red Planet. Come fill your ears with new tales of Mars the way it should have been.

3pm

Saturday, 3pm, Galleria-Demo Area: Release Party -- New John Scalzi Book From NESFA Press

Come join the party! Help our Guest of Honor John Scalzi celebrate the launch of his brand-new Boskone Book 24 Frames Into the Future: Scalzi on Science Fiction Film. (Now on sale at the NESFA Press table in the Hucksters Room, hint hint.) The festivities will definitely be more fun than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which Scalzi described as "oversexed, gun-happy, and boring as a test pattern." Because here, there will be cake.

Saturday, 3pm, Galleria-Discussion Group: Long Live the Legion!

...and the team soldiers on.

Priscilla Olson

Saturday, 3pm, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Frank and Brianna Draw Dragons

Brianna Spacekat Wu, Frank Wu

Saturday, 3pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Tricky Pixie - Ben Deschamps, Betsy Tinney, S. J. Tucker
Saturday, 3pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2 - Literary Beer: Toni Weisskopf

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10.

Saturday, 3pm, Burroughs: Environmental Rearguarding: What To Do After It's Too Late

Let's assume, as some scientists now fear, that the tipping point for catastrophic global climate change has already been reached. What can and should we do to 1) lessen its effects and 2) build a sustainable civilization on the world we'll have left?

Tom Easton, Jeff Hecht, Alexander Jablokov (M), Jordin T. Kare, Joan Slonczewski

Saturday, 3pm, Carlton: Breaking into the Art Field

Hear from artists and art editors about the dos and don'ts of breaking into the field as an art professional.

Alan F. Beck (M), Irene Gallo, Jean-Pierre Normand, Ruth Sanderson, Marc Scheff

Saturday, 3pm, Griffin: Song Circle: Silent Voices

A moderated song circle in memory of those we lost in 2011.

Mark Mandel

Saturday, 3pm, Harbor I: Not So Separated at Birth: Dracula and The War of the Worlds

Fantastika scholar Faye Ringel observed, "What a year 1897 must have been: Dracula was published and The War of the Worlds was first serialized. Both are 'invasion of England' and reverse colonization stories..." What else compares, and what contrasts, in these early classics that kickstarted horror and science fiction? How, where -- and why -- do their themes still resonate?

Gregory Feeley, David G. Hartwell, Faye Ringel (M), Darrell Schweitzer

Saturday, 3pm, Harbor II: Trends in Young Adult Literature

Has the paranormal gotten to the end of the line? Where is YA fiction going to now that Twilight and Harry Potter have wound down?

Jordan Hamessley, Jack M. Haringa, Susan MacDonald, Darlene Marshall (M)

Saturday, 3pm, Harbor III: Who's Your Daddy?

TV's Doctor Who has brought generations of fans into the SF world. How has it influenced other broadcast or print work? Why the lasting brilliance, when so many other shows only flicker for a season or so?

Kate Baker (M), F. Brett Cox, Gillian Daniels, Jacob Sommer

Saturday, 3pm-3:25pm, Independence: Reading: David Wellington

Saturday, 3pm-3:25pm, Lewis: Reading: Suzanne Palmer

Saturday, 3:30pm-3:55pm, Independence: Reading: Kenneth Schneyer

Saturday, 3:30pm-3:55pm, Lewis: Reading: Catherynne Valente

4pm

Saturday, 4pm, Galleria-Autographing: Ethan Gilsdorf, Walter H. Hunt

Saturday, 4pm, Galleria-Art Demos: Living Steampunk: Turning Fantasy into Reality

Steampunk is a literary genre as well as an aesthetic and cultural movement. The only thing better than losing yourself in a great retrofuture novel, film or RPG is coming home to spaces and projects that express what we love most about our fictive worlds. This talk will discuss how can we make the fantastical functional and how can we blend the ideas in speculative fiction with the objects and skills we already have in order to create the world we want to live in.

