Podcast!

My story "Indigo Bunting" was read on FOB Rainbow Reading Hour (20-07-2018): http://www.accessradio.org/ProgrammePage.aspx?PID=6a71fe0e-aeab-4139-9fd2-b099ee68e7a5.


It's very weird to hear someone reading my work (I'm listening now.) But, it's very lovely to hear someone else read my work.

MiniCON schedule (Tate/Lyda)

If any of you ever wonder why I capitalize the end of MiniCON, it's because if I just type "Minicon" my autocorrect instantly changes it to Minion. Which is, as it happens, a very different thing.

It is also possible that some of you don't know that I will be one of the literary guests of honor at MiniCON this year. I will be sharing that honor with Rachel Swirsky.


My schedule for this weekend is, as follows:

Friday 5:30 PM

Is this the cyberpunk future we were promised?

We never got that future full of flying cars and jetpacks, but we do seem to have quietly arrived at a cyberpunk dystopia: ruled by oligarchs, everyone using their cyberdecks to be online all the time, massive surveillance, bodymods commonplace, AIs seem to be lurking on the fringes...  How different are futures in William Gibson's Sprawl or Lyda Morehouse's Archangel Protocol series from what we have now?

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Greg L. Johnson (m), Eric Heideman, Aaron Coker, Lyda Morehouse

Friday 7:00 PM

Opening Ceremonies

Welcome to the convention! Meet the Guests of Honor, get the crucial information you'll need to survive the next 3 days.

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Toni Brust (m), Kevin Austin, Lyda Morehouse, Emily Stewart, Rachel Swirsky

Friday 8:30 PM

I am not Chuck Tingle

'Doctor Chuck Tingle, a taekwondo grandmaster from Billings, Montana, who acquired a PhD in holistic massage at DeVry University (which does not offer such a degree), was the clear savior of the 2015 Hugo award, and continues to be a delight. Dr. Tingle has yet to make a public appearance, and speculations about identity are easy to come by. Several people we know have brilliant theories about who Chuck Tingle is. Some of them may even BE Chuck Tingle.

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Rick Snyder (m), Terry Hughes, Lyda Morehouse, Rachel Swirsky, Steven Brust

Saturday 10:00 AM

Kaffeeklatsch with Lyda Morehouse

A small group meets with the GoH in an informal setting to share a beverage and friendly conversation. Attendance is limited - signup sheets at registration.

Bar

Lyda Morehouse

Saturday 1:00 PM

GoH Interview - Lyda Morehouse and Tate Hallaway

Tate Hallaway (in puppet format) and Lyda Morehouse (in human format) interview each other. Tate has the best sellers, Lyda has the awards.  Sometimes they don't like each other a lot, so Naomi Kritzer will referee.

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Naomi Kritzer (m), Laura Krentz (puppeteer), Lyda Morehouse

Saturday 4:00 PM

Combining the Mystery/Detective Genre with SF

Although humanity changes very slowly, in the future the methods used to commit crime and enforce laws will certainly change. What elements of detective fiction make for satisfying science fiction? What elements of science fiction make for satisfying mysteries? In the cold world of cyberpunk, does justice usually prevail?

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Scott Jamison (m), CJ Mills, Ellen Kuhfeld, Lyda Morehouse, Dan Rosen

Saturday 5:30 PM

We Suck - Winning Through Losing

Guest of Honors share tales of mistakes and challenges that they have had, how valuable they are as lessons, and the hilarity that ensued.

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Rick Snyder (m), Lyda Morehouse, Rachel Swirsky

Saturday 7:00 PM

The Meaning of Captain America

Captain America has always stood for things that are actually good about the US: caring about the oppressed, working to make society fairer, doing the right thing. How has that vision changed over the course of Cap's history? How is recent politics affecting what Captain America means now?

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Eric Heideman (m), Lyda Morehouse, Scott Jamison

Sunday 10:00 AM

This Will End Well

Sometimes a long-running series ends with just the right notes, wrapping up enough loose ends but not too many, in a way that satisfies all the fans. But there are many examples of endings that have been muddled, controversial, or downright bad: the BSG series reboot; Mass Effect 3; the 2001 Planet of the Apes movie; maybe Evangelion... How can writers avoid messing up endings? What can fans do when endings go wrong anyway?

