Readercon is one of my favorite SFF conventions, so I’m excited to be participating in programming this year. My schedule is busy for my first time as a guest, and I’m especially looking forward to the many interesting YA panels on the program.
If you’re attending Readercon in Burlington, MA this month, I’ll be there from Thursday, July 11 – Sunday, July 14. My schedule is below: You can find me on panels, get books signed during my autographing session (or indeed, if you see me anywhere else and I’m not in a hurry or otherwise occupied), meet me for coffee (or kaffee?), or come to one of my readings.
The program guide says I’m reading from my current YA novel in progress (a standalone book unrelated to Fair Coin and Quantum Coin), but I may read from a new YA short story instead (or do one at my solo reading and the other at my group reading with Altered Fluid). We’ll see. I also assume my books will be on sale somewhere in the dealer room, but if not, I may have a very small supply with me.
I hope to see you there!
Friday, July 12
The Clarion SF Workshop is one of the best in the world for budding science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers. Many of today’s award-winning authors are Clarion graduates. For six weeks, Clarion students have the luxury of learning from top-notch authors and editors while living the life of a full-time writer. But once Clarion ends, what do you do next? How do you take what you learn at Clarion and apply it to your writing life and your real life? And how do you adjust from having the support of other writers to possibly having very little or none at all? Professional writers who graduated from Clarion in the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s share their life-after-Clarion experiences. Proposed by Resa Nelson.
Saturday, July 13
10:00 AM F To YA or Not to YA. Jordan Hamessley, E.C. Myers, Phoebe North, Charles Oberndorf, Veronica Schanoes (leader), Shveta Thakrar.
There are plenty of adult books with teen heroes, like Jeffrey Eugenides’s Middlesex and Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. Some books that were not aimed at teens when they came out are mostly read by them today, like Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. Some books are marketed as YA in one country and adult in another. So what makes a book “a YA book”? Do we just know it when we see it, or is there a way to pin this down beyond listening to marketing campaigns?
Members of the Manhattan-based Altered Fluid writers group will read excerpts from their forthcoming works.
E.C. Myers reads an excerpt from a YA novel in progress.
Sunday, July 14
How do middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) authors and editors write for children and teen readers? How do they make science fiction more accessible for kids, build complex fantasy worlds, and develop authentic characters with diverse backgrounds? This panel is ideal for anyone writing MG or YA or interested in finding books with plots as rich and complex as any novel targeted to adult readers. Proposed by E.C. Myers.
You can view and download the full conference schedule here.
I would also like to thank Rose Fox, Readercon 24 Program Chair, and their committee for putting this program together. It is no small task coordinating everyone’s requests and a schedule with so many moving targets, while crafting a program that will appeal to the interests of such a diverse group of attendees. And I appreciate that YA, in particular, has received some more attention this year.
Fran Wilde
Looks like a great schedule!