Kimberly Burk, Bruce Rosenbaum, Melanie Rosenbaum

Saturday, 4pm, Galleria-Discussion Group How to Wreck Your Career with Social Media

What are the new opportunities for public humiliation opened by the Internet? Join this entertaining discussion about authors getting into nasty public spats with reviewers and fans, going off on long unhinged political tirades, sharing a little too much of their unfiltered id, and so on.

Chad Orzel

Saturday, 4pm, Children's, Galleria-DragonsLair: Kunstbruder Sword Training

Saturday, 4pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Saturday, 4pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2-Literary Beer: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10

Saturday, 4pm, Burroughs: H. Beam Piper Retrospective

The space adventures and alternate histories of Henry Beam Piper (1904-1964) are fondly recalled by many fans of the right age. They've also been rediscovered periodically by younger readers, in sporadic but persistent reprints of his Paratime, Federation, and Fuzzy stories. What's his charm? How does he compare to 1950s-1960s peers L. Sprague de Camp, Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Clifford D. Simak, or James H. Schmitz? How did he innovate? Whom did he influence (present company included)?

Jordin T. Kare, Fred Lerner (M), Mark L. Olson, John Scalzi

Saturday, 4pm, Carlton: Making It All Up Faster Than Usual: Improvisational Storytelling

Our master storytellers spin fantastic tales that seem memories of far-fabled events well recalled rather than fleeting phantoms of their own ever-embroidering, infinitely entertaining intellects. Plus they make it look easy.

B.A. Chepaitis, Bruce Coville, Jane Yolen (M)

Saturday, 4pm, Griffin: Optimism vs. Darkness in SF

Some says it's historical. So early SF stories were all, "We're going to the stars and will live forever yay," while more recent SF tends to moan, "If the ecocatastrophe doesn't get us the zombie plagues will." Or geographical: do Brits do it more in the dark? Or ageist: is YA usually light-hearted? Or stylistic: does realism bloom better in the shade?

John Joseph Adams, Peter V. Brett (M), Leonid Korogodski, Jennifer Pelland, Phoebe Wray

Saturday, 4pm-4:30pm, Harbor I: Concert - Mark Mandel

Saturday, 4pm, Harbor II: SF/F/H TV OMG

Fans of the fantastic have plenty to squee about on today's TV. Let's talk about what's happening -- and what's ahead -- with long-running shows such as Fringe, Supernatural, Warehouse 13, Dr. Who, and Merlin. How about hits such as Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Grimm, American Horror Story, and Once Upon a Time? Are Being Human, Alphas, and Terra Nova finding their stride? What are the prospects for new entries such as Alcatraz, Awake, The Fades, Touch, and Lost Girl? Plus what's big on British TV? What's in production? And what's up with Webcasting?

Vince Docherty, Craig Shaw Gardner, Resa Nelson, Suzanne Palmer (M), Melinda Snodgrass, Genevieve Valentine

Saturday, 4pm, Harbor III: Discarded Images: Astronomical Ideas That Were Almost Correct

Astronomy is more than just observing; it's making sense of those observations. A good theorist needs a good imagination...and no fear of being wrong. Aryabaha in ancient India and Ptolemy in ancient Rome, the medieval bishops Oresme and Cusa, the 19th century astronomers Schiaparelli and Pickering, all rose to the challenge; and they were all almost correct. Which is to say, they were wrong...sometimes hilariously, sometimes heartbreakingly so. What lessons can 21st century astronomers take from these discarded images?

Guy Consolmagno

Saturday, 4pm-4:25pm, Independence, Reading: Elizabeth Bear

Saturday, 4pm-4:25pm, Lewis: Reading: James Patrick Kelly

Saturday, 4:30pm-5pm, Harbor I: Concert - S. J Tucker

Saturday, 4:30pm-4:55pm, Independence, Reading: Paul G. Temblay

5pm

Saturday, 5pm, Galleria-Art Demos, Slide Show - Ruth Sanderson

Saturday, 5pm, Galleria-Autographing: Jeffrey A. Carver, Bruce Schneier, Joan Slonczewski

Saturday, 5pm, Galleria-Discussion Group: Worldcon Heritage - Preserving Fannish History

We are working to preserve, catalog and increase the collection of Worldcon Heritage objects originally collected by Bruce Pelz and displayed at Worldcon. Stop by to learn about Worldcon history and how you can help us preserve artifacts and share them in the future.