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Beth Kinderman (m), Joy Johnson, Lyda Morehouse, Scott Jamison, Tanya Brody

Sunday 1:00 PM

Angels in Literature

In Greek mythology, Daedalus constructs wings for his son Icarus, to mimic angels in flight. In cyberpunk, man has constructed electronic angels, free from those pesky laws of physics. What defines an angel? How do angels in SF differ from the classical treatment of angels? How are they similar? What attracts writers and readers to this trope? And what would Milton think?

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Rick Snyder (m), Ruth Berman, Kate Brady, Lyda Morehouse, Steven Brust

Sunday 2:30 PM

Bladerunners [contains Spoilers]

Many people think that Bladerunner is the best sf film ever made. At long last we have a sincere sequel. Did they get it right?

Park 2

Greg Larsen (m), Eric Heideman, Lyda Morehouse, Nico Johnson

Sunday 4:00 PM

Closing Ceremonies

Minicon is the only convention that closes with a traditional assassination.  Don't be late or you might miss it.

Park 1 (Mainstage)

Toni Brust (m), Kevin Austin, Lyda Morehouse, Emily Stewart, Rachel Swirsky

Please note that my interview with Tate Hallaway includes a PUPPETEER. Why, you wonder? Oh, because I joking said, "Ha ha, wouldn't be great if I answered as Tate with a sock puppet??" and fandom being what it is was like "ha ha, we'll do you one better!" AND LEGITIMATELY MADE A MUPPET OF ME. YOU GUYS! A MUPPET.

I hope to heck someone films this.

MarsCON 2018 Schedule

Roundtable Discussion: What are You Reading?
3 Eagle's Nest - Re(a)d Mars — Friday 09:00 pm

Readers talk about written words—especially, though not exclusively, speculative fiction—that they're enjoying and that they think you might enjoy, too. Print and electronic works are both welcome.
With: Lyda Morehouse, Bryan Thao Worra, and You, Gentle Reader!


Marvel Cinematic Universe
Room 1117 - Krushenko's — Saturday 11:00 am

Catch up on all Marvel films and TV shows.
With: Tony Artym, mod.; Rob Callahan, Aaron Grono, Lyda Morehouse, Kiana Williams

The Manhwa / Manhua Explosion
4 Hawk's Ridge - Anime/YA — Saturday 03:00 pm

Manga is so yesterday. All the cool kids are now reading manhwa and manhua, manga's Korean and Chinese cousins (respectively.) This panel will introduce people to some of the fun new titles out there and where to get them.
With: Lyda Morehouse, mod.


Writing Humorous Science Fiction/Fantasy

Room 1117 - Krushenko's — Saturday 07:00 pm

On the pitfalls and pleasures of combining these two distinctive writing forms.

With: MaryJanice Davidson, Roy C. Booth, mod.; Melissa Buren, Naomi Kritzer, Lyda Morehouse, S.N. Arly

Androids, AI, And Gender Theory
3 Eagle's Nest - Re(a)d Mars — Sunday 01:00 pm

Androids & AI in sci-fi disrupt the idea of a gender binary and play with gender fluidity in a way that implies gender is not essential or passive but a construct in which one must actively participate. How do these narratives translate to other contexts.
With: Michelle Chmura, mod.; Justin Grays, Naomi Kritzer, Lyda Morehouse


Artificial People in Science Fiction
3 Eagle's Nest - Re(a)d Mars — Sunday 02:00 pm

This is about biological people, enhanced or otherwise, who are not conceived and gestated in the normal way. From "Frankenstein" through "Rossman's Universal Robots," "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" and "Friday" this has been the topic of many classic, and not so classic, science fiction stories. Why are authors drawn to this idea? Is there any real word reason for artificial people?
With: G. David Nordley, mod.; Justin Grays, Naomi Kritzer, Lyda Morehouse, Kathryn Sullivan


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THIS WEEKEND: March 2 -4, 2018

MaryJanice Davidson will be a guest! The hotel will be: Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Mall of America3800 American Blvd E., Bloomington, Minnesota

For more information: https://marscon.org/2018/index.php