Capclave online convention

While I don’t normally attend a lot of conventions, one that Jim and I have gone to faithfully for the last few years is Capclave, which takes place around this time in the Washington DC area. We like it because it’s a nice-sized, intimate con where we can hang out with lots of friends (including some close friends in the area with whom we love to spend time with).

Like most events, Capclave is not happening in person this year. It’s an especial pity because this year they were going to feature Guests of Honor from previous Capclaves, which I was looking forward to. However, there will be a virtual version October 17-18, and I will be participating, both as a panelist and as a reader. So if you’d like to zoom out (instead of hang out, I guess) with me, here is my schedule for that weekend. I’d love to see you.

Saturday 4:30 pm: Centennial Superstars (Ends at: 5:25 pm) Participants:Walter H. Hunt, Barbara Krasnoff (M), Ian Randal Strock Bradbury, Asimov & Sturgeon were all born 100 years ago. How did they impact the genre of speculative fiction, either directly or indirectly? Are they still readable today, or outdated? Which of their works still deserve to be remembered? What can today’s readers and writers learn from them?

Saturday 7:30 pm: Kaffeeklatsch (Ends at: 8:25 pm) A small-group discussion on anything of interest. Limited spaces, advanced sign-up required.

Saturday 10:30 pm: I Hate Myself for Loving You (Ends at: 11:25 pm) Participants:Day Al-Mohamed, Jim Freund, Barbara Krasnoff (M) Guilty pleasures and secret fandoms. Why are we ashamed to admit we like something if we truly enjoy it? Considering how we feel when non-fans mock us for reading/watching “that Trek Wars stuff” why do we do it to ourselves? Is there a status hierarchy among fans and who is at the bottom and the top?

Sunday 11:00 am: Author Reading (Ends at: 11:25 am) I haven’t picked a short story to read yet…

My Schedule at Readercon

The folks at Readercon have given out the schedules for all the participants, and so I thought I’d quickly post mine (which I’m very pleased with — thank you, Readercon people!). I’m very much looking forward to seeing all my friends there again this year.

Friday

Kaffeeklatsches: Jim Freund, Barbara Krasnoff
4:00 PM, Concierge Lounge
Jim and I will be having a Kaffeeklatsche together! That’s going to be interesting especially since it will be my first. (I wonder if they put us together because of that article that Elizabeth Crowens wrote about us in Black Gate?!?)

Autographs: Anna Kashina, Barbara Krasnoff
6:00 PM, Autograph Table
This is also my first time at an autograph table, because I will actually have a book of my own to autograph — and with any luck, you’ll be able to buy one there (assuming you haven’t bought one already…).

The Etiquette of Criticism
John Clute, Lila Garrott, Barbara Krasnoff (mod), John Langan, Arkady Martine
8:00 PM, Salon B
In 1938, critic Cyril Connolly advised writers to listen for “the critic’s truth sharpened by envy, the embarrassed praise of a sincere friend, the silence of gifted contemporaries.” How does etiquette influence criticism, and conversations among critics about criticism? How does the critic’s place within (or outside of) the field or community influence their criticism and how it’s received? This panel will tackle these and other thorny questions of critical etiquette.

Saturday

Group Reading: Tabula Rasa
Sally Wiener Grotta, Randee Dawn, Barbara Krasnoff, Terence Taylor
Sat 12:00 PM, Salon C
These are members of my New York–based writers group, and we’ll all be happy to see you.

Reading: Barbara Krasnoff
2:30 PM, Sylvanus Thayer
I’ll be reading a story from The History of Soul 2065. Haven’t decided which one yet…

Sunday

Graybeards Beyond Gandalf
John Clute, Elizabeth Hand (mod), Anna Kashina, Barbara Krasnoff, Robert V. S. Redick
11:00 AM, Salon A
Relatively few stories have protagonists much older than the target audience, and the traits commonly associated with heroism aren’t often associated with age. Yet in speculative fiction there are all manner of ways to break the link between age and infirmity, or to defy or redefine the concept of aging. Panelists will explore the potential of elderly protagonists.

A giveaway, an interview, and a convention

I promise that I will soon write up the second of my backgrounders for the stories in The History of Soul 2065, but right now, I have some more newsy items to report.