Laurie Mann, Mark L. Olson, Joe Siclari

Saturday, 5pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: John Scalzi
Saturday, 5pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2- Literary Beer: Charles Stross

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10.

Saturday, 5pm, Griffin: Creating Worlds for Online Gaming

How do you start to create a world for online gaming? Is it harder to start a game from scratch, from a book, or from a movie? What's different about worldbuilding for a narrative that's meant to be played instead of read?

Walter H. Hunt, Margaret Ronald, Melinda Snodgrass (M), Timothy P. Szczesuil, Brianna Spacekat Wu

Saturday, 5pm, Burroughs: Neglected Authors

Which SF/F/H writers should we drag back into the limelight? Who's good, but doesn't get the notice they deserve? Who's great, but pretty much forgotten? Let's right some wrongs -- and turn the audience onto some great reads -- with a fond discussion of the ones who shouldn't get away.

Bruce Coville (M), Daniel P. Dern, Gregory Feeley, Tony Lewis, Steven Popkes

Saturday, 5pm, Carlton: Return of the Stagirite -- or Aristotle's Revenge

Aristotle's notions are being resurrected with a fresh coat of paint and a new label.

Michael F. Flynn

Saturday, 5pm-5:30pm, Harbor I: Concert: Heather Dale

Heather Dale, S. J. Tucker, Ben Deschamps

Saturday, 5pm, Harbor II: Actuarial Studies in the Year 3000: Insuring Against Space Disasters

Let's think about the actual probabilities of doing stuff you read in genre stories. When transiting the asteroid belt, what are your chances of (fatally) meeting an asteroid? When you worm-hole to wherever, how likely are you to end up feeding the worms? Wouldn't your time machine travel to where Earth used to be? Before the average fantasy quest, would any actuary in her right mind sell you insurance?

S. C. Butler (M), Charles Gannon, Daniel Hatch, Allen M. Steele, Ian Randal Strock

Saturday, 5pm, Harbor III: Importance of Book Covers

On the shelf or on the screen, the cover is the first part of the book you encounter. If it doesn't engage you, it may well be the last. Let's talk about how covers get made, and why they come out the way they do. We'll also view the cover at various stages in the book publishing process.

Daniel dos Santos, Bob Eggleton, Irene Gallo, Stephen Segal, Toni Weisskopf (M)

Saturday, 5pm-5:25pm, Independence, Reading: Daniel Kimmel

Saturday, 5pm, Lewis: Reading: Clarkesworld

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of this top-flight, Hugo-winning magazine, Clarkesworld contributors gather to read some of their best stuff.

Kate Baker, Neil Clarke (M), Catherynne M. Valente, Genevieve Valentine

Saturday, 5:30pm-6pm, Harbor II: Concert - Mary Ellen Wessels & Edward L. Stauff

Saturday, 5:30pm-7pm, Galleria-Demo: Martian Parlor Croquet: A Steampunk Diversion

Victorian explorers, adventurers, chrononauts, and aethernauts! Join us in the fine sands of the remote Martian Canal Estates, where the well-dressed 19th-century tourist and all civilized alien entities may indulge in the genteel yet cutthroat Martian pastime of parlor croquet. Portable gravity generators encouraged to prevent loss of croquet balls into the aether. Steampunk, historical, or science fictional costume encouraged for all species. Tentacular assistance prohibited.

