Sagittribot goes to Capricon

This weekend I'll be at Capricon, in Wheeling, Illinois. My schedule is below. Quite busy! And you'll notice I'm on three panels with Gene Wolfe. So. That's not intimidating AT ALL. But it should be great fun. I am determined to make it so.

Retro-futurism Sure Beats the Boring Truth! - Thursday, 02-09-2012 - 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm - Birch B
A celebration of looking backwards to look forwards. Steampunk, the Jetsons, and NASA all had cooler ideas about how the future looked than it really did. Why is our imagined future so much hipper than the one we live in?
Tim Akers
Kerri-Ellen Kelly
Nayad Monroe (M)
W. A. (Bill) Thomasson
Michael Z. Williamson

You Are Not Alone: Writers Groups and Critique - Thursday, 02-09-2012 - 9:00 pm to 10:30 pm - Birch A
Many SF/F writers, from Asimov to Tolkien, have belonged to writers groups or benefited from critique partners. How do these groups help an author hone her craft? Some members of writers' groups discuss their experiences.
Tim Akers
Eileen Maksym (M)
Nayad Monroe
Michael D. Thomas

Reading: Tim Akers - Friday, 02-10-2012 - 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm - River C (Cafe)

Tim Akers

Religion in Worldbuilding - Friday, 02-10-2012 - 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm - Botanic Garden A (Special Events - Programming)
Authors too frequently just change around the fixtures on a real world religion and insert it into their fantasy world. These writers will talk about how they go about creating original religions, and how the use of religion can drive worldbuilding and shape the story's narrative.
Tim Akers (M)
Alex Bledsoe
Phyllis Eisenstein
Nayad Monroe
Gene Wolfe

The Transition from Short Story to Novel - Saturday, 02-11-2012 - 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm - River AB (Programming - Media)
Though many might think these two mediums are very similar, not every writer can easily make the transition from one to the other. What are the pitfalls and what should the writer know before starting? Is it easier to do it in reverse and go from novel to short story? What’s similar and what’s different? Does it help to think of chapters as mini-stories? (Panel idea from Cat Rambo.)
Tim Akers (M)
Phyllis Eisenstein
Jody Lynn Nye
Gene Wolfe

Writing Is a Business - Saturday, 02-11-2012 - 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm - Botanic Garden A (Special Events - Programming)
As aspiring writers enter the field, they will do almost anything to become published. This attitude often can lead to others taking advantage of their work. These professionals will share advice about agents, contracts, retirement, and...gulp...taxes.
Tim Akers (M)
Richard Chwedyk
Matt Forbeck
Gene Wolfe