Worldcon 75 (HELSINKI!): Our Schedules and Call for Interviewees!

We’re just a week away from Worldcon, and we are excited!

Five of us will be there next week (Shaun, Paul, Alex, Julia, and Mike, who is last here because he’s wrong about comics :P), and we’ll all be up to no good while we’re there. Whether it’s paneling, exploring Helsinki, or recording guerilla interviews in the dark, you can be certain that we’ll be busy bees!

With that in mind, this post aims to let you know where you can find us at Worldcon AND how to contact us if you’d like to be interviewed for the podcast!

Here goes:

Call for Interviewees!

We plan to conduct many short interviews and conversations throughout the convention, and we’re open to talking to pretty much everyone. For all inquiries, send an email to skiffyandfanty[at]gmail[dot]com with “Worldcon Interview” in the subject line. You can also jabber at us on Twitter or look for us in our Skiffy and Fanty gear or on our panels!

Here’s what we’re looking for:

Interviews with Fans

We’re interested in talking to fans of all types about their sf/f loves, the projects they’re working on (however nerdy), and so on. If you’d like to share with us how you became a geek, why you love that obscure scifi thing, or why mountain cartography is your fantasy pet peeve, let us know!

Interviews with Creators (Writers, Artists, Filmmakers, Podcasters)

No matter what you’re creating, we’re interested in talking to you! One of our newest features is Signal Boost, which does exactly what it says. And that means we’re always on the lookout for new people to talk to. You can be local (Finnish) or from elsewhere (even the Moon) and working on just about anything, from books to video games to comics and other sorts of arts. Basically, if you’re creating something you think is interesting, get in touch with us!

Now for…

Our Worldcon Schedules

Here they are:

• Mike Underwood:
  • Wednesday (13:00-14:00); 206 (Messukeskus)
    Invented Mythologies
    • Tolkien did it first and so any decent fantasy world has its own mythology! The panel discusses the pros and pitfalls of creating one’s own mythology and share their favorite mythologies from fiction.
    • Panelists: Ju Honisch, Michael R. Underwood, Kathryn Sullivan, and Tarja Rainio
  • Thursday (16:00-17:00); 216 (Messukeskus)
    Darkness at the Heart of Original Folktales
    • Folk tales have recently got fairly dark retellings, but of course they were very dark originally as well. The panel discusses the dark origins of folktales.
    • Panelists: Delia Sherman, Linn, Anaea Lay, Michael R. Underwood
  • Friday (15:00-16:00); 203a (Messukeskus)
    Game Tie-in Novels
    • Game tie-in novels have existed for many years. Our panelists admit to reading them or even writing them! What’s the appeal?
    • Panelists: Robert Corvus, Michael R. Underwood, David Thomas Moore
  • Saturday (16:00-17:00); 101d (Messukeskus)
    Folklore and Myth in the Fantastic
    • Folklore and myth are often the building blocks of fantastic literature – but how about folklore and myths within the fantasy worlds themselves? How do you create credible folklore?
    • Panelists: Alexandra Rowland, K.A. Laity, Michael R. Underwood, Tim Phin, Carolyn Ives Gilman
• Alex Acks:
  • Wednesday (15:00-16:00); 205 (Messukeskus)
    Global Warming and the Gaia Concept. Is Global Consciousness Already Here, and a Moron?
    • Is there global self-regulation? Could the world as a whole, in some ways, be considered to have thought processes, emotions and/or intentions? Where does humanity come in to all of this? Has our kind of consciousness and thinking ruined a perfectly good setup? We examine the validity of the Gaia concept (a version of which is central to Asimov’s later Foundation novels) and its relation to man-made global warming.
    • Panelist: Jonas Arnqvist, Sandy, Alex Acks, and Sam Scheiner
  • Thursday (10:00-11:00); 101a&b (Messukeskus)
    In Defense of the Unlikeable Heroine
    • Far too often female protagonists need to be pretty and nice. But are they all – are all women pretty and nice and is that a stereotype that needs to be highlighted? The panelists defend their unlikable heroines in fiction!
    • Panelists: Thoraiya Dyer, Caroline Hooton, Kameron Hurley, Alex Acks, and Neil Williamson
  • Friday (13:00-14:00); Signing Area
    • Self-explanatory

    Saturday (14:00-15:00); Hall 3 (Messukeskus)
    Built Upon the Shoulders of Giants