Susan de Guardiola

6pm

Saturday, 6pm-7:30pm, Carlton: Anime: Avatar: The Last Airbender

(Nickelodeon; TV-Y7 for mild violence)
Repeat after me: there was no M. Night Shyamalan movie. OK, good. Now we can go back to enjoying this great all-ages epic fantasy series. With National Book Award nominee Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel sequel on shelves and a new series next year, now's a good time to get acquainted or reacquainted with Aang and the gang.

Saturday, 6pm, Jewish Havdalah Service (Special Interest Group): Independence

Jewish service to mark the end of the Sabbath and enable people to say kaddish. Service will start at 6 pm; please arrive by then.

Janice Gelb

7pm

Saturday, 7pm-7:30pm, Children's, Galleria-DragonsLair: Magic Show

Be amazed! Be amused! And maybe learn some magic feats yourself!

Daniel P. Dern

Saturday, 7:30pm-8:15pm, Children's, Galleria-DragonsLair: Kids' Tour of the Art Show

Saturday, 7:30pm-8:45pm, Carlton: Anime: Princess Tutu

Section23 Films; TV-14 for mature themes (probably could pass for a PG)
A duck turns into a girl turns into a ballet-powered superhero-therapist-person. Somehow this fazes no one. In a world where fairy tale happenings are regular occurrences, how much power can a dead author have? If Walt Disney and Kurt Vonnegut made an anime together, it would look something like this.

8pm

Saturday, 8pm, Burroughs: Artifactual: The Warehouse 13 Game

Inspired by Syfy TV's popular Warehouse 13, this brand-new game show is an SFnal cross between "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and "Fictionary." For each round, the MC comes up with a strange new happenstance, such as, "Reports say people have begun turning green." From the TV show, we know that behind every odd occurrence is some strangely powerful object. So our panel of out-of-the-box thinkers compete to guess that artifact, such as, "It's the Wicked Witch's hat from The Wizard of Oz" or "It's Larry Bird's Celtics jersey."
Competitors are encouraged to embellish their guesses to the max; audience members clap hardest to get their favorite guess the win!

Daniel Kimmel, Bob Kuhn (M), Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Margaret Ronald, Steven Sawicki

Saturday, 8pm, Griffin: Reading: Broad Universe - Justine Graykin, Elaine Isaak, Jennifer Pelland

Saturday, 8pm, Harbor I: The Politics of Horror

Horror tales, like stories in many genres, work best when they work on more than one level. Let's discuss the history of the political in horror, and the political underpinnings (or failures) of recent horror books and movies.

Jordan Hamessley, John Langan, Paul G. Tremblay (M), Genevieve Valentine

Saturday, 8pm, Harbor II&III: Guest Filk Concert

Tricky Pixie is a fey fusion of three well-loved, whimsical talents who fearlessly tread the boards and the twilight roads alike, using a wealth of instruments to guide themselves and their listeners along, including all manner of strings, voices, and drums. SJ, Ben, and Betsy weave contagious faery magic, and you're bound to be caught in their spell when you attend a Tricky Pixie concert.

Tricky Pixie: Ben Deschamps, Betsy Tinney, S. J. Tucker

Saturday, 8pm-Midnight, Galleria-Gaming: Collateral Damage

You're a yakuza boss using anime based characters as your henchmen to take over Neo-Tokyo. Things change, though, when the characters start falling in love and following their hearts instead of your orders. A hilarious game of planning and management. No anime experience required. Note: you must be 15 years of age to play this game.

Saturday, 8:15pm-9pm, Children's, Galleria-DragonsLair: Persis & Talis Do Something with Those Paper Towel Tubes

Saturday, 8:45pm-10pm, Carlton, Anime: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

(Aniplex USA; TV-14 for violence)
OK, how to avoid spoilers for this summary? Madoka is an 8th grader who is given the chance to become a magical girl if she makes a deal with a weird animal thing named Kyubey. As a magical girl, she will have to fight witches in exceedingly trippy alternate dimensions. Oh, and despite its cute exterior, it is not for the faint of heart.

