New Year Fortunes and Arisia Schedule 2016

For New Years Eve, I watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens and enjoyed reading Tarot cards with friends. I'm hoping to start things off right.

Also, the Arisia schedule is up for 2016! Hurray!

Here are the panels I'm on. Hope to see you there!

Supergods: Superheroes as Modern Pantheon Alcott (Comics) Fri 8:30 PM
Description Superheroes come from the sky, with impossible powers and indelible promises. They show us the light in our darkest moments, and remind us of how we would prefer to be treated. Is it so wrong to imagine them as Gods? In this panel, we'll explore the idea of the Superhero as a modern interpretation of deities.
Mehitbel Glenhaber, Ed Fuqua, Joey Peters, Alex Jarvis (m)

Steven Universe: We'll Always Find a Way Burroughs (Media) Sun 11:30 AM
Description Rebecca Sugar's STEVEN UNIVERSE has been a breakout hit for Cartoon Network. The first series on the network created by a woman, it tells powerful, funny, and moving stories in tiny doses, and has dealt uncompromisingly with issues around gender, childhood, and family in ways both unexpected and delightful. It's also telling a great long-form adventure story. We'll talk about all elements of this show in a panel that, like the show itself, will appeal to fans of all ages.
Max Gladstone, Cody Mattes, Juliet Kahn, Cassandra Lease (m)

Marvel Cinematic and TV Universe, 2016 Edition Marina 3 (Media) Sun 1:00 PM
Description The last year has seen two movies (AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON and ANT-MAN), and seasons of four TV series (AGENTS OF SHIELD, AGENT CARTER, DAREDEVIL, and JESSICA JONES). What's the current state of the MCU? How is progressing creatively? Is it still cohesive? Do all of the shows and movies still work well together, or are there cracks starting to show where things are being forced? We'll have our annual review of all that's good and in need of improvement, as well as looking ahead to 2016's movies.
Sarah Weintraub, Gordon Linzner, Ed Fuqua, Bob Chipman (m)

Speculative Poetry is Awesome Marina 2 (Literature) Mon 11:30 AM
Description Over the past decade, speculative poetry has increasingly turned toward the mythic, personal, and powerful in subject matter, with venues such as Strange Horizons, Mythic Delirium, Stone Telling, and Liminality showcasing a new generation of poets who’ve redefined what this type of writing can do. Come discuss what's new and wonderful in the world of speculative poetry!
Shira Lipkin, A.J. Odasso, Julia Rios (m), MJ Cunniff

Gravity Falls Marina 4 (Media) Mon 1:00 PM
Description Over the last two years, *Gravity Falls* has moved beyond its initial goof setup and developed an incredibly layered mythology, all while still providing some emotional character development and a pair of genuinely loving siblings whose differences help the plot. Now that the mysteries and threats have increased, how is the show holding up? We'll discuss our favorite fan theories, the end-of-episode codes, and more.
James Hailer (m), David G. Shaw, A.J. Odasso, Trisha Wooldridge

Welcome to 2014: And Now, the Weather.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) Caspar David Friedrich

Days after the New Year, I received an official acceptance from Strange Horizons.

One of my poems will be featured in an issue in the coming months. I'm deeply, happily excited. I've admired the work they've put out there for a long time. They're a prime example of an online publication. I'm very honored to be a part of it.

Speaking of publications that are an honor to be a part of, the last issue of Electric Velocipede is now online in its entirety. I think it's been given a wonderful send off. 

Go give it a look if you haven't already.

***

Next weekend, I'll be at Arisia 2014! I went last year and ended up on a panel about theater. The year before that, I was still new to Boston and was happy to be on no panels at all.

This year, I'm on five.  

Yup.

If you want to say hi, here's my schedule:

Reading: Altabef, Daniels, and Kimmel Hale Fri 7:00 PM
Authors Ken Altabef, Gillian Daniels, and Daniel M. Kimmel will be reading selections from their works.

The Future Is Now: Online Short Fiction Faneuil Fri 8:30 PM
Once considered a place too ephemeral and difficult for readers and writers, online fiction magazines and markets are now as prestigious as their print counterparts. Stories from Clarkesworld, Apex Magazine, Tor.com, Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and many others regularly make year’s best lists and receive award nominations. The panel will discuss the different markets and some of their favorite stories from the past few years.

Michael Damian Thomas [mod], Shira Lipkin, Julia Rios, Ken Schneyer, Gillian Daniels



QUILTBAG Representation in YA Faneuil Sat 11:30 AM
QUILTBAG refers to people who are queer or questioning, unidentified, intersex, lesbian, trans*, bisexual, asexual, gay, and/or genderqueer. Many teenagers identify somewhere along this spectrum, but not many YA books feature QUILTBAG characters. This has begun to change for the better in recent years! Let's talk about books with QUILTBAG characters and how authors have done well - or poorly - in portraying them, and about what we'd like to see in the future.

Julia Rios [mod], Victor Raymond, Adam Lipkin, Emily Wagner, Gillian Daniels

Welcome to Night Vale: And Now, the Weather. Paine Sat 1:00 PM
"Welcome to Night Vale" has become the most popular podcast on iTunes over the last year. A creepy take on small-town life in the Southwest, replete with conspiracy theories, bizarre humor, and a dog park in which neither dogs nor humans are allowed, it's both entertaining and scary, and has generated a huge fan community. Come if you're interested in learning about what makes the show so popular, to discuss favorite moments, or to speculate on where the story is headed.

Gillian Daniels [mod], Lila Garrott, Melissa Honig, Adrianne Brennan, Kate Nepveu

Gravity Falls Paine Sun 11:30 AM
What appeared to be yet another Disney Channel cartoon has instead turned into a huge hit, with the most entertaining spooky small town since Twin Peaks. We'll talk about everything that makes the show great -- from the wacky cast of characters to the rare genuinely-loving sibling relationship between Dipper and Mabel to the ongoing conspiracies. Be prepared to discuss your favorite characters and jokes, and whether we'll ever see the return of Wax Coolio.

Gillian Daniels [mod], Dan Morris, J. S. Hailer, Jennifer Pelland, Sonya Taaffe

When Poets Write Prose and Vice Versa Faneuil Sun 8:30 PM
Writers often define themselves by their predominant mode of expression. Venturing beyond these favored boundaries is, for some of us, a rare occurrence; when a poet writes the occasional short story or a prose-writer the occasional poem, they may feel somewhat out of their depth when presenting the piece or preparing it for submission. In this panel, we'd like to discuss the experience of writing outside our comfort zones and how it serves to shape our experiences, development, and perception.

Erik Amundsen [mod], Adrienne J. Odasso, Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Sonya Taaffe, Gillian Daniels

I'll be moderating two of these panels and I'm terrified extremely excited. It's going to be a good weekend.