Business card logo

Conventions

moon button

moon button

Home News Bio Writer - fiction Writer - nonfiction
Reviewer Librarian Conventions Contact Links


Upcoming Conventions / Events

The following is a list of science fiction conventions and other events that I plan to attend.


  • Shore Leave 30 - Hunt Valley, Maryland, July 11-13, 2008. Guest / Program participant.
    • Friday 10:00 PM - 12 Midnight - Hunt/Valley Foyer - "Meet the Pros."
    • Saturday 12:00 noon - 1 PM - Salon A - "The Sky's the Limit: 20+ Years of TNG."
    • Saturday 12:00 noon - 1 PM - Salon E - "Strange New Worlds Post Mortem."




Past Conventions / Events


  • ApolloCon 2008 - Houston, Texas, June 27-29, 2008. Guest / Program participant.

    • Friday 6:00 PM - Tuscon - "The Politics of Writing Groups." Amy Sisson (M), Rebecca Elsenheimer, Linda Donahue, J.M. McDermott, Mikal Trimm. Writers groups are based on that most volatile of elements: human interaction. What makes a group work and what makes another tank? Our panelists share their opinions, experiences, and possibly even scurrilous stories!
    • Friday 10:00 PM - Tuscon - "Frack You! No! Frell You!" Matthew Bey (M), Bradley Denton, Amy Sisson, Selina Rosen, Jessica Reisman. Panelists discuss the invented (and inventive) words that have made it into our lexicon.
    • Saturday 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM - Board Room 3 - Writers Workshop. Amy Sisson (M), Alexis Glynn Latner (M). Round-robin peer-critique workshop. (Pre-registration in advance of the con required.)
    • Saturday 2:00 PM - Autographs.
    • Saturday 4:00 PM - Tuscon - "Con Art Shows: For the Would-Be Buyer." Kathy Thornton (M), David Lee Anderson, Jimmy Simpson, Amy Sisson. From how to bid to what to do when you run out of wall space, our panel of artists and art buyers share their experiences with con art shows as a traveling gallery of spec fic art.
    • Sunday 12:00 noon - Seattle II - "Libraries in the Future." Amy Sisson (M), John Moore, Cherie BonneCarre Morgan.. Despite the stereotypes, libraries and librarians change to suit their times. Where are libraries headed in the 21st century? And what images of the future library has spec fic offered us in media or print?




  • ConDFW 2008 - Richardson, Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth area), February 22-24, 2008. Guest / Program participant.

    • Saturday 12:00 PM - Panel Room 2 (Rose/Magnolia) - "Facts in Your Fiction: Research for Writers." Hosted by Thomas Knowles, Frances May, Amy Sisson and Thomas M. Wagner. It?s a cliché that good writing requires good research. Industry pros discuss what exactly good research means, what sources writers too often ignore, and how an aspiring writer can hone their skill at researching their chosen genre.
    • Saturday 2:00 PM - Panel Room 3 (Mesquite) - "Escape from the Slush Pile." Hosted by Rhonda Eudaly, Gloria Oliver, Teresa Patterson, and Amy Sisson. You know it. You fear it. You dread it ? the slush pile. How do you escape its icy grasp? The editors and authors who managed to escape tell you the terrible truth. What is the industry looking for and what is yesterday?s news? What are the common mistakes seen again and again? What makes editors toss aside a manuscript and what makes them throw it with great force?
    • Sunday 10:00 AM - Panel Room 1 (Sunflower) - "Cats, Dragons and Fair Maidens: Fantasy Clichés that Sell." Hosted by Dusty Rainbolt, Rie Sheridan, Bradley H. Sinor, Amy Sisson and Mel White. Let?s face it ? there are certain things that fantasy fans are looking for in their fantasy fiction. How can you cater to their wants without endless repeating the same old clichés? Or, is this one of the places you should put your pride aside and put a dragon on the cover even if it only appears briefly on page 357?
    • Sunday 12:00 PM - Autographs.

    • Sunday 1:00 PM - Panel Room 3 (Mesquite) - "The Illustrated Fan." Hosted by Amy Sisson. Aside from Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man", is there a connection between fandom and tattoos? Does your tattoo have a particular connection to science fiction & fantasy? Have you always wanted to get one but can't decide what to get? Do you have questions about tattoo basics?


  • FenCon IV - Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, September 21-23, 2007. Guest / Program participant.

    • Saturday 10:00 AM - Programming 3 - "20th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation" (moderator). After a bit of a shaky start, TNG ran for seven years on television and spawned two other hit Trek series before moving on to the big screen. Fans discuss why this show is still special after all this time.
    • Saturday 1:00 PM - Main Stage - "A Very Special Harry Potter Episode." Now that the series has ended, what's next for the boy wizard?
    • Saturday 2:00 PM - Programming 3 - "Can't Take the Sky From Me: A Fan's Perspective on Firefly." Fans discuss "Firefly" and the Browncoat phenomenon.
    • Saturday 5:00 PM - Autographs.

    • Sunday 2:00 PM - Programming 1 - "Firefly: Now What?" Discussion of the future of Firefly, fan groups, conventions, filk, merchandise, books.



  • Shore Leave - Hunt Valley, Maryland, July 13-15, 2007. Guest / Program participant.