9pm

Saturday, 9pm, Harbor I: The Year in Review: Written Fiction

What were the best science fiction, fantasy, or horror novels, novellas, novelettes, short stories, related works, and graphic stories of 2011? Bring your favorites and your strong opinions to this stellar discussion. Heck, bring your Hugo nomination ballots too -- they're due in only a few weeks!

Bob Devney, Vince Docherty, Jim Mann

Saturday, 9pm, Harbor II&III: Saturday Night Event

Join every special guest we've got to show a little appreciation. The Skylark Award honors the work and personal qualities of an exceptional contributor to science fiction. (And it comes with a Jane Yolen story that's a Boskone tradition -- yet still funny after all these years...) See this and other special announcements. Help us celebrate the winner, thank all of this year's Boskone special guests, and acknowledge every one of you who makes Boskone a con to remember!

Ben Deschamps, Daniel dos Santos, David G. Grubbs (M), Sharon Sbarsky, John Scalzi, Bruce Schneier, Betsy Tinney, S. J. Tucker, Toni Weisskopf

Saturday, 9pm-1am, Griffin: Open Filk

10pm

Saturday, 10pm, Harbor I: The Horrified Gaze: What Horror Stories Do To Us

We read horror fiction and watch horror flicks and TV just for fun. However, is anything else going on? If witnessing a frightening real-world event can cause actual psychological trauma, what about seeing it on the page or screen? Can a scary story really mess us up--but in a good way?

Don D'Ammassa, Jordan Hamessley, Jack M. Haringa, David Wellington (M), Brianna Spacekat Wu

Saturday, 10pm, Harbor II&III: Late Guest Filk Concert

Tricky Pixie returns to perform a little more.

Ben Deschamps, Betsy Tinney, S. J. Tucker

Saturday, 10pm, Carlton: Anime: FLCL

FUNimation; TV-14 for sexual content, wacky violence
To finish off our video programming for the weekend, we're running all six episodes of GAINAX's legendary rocking coming-of-age-with-robots-and-aliens classic. If you've seen this one-of-a-kind series before on Adult Swim, maybe this time it might make more sense (warning: it probably won't). If not, prepare to have your mind blown.

Sunday

10am * 11am * Noon * 1pm * 2pm * 3pm

10am

Sunday, 10am, Galleria-Autographing: Dana Cameron, Allen M. Steele, Jane Yolen

Sunday, 10am, Galleria-Discussion Group: Morning Writing Exercise

Stretch out your writing muscles and get the neurons firing with some writing exercises.

Elaine Isaak

Sunday, 10am, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Astronomy for Kids

Guy Consolmagno

Sunday, 10am, Galleria-Gaming: Innovation

Build up your empire through the ages using the innovations on the cards. Be very careful, though, that you don't help your opponents whilst helping yourself.

Sunday, 10am, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Stephen Segal
Sunday, 10am, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2: Rosemary Kirstein

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10.

Sunday, 10am, Burroughs: SOPA/PIPA Update

In the wake of the SOPA/PIPA blackout day protest in mid-January by Google, Wikipedia, Wired, and other Web sites, large and small, the congresspeople steering the legislation are re-drafting the bills. With the most egregious elements removed, what do they look like now, and what will be their impact on the Web if passed in their new forms?

Justine Graykin, Jeff Hecht (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Bruce Schneier

Sunday, 10am, Carlton: Convention Planning 101

So, you're thinking about running a convention - where do you start? What do you do?

Karen Cooper, Janice Gelb, Laurie Mann

Sunday, 10am, Griffin: Entitlement: What Makes for a Good Title?

Titles first, or last? What are some of the most effective titles, in genre or out?

Debra Doyle, Claire Eddy, Steve Miller, Priscilla Olson, Toni Weisskopf (M)

Sunday, 10am-7pm, Harbor I: Magic The Gathering $1,000.00 Sealed Deck Tournament

Magic tournament, separate registration required. Check at Registration (2nd floor) to see if spaces are available.

