Pacific 1: From Elfland to Poughkeepsie: Should Fantasy Sound Like Fantasy?

Ursula K. Le Guin argued that epic or mythic fantasy should have a language that helps the story keep a distance from the ordinary. Does most epic fantasy today continue that tradition?  Is it really a necessary part of epic fiction?

Terri-Lynne Defino, Susan Forest, Ellen Klages, Ellen Kushner (M), Shawna McCarthy

Pacific 2/3: The Realities of Sailing

Fantasy characters often travel via ship over the open waves, whether it be a terrestrial sea or a mystic domain of haunted waters. What do fantasy writers REALLY need to know about nautical vessels in order to bring them to life in fiction? A panel of experienced seamen discusses how boats and ships really work: telling port from starboard, talking about how ships are steered and crewed, how waterways are navigated and diagramming a ship. What details should be excluded in the interest of story flow?

Shelly Rae Clift, Dennis McKiernan, Devin Poore, Heather Tomlinson, Harry Turtledove (M)

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Tim Pratt

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Dorothy Hearst

11:00 AM

Pacific 1: Here There Be Krakens: Monsters of the Deep

A discussion of the real and imagined creatures occupying the depth of the ocean and their roles in fantasy and horror literature. How have writers made this a perennial source of fear in their writings?

David Drake, Laura Anne Gilman (M), Alice Henderson, Samantha Henderson, John Oliver

Pacific 2/3: Guest of Honor Interview: Jo Fletcher

Jo Fletcher, Stephen Jones

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Fredrick Durbin

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Siobhan Carroll

11:30 AM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - N. K. Jemisin

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Rajan Khanna

Noon

Pacific 1: I Believe That Children Are the Future

How do we convert YA fantasy readers into adult fantasy readers? What books will they read after Harry Potter, and how do we get them to want them? Using fantasy as an educational tool as a means of reaching more potential readers.

Cornelia Funke, Karen Healey, Marlene Perez (M), Tamora Pierce, Cindy Pon

Pacific 2/3: If Wishes Were Horses: Faustian Bargains, Genies and Monkey Paws.

“You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water. Don't let yourself indulge in vain wishes.” - Laurence J. Peter

There is a long tradition of tales, and warning stories, of people who get their wish and live to regret it. Sometimes the wish is perverted, sometimes just unwise. Panelists discuss the traditional tales and modern variations. Is it possible to wish the seamless wish?

Liz Gorinsky, Paul Kane, Guy Gavriel Kay (M), Diana L. Paxson

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Parke Godwin

12:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Garth Nix

1:00 PM

Pacific 2/3: Hook and His Heirs: Piratical Fantasy

Pirates - you gotta love ‘em. We all wonder how Hook eats with that hand. From the pirates of the Caribbean to why Blackbeard’s beard smoked and where the buried treasure lies, what is the eternal fascination that keeps them popping up in our speculative fiction?

Chaz Brenchley, Douglas Cohen, Sherwood Smith (M), Jefferson Swycaffer, Kim Vandervort

Town and Country: Founders of Steampunk

Steampunk was first defined in a letter over 20 years ago. The writer of that letter, and two of the authors whose work helped define the subgenre, talk about their inspirations and look at where steampunk literature has gone.

John Berlyne (M), James Blaylock, K. W. Jeter, Tim Powers

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Ayala Dawn Johnson

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Anya Martin

1:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Jeffrey Ford

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Matthew Kressel

2:00 PM

Pacific 1: Beautiful Monstrosities

Everything that's realistic has some sort of ugliness in it. Even a flower is ugly when it wilts, a bird when it seeks its prey, the ocean when it becomes violent. - Sharon Tate

How have artists made inhuman, monstrous and even ugly characters attractive and sympathetic in art?

Jason Brock (M), Galen Dara, Sue Dawe, Nancy Hightower, April Lee

Pacific 2/3: The Year in Fantasy

Ellen Datlow, Jo Fletcher, Paula Guran, David Hartwell (M), Jonathan F. Strahan

Pacific 4/5: Reading – R. A. MacAvoy

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Kamla Kapur

2:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Robert Boyczuk

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Tenea Johnson

3:00 PM

Pacific 2/3: The Lands of Islam

Islamic lore is one of the world’s richest stores of fantastic premises, as illustrated by Burton’s “1001 Arabian Knights” and its sequel. A look at the legends and lore from this fascinating cultural source, as well as other Middle and Near Eastern stories and myths. Are there specific dos and don'ts for writing Muslim characters with authenticity? And what are the considerations about using Muslim characters in the current political climate?

