On Tuesday the 28th of March at 6pm Eastern time, I’ll be part of a virtual panel called “Science Fiction and Fantasy: Genre and Community,” presented by Fordham University’s English Department. The panel includes Fordham folk — alums and faculty — who are in the field, including myself, Tor Books editor Claire Eddy, and fellow authors Andrew Dana Hudson, Paul Levinson, Jane Lindskold, and Gilbert Stack.
What is Science Fiction and Fantasy, as a genre and as a community? Come explore the complex interplay between the literature and the people with a panel of Fordham’s own SFF authors, faculty, and fans.
I will be one of the guests of honor at Zenkaikon 2023 this coming weekend at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I will have a table in the Exhibit Hall — I believe I will be at Table #14, between A Case of Random and DerpyCon — where I will have a mess of my books for sale, including all seven Precinct books, all three of my Supernatural novels, Alien: Isolation, Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours, Thor: Dueling with Giants, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness–The Beginning #1, A Furnace Sealed, All-the-Way House, Ragnarok and Roll, Without a License, Animal, a bunch of anthologies I’m in, including The Eye of Argon and the Further Adventures of Grignr the Barbarian, and many more besides!
I’ll also be doing some programming:
Friday
1-2pm: Opening Ceremonies (Freedom Hall A)
4.30-5.30pm: “Selfie Squares” w/Manly Battleships, Carolina Manga Library, and Uncle Yo (Freedom Hall A)
10-11pm: Guests Against Humanity! w/Bubblepop Entertainment and Carolina Manga (Freedom Hall A) — NOTE: this panel is 18+ and you must have an 18+ wristband from the con to enter the panel
midnight-2am: Eye of Argon Reading (Heritage A) — NOTE: this panel is 18+ and you must have an 18+ wristband from the con to enter the panel
Saturday
1.15-2.15pm: reading (Commonwealth 3)
4.45-5.45pm: “Writing in Other People’s Universes” (Commonwealth 1/2)
The latest in a seemingly never-ending series of “Battle of the Fictional Bands” panels on Dragon Con’s American Sci-Fi Classics Track has come and gone, but don’t worry if you missed it live last night, because it’s archived on the Tube of You!
This time, we specifically did solo acts: Rex Manning, Dazzler, Rowlf, Duke Silver, Lurleen Lumpkin, Mermeia Holographic Wow, Robin Sparkles, Parappa the Rapper, and ten more as they fight it out to see who is the best fictional solo act!
Check out me, Classics Track gurus Joe Crowe and Gary Mitchel, Gleaming the Tube‘s Kevin Cafferty, Popcycled Baubles’ Shaun Rosado, and the mighty mighty Sherman Burris, as we determine the winner and champion!
If you missed me, Hildy Silverman, and Gary Frank discussing the Star Trek-adjacent space operas The Orville and Galaxy Quest with host Russ Colchamiro on Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster last Wednesday, fear not! The discussion has been archived on the Tube of You for your listening (and viewing) pleasure! Check it out…..
Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster will be back for 2023 on Wednesday the 18th of January at 8pm Eastern time with a discussion of a couple of the Trekkiest non-Star Trek productions extant: the 1999 movie Galaxy Quest and the 2017-2022 TV show The Orville. The panel will include host Russ Colchamiro, fellow scribes Hildy Silverman and Gary Frank, and me! Should be a fun talk about Trek-inspired comedic space operas.
The event is free, but you have to register at this page on EventBrite to get the Zoom link for the live panel.
What is likely to be my last public appearance of 2022 will be as the Principal Speaker at Philcon 2022 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey from 18-20 November.
Philcon is one of the oldest science fiction conventions, having gotten its start in 1936 when nine fans (among them future publisher of DAW Books Donald A. Wollheim, super-fan David Kyle, and future author Frederik Pohl) gathered in Philadelphia. It was the first convention I attended as a professional in the field after I started working for the late Byron Preiss in 1993 (prior to that, I’d attended cons — including a couple of prior Philcons — either as a fan or as press as part of The Chronic Rift).
And this year, three decades after my first time at Philcon as part of the Rift crew, I’m the guest of honor! And I’ll be launching two books, Phoenix Precinct (the sixth novel in my fantasy/police procedure series) and The Eye of Argon and the Further Adventures of Grignr the Barbarian (in which I’ll have a story).
Here’s my schedule…
EDITED TO ADD: Now with fellow panelists!
