October 16, 2019
Can*Con 2019: Performances, Readings, D&D and more!
Can-Con is the best convention running north of [somewhere far south] right now, I’ll say it. I’ll stand by it, too. The concom’s goal for the last few years has been to build “Readercon North” with an emphasis on professional development for writers. If you’re starting to feel like the panels at your local conventions are a bit too 101, this is where you go for 201, 301, and graduate studies. I love it.
I’m heading up on the train Friday afternoon with half of Toronto, it looks like – are you on Train 42: Nerd Train to Somewhere? Get in touch! We have cookies! Not that I will be hard to find after that. I have a marathon schedule of readings, performances, panels, and more. PLEASE NOTE that I am not an introvert, so don’t take my busy schedule to mean I don’t want to have coffee with you. I love coffee! And people! I would love to see you.
Saturday!
First thing in the morning I will be having breakfast and coffees with folks – if you are a Codex member, check in to the forums! If you aren’t, see above about saying hi anyway.
My one (1) panel is at 1pm: Escaping Ageism in SFF. I am absolutely looking forward to discussion with these incredible people.
My Reading is at 4pm. This is a panel-style event where several writers will be reading “difficult passages” from their work and talking about the process of getting the hard parts down. Hopefully we’ll get some good discussion going and answer some questions about the trickier bits of the craft.
Then, at 6pm — D&D! This live game is counter-programmed against the Auroras, so if you are wondering what to do with yourself while others are at the fancy party, come watch us goof around in *looks at notes* a magical boarding school for adventurers? Anyway, I am super excited about this one.
Sunday!
I have the honour on Sunday of moderating one of Can-Con’s science track panels, this one on the depletion of water resources. One of the amazing things about Can-Con is the number of experts, scientists, policy-makers, and academics they recruit, and this year, they’ve put together a genuinely impressive track for them. I’m going to get up there with my sad little Resource Management BA and guide the brainiacs through an accessible but no doubt weighty conversation on the future of clean water in Canada and abroad.
PodCastle! Live! With Foley! Produced by KT Bryski, this will be a radio-play style performance of a HILARIOUS new work by Derek Kunsken, recorded live for PodCastle. The rest of us are actors in this comedy – I expect this to be a riot. There is a small amount of AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION. I do hope you will come.
Right, I have a panel to plan, some lines to memorize, a character’s props to gather, a reading to choose, and macarons to bake, so with no further ado – see you there!