- ConDFW X - Dallas, Texas, February 18-20, 2011.
- FenCon VI - Dallas, Texas, September 19, 2010.
- ApolloCon 2010 - Houston, Texas,
June 25-27, 2010. Guest / Program participant.
- Saturday 2:00 PM - Seattle II - "Sex, the Young Adult, and the YA novel." Rosemary Clement-Moore,
Melanie Miller Fletcher, K. Hutson Price, Amy Sisson (moderator), Lee Thomas., . YA fantasy is broaching some
very intense subjects: politics, sex, violence, sadism. Does this reflect a broader trend in fantasy or one in YA
fiction in general? What are the ramifications and repercussions?
- Saturday 4:00 PM - Seattle II - "Marked for Life: Body Mods in Spec Fic."
Gabrielle S. Faust, Cathey Osborne (M), Lawrence Person, Amy Sisson.. Tattoos and piercings, brands and surgical
procedures. Humanity has developed many ways to improve on the factory original. Our panelists discuss the body mod in
Spec Fic. Are they marks of individuality or marks of tribal unity? As we move into the future, how will genetic
manipulation affect our ability to stand out in a crowd?.
- ConDFW IX - Dallas, Texas,
February 12-14, 2010. Guest / Program participant.
- Saturday 4:00 PM - Canterbury - "World-Building 101: Weather Control" Amy Sisson (M), Lillian Stewart Carl,
Elizabeth Moon, Darlene Bolesny, Rachel Caine.
- FenCon VI - Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, September 18-20,
2009. Guest / Program participant.
- Friday 8:00 PM - Trinity 1/2 - "Reboot to the Head: The New Star Trek." There's a new Star Trek Universe now,
and we discuss if it's a revitalization of the "Trek" enterprise, or a bad mistake. What can we expect to see in the future?
- Friday 8:00 PM - Addison Lecture Hall - "To Boldly Go..." (moderator). Tonight we'll talk about the effect of
"Star Trek" on fandom as a whole. Do the positives outweigh the negatives, and will it continue to be a force to be reckoned with?
- Saturday 1:00 PM - Trinity 3 - "Short Shorts - A Fiction Statement." We're not talking about hot pants, but
short, flash, and micro fiction. Come see what it's all about!
- Sunday 11:00 AM - Oak Ballroom - "Writing Tie-Ins" (moderator). Movie and TV tie-in books are discussed. What
are the pros and cons of tackling this sort of writing, and what should an author know before jumping into this situation?
- Anticipation/Worldcon - Montréal,
Quebec, Canada, August 6-10, 2009. Guest / Program participant.
- Friday 12:30 - 2:00 PM - P-524C - "Subverting the Canon." DD Barant, Amy Sisson, Lucien Soulban,
Stephen Saffel. Writers playing in someone else?s sandbox can?t help but bring their own sensibilities. How do writers
of media tie-ins challenge or subvert what they?ve been handed? Is that a good thing? Can books and comics pushing
the limits have their influence?
- Saturday 1 - 2:00 PM - P-510D - "You Like to Write, Now What?" (Teen Programming). Peter Atwood, Jeanne Cavelos, Margaret Ronald,
Merrie Haskell, Amy Sisson (moderator). What does it take for a young writer to get started? Where can you go to
learn more? Some folks talk about Writing Programs they?ve attended. What?s the next step? What does it take to get noticed?
- Saturday 2 - 3:30 PM - P-518BC - "Battlestar Galactica: The Postmortem Session." Eliza Baynes, Suzanne Church,
David Clink (moderator), Susan Forest, Matthew Rotundo, Amy Sisson. It's over, or is it? Did the final season pay off
or leave us wanting more? And even if you're satisfied with the conclusion, are there still stories to be told?
- Sunday 10 - 11:00 AM - P-510C - "Share a Book" (Kids Programming). Alison Baird, Eoin Colfer, Alaya Dawn Johnson (moderator),
Bruce Lindsley Rockwood, Amy Sisson. Share your favourite books to read, and make suggestions for other kids.
- Sunday 11:00 AM - 12 NOON - P-512CG - "Library Thing, Good Reads." James Cambias, Kate Nepveu (moderator), Pat Rothfuss,
Amy Sisson. What cataloguing system do you use?
- Sunday 3 - 4:00 PM - P-516E - "Chicks that Kick A**" (Teen Programming). Sharon Lee (moderator), Amy Sisson,
Kathryn Sullivan, Heather Urbanski. We know and love them: from Nancy Drew, to Buffy, to Kim Possible.