Friday
9-10pm: The Eye of Argon: The Play, w/Michael A. Ventrella, Ian Randal Strock, Gregory Frost, Hildy Silverman, Peter Prellwitz, and Jean Marie Ward (Grand Ballroom)
Saturday
11am-noon: “Science Fiction/Mystery Crossovers,” w/Russ Colchamiro, Roberta Rogow, Storm Humbert, and Aaron Rosenberg (Plaza 4)
12-1pm: Tea with Keith R.A. DeCandido (con suite)
2-3pm: Principal Speaker: Keith R.A. DeCandido (Grand Ballroom) — I will probably do this as a Q&A…
5-6pm: “Revisiting Deep Space Nine: Still More to Talk About,” w/Susan Shwartz, Dan Persons, Russell J. Handelman, and Savan Gupta (Plaza 2)
8-10pm: eSpec Books Launch Party for Phoenix Precinct, Espirit de Corpse, and Yeti Left Home (con suite) — this is the official launch of the three books that were recently successfully crowdfunded, including my own Phoenix Precinct
Sunday
11am-noon: “Writing in Someone Else’s Universe,” w/Elektra Hammond, Susan Shwartz, Aaron Rosenberg, Robert E. Waters (Plaza 4)
12.30-1pm: reading (readings room) — I will be reading one of the many short stories I’ve had out this year; which one will be up to the audience
1-2pm: “Star Trek in 2022,” w/Matt Black, Jim Prego, Hildy Silverman, and Orenthal V. Hawkins (Plaza 5)
On those vanishingly rare occasions when I’m not programmed, I’ll be in the dealer’s room at the eSpec Books table selling and signing books.
I’ve updated my Dragon Con schedule to add a Saturday-at-10pm panel, as well as adding all my fellow panelists, so you can see who’ll be babbling with me on various panels.
From 26-28 August — which is this coming weekend! — I will be one of the Guests of Honor at Bubonicon 53 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I will be there alongside my fellow GoH Rae Carson, Toastmaster A. Lee Martinez, Guest Artist Chaz Kemp, Science Speaker Courtney Willis, PhD, as well as the following guests: Jeff Benham, Lou J. Berger, Craig A. Butler, Yvonne Coats, Stephen R. Donaldson, Sheila Finch, C.C. Finlay, Gordon Garb, Josh Gentry, Gail Gerstner-Miller, Loretta Hall, Reese Hogan, Betsy James, Darynda Jones, Carolyn Kay, Jeffe Kennedy, Jane Lindskold, Emily Mah, Christopher Marsh, George RR Martin (yes, really), Susan R. Matthews, Wil McCarthy, John Maddox Roberts, Joan S. Saberhagen, Jon Sanchez, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Jim Sorenson, Jeanne C. Stein, S.M. Stirling, David Lee Summers, John Sumrow, Lauren C. Teffeau, Ian Tregillis, Sarena Ulibarri, Robert E. Vardeman, Carrie Vaughn, Walter Jon Williams, and Connie Willis.
I will be doing panels and stuff, and also will have a table to sell stuff. (I assume said table is in the dealer room….) Here’s my schedule:
Friday
5-6pm: “It’s a Funny Story… Writing Humor,” w/Yvonne Coats, Darynda Jones, Emily Mah, and Connie Willis (Salon E)
6-6.30pm: opening ceremonies (Salon E)
Saturday
11am-noon: “50 Minutes with Keith R.A. DeCandido” (Cimarron/Las Cruces)
2-3pm: “Anthologies Assemble! More than Ever Before,” w/C.C. Finlay, Joan S. Saberhagen, Jeanne C. Stein, and Sarena Ulibarri (Salon E)
4.25-5.35pm: mass autographing session (Salon A-E)
7-9.30pm: “Costume Contest” — I’ll be one of the judges, alongside Joan S. Saberhagen & Jeanne C. Stein (Salon A-E)
Sunday
11am-12.30pm: “Co-Guests of Honor Presentation,” w/Rae Carson and A. Lee Martinez (Salon E)
3.30-4.30pm: “Once Upon a Time: The Modern Fairy Tale,” w/Chaz Kemp, A. Lee Martinez, Jeanne C. Stein, and Connie Willis (Salon E)
I will be back at Dragon Con over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta at the start of next month, and the programming folks have sent me my preliminary schedule.
I’m disappointed that DC won’t be requiring that all attendees be vaccinated — that should be SOP at every convention, and that it isn’t depresses the fuck out of me — but they are requiring that everyone be masked, which is acceptable.
Anyhow, this is a light schedule by my standards, as I “only” have 15 program items from the con, plus I’ll be putting in four autograph sessions at Bard’s Tower in the Vendor Hall.
Here’s where to find me. I will update this post once I get information like who else is on the panels with me……
EDITED TO ADD: The other panelists have been added, plus there’s an additional panel Saturday night at 10pm….
