Worldcon planning post

[dolorosa_12]

Now that the programme is out, I thought it would be a good idea to organise a post for people to discuss their Worldcon plans.

I know a number of people here on Dreamwidth are going to Worldcon. I am too, along with my husband (who loves SFF books, TV, films and so on, but is not in fandom per se). I have spoken to a couple of you already about making plans to meet up, but I would love to see any Dreamwidth people who would like to meet up.

Other than the Hugo Awards ceremony on the Sunday night, and a couple of other events that I'm definitely planning on attending, I've got pretty flexible plans. I'm happy to go to panels or events with you if they sound like something I'd be interested in, or I'm planning to attend them already, I'm happy to meet up in or around the convention centre or one of the hotel bars for coffee or a drink, or I'm happy to meet up in some other context that you can think of.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

We're not going to be completely joined at the hip, but I may or may not have my husband Matthias with me during certain panels if they're things he's also interested in;

I drink alcohol, so am happy to be included in meet-ups that involve alcohol, but if you don't drink or don't want to be in a bar/around people who are drinking, I am perfectly happy to meet up in a context where this won't happen (and obviously no need to explain your reasons for not drinking -- just suggest meeting for coffee/tea/etc);

I get really stressed if I think I'm going to be late for something, so I'd prefer not to arrange to meet you prior to an event if I'm going to be rushing there to another panel/signing/reading. I'm not doing any back-to-back events for this reason.

So with that in mind, who wants to catch up during Worldcon? Matthias and I get there on the Wednesday morning, and will be there until the Monday evening. It's likely I'm going to be going into central Dublin to meet up with a couple of Irish friends (who aren't attending Worldcon), so I'm not sure if I'll be free on Wednesday night, but other than that, and the specific events I'm planning to attend (which I will put behind a cut below and edit as I make decisions about what to attend), my time is pretty free!


Events in italics I will definitely be attending, events in plain text are things I'm still weighing up.

Wednesday 14th

Arriving in Dublin. Will probably spend the afternoon doing registration stuff and getting a feel for the convention space so I don't have to do so on Thursday. In the evening Matthias and I will be meeting up with some of our Irish friends who aren't attending the con.

Thursday 15th

9.30-10.30am: meeting a friend for coffee

11am: Invasion and the Irish Imagination (how could I pass up attending a panel on Lebor Gabála Érenn, which is one of the texts I wrote my PhD on?)

1pm: Reading by Jo Walton

2pm: Dragons and debutantes: fantasy set in the Regency (or Aliette de Bodard reading. I haven't figured this slot out yet)

2.30pm: Sarah Rees Brennan reading

4pm: Reviewing books, art and media

5pm: Kaffeeklatsch with Ada Palmer (this is very dependent on being able to sign up, as there are very limited spaces in all the kaffeeklatsches)

7pm: Ada Palmer reading

Friday 16th

12pm: Kate Elliott reading

1.30pm: Vikings panel

3pm: Fountain pen meetup

4pm: YA fiction: literary gateway or lifestyle choice? OR 4.30pm: Hugo finalists discussion: Best Novel

5pm: Grappling with the post-colonial in SFF

9pm: Why is it always raining in Gotham? Noir themes in SF

10pm: Not beyond Tolkien (these last two will really depend on my energy levels)

Saturday 17th

10am: Misconceptions in medieval history

12pm: Invisible work: mothers and caregivers in SFF

1pm: Muslim SFF OR 1.30pm: Re-imagining national epics

2.30pm: mythological science fiction OR kaffeeklatsch: Kate Elliott (dependent on spaces available)

5pm: What fanfiction can teach genre writers

6pm: How not to make feudal mistakes

8pm: Authors and social media: friends or foes?

10pm: John Scalzi's 'dance across the decades' (Matthias and I love dancing to cheesy music, so this one is non-negotiable. Not sure I'll last until 1am though)

Sunday 18th

11am: Fantasy: beyond Europe

[Some autograph sessions if possible]

2pm: How national identity is portrayed in SSF OR Things that SFF writers often get wrong: logistics

3pm: How pop culture portrays genius

4pm: Kaffeeklatsch with Amal El-Mohtar

6pm: Ensembles in YA

8pm: The Hugo Awards Ceremony (this one is definite, and I'll likely be queuing early to make sure I can get in)

Monday 19th

11am: Breaking the Glass Slipper podcast live recording

12.30am: Jeannette Ng reading






What looks good on the programme? What are you most looking forward to seeing/doing? If you want to meet up, let me know. If you don't want to discuss your plans in public, but would still like to doing something with me at Worldcon, please send me a DM on Dreamwidth and we can arrange things there.

Comments

[forestofglory]

I'm not going but I hope you have fabulous time!

[dolorosa_12]

Thank you! And belated birthday wishes for a few days ago. I look forward to going through the recs post you made soon, and finding some great things to read!

I'll be there

[ng_moonmoth]

I made a quick pass through the schedule -- enough to get an idea of what I might wind up at, in addition to the Saturday and Sunday main events. As usual, I'll likely be making it up as I go along, but places you're likely to find me look roughly like:

A few panels on aspects of music that I am particularly interested in;
A handful of panels with themes related to gender and sexuality;
The three or four panels with Charlie Stross on them (he's a personal favorite);
Filk concert performances by friends;
Filk concert performances by people I haven't or seldom heard.

Places you'll definitely find me:

Trans/nonbinary meetup;
Stitch 'n Bitch;
The filk room, most nights, most of the time.

I'll be packing a tablet, so will be able to respond to PMs should we decide to arrange a meetup. Will eventually have a mobile number, but only after I get there from the US and purchase a SIM card for my Europhone.

Please drop me a PM if you'd like to work something out.

Re: I'll be there

[dolorosa_12]

I'm still in the process of going through the programme, but it looks as if I'll be spoiled for choice! I'd definitely like to meet up, and will get in touch when I'm back from travelling and the family event I'm at, which will the end of next week.

Re: I'll be there

[ng_moonmoth]

Great! I'll be in Ireland then, but will PM you my mobile number so you can text me when the occasion arises.

[schneefink]

I'd love to meet up! I just spontaneously decided to go yesterday and I have no idea about panels yet (or even where I'll be staying >.<) but I'll be pretty flexible. I'll let you know about plans once I've looked at the programme in more detail.

[dolorosa_12]

Wonderful! I'd love to meet up. I'm currently travelling for a family event, but I'll get in touch at the end of next week when I'm back, and we can arrange something. That way we'll both have had more of a chance to go through the programme.

[auroracloud]

I'm going! But it'll probably be a few days yet before I've pieced together a reasonable programme from all of the schedule, and even then it's subject to change, because it's hard to know in advance how much I have energy for. However, if it works out, I'd be happy to meet up for a tea or lunch or queuing together or whatever works. I'd rather share my schedule via non-public channels, though. But I presume I'll be there for at least a part of each day. :-)

[dolorosa_12]

Wonderful! I would definitely like to meet up!

I'm finalising the panels/events I'd definitely like to attend, and will be updating this post accordingly. Once that's done, I'll drop you a message via Dreamwidth and if there are any you're also attending, feel free to come along with me, or if you see any large gaps of time in my planned schedule that match times when you'll be free, let me know and we can meet for a coffee/tea/meal.