  • ApolloCon 2007 - Houston, Texas, June 22-24, 2007. Program participant / Writers workshop co-facilitator.
    • Fri. 9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - "The Current State of Spec Fic on Television." Shanna Swendson, Martha Wells, Katy Pace, Amy Sisson. What's going on in spec fic on television this year? Our panelists talk about what's hot, the sleepers, and the shows we are bidding adieu. Special attention this year to Stargate and Battlestar Galactica.
    • Sat. 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon - "Writers Workshop A." (facilitator) Round-robin peer-critique workshop. (Pre-registration in advance of the con required.)
    • Sat. 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - "What's Hot in YA Spec Fic?" K. Hutson Price (M), Marianne Dyson, Amy Sisson, Chris Roberson, Steve Wilson. Do you find yourself raiding your teen's bookshelf for the latest hot read? You're not alone. Hear panelists discuss YA's newest writers and trends.
    • Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - "Geek Grrls Groove on Library Thing." Cherie BonneCarrere Morgan, Amy Sisson (M), Ops. Can you use your private library to find other Spec fic geeks? Yes you can, with Library Thing, the new Internet sensation that is part cataloging tool and part social networking site. Our Grrls show you how!


  • ConDFW 2007 - Richardson, Texas, February 23-25, 2007. Guest / Program participant.
    • Saturday 11 a.m. - 12 noon (Panel Room 2 Rose/Magnolia). "Writers of the Future Panel." Hosted by Lou Antonelli, Linda Donahue, Amy Sisson, and K.D. Wentworth. Industry pros discuss the writers of the future, next year?s industry and other prognosticative subjects sure to interest the aspiring wordsmith. Break out your crystal balls and time machines, and pay a visit to the writer?s world of tomorrow.

    • Saturday 3-4 p.m. Autograph table.

    • Sunday 11 a.m. - 12 noon (Panel Room 1 Sunflower). "The Best Writers You?ve Never Heard Of." Hosted by Paul Black, Beverly A. Hale, Julia Mandala, and Amy Sisson. Industry pros tell you about the hidden jewels that they wish got more press. Who is waiting to be discovered?



  • Oni-Con - Houston, Texas, October 20-22, 2006.


  • Shore Leave - Hunt Valley, Maryland, July 7-9, 2006.

  • ApolloCon 2006 - Houston, Texas, June 23-25, 2006. Program participant.
    • Friday 5-6 p.m. (Board Room 1) - "The State of Short Spec Fic." Bennie Grezlik, Bob Gunner, Chris Nakashim-Brown, Kate Sanger (M), Amy Sisson. Panelists discuss the state of short spec fic, in terms of markets for writers and resources for readers. Magazines, Internet, anthologies, awards, finding aids. What is the value of the short form to the writers, to the readers, to the field in general?

    • Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 noon (Board Room 1) - "Writers Workshop." Round-robin peer-critique workshop moderated by Amy Sisson and Raymund Eich. (Pre-registration in advance of the con required.)

    • Saturday 2-3 p.m. (Board Room 1) - "Book Groups in Houston." Cherie BonneCarre Morgan, Gay Carter, Brent Morgan, Amy Sisson (moderated by Kate Sanger). Panelists will discuss the different kinds of spec fic book groups in Houston, how they work, how to find them, and have the opportunity to promote their groups. Panel includes a non-participant moderator.

    • Saturday 4-5 p.m. (Board Room 2) - "Art in Your Pocket: Artist Trading Cards." Amy Sisson (M), Cathey Osborne. ATC (Artist Trading Cards) and ACOE (Art Card Original Editions) are one of the hot new art trends. Artists and collectors explain the format and its background and answer questions from the audience. (May contain a powerpoint showcase.)


  • ConDFW V - Richardson, Texas (Dallas/Ft. Worth area), February 24-26, 2006. Guest / Program participant.
    • Saturday 11 a.m. (Panel Room 4 Pecan) - "The Best Writers You've Never Heard Of." With panelists: Amy Sisson (M), Mel Tatum, K.D. Wentworth and T.M. Wagner. Industry pros tell you about the hidden jewels that they wish got more press. Who is waiting to be discovered?

    • Sunday 11 a.m. (Panel Room 1 Rose - Main Programming) - "Writing in Someone Else's World." With panelists: Lee Martindale (M), Teresa Patterson and Amy Sisson. Industry pros discuss the problems and positives of writing based on the writings of another.


  • Cascadia Con/NasFic - Seattle, Washington, September 1-5, 2005. Program participant.
    • Thursday 4 p.m. - "Dissecting the Half-Blood Prince"

    • Friday 4 p.m. - "Buying Art at Conventions" (moderator)

    • Friday 7 p.m. - "Media Tie-Ins: Lit or Fluff"

    • Friday 9 p.m. - "Clarion Workshops: Threat or Menace"

    • Sunday 12 noon - "The Future Classroom"

    • Sunday 4 p.m. - "No Such Thing as a Bad Review" (moderator)


  • Intersection/Worldcon - Glasgow, Scotland, August 4-8, 2005. Program participant.
    • "The Limits of Open-Source Knowledge" - Wikis are touted as a huge success, but are they useless for practical work? What happens to data integrity in a world where people can effectively vote on the documented value of pi?

    • "Science Commons" - Scientific research has long been very much like the open source model. Can it be kept that way? Discussion of the SC project and related work.

    • "Science Fiction and Other Archives" - How can we best preserve our primary texts and criticism for use and appreciation now and in the future? How can we manage them -- and make them accessible?