I’ll be attending WisCon 41: May 26 – 29, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. Here’s my program schedule as it stands right now, with a Sunday panel added.
Saturday, 10:00 – 11:15 am, University C
“Join the Mod Squad: Enhance Your Moderation Skills”
Christopher Davis [Moderator], Victoria Janssen
Ever go to a panel and spend your time thinking, “With a good moderator, this would be a much better panel”? We will review several ways to be that good moderator, offer tips and tricks, and generally work on improving WisCon’s already high standards for panel moderation. We strongly encourage you to attend this panel if you are moderating at WisCon, especially if it’s your first time. It’s also a great experience if you ever have been, or think you ever will be, a panel moderator anywhere.
Saturday, 1:00 – 2:15 pm, Conference 2
“In Anticipation of Black Panther”
Inda Lauryn [Moderator], Candra K. Gill, Victoria Janssen, JP Fairfield, Krys
#BlackPantherSoLit! Two years before the film is scheduled for release, Black Twitter trended the hashtag in anticipation. While we’re waiting for 2018 to get here, let’s talk about why we are so eagerly looking forward to Black Panther. Let’s discuss what we are hoping for from Black Panther and Wakanda, especially after the success of Luke Cage. Let’s also discuss what we are afraid could go wrong and whether we have faith in Ryan Coogler and company to give us the MCU film we all deserve.
Saturday, 2:30 – 3:145 pm, Wisconsin
“This Canon is Fired: Redefining the “Must Reads” of SF/F and Comics Canon”
Jake Casella [Moderator], Victoria Janssen, coffeeandink
Lists of genre greats often include lots of straight cis white men and not much else. What works and creators are being left off of these lists? What’s on the lists that shouldn’t be? What do the new SF, fantasy, and comics canons look like?
Saturday, 9:00 – 10:15 pm, University B
“Fanfic, Retcon, and Zombies, Oh My!”
Carrie Pruett [Moderator], Gwynne Garfinkle, KJ, Victoria Janssen
Let’s talk about what happens in the murky territories where fanfic meets original works. Do writings that use original works in the public domain—modern-day Sherlock Holmes characters, zombies in Jane Austen’s worlds—count as fanfic? When a series gets unwieldy or unpopular, it can be rebooted or rewritten with different parameters: maybe a character comes back to life, changes gender, or gets a new backstory. Are there differences between retcon and fix-it fic, other than who owns the copyright?
Sunday, 2:30 – 4:00pm, Conference 1
“Feminist Science Fiction for Beginners”
Margaret McBride [Moderator], Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, Eleanor A. Arnason, Rebecca Holden, Victoria Janssen, Gretchen T.
Are you new to feminist SF and feeling overwhelmed? Do you wish there were a starter or beginners panel? A panel that talked about people you should know in this field and works that have changed this field. If you’re trying to research all the names and little bites of important history that panelists talked about, bring your questions here!