Sunday, 10am, Harbor II: Romantic Comedy in Science Fiction and Fantasy

What is romantic comedy? What are examples in science fiction and fantasy? Connie Willis says that the show Primeval is a romcom...really?

Ellen Asher (M), Toni L. P. Kelner, Paula Lieberman, Darlene Marshall

Sunday, 10am, Harbor III: Behind the Scenes of an Audiobook

Most of us just listen, but what goes into making an audiobook? This panel will look at the variety of audiobooks, how the professional publisher does it, what it takes for an author to make one, and who should read it?

Jeffrey A. Carver, Bruce Coville, Bob Kuhn

Sunday, 10am-10:25am, Independence: Reading: Steven Sawicki

Sunday, 10am-10:25am, Lewis: Reading: Michael F. Flynn

Sunday, 10:30am-10:55am, Independence: Reading: Susan MacDonald

Sunday, 10:30am-10:55am, Lewis: Reading: Margaret Ronald

11am

Sunday, 11am, Burroughs: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Science Experiments You Can Do At Home

Not all experimental science requires expensive laboratory equipment. Our intrepid panel will discuss, and possibly demonstrate, neat science tricks you can do at home -- yet still leave the structure standing. [No audience members will be harmed in this panel].

Guy Consolmagno, Mark L. Olson

Sunday, 11am, Carlton: Unpacking SF's Sexual QUILTBAG

So human sexuality is a continuum and "normal" is a null concept. The new term QUILTBAG tries to point to as many areas as possible on that continuum -- queer or questioning, unisex, intersex, lesbian, transgender or transexual, bisexual, asexual or ally, and gay. How has SF/F/H literature featured these aspects of the continuum? Let's name some outstanding examples. How have QUILTBAG fans fared within fandom?

Gillian Daniels, Shira Lipkin, Jennifer Pelland, Charles Stross

Sunday, 11am, Galleria-Art Demos: Art Demo - Frank & Brianna Spacekat Wu

Sunday, 11am, Galleria-Autographing: Tricky Pixie-Ben Deschamps, Betsy Tinney, S. J. Tucker

Sunday, 11am, Galleria-Discussion Group: Using Kickstarter to Rev-up a Project

You have an idea but no money to get it started. What do you do? Kickstarter (and similar Websites) can help get you started.

Marc Scheff

Sunday, 11am, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Origami

Sunday, 11am, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Charles Gannon
Kaffeeklatsche 2: John Joseph Adams

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10.

Sunday, 11am, Griffin: The Big Bang Theory & Other Images of Geeks in Mass Media

Has Hollywood finally "gotten" the geek? With TV shows like The Big Bang Theory (and even the proto-geeks of That '70s Show), and movies like Paul, fannish types have gone mainstream. But are they exploding stereotypes or just reinforcing them?

Mary Kay Kare, Jean-Pierre Normand (M), Leah Wilson

Sunday, 11am, Harbor II: My Top Ten Tips for the Prospective Author

Our brain trust of writing, agenting, editing, and publishing pros probably won't agree on every point. (If they did, disappointingly short panel.) But they all want you to become the best writer you can be. So today only. Finally. Just this once. They're prepared to reveal their most closely held secrets to make it happen.

Joshua Bilmes, David G. Hartwell (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden, John Scalzi, Toni Weisskopf

Sunday, 11am, Harbor III: The Art-Focused Con

New conventions that focus solely or mainly on SF/F/H art are gaining in popularity. When and where are they held? What are the best ones? What goes on there? Why should we go?