• First, I’m having a book giveaway! Mythic Delirium, the publisher, has sponsored a giveaway on GoodReads for the Kindle version of The History of Soul 2065, which starts today — so go sign up! (Or, if you want, you can always buy the book — it’s in pre-sales right now.)
• I’ve had my first interview as a writer! Well, as a couple anyway — Jim Freund and I were interviewed by Elizabeth Crowens and are now featured in an article about power couples in speculative fiction at Black Gate. It’s a fun article — we talk about how we met online on the old BBS system, how we got involved with spec fic, and who some of our favorite writers are, among other things.
• I attended Balticon last weekend, and while I unfortunately had to leave early, I was part of some really good panels on Saturday. At one, Gender in Genre, I promised to distribute a list of some of the great books that were mentioned during the panel, and still intend to do that in the near future.

Be back soon! I promise!

This weekend: Balticon

I know I promised to start talking about the background behind some of my stories, but it’s going to be a busy weekend, so I thought I’d first let people know that I’m going to be at Balticon.

This is going to be my first Balticon, and I’m really looking forward to it. Not only because it sounds like a lot of fun, but because it’s happening about the time I’m also looking forward to two publications: my upcoming mosaic novel The History of Soul 2065, and my story “Blaming Caine,” which just came out in Chuck Gannon’s anthology Lost Signals of the Terran Republic.

I’m going to be participating in several panels, doing a reading, and hanging out with friends. If you’d like to sit in on some of them (or just come by to say hi), here’s my schedule:

Saturday, May 25

How to be a Good Moderator
Room 8006, 11am – 11:55am
Barbara Krasnoff (moderator), D.H. Aire, Jennifer R. Povey, Jazmine Cosplays, Grig Larson
Moderating a discussion panel at a convention is both easier and harder than it looks. Experienced moderators share their tips for keeping order, steering the discussion, and fixing it when things go wrong.

Gender in Genre
Room 8006, 6pm – 6:55pm
Barbara Krasnoff (moderator), K.M. Szpara, Jo Miles, Jazmine Cosplays, Rosemary Claire Smith
The presentation of gender roles in genre fiction has evolved drastically over the last century. While we may think of scifi as behind ahead of the curve with regards to social development, that’s not always the case. How have societal expectations of gender been reflected in genre works and who’s exploring new ground today?

Weird Tales and the Problematic
Mount Washington, 9pm – 9:55pm
John Robison (moderator), Lisa Padol, Scott Roche, Ruthanna Emrys, L. Marie Wood, Barbara Krasnoff
Lovecraft, Howard, Lord Dunsany, Poe, and other authors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries have had a formative effect on the genres of sci-fi and fantasy. Their depictions of sex, gender, race, and class that disturb many in the 21st Century, but not in the way the authors intended. Recently there have been calls to end using their materials, particularly Lovecraft. Should we abandon these stories and forms, or should we try and reappropriate the themes into our more diverse world?

Sunday, May 26

Class Structure in SF and Fantasy
Kent, 12pm – 12:55pm
Barbara Krasnoff (moderator), Lauren Harris, Sarah Avery, Ted Weber, Don Sakers
An invented society offers unique possibilities to examine our own. How would access to magic or powerful technology, or even a different path through history, alter larger communities? What fictional class systems have been too fantastical, and which have been depressingly close to reality?

Social Anxiety and the Modern Fan
Room 6017, 2pm – 2:55pm
Barbara Krasnoff (moderator), Dame Dahlia, Sara Testarossa, Fred G. Yost
How do fans who are introverts or have social anxiety deal with conventions and other fan gatherings?

Readings: Avery, Doyle, Krasnoff
St. George, 6pm – 6:55pm
Tom Doyle, Sarah Avery, Barbara Krasnoff
Authors Sarah Avery, Tom Doyle, and Barbara Krasnoff read from their works.

Next week: The Heliosphere con

Heliosphere is a nice local con that Jim and I have gone to for the past couple of years and enjoyed — and we’re going again this year. If you’re in the NYC / Westchester area on the weekend of April 5-7 and would like to spend a weekend with some science fiction / fantasy fans in Tarrytown, NY, then come over and say hi.

The con starts Friday evening; we’ll be there Saturday and Sunday. Here’s my schedule:

Saturday, April 6th

11: 30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
The Anniversary Year Panel
Ballroom 1
W/Darrell Schweitzer, Barbara Krasnoff (M), Keith R.A. DeCandido, Ken Gale, Daniel Kimmel
Come and discuss all the movies, books, series, etc. which are enjoying a major (or minor) anniversary this year.

