My 4th St. Schedule 2012

[mrissa]

Fourth Street is coming! I am the stage of tired where I am doing quasi-useful things because the actually useful things take too much energy. My current quasi-useful thing is posting my Fourth Street panel schedule. Here's what I'm on:

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Politics, Complexity, and Fantasy. Marissa Lingen (Moderating), Marie Brennan, Doug Hulick, Sarah Monette, Susan Palwick. Fantasy sometimes seems to have a love/hate relationship with politics: It often wants to deal with grand political issues (revolutions, alliances, continent-spanning conflicts) without addressing the complexities of governance. What challenges do authors face when trying to depict political scenarios? Are there modes of governance or types of conflict that are particularly challenging to work into fiction? Do long-running series, like C.J. Cherryh's Atevi books, allow for more robust depictions of politics and diplomacy?

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Science, Technology, and Fantasy. Ellen Klages (Moderating), Marissa Lingen, Chris Modzelewski, Sarah Monette, Catherine Schaffer. There is a tendency for fantasy to depict worlds mired in technological stasis, or to imagine magic and technology as polar opposites. Even when authors combine the two, as in more fantastic end of steampunk, they often choose to reproduce a subset of ideas from our world and prior art. What are some of the sources of this approach toward technology in fantasy? What sorts of narrative opportunities open up when you introduce disruptive technologies, magical or otherwise, into a fantasy story?

Notice a common trend there? That's right, I am 4th St.'s Officially Designated Dreaded Morning Person. Who can we stick on the first panel of the day? Unlucky people...and Mris! (truepenny, I think, is in the former category. Bring her croissants and sympathy. Unless she doesn't like croissants, or unless she is another Designated Dreaded Morning Person.)

Honestly, my worry is not making it to morning panels. My worry is making it through everything else. There's nothing I want to skip at 4th St....and I don't have enough energy right now to make it through normal days without not-entirely-voluntary naps, and I'm terrible at naps. So we'll see how that goes. I will do the best I can. I will attempt not to use up critical Mris reserves. And we will all be good to each other as best we can, and we will have a 4th St.

Comments

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I am so very definitely in the former category. And I have already given alecaustin the stink-eye a couple of times because of it. :-)

All I can say is, thank god I'm not the one moderating. And thank god again that you are, because I trust you to be a good moderator, which means I won't spend the entire panel being annoyed because the person in charge is Doing It Wrong.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I used to think moderating was Not For Mrissas, and then papersky was going to have me do it and I was about to object and looked at the personality balance of the rest of the panel and went, "Oh, right, they'll be nice to me and I am the right person to moderate that." And since then I've been fine with it.

[michaeldthomas.livejournal.com]

You're a good moderator. :-)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[alecaustin.livejournal.com]

If it's any consolation, I have thrown myself upon the unexploded panel and will be groggily advancing arguments about papal elections and the role of favorites in absolute monarchies beside you at that hour. So you can give me the stink-eye in person, at the appropriate time!

[swords-and-pens.livejournal.com]

Alas, I won't be making the Saturday panel as I forgot I have a prior engagement (almost literally--a wedding to attend). This is a shame, because I really love the topic. I've notified the PTB, but still...*sigh*

I should still be around Sunday.

[alecaustin.livejournal.com]

The printed schedule should reflect that, I hope. I know I sent a note to that effect on to the ConCom.

[alecaustin.livejournal.com]

Okay, so the printed schedule doesn't, but the website does now.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear it; we'll see you Sunday.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be there taking notes on How To Moderate Well because oooooh my first moderatorial gig angst halp woe.

And also: Fourth Street! Fourth Street makes everything better! (except for when it doesn't, but you know many people there love you and understand you may need a break.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

You will be fine. Truly. Moderating is only scary once. And then you rule them all with your iron fist of doom are fine.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

My mad classroom skillz won't help because the trick there is getting people to *start* talking. Heh. But I'll be among friends, which will help.

[braddr.livejournal.com]

Maybe we can get Scalzi to bring his Mallet of Loving Correction for you to borrow should the panel get unruly.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

I shall try the Look of Bemused Disbelief first, then escalate to the Stare of Not Having With This, Seriously Do You Want To Try Me.

[ckd]

You will do fine.

Also, I will see you at Fourth Street after all. (Long story.)

[txanne.livejournal.com]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! And also Farthing Party. *flail* How are you getting to Montreal, BTW? If you're not flying, shall we try to get up a party?

[ckd]

Current (but still tentative) plans are to rent a car and drive from Boston, most likely with aedifica flying out ahead of time and riding along. If routing yourself through Boston makes sense, I'd love to do a rideshare/convoy/something that makes sense like that.

(I'm leaning towards driving up Friday and back Monday rather than doing the "drive up Friday, leave on Sunday and drive well into the night" thing that I've done the last couple of years, but that's not a firm decision.)

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

"Are there modes of governance or types of conflict that are particularly challenging to work into fiction?" Yes; they include feudalism, absolute monarchy, constitutional monarchy, oligarchic republics, tribalism, and theocracy.

[pameladean]

Agh! I keep missing your panels! Nine-thirty, how barbaric.

Though I could try to come to the Saturday one so I will have been awake for more than five minutes when I'm actually on a panel at eleven. Hmmm. That might work.

P.

[coffeeem.livejournal.com]

You are a worthy successor to Jane Yolen, who used to get stuck with the Morning Gig.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Well, thank you! Although I must say I would have no objections to sharing the post with Jane, should she find the time, money, energy, and inclination to come back to 4th St. at some point.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Jane was always cited as one of the best reasons to make sure there was breakfast in the consuite at Minicon, and possibly several other conventions.

I, too, hope she'll come back to Fourth Street. We could have a splendid Designated Morning People thing.

[toadnae.livejournal.com]

You know, I think I might get to make 4th Street next year. I'm taking a year off from major responsibility at CONvergence, and 4th Street is pretty much always the weekend of the final concom meeting.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

No con is all things to all people, but this is a good con to me, and I hope it can be to you too.