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