Thursday
10-11am: “Batman and X-Men: Best Superhero Cartoons Ever,” w/Michael Bailey, Joe Crowe, and Michael Williams (American Sci-Fi Classics Track, virtual panel)
8.30-9.30pm: “Classic Sci-Fi Movie Novelizations: The Dramatic Readings,” w/Darin M. Bush, John Hudgens, ToniAnn Marini, and James Palmer (American Sci-Fi Classics Track, Marriott M103-M105)
11.30am-12.30pm: “From Screen to Page: Writing Tie-in Novels,” w/Clay Griffith, Michael Haslip, Greg Keyes, John Jackson Miller, and Steve Saffel (Science Fiction Literature, Hyatt Embassy AB)
2.30-3.30pm: “Cage vs. Cage: The All-Nicolas Cage Cage Match,” w/Joe Crowe, ToniAnn Marini, and Will Price (American Sci-Fi Classics Track, Marriott M103-M105)
10-11pm: “Zombies vs. Aliens: Humans Strike Back!” w/David Petrie, Alison Sky Richards, and Marisa Wolf (Apocalypse Rising Track, Westin Chastain F-G)
Sunday
11.30am-12.30pm: “Batman: The Animated Series Bat-a-versary,” w/Michael Bailey, Mike Faber, and James Palmer (American Sci-Fi Classics Track, Marriott M103-M105)
4-5pm: autographing (Marriott International Hall South 1-3)
5.30-6.30pm: “The Canon of Doctor Who,” w/Robert Bowen, R. Alan Siler, Andy Teal, J.M. Tuffley, and Anthony Williams (Brit Track, Hilton Galleria 5)
Monday
10-11am: “Roll-a-Panel: Movies of 1982 and 1987,” w/John Hudgens, Stuart Jaffe, Gary Mitchel, Bill Mulligan, and William Joseph Roberts (American Sci-Fi Classics Track, Marriott M103-M105)
11.30am-12.30pm: “Shang-Chi: Ta Lo or Bust,” Jeff Burns, Mike Faber, Birmagidra Gainor, and Bethany Kesler (American Science Fiction TV & Film, Marriott M302-M303)
1-2pm: “Where Do You Get Your Ideas?” w/Cecilia Dominic, Anthony Francis, D.B. Jackson, Steve Saffel, and Kimbra Swain (Writing Track, Hyatt Embassy EF)
As I have been every year this millennium (whether it’s been in person or online), I will be at one of my absolute favorite cons, the Shore Leave convention at the Hunt Valley Inn in Cockeysville, Maryland (just north of Baltimore) as both an author guest and a musical guest. As the former, I’ll be doing panels and autographings and such like. As the latter, I’ll be doing two Boogie Knights concerts, one Saturday morning at 10am (NOTE: THIS IS NOT OUR USUAL 11AM SLOT, BUT INSTEAD WE’RE AN HOUR EARLY AT 10AM!!!!!), one Saturday night at masquerade halftime. This con, by the way, marks the BK’s 40th anniversary — the band debuted at Shore Leave 4 in 1982.
Here’s my whole schedule:
Friday
4-5pm: “The Latest and Greatest: Come Find Out What Our Authors Have Been Working On,” w/Christopher D. Abbott, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Christopher L. Bennett, Russ Colchamiro, Heather E. Hutsell, David Mack, Richard C. White, and Sherri Cook Woosley (Salon F)
8-9pm: “Kick-Ass Heroes Who Don’t Kick Ass,” w/Rigel Ailur, Christopher L. Bennett, Susan Olesen, and T.J. Perkins (Salon E)
10pm-midnight: Meet the Pros party, w/ALL THE AUTHORS! (Hunt/Valley corridor)
Saturday
10-11am: Boogie Knights concert (Valley) — PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SHOW IS AT 10AM AND NOT AT 11AM LIKE WE USUALLY ARE
1-2pm: self-defense workshop (Belmont)
4-5pm: “Anthologies Assemble,” w/Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, Mike McPhail, and Joshua Palmatier (Salon A)
5-6pm: “eSpec Books Presents,” w/Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Christopher L. Bennett, Russ Colchamiro, Mike McPhail, Aaron Rosenberg, Jenifer Purcell Rosenberg, and Hildy Silverman (Belmont)
Masquerade halftime (some time after 8.30pm): Boogie Knights concert (Valley)
Sunday
10-11am: “Writerly Accessories,” w/Greg Cox, David Mack, Christopher D. Ochs, and Scott Pearson (Belmont)
11am-noon: “Crowdfunding Your Novel,” w/some other people, I’m not sure who (Belmont)
1-2pm: “Let’s Make a Monster,” w/Andrew Hiller, Heather E. Hutsell, Hildy Silverman, and Dayton Ward (Belmont)
2-3pm: “Recurring Characters,” w/Russ Colchamiro, Michael Jan Friedman and Richard C. White (Belmont)
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