Vince Docherty (M), Daniel dos Santos, Bob Eggleton, Irene Gallo

Sunday, 11am-11:25pm, Independence: Reading: Leah Cypess

Sunday, 11am, Lewis: Reading: Flash Fiction from the Cambridge SF Workshop

F. Brett Cox, Elaine Isaak, Alexander Jablokov, James Patrick Kelly, Steven Popkes, Kenneth Schneyer

Sunday, 11:30am-11:55am, Independence: Reading: Benjamin Tate

Noon

Sunday, Noon, Burroughs: Strange Places, Stranger People: The Works of Jack Vance

John Holbrook Vance was born in 1916, published his first short story in 1945, and released his latest novel (so far) in 2004. The expansive length of his career is exceeded only by the exotic, luxuriant, memorable immensity of the worlds, societies, and characters he has created. Who else has moved so effortlessly between SF and fantasy? What do we remember best of his Dying Earths or Demon Princes, or from his Alastor or Lyonesse sequences? What do we appreciate more, his ironic tone of voice or his marvelous gift for names? Where else can we go to read anything like Vance?

Jim Mann, Mark L. Olson, David Wellington

Sunday, Noon, Carlton: In Memoriam: Anne McCaffrey & Diana Wynne Jones

A discussion of two of Boskone's previous guests, fantasy writers Anne McCaffrey (1926-2011) and Diana Wynne Jones (1934-2011).

Greer Gilman, Bob Kuhn, Faye Ringel

Sunday, Noon, Galleria-Autographing: Debra Doyle, James D. Macdonald, Melinda M. Snodgrass

Sunday, Noon, Childrens, Galleria-DragonsLair: Tricky Pixie Kids Concert

Ben Deschamps, Betsy Tinney, S. J. Tucker

Sunday, Noon, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Claire Eddy & David G. Hartwell
Sunday, Noon, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2: Paul G. Tremblay &l; John Langan

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10.

Sunday, Noon, Griffin: Tunnel in the Sky and Other Tales of Teen Survival

For the kids to have adventures, lose the parents. In the title story, Robert A. Heinlein uses teleportation: what other ways work to get the kids out of town? Once on their own, should our teens kiss or start killing something? How much adversity before readers get scared or depressed? Besides Heinlein's, what are the classics in this line? Who's written it well recently? What's done differently today?

Bruce Coville, Leah Cypess (M), Priscilla Olson, Mary Ellen Wessels, Jane Yolen

Sunday, Noon, Harbor II: How Not to Lose the Plot

Why do so many writers struggle so hard with -- and complain so much about -- plotting? Look, the plot is the chain that links the events of the story together. How could even a newbie screw that up? Let us count the ways.

Charles Gannon, James Patrick Kelly (M), Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Jennifer Pelland

Sunday, Noon, Harbor III: Laser Power Beaming

Rocket scientist Jordin T. Kare gives a presentation on laser power beaming.

Sunday, Noon, Galleria-Demo: Art Show Closeout

Sunday, Noon-3:00pm, Galleria-Gaming: Munchkin Brawl

All the madness! All the mayhem! All the cards! It's back and this time in stereo. That's right, once again there will be two Munchkin games running simultaneously using the same decks. Each player is allowed 2 cheats.

Sunday, Noon-12:25pm, Independence: Reading: Leonid Korogodski

Sunday, 12:30pm-12:55pm, Independence: Reading: Shira Lipkin

Sunday, 12:30pm-12:55pm, Lewis: Reading: Daniel P. Dern

1pm

Sunday, 1pm-3pm, Galleria-Demo: Art Show Closeout

Sunday, 1pm, Galleria-Autographing: Benjamin Tate, Catherynne M. Valente

Sunday, 1pm, Children's, Galleria-DragonsLair: Fun and Games

Walter H. Hunt

Sunday, 1pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 1: Daniel dos Santos
Sunday, 1pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche 2: Jane Yolen & Bruce Coville

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10

Sunday, 1pm, Burroughs: Crossover: Mystery & Genre

Which genre do mysteries most resemble: science fiction, fantasy, or horror? What mental muscles do they use similarly, for writer and for reader? If a mystery story is a whodunit, is an SF tale often a howdunit? What works have most successfully crossed the streams?

Dana Cameron, Leah Cypess, Alexander Jablokov, Toni L. P. Kelner, Toni Weisskopf (M)

Sunday, 1pm, Carlton: The Twilight of Twilight: Staking the Heart of Paranormal Romance?