    • You know how to build an imaginary world, and you know which authors have constructed your favourites. But what do publishers do when they are inundated with speculative fiction novels full of great worlds. What are the defining elements that set a novel (and the world it’s built in) apart from the crowd? Our panel of publishers, editors and authors will tell all on exactly what type of world building makes them squeal with delight.
    • Panelists: Jon Oliver, Alex Acks, and Jeffrey A. Carver
• Saturday (14:00-15:00); Hall 3 (Messukeskus)
  Built Upon the Shoulders of Giants
  • You know how to build an imaginary world, and you know which authors have constructed your favourites. But what do publishers do when they are inundated with speculative fiction novels full of great worlds. What are the defining elements that set a novel (and the world it’s built in) apart from the crowd? Our panel of publishers, editors and authors will tell all on exactly what type of world building makes them squeal with delight.
  • Panelists: Jon Oliver, Alex Acks, and Jeffrey A. Carver
• Paul Weimer:
  • Thursday (13:00-14:00); 203a (Messukeskus)
    Guff, Taff, Noff — WTF?
    • What are all those weird acronyms? Come find out all about fan funds around the world!
    • Panelists: Nina Horvath, Donna Maree Hanson, John Purcell, Ben Roimola, John Coxon, and Paul Weimer

    Thursday (16:00-17:00); 207 (Messukeskus)
    How to Start a Podcast

    • How to start a podcast (choosing a topic, researching episodes, recording/editing/adding sound effects, attracting listeners, etc.)
    • Panelists: Kate Shaw, Howard Tayler, Emma Cosh, Roman, and Paul Weimer

    Saturday (16:00-18:00); 102 (Messukeskus)
    Fan Fund Auction

    • Come bid on items submitted by fans around the world to
      benefit the fannish international cultural exchange fan funds
      (TAFF, the TransAtlantic Fan Fund, and GUFF, the Get-up-
      and-over Fan Fund) and meet their delegates to Worldcon 75: Donna Maree Hanson for GUFF and John Purcell for TAFF
    • Panelists: Anna Raftery, John Purcell, Donna Maree Hanson, Janice Gelb, Nina Horvath, Jukka Halme, Paul Weimer
• Thursday (16:00-17:00); 207 (Messukeskus)
  How to Start a Podcast
  • How to start a podcast (choosing a topic, researching episodes, recording/editing/adding sound effects, attracting listeners, etc.)
  • Panelists: Kate Shaw, Howard Tayler, Emma Cosh, Roman, and Paul Weimer

  Saturday (16:00-18:00); 102 (Messukeskus)
  Fan Fund Auction

  • Come bid on items submitted by fans around the world to
    benefit the fannish international cultural exchange fan funds
    (TAFF, the TransAtlantic Fan Fund, and GUFF, the Get-up-
    and-over Fan Fund) and meet their delegates to Worldcon 75: Donna Maree Hanson for GUFF and John Purcell for TAFF
  • Panelists: Anna Raftery, John Purcell, Donna Maree Hanson, Janice Gelb, Nina Horvath, Jukka Halme, Paul Weimer
• Julia Rios:
  • Thursday (21:00-22:00); 216 (Messukeskus)
    Reimagining Worlds with Speculative Poetry
    • Speculative poetry contains multitudes: explorations of gender, queer readings of fairytales, far-off worlds where our social structures are subverted. How can poets coming from marginalised positions change the landscape of speculative poetry? Can speculative poetry reimagine our world and provide glimpses of a more inclusive one?
    • Panelists: Sara Norja, Julia Rios, Arkady Martine, and Mari Ness

    Friday (14:00-15:00); 206 (Messukeskus)
    Writing Queer People Well

    • Having a diverse cast of characters is a very good thing, but sometimes including queer characters can seem like tokenism. The panel discusses what pitfalls should be avoided when writing queer characters.
    • Panelists: Julia Rios, Nina Niskanen, Ellen Kushner, and Carolyn Ives Gilman
• Friday (14:00-15:00); 206 (Messukeskus)
  Writing Queer People Well
  • Having a diverse cast of characters is a very good thing, but sometimes including queer characters can seem like tokenism. The panel discusses what pitfalls should be avoided when writing queer characters.
  • Panelists: Julia Rios, Nina Niskanen, Ellen Kushner, and Carolyn Ives Gilman
• Shaun Duke:
  • Getting Published in Magazines
    Thursday 12:00 – 13:00, Rauhanasema (Messukeskus)
    • Magazines are a good way to get published. But what magazines are out there and how can you get published?
    • Panelists: Shahid, Shaun Duke (M), Liza Groen Trombi, and Edward Fortune
  • Sunday 10:00 – 11:00, 207 (Messukeskus)
    Book Blogs
    • Blogging/vlogging about books has caused some recent controversy. Some authors have claimed bad reviews in book blogs have resulted in poor sales. Book bloggers and authors discuss the importance and power of book bloggers/vloggers.
    • Panelists: Shaun Duke, Cora Buhlert, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and Thomas Wagner

There you go. Come see us!