As is my habit, I'll be attending this year's AlbaCon convention in Albany, New York, on Saturday the 14th. It's at the Marriott Courtyard hotel in Clifton Park, NY, just outside Albany. This year I told the convention organizers they could have me for a single day, so they decided to pack as much into that day as possible. Here's my schedule — five events back-to-back!
10:00 a.m.: What's In a Name? — A panel discussion about genre labels and what they mean. I'll be moderating a very strong panel including Alex Shvartsman, Chuck Rothman, Vikki Ciaffone, and Steven Sawicki.
11:30 a.m.: What, Another One? — A panel about series fiction vs. standalone novels. I've tried to square that particular circle by writing a series of independent novels, so that each book in the Billion Worlds is almost a different genre. Again, I'm serving as moderator, trying to ride herd on Cory Doctorow, Michael Ventrella, Steve Davidson, and Elektra Hammond.
1:00 p.m.: Autographing — Come by and get something signed. I've got shiny new bookmarks for my upcoming book The Miranda Conspiracy, and you may get a secret bonus story if you stop by!
2:30 p.m.: What Gets Overlooked in Fantasy and SF? — A three-person discussion with me, Anna Rose, and Gordon Linzer about under-used concepts and ideas in fantastic literature.
4:00 p.m.: Reading — Come hear the first-ever public excerpt from my new novel The Miranda Conspiracy!
Once that's done I'll probably round up a group to get dinner. If you're going to the con, let me know — you're welcome to join us!
Wow, those were long events. When I did convention programming in San Diego, we always did hour slots. I wonder if this is a regional difference . . . ?
Posted by: William H. Stoddard | 09/22/2024 at 06:11 AM
Albacon has 75-minute events, with 15 minutes between them. Bear in mind there are only three event rooms, all on the same floor of the same small hotel. But it is nice to have time to chat between panels.
Posted by: Jim Cambias | 09/22/2024 at 01:03 PM