Let's look ahead to the November 2012 release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2, the concluding flick to be made from Stephenie Meyer's planet-bustingly successful series. How good are these books and movies? Does Twilight fandom serve as gateway fanaticism for similar stories? Or will the end of this crepuscular phenomenon take paranormal romance down with it?

Debra Doyle (M), Margaret Ronald, Leah Wilson

Sunday, 1pm, Griffin: Instrumental Improv Jam Session for Recovering Classical Musicians

S. J. Tucker

Sunday, 1pm, Harbor II: How Bad Can A Hero Be?

He may lie, cheat, steal, curse, flirt mercilessly, and disembowel bunches of hapless Darklordian henchm an with a quip on his lips and a song in his heart. But can she step on her hamster's head in a fit of pique? Let's see where the boundaries of our sympathy for heroes, heroines, and their stories lie.

Rosemary Kirstein, Shira Lipkin, Faye Ringel (M), Darrell Schweitzer, Ian Tregillis

Sunday, 1pm, Harbor III: Digital Estate -- Virtual Property OR On the Internet, Nobody Knows You're Dead

It's not just the Borg (Star Trek) or Methuselah's Children (Heinlein): if you're a presence on the Internet, you will never die. All those avatars in SecondLife, points in online gaming, swords in D&D Online, ads on blogs, etc, are more or less forever. Let's also talk about your opportunities to find money -- abandoned property, abandoned insurance and stock certificates, etc.

Daniel P. Dern, Gary D. McGath, Bruce Schneier (M)

Sunday, 1pm, Lewis: Reading: John Scalzi

Sunday, 1pm, Independence: Reading: Phoebe Wray

Sunday, 1:30-1:55pm, Independence: Reading: Genevieve Valentine

2pm

Sunday, 2pm, Galleria-Autographing: Peter V. Brett. S. C. Butler

Sunday, 2pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche-1: Bob Eggleton
Sunday, 2pm, Galleria-Kaffeeklatsche-2: Ian Randal Strock

Advance sign-up at Information required; limited to 10.

Sunday, 2pm, Burroughs: Song Circle: "Tricksters"

A moderated song circle. Bring and sing your favorite songs about tricksters of all kinds.

Ellen Kranzer

Sunday, 2pm, Carlton: Surviving the Apocalypse

We survey the field for interesting visions of how civilization might break down, and offer practical tips for surviving if these bad dreams come true.

Myke Cole (M), Charles Gannon, James D. Macdonald, Phoebe Wray

Sunday, 2pm, Griffin: What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics

Author of How to Teach Physics to Your Dog and How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog, Chad Orzel discusses the basics of quantum physics for two- and four-legged audiences.

Sunday, 2pm, Harbor II: The Art of the Sequel

You've already told an effective story. How do you do it again? Can you inclue the new reader without boring the old? For trilogies, can you avoid the middle-book doldrums? What if a character just runs out of arc? Which writers have successfully solved all these questions, and given us sequels that really satisfy? How did they do it?

Elizabeth Bear, Sharon Lee

Sunday, 2pm, Harbor III: Research: Why Bother?

Resa Nelson

Sunday, 2pm-2:25pm, Lewis: Reading: Melinda Snodgrass

Sunday, 2:30pm-2:55pm, Independence: Reading: Kelly Jennings

Sunday, 2:30pm-2:55pm, Lewis: Reading: Charles Stross

3pm

Sunday, 3pm, Burroughs: MASSFILC Business Meeting

All who are interested are welcome to attend.

Sunday, 3pm, Carlton: Gripe Session

We'll talk about how this con came out, before the memories get routed into dusty storage neurons. Let us know what went right -- and wrong. While it may be a tad late to fix things now, you can make a big difference in what happens next time!

Rick Kovalcik, Sharon Sbarsky

Sunday, 3:30pm-6:30pm, Burroughs: Dead Dog Filk

Last chance to get together and sing!