Readings
5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Ballroom 4
W/Lorraine Schein, Alex Shvartsman, C.S.E. Cooney, Barbara Krasnoff

Sunday, April 7th

11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Can You Succeed As A Writer If You’re A Recluse?
Ballroom 1
W / April Grey, Barbara Krasnoff, Mike McPhail, Russ Colchamiro

Capclave is next weekend!

I haven’t attended too many conventions this year, but I (and Jim, of course) will be at Capclave, a small but very nice SF literary con with a slight tilt toward short fiction that will take place at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville  starting this coming Friday, September 28th. We’ve enjoyed Capclave for several years, sometimes doing the tourist thing beforehand (this is in the D.C. area, after all!), sometimes just hanging out at the con and seeing friends. This year, the guests of honor are Nancy Kress and Alyssa Wong, two very worthy honoree

If you’re planning to be at the con (or in the area), and would like to know where I’ll be, here’s my schedule thus far:

Friday
6:30 pm in Lincoln room:
Reading
Haven’t decided what I’m going to read yet… Either a recently written story or one from The History of Soul 2065.

8:00 pm in Jackson room
Age issues in SF lit & fandom: Reality or perception? 
Panelist:Stafford Battle, Jim Freund, Inge Heyer, Barbara Krasnoff (M)
Is fandom really greying? There seems to be plenty of opportunity for new authors, but is it primarily in small press or online venues, as opposed to traditional publishing? What about how older characters are written?

9:00 pm in Eisenhower Room
Dealing With Rejection 
Panelists:Neil Clarke, Scott Edelman, Barbara Krasnoff (M), Michael A. Ventrella
Everyone in the field has to deal with rejection at some point. Panelists will talk about how they handle rejection, and in the case of editors, panelists will offer suggestions on how NOT to handle rejection

Saturday
12:00 pm in Monroe room
Overcoming Assumptions
Panelist:Barbara Krasnoff, LH Moore, Kathryn Morrow (M)
Expectations are created based on gender, race, sexuality, disability, etc. How do we move past those assumptions?

Hope to see you there!

I’ve got my Readercon schedule!

A few weeks ago, for few short days, I thought I might have to miss Readercon this year. I’m pleased to report that, as it turned out, Jim and I will be driving up Friday morning in time to catch the Friday evening panels, and will be staying through the rest of the con. (All my friends who will be having panels and/or readings Thursday or Friday — sorry!)

Besides attending as many panels and readings as I can possibly fit in, I will be moderating two really great-sounding panels, taking part in two group readings, and doing a half-hour reading on Sunday morning.

Here’s my schedule. See you there!

FRIDAY

7 p.m.
Salon C
The Works of E. Nesbit
Greer Gilman,  Barbara Krasnoff (M), John Langan, Henry Wessells, The joey Zone
E. Nesbit (1858–1924) was a giant of children’s literature. She was the first modern writer of literature for children, writing or collaborating on over 60 books, and was the most influential author on the genre in the 20th century. The Story of the Treasure Seekers, Five Children and It, The Enchanted Castle, The House of Arden, and her many other fantastical works for children are still read and loved today. Nesbit also wrote romance novels, a fantasy (Dormant), and an underrated and overlooked set of horror stories. She was a writer of great range and inventiveness, and a witty and intelligent stylist. Please join us in celebrating her life and work.

9 p.m.
Blue Hills
Radical Elders
Elizabeth Hand, James Patrick Kelly, Rosemary Kirstein, Barbara Krasnoff (M), Sabrina Vourvoulias
On the page, as in GOH Nisi Shawl’s Everfair, and in real life, as in the careers of authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, elders are speaking their minds and upsetting the status quo. How can age intersect with radicalism and pioneering thought? How is the cognitive estrangement of aging relevant to speculative fiction and fannish communities, and what’s the best way of acknowledging that relevance?

SATURDAY

11:00 a.m.
Salon A
Group Reading: Tabula Rasa
Randee Dawn, Sally Wiener Grotta, Barbara Krasnoff, Terence Taylor
Tabula Rasa is a Brooklyn-based writers group

2 p.m.
Salon A
Group Reading: Kaleidocast
Mike Allen, Marcy Arlin, Rob Cameron, S.A. Chakraborty, Phenderson Djèlí Clark, Danielle Friedman, Carlos Hernandez, Barbara Krasnoff, Brad Parks, Jessica Plumbley, Ted Rabinowitz, David Mercurio Rivera, Eric Rosenfield, Sam Schreiber, Michael Wells, Zak Zyz
Authors featured on season two of the Kaleidocast podcast read from
their latest work

SUNDAY

10 a.m.
Salon B
Reading: Barbara Krasnoff
(I hope to read one of the unpublished short stories that will appear next year in my mosaic novel/collection The History of Soul 2065.)

