Oh, you BEA people, have fun this week navigating the somewhat soul-deadening rows of booths at Javits and hitting the much more fun parties. (Two words important to BEA survival: Chair massage.) Anyway, I wrote a number of little pieces for the BEA Show Daily, so you can keep an eye out for those too. Unable to squeeze in BEA and Wiscon, we chose Wiscon (yay!), because Javits vs. the Concourse Hotel? No competition.
So, here's my Wiscon schedule of Official Programming Items:
- Saturday, 10-11:15 a.m. in Conference Two: Three Dashing Gents and One Classy Dame - Dave Schwartz, Christopher Rowe, Richard Butner, and Gwenda Bond read from recent work.
- Saturday, 1-2:15 p.m. in Capitol A: YA: Why Then? Why Now? Moderator: Sharyn November. Panelists: Gwenda Bond, Michael Marc Levy, Alena McNamara, Anastasia Marie Salter. In 1967, The Outsiders was published. The YA genre was quickly off and running. Now, over thirty years later, YA is rapidly expanding again. Both adults and teenagers are reading it, and YA books pop up on every bestseller list. What happened then, and what's happening now that causes YA to grow so wildly?
- Sunday, 2:30-3:45 p.m. in Caucus: The Work of Kage Baker. Moderator: David J. Schwartz. Panelists: Gwenda Bond, Shira Lipkin, Margaret McBride, Gregory G.H. Rihn. Best known for her Company (Dr. Zeus Incorporated) series of mysterious, powerful, time–traveling operatives, Kage Baker's speculative fiction deftly ties history, fantasy and science with ribbons of adventure, romance, irony and keen cultural insight. She wanted more time to spend with us; let's spend some time with her life work.
Otherwise, I'll be findable in the usual haunts--the Small Beer table, the Governor's Club, following Ted Chiang to panels, etc. etc. See you there?
(OH, and if anyone has suggestions for smart stuff to say at the panels, especially the YA one, please to post in the comments or email.)
