Coming to Penguicon?

That most-remarkable of Conventions, Michigan’s Penguicon approaches! Past guests have included Neil Gaiman, Vernor Vinge, Charles Stross, Randall Munroe, Elizabeth Bear, and John Scalzi. Guests this year include Karl Schroeder, Geoffrey Landis, Spider and Jeanne Robinson, Joe Brockmeier, the Ferrett, and many others.

I’m giving one workshop and sitting on four panels. It would be great to meet some Bureau readers. Anyone coming to Penguicon?

You can find more information here. My schedule and some videos appear below.

Whose Con is It Anyway?
Fan-friendly improv games inspired by Whose Line Is It, Anyway? but designed to get people to mix and loosen up before the Con’s many social functions. No experience is necessary!
Friday 6PM
JD DeLuzio and Amanda Jane Schade

Prequels: The Fandom Menace
Why were the Star Wars prequels and Enterprise, in the eyes of so many, failures? Has Caprica learned from these shows? Are there lessons to be learned? How much should filmmakers cater to fan expectations and interests?
Saturday 9AM
JD DeLuzio, Merrie Haskell, The Ferrett,

Aliens: Form and Function
How do aliens in written and media SF influence the kinds of story that one tells about them? How do the demands of the story influence the aliens’ natures?
Saturday 12 PM
JD DeLuzio, Mary Robinette Kowal, Michael Z. Williamson

Nerds in Media
With the runaway success of Big Bang Theory, now in its third year, it’s worth examining the ways in which popular media portrays nerds and fans. This also looks at depictions in films aimed at fandom, such as Free Enterprise, Comic Book Villains, and Fanboys. Are such portrayals empowering or degrading? What about depictions of fandom in mainstream series and films?
Saturday 7PM
JD DeLuzio, Catherine Shaffer, Michael Z. Williamson

Post-scarcity Futures
The post-scarcity future seems to be replacing the post-nuclear holocaust in the SF novel. Will the trend continue? Is this future more plausible than the earlier post-disaster future? Is it a possible or inevitable future? How much do either have to say about the times in which each sort is written?
Saturday 8 PM
JD DeLuzio, Karl Schroeder, Geoffrey A. Landis

Video: Penguicon 7.0

Video: Penguicon 5.0 and 6.0

Video: Penguicon 6.0