Boskone 57!

What are you doing during Boskone 2020? Hopefully coming by to say hello!

FEBRUARY 14-16, 2020

GUEST OF HONOR: Kim Stanley Robinson
YOUNG ADULT FICTION GUEST: Holly Black
OFFICIAL ARTIST: Eric Wilkerson
MUSICAL GUEST: Cheshire Moon
HAL CLEMENT SCIENCE SPEAKER: Jon Singer
NESFA PRESS GUEST: Jim Burns
(I'm not hyperventilating over the guest list, what are you talking about, don't make accusations at me.)

Here's my schedule for the convention! Any and all changes will be made here.

From Anime to Live Action
Marina 4, Friday, Feb 14 04:00 PM to 04:50 PM (50 minutes)

There's a long history of anime titles being reimagined as live-action films. With the increased availability of CGI technology, this trend has recently picked up considerably. How well do the remakes of iconic anime features such as Attack on Titan, Battle Angel Alita, Dragonball, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, etc., represent their originals? Do they work as stand-alones? Where do they fail to meet expectations, or surpass the original? How well can live actors dramatize anime toons — especially the nonhuman characters?


Living With Disability in a Speculative World
Marina 2, Friday Feb 14 07:00 PM to 07:50 PM (50 minutes)

Navigating the real world, even with all our modern amenities, is still no easy thing. But imagine yourself trying to escape a djinn in the desert, pickaxing rocks in an alien mining colony, or slaving at the hearth in an elven lord's kitchen — all while disabled. The body is as frail as it is strong, and disabilities change the way a person is seen by and interacts with others in their environment. Our panelists talk candidly about disabilities (seen and unseen) and their effect physically, socially, and psychologically within various speculative story worlds.


Great LGBTQ+ Characters in Speculative Fiction
Marina 3, Sunday, Feb 16 11:00 AM to 11:50 AM (50 minutes)

Let’s consider some vivid examples — from Le Guin’s Estraven and Kushner’s Richard St Vier to TV’s Captain Jack, Carey’s Phedra, and Muir’s Gideon. Looking at these and other portraits: Who feels the most real? Who are our favorites? Is progress measured by how much their sexuality/gender is a character detail, not a big deal? What are we (still) waiting for?


Audiobooks for Kids and Teens
Griffin, Sunday, Feb 16 02:00 PM to 02:50 PM (50 minutes)

Audiobooks are a great way to experience fiction. Let’s talk about how they change the dynamic between younger readers and books. How can they be used to inspire reluctant readers? Are there any downsides? What are some “must-hear” audiobooks for kids and teens? And which narrators are especially good at creating engaging narrative voices and compelling atmospheres beyond the page?

Arisia 2020 Schedule!

Later this month, January 17-20th, it's Arisia 2020! Once again, they have been kind (or foolhardy) enough to put me on panels!


Whips, chains, & capes: Superheroes & Kink (Otis) (Comics) Panel Fri 11:30 PM
Everyone knows that superheroes routinely save the world while dressed in skin tight clothes that leave nothing to the imagination. They pummel the bad guys and posture for each other in ways that suggest there’s more to what they do than serving justice.
 
How to Be A Good Fan of Problematic Things (Marina 3) (Fan Interest) Panel Sat 10:00 AM
From NFL football to Kevin Spacey movies to Heinlein novels, our fandoms are rife with things that can be validly critiqued. How can we continue to like things, even passionately, while acknowledging flaws? How do we respond to valid critiques versus outright attacks on the fandom? How are these issues different when a problematic creator is no longer alive? Does the taint stay with a fandom forever?

Catalyze Short Play Readings (Grand Ballroom CD) (Theater Performance) Sat 2:00 PM
A selection of short science fiction plays from local playwriting collaborative Catalyze!