Howard Jones, Na’amen Tilahun, Sandra Kasturi, Deborah J. Ross (M)

Town and Country: Guest of Honor Interview: Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman, Leslie Klinger

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Maureen McHugh

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Elizabeth Argall

3:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - James Van Pelt

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Mur Lafferty

4:00 PM

Pacific 1: Where the Sea Meets the Shore: When Does Genre Become Literature?

An increasing number of big literary names are writing stories that appropriate many genre tropes though some deny it is speculative literature. Magical Realism novels use just the slightest touch of the fantastic as a part of the recipe. Is this just a return to the Weird Fiction of the previous turn of the century? Where does genre transmogrify into literature? Is there an actual distinction?

Steven Erikson, Gwynne Garfinkle, Caren Gussoff, Stephen Potts, Kit Reed (M)

Pacific 2/3: William Hope Hodgson's Nautical Horrors

Hodgson was a sailor and a pioneering (and decidedly creepy) classic horror writer. No one, not even Lovecraft, could get such scary effects out of a tentacular thing. His works still scare us today – what about you?

Greg Bear, Jeremy Lassen, Darrell Schweitzer (M), Laurie Tom

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Daryl Gregory

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Elaine Isaak

4:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Connie Willis

5:00 PM

Pacific 2/3: Who Wants to Live Forever?: Immortals

Much of fantasy literature posits immortal beings, even civilizations of immortals. How would that change . . . well . . . everything: a person’s psychology, relationships, social structure, even economics? Are the gods different because they are powerful or just because they’ve been around so long?

Elizabeth Bear (M), Rhiannon Held, Grá Linnaea, James Sutter, Dave Trowbridge

Town and Country: In Memoriam: Diana Wynne Jones

Gili Bar-Hillel (M), Jo Fletcher, Neil Gaiman, Sharyn November

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Chris Moriarty

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Rob Ziegler

5:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Steven Boyett

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Cecelia Holland

8:00 PM

Pacific 1: Out of the Broom Closet: Integrating Magicians and Fantastic Creatures into Society.

Most stories have vampires, werewolves, witches and other supernatural entities hiding within the greater society. But more and more look at them as just another facet of modern society. How does that change them as characters? How does it change human society? What does it add to the plot, in addition to the obvious possible social commentary?

S. G. Browne, Mette Harrison (M), Leanna Renee Hieber, Mary Robinette Kowal, Rebecca Rowe

Pacific 2/3: The Importance of a Journey

Many authors have used actual travel experiences to create fantasy worlds.

Cinda Williams Chima (M), David B. Coe, Bernard Dukas, Bruce McAllister

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Robert Shearman

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Genevieve Valentine

Golden Pacific Ballroom: Art Show Reception (2 hours)

Tour the Art Show and meet the artists.  Art Show closeout will be at 9PM.  Light desserts and a no-host bar will be provided.

8:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Ferrett Steinmetz

Pacific 6/7: Reading - Michael Angel

9:00 PM

Pacific 1: The Not-So-Fair Folk

The fairies of folklore were no Tinkerbells. They lured humans to their realm for their own reasons, not to help. Cold iron was prescribed as a protection against them. A discussion of faeries as figures of fear, not wonder, in myth and literature.

Holly Black (M), Jenny Blackford, Patrick Rothfuss, Delia Sherman, Mercedes Yardley

Pacific 2/3: Exploring the Americas

The Spanish main, Caribbean voodoo, and the ancient Mayan and Aztecs still hold us in thrall with the idea of past glories, bloodthirsty rites, and rich traditions. From Aztec steampunk, to 2012 end of the world, and the Company novels, why do these legends and stories still fascinate us today?

M. K. Hutchins, Lisa Kessler, Betsy Mitchell (M), Catherine Montrose, William F. Nolan

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Pacific 6/7: Open Poetry Reading (2 hrs.) – Emcee Rose Lemberg

10:00 PM

Pacific 1: Don't Open That Door!: The Role Of Stupidity In Genre Fiction

Face it, a lot of characters would never get into the situations they do if they didn’t do something foolish. And where would horror be if people didn’t get that urge to wander off on their own? How far can we illustrate the urge to ignore common sense and wisdom without compromising the suspension of disbelief in the plot and characters?

S. C. Butler, Lisa Morton (M), Madeleine Robins, Brett Savory, Brandie Tarvin

Pacific 2/3: Metafiction

Taking literature to the next level, metafiction exposes the fictional illusion and openly addresses the devices of fiction. It takes many forms: stories within stories, footnotes that continue the story, characters aware that they are characters, and authors commenting on and even entering their own stories. Going back at least as far at the Canterbury Tales, these devices are particularly popular of late. What do they add to the reading (and writing) experience? Is the trend just self-indulgence?

Scott Edelman, Victoria Schwab, Steve Rasnic Tem, Rick Wilber (M)

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Eric James Stone

10:30 PM

Pacific 4/5: Reading - Leah Bobet