Sunday, January 26, 2014

Boskone 2014 Schedule


Doriane (1926) Charles Gesmar
As promised, here's my finalized panel schedule for Boskone 2014 (February 14th-16th)!  I'm moderating three out of the five panels I'll be on, a prospect which I'm finding full of more terror than I probably should.

But if you want to drop by and say hello at the convention, here's where I'll be:

Exploring the Whedonverse
Friday 21:00 - 21:50
From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to the new "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," Joss Whedon has had a hand in some of the most significant genre television programming ever. How have Joss and his Whedonverse shaped TV (including shows he didn't actually develop) and affected the wider genre community? What is the Whedon Effect? What would primetime television be like if Buffy never came to Sunnydale, or _Serenity_ never lifted off? What was _Dollhouse_ all about?
Stephen P. Kelner (M), Dana Cameron, Nancy Holder, Gillian Daniels, Erin Underwood

Cinematic Landscapes
Saturday 14:00 - 14:50
How do art and cinema interact? What would _Lord of the Rings_ have been without its artistic landscapes? Would the film _28 Days Later_ have been so unsettling without its cinematic beauty? The panelists will discuss how art and landscapes interact to help convey the story of the film as well as to build tension, increase emotion, and leave a lasting image of the place in the minds of viewers.
Gillian Daniels (M) , Bob Eggleton, Greg Manchess, Frank Wu

Fun With Seriously Silly Poses
Saturday 19:00 - 19:50
Expect to emit great giggles at our group reenactments of scenes from SF/fantasy/horror cover art. Warning: high probability of awkward audience participation and pretty pathetic props.
Gillian Daniels (M), John Chu, Mur Lafferty, Jennifer Pelland, E. C. Ambrose

Against a Dark Background: Looking Back at Iain M. Banks
Sunday 12:00 - 12:50
Scottish novelist Iain M. Banks (1954-2013) wrote brilliantly for both SF and mainstream fans, and was named one of the top 50 authors in postwar Britain by _The Times_ of London. What do we make of his troubled viewpoint characters? His fondness for set pieces, rants, bleak smiles, and nasty shocks? His portrayals of sex, tech, morality, art, violence, and death? What sets his Jeeves-like Minds and drones apart from other writers' robots? Aren't his ship names just the coolest thing?
Bob Devney (M), Mark L. Olson, Vincent Docherty, Gillian Daniels, Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Who's in the Attic, What's in the Basement, and I Don't Know Is Under the Bed
Sunday 13:00 - 13:50
A panel discussion of the things that give us goose bumps, send chills down our spines, or otherwise scare the daylights out of us.
Gillian Daniels (M), Darrell Schweitzer, F. Brett Cox, Paul G. Tremblay, Max Gladstone