Heliosphere this weekend

A last minute blog post (because I’ve been so awful at keeping this site up to date): The Heliosphere SF convention in Tarrytown, NY, takes place this weekend, March 9-11, and Jim & I will be there.

Heliosphere is a small, developing con, so it’s more laid-back and less formal than larger, more established cons — which is not a bad thing. We’ll be arriving Saturday morning and will stay through to Sunday, and both of us have a variety of panels.

Here’s my schedule (it’s all on Saturday) — come on by and say hello.

Dealing with Rejection as a New (or Even Old) Writer
Are you a new writer? Depressed at getting rejections? Well, so are we all. Experienced writers talk about how to deal with those nobody-loves-my-work blues.
Panelists: Barbara Krasnoff, Keith R.A. DeCandido, John Grant, Mark Oshiro, Ian Randal Strock, April Grey
LOCATION: Ballroom 4
DATE: March 10, 2018
TIME: 11:30 am – 12:45 pm

Readings
Readers: Barbara Krasnoff, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Elektra Hammond, Teel James Glenn
LOCATION: Ballroom 2
DATE: March 10, 2018
TIME: 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm

Re-examining Childhood Favorites Through Adult Eyes
Should I re-read that novel that I loved when I was a kid, but that I now suspect was actually racist/sexist/just plain lousy?
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Darrell Schwietzer, Barbara Krasnoff, R. Rozakis
LOCATION: Ballroom 4
DATE: March 10, 2018
TIME: 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm

My Readercon schedule

Readercon is nearly here! This very literate SF con, which I haven’t missed in many years, is running from Thursday, July 13th, through the following Sunday, July 16. I’m very much looking forward to seeing a lot of new and old friends there. Here’s my schedule:

Friday
6 pm
Higher, Higher, Flight in Fiction
BH
Susan Bigelow, Lorrie Kim, Barbara Krasnoff (moderator), Nnedi Okorafor, Ann Tonsor Zeddies
From Greek myths to superheroes, humans have been captivated by the dream of flight. What about the concept is so appealing? Why has it appeared time and time again in science fiction and fantasy genres? Panelists will discuss how recent fiction has revisited the human obsession with flight, and where it might go next.

Saturday
11 am
Tabula Rasa Group Reading
Room A
Barbara Krasnoff, Randee Dawn, Sally Wiener Grotta, Terence Taylor, Scott Lee Williams, Justin Keyes
A very quick taste of the folks who are part of Tabula Rasa, a NYC-based writers group. We’re a very varied collection of writers, so come and enjoy!

2 pm
The Life Cycle of Political SF
Room 5
Dennis Danvers, Alex Jablokow, Barbara Krasnoff (moderator), Sabrina Vourvoulias, T. X. Watson
SF writers have often written deeply political books and stories; some stand the test of time, while others become dated very quickly. John Brunner’s Stand on Zanzibar, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Joanna Russ’s The Female Man, and Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The New Atlantis,” to name just a few, directly addressed major issues of their day and are still relevant now—but differently. What affects how political SF ages and is read decades after its publication? What are today’s explicitly political books, and how do we expect them to resonate decades in the future?

Getting up to date

Greetings all!

It’s been a while since I actually updated this website, and a lot has happened — and is happening. So I thought I’d do a quick rundown of recent and upcoming activities:

• The Nebula Awards weekend has just ended, and it was a wonderful and inspiring experience. I got to meet and talk to a lot of friends (and writers whom I greatly admire) and sat next to 2017 SFWA Grand Master Jane Yolen, which was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend — she is not only a wonderful writer, but an incredibly nice person. Once again, I would like to congratulate all the Nebula Award winners, and express my thanks for being one of this year’s finalists.
• There was a large layoff at IDG last Tuesday, May 16th, and unfortunately I was one of those affected. So I am now an ex-Computerworld reviews editor.  I’m going to be looking for freelance and/or full-time editorial work. This is the first day I’m actually dealing with it — I left for the Nebula Awards weekend the day after the layoff — so I’ve got a long list of people to contact and things to do. Thanks to everyone who has offered info and advice thus far.
• I’ll be reading this Sunday at the Queens Book Festival with Jennifer Marie Brissett, hosted by Jim Freund. It will be at 4 pm on the Resorts Fall Plaza stage. Come on by if you’re free.