I’m pretty excited to be a panelist this year at OryCon 37 at the Waterfront Portland Marriot. Guests of Honor are Tanya Huff, artist Alan M. Clark, Ryan Wells, and Jason V. Brock. A little star-struck too, several of my co-panelists are people who I’ve met at other workshops, classes, or Cons; or through Cascade Writers or Writers of the Future. Here’s my schedule:
Friday, November 20
- 4-5pm I’ll Be Watching You: From vampire assassins to wizard private eyes to undead thugs, crime has been mixing it up with fantasy for years. What is it about crime, noir, and the paranormal that’s so appealing? Also – what are some really good titles? I’ll be moderating this one with Annie Bellet, Ken Lizzi, Alex C Renwick, and Kristi Charish
- 5-6pm Writers of the Future Reading: Past winners read their work. With Lori Ann White, K.C. Ball, Stoney Compton, Peter Wacks, Grá Linnaea
Saturday, November 21
- 12-1pm The internet: How Do You Keep Anything Private? In this day and age, can you recognize when your information is secure? Do you know at what points your data may be available to either innocently casual or fiendishly intent scrutiny? With Mark Niemann-Ross, Sean Robinson, Edward Stiner
- 4-5pm Finance for Creatives How do professional writers and artists handle accounting, paperwork, taxes and the IRS. Who gets paid what? Who deducts what? Can I really write off that trip to Belize and do I have to keep every receipt? When can I start treating some of my hobbies and start-ups as real businesses? With Leah Cutter, John Hedtke, William Hertling
- 5-6pm Piracy: Fight It or Embrace It? Piracy is everywhere, and creators hate it. Except when they don’t. HBO, for instance, says pirating of “Game of Thrones” is the best free advertising ever. Should creators learn to embrace the Jolly Roger, or fight it? With Erik Wecks, Shawna Reppert, Joyce Reynolds-Ward, Grá Linnaea
Sunday, November 22
- 11-12pm Spaceships, Colonists, & Castaways How small communities function in isolated conditions with minimal resources. With Susan R. Matthews, Lori Ann White, Alex C Renwick, Bart Kemper
- 12-1pm The Gender Talk Is it really that hard to write someone of a different gender? I’ll be moderating this one with J. A. Pitts, Rhiannon Held, Esther Jones, Dale Ivan Smith
Should be loads of fun! Hope to see you there.