The Ethics of Writing Speculative Fiction (Douglas) (Writing) Panel Sun 10:00 AM
In an online article for Bustle, writer JR Thorpe describes speculative fiction as helping thinking people be more ethical. How can writers grapple with challenging dilemma and real-world problems through fiction? This panel will examine the use and misuse of speculative fiction to confront thorny ethical problems.

The Resurgence of Horror Fiction (Marina 1) (Literature) Panel Sun 4:00 PM
Horror has always been a somewhat disdained genre, even more so than SF. But in recent years it’s growing in popularity and sophistication, with publishers like Tom Doherty launching new horror imprints. But like other genres, horror is defined by specific conventions, themes and tropes. Is some horror fiction regressive (especially concerning women) or transgressive? Do horror tropes reinforce stereotypes or force us to face our fears and weaknesses?

Bringing Horror into Other Genres (Otis) (Writing) Panel Sun 7:00 PM
Increasingly, stories and writing borrow elements and tropes from different genres, including horror. What elements of horror can be brought into other genres? Other than simply ‘scaring the reader,’ what is the purpose of such cross-pollination? Can the tropes and devices of horror fiction be used for surprising effects?

Relativism and the Superhero (Otis) (Comics) Panel Mon 1:00 PM
The last three decades have seen heroes and villains become more complicated as the old stories of black and white morality turn to gray. The motivations behind the characters can make for interesting stories, but has the blurring of the moral lines gone too far? Join our panelists as they attempt to sort out the good, the bad and the morally ambiguous.

2019 Writing Recap

StraAinsel
A short story in The Dawnline: Feral States, additional material for the post-apocalyptic vampire nomad game that was fully fully funded through Kickstarter in October 2018 with Voidspiral Entertainment! After I sold my short story, Older Sister, to them as bonus content for their succesful campaign, I sent in a follow-up that appeared this year in Feral States.
Brigid Was Hung By Her Hair from the Second Story Window
A short story about immigration, goddesses, and songs published in The Dark Magazine, September 2019. It earned me some kind reviews!

Eat the Children and Other Poems of Monsters
An illustrated collection of my previously published fantasy and horror poetry!
How to Repair Creation: Despair and Activism
Diary comics around the idea of performing "tikkun olam," acts that better or repair the world.

Undertow: Grief for a Changing World
Diary comics about anxiety and climate change.

Enjoy, y'all!

Buhler Fritz Zuber "Distant Thoughts"

Straight from my Patreon, here's a list of what I've published this year that is available for your consumption:

"Ainsel" - A short story in The Dawnline: Feral States, additional material for the post-apocalyptic vampire nomad game that was fully fully funded through Kickstarter in October 2018 with Voidspiral Entertainment! After I sold my short story, Older Sister, to them as bonus content for their succesful campaign, I sent in a follow-up that appeared this year in Feral States.

"Brigid Was Hung By Her Hair from the Second Story Window" - A short story about immigration, goddesses, and songs published in The Dark Magazine, September 2019. It earned me some very kind reviews!

Eat the Children and Other Poems of Monsters - An illustrated collection of my previously published fantasy and horror poetry!

How to Repair Creation: Despair and Activism - Diary comics around the idea of performing "tikkun olam," acts that better or repair the world.

Undertow: Grief for a Changing World - Diary comics about anxiety and climate change.

Outside of publications, I've been doing a good chunk of writing. I did some daily writing challenges for Lent, Camp NaNoWriMo, and regular NaNoWriMo with mixed success, but words did, indeed, happen.

I did two revisions of my decopunk robot thriller novel, A Girl Named Doe, and am currently working on the third revision (draft 4). It's at about 82K at the moment!

You can also see the short plays I wrote with the Catalyze Playwrighting Group this year, The Widows Parkman and Webster and Real-Ass Space Explorers.

Overall, I sent out 45 poetry, short story, and novel query submissions, which translated to 34 rejections, 2 acceptances, and 9 pending responses! For contrast, I sent out 73 submissions in 2018 and got 1 acceptance. So...improvement! Hurray!