Armadillocon awaits

I'm heading off to Armadillocon tomorrow for three days of panels, pitches and schmoozing. I'll get to hear about Mark Finn's near-fatal arm amputation and miraculous re-attachment of a substitue arm from a donor ape many times over the course of the weekend, I'm sure. I'll get to see Charles de Lint and his wife MaryAnn again, along with all the usual suspects that tend to turn up in Austin at this time of year. Here's my schedule:

Friday

• Developments in Space Opera
  11:00 PM-Midnight
  Blaschke, Broderick, Minz*, Roberson, Stross
  Space opera is one of the earliest forms of science fiction, and in recent years there has been great growth in this area. Why is this happening, where's it going, what's the best stuff, and why is so much of it coming out of the UK?
  
  Saturday
  
• Current Trends in British SF
  11:00 AM-Noon
  Blaschke, J. Mann*, Person, Siros, Stross
  Several British writers are currently producing some of the most exciting and best-written sf yet seen. We'll sort out the best stuff, try to discern trends, and overall try to spread our joy and enthusiasm.
  
  
• Speculative Fiction in Academia
  1:00 PM-2:00 PM
  Blaschke*, Crider, Johnson, Ringel, McMullen
  Speculative fiction has emerged into a form of literature seriously studied, taught, and written by adademics. Let's learn what the professors are saying about our favorite genre.
  
  
• Autographing
  Sat 4:00 PM-5:00 PM
  Blaschke, Crider, Osborne, Wells
  
  Sunday
  
• Reading
  Noon-12:30 PM
  Jayme Lynn Blaschke
  I'll be reading the first chapter from my in-progress novel, currently titled Wetsilver (at least, that's what I'm calling it this week, at any rate).
  
  
• The Rewards of Electronic Publishing
  1:00 PM-2:00 PM
  Blaschke, Burton*, Hall, Marin
  New technology leads to new methods of distributing fiction. Our panelists discuss why they are turning to paperless publication.

I suppose it goes without saying that I'll have some of my limited-edition literary beer on hand Saturday for all you of-age partygoers!

Now Playing: James Horner The Rocketeer Soundtrack