- Shore Leave 30 - Hunt Valley, Maryland,
July 10-12, 2009. Guest / Program participant.
- Friday 10:00 PM - 12 Midnight - Hunt/Valley Foyer - "Meet the Pros."
- Saturday 11:00 AM - 12 Noon - Hunt - "The Young Gun Writers Ride the Range." Allyn Gibson,
Amy Sisson, John Coffren, Kevin Lauderdale, Scott Pearson, Steve Mollmann, James Johnson, Aaron Rosenberg.
- ConDFW VIII - Dallas, Texas,
February 20-22, 2009. Guest / Program participant.
- Saturday 11:00 AM - Canterbury - "Thunder before Lightning: Researching Reality." Amy Sisson (M), Frances May, Taylor Anderson.
- Saturday 12:00 PM - Canterbury - "Escape from the Slush Pile." Kerry Tolan (M), Selina Rosen, Amy Sisson, Richard D. Weber.
- Saturday 5:00 PM - Autograph session.
- Sunday 12:00 PM - "Writers to Keep An Eye On." Paul Black (M), Bradley H. Sinor, Amy Sisson, J.M. McDermott.
- Con Jour 2009 - University of Houston-Clear Lake,
Houston, Texas, January 30-February 1, 2009.
Guest / Program participant.
- Friday 4:00 PM - "Plot Development." Kevin P. Boerwinkle, Dr. John Gorman (moderator), Amy Sisson, Michelle.
- Friday 7:00 PM - "Academia vs. Fandom." James Hood (moderator), Amy Sisson, Dr. White, Ben Wittmeyer.
- Saturday 10:00 AM - "Author Concerns: Types of Publishing." Dr. Stephen Duncan, Richard Leon, Kris Overstreet, Amy Sisson (moderator),
Dr. Craig White.
- Saturday 11:00 AM - "Character Development." Richard Leon, Scott Padget (moderator), Amy Sisson, Heidi Slade,
Kris Overstreet.
- Sunday 10:00 AM - "Science From Fiction, Fiction From Science" Paul Abell, Dr. Larry Friesen (moderator),
John Moore, Scott Padget, Amy Sisson
- Sunday 1:00 PM - "Okay, I Wrote it! So, How do I Sell it?" John Moore, Amy Sisson (moderator), UHCL Writing Center Staff,
Linda Nightingale
- FenCon V - Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, October 3-5,
2008. Guest / Program participant.
- Friday 8:00 PM - Trinity 1/2 - "The Obiligatory Star Trek Panel." M. Braun, E. Braun, J. Epps, A. Sisson, M. Nelson*.
Go boldly into a discussion of Trek. With a new movie coming out next year, there is plenty of news and rumor. Check your phasers at the door; we don't appreciate
having to clean that stuff up!
- Saturday 11:00 AM - Trinity 1/2 - "Science: Fact or Crap? Quiz Show." G. Benford, W. Ledbetter, A. Sisson, T. Morgan*.
Think you know about Science? Then join us for FenCon's first ever Science: Fact or Crap Quiz Show! Cheer and boo as regular fans like you team up with our celebrity
contestants to compete for the glory of being FenCon's Champions of Science! Come find out if what you know about Science is
Fact - or Crap.
- Saturday 3PM - Gallery. Autographs.
- Sunday 12:00 noon - Trinity 3 - "Whedonverse." R. Caine, R. Clement-Moore, R. Sheridan, A. Sisson, S. Swensdon.
All things Joss! Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, you name it, we got it!
- Sunday 1:00 PM - Addison Lecture Hall - "Real World Influence on Fictional Worlds". A. Hawkes, W. Ledbetter, J. McDermott, S. Patrick,
M. Tatum, A. Sisson*. Honor Harrington is Admiral Nelson. Firefly's civil war is modeled on the American civil war. How do writers use real world history and current
events to shape their fictional reality?
- Sunday 3:00 PM - Oak Ballroom - "Take My Hobby, Please". K. Antell, R. Musgrave, M. Musgrave, A. Sisson*. Non-genre pastimes that our esteemed panelists do
in their spare time. Knitting, doll making, genaeology....
- Star Trek: The Experience - Las Vegas, Nevada, August 22-24, 2008. One last visit before it permanently shuts down!
- 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."
- 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?
- Star Trek: The Experience - Las Vegas, Nevada, May 10, 2008. Author signing by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore.
- 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?
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