Dublin 2019 World Con will be full of floof! It even includes a performance by the Fox Spirit Skulk Players!
CON-EIRE
Moderator Dr Kate Laity (College of Saint Rose) | Penny Jones | Mr simon jones | Dr Tracy Fahey | Chloë Yates (The Skulk Players (ConEire)) | Adele Wearing (Fox Spirit Book)| Tom Everley (Fox Spirit Books)
Play
A love letter to the people who do the thankless work behind the scenes at SFF cons everywhere!
It’s three days before the start of ConEIRE, the best Irish-themed science fiction and fantasy con in the tri-state area, when a phone call sets the entire Convention Committee into panic mode. Is Big Name Writer going to pull out at the last minute? What does Very Famous Artist have to do with that decision? And what do the fairies have to say about all this? Follow the hilarious mishaps as the committee members work desperately to salvage months of planning and hard work, all of which are about to be undone by a well-known prima donna.
But there are skulk members appearing throughout the con:
THURSDAY
Moderator Dr Tracy Fahey | Eden Royce | F. Brett Cox (Norwich University) | Dr Theodora Goss (Boston University and Stonecoast MFA Program)
Panel
Where does the Gothic fit into the overall horror tradition? What elements of the Gothic remain so compelling today, and why? Panellists discuss the genre from its roots to Southern Gothic and other modern interpretations.
Creating podcasts: ideas, people, and themes 50 minutes THURSDAY 4:00 PM – 4:50 PM | CCD , Wicklow Hall-1
Moderator Deanna Sjolander | Alasdair Stuart (Escape Artists) | Mur Lafferty | Lucy Hounsom | Jennifer Mace
Panel
FRIDAY
Moderator Alasdair Stuart (Escape Artists) | Jonathan Strahan (Tor.com, Locus, Coode Street and freelance) | Sheila Williams (Asimov’s) | Neil Clarke (Clarkesworld Magazine)
Panel
Panel
From body horror to body snatchers to possession and beyond, how has horror explored, exploited, and pushed the limits of bodily integrity? What is the subtext of different approaches to body horror, and what practitioners are exploring these assaults on the flesh in the most interesting ways?
Moderator Marguerite Kenner (Escape Artists Inc.) | Moderator Alasdair Stuart (Escape Artists) | Benjamin C. Kinney (Escape Pod) | Tina Connolly | Aidan Doyle | Premee Mohamed
Podcast
Come and learn more about free weekly podcast fiction! Join the Escape Artists for an audio fiction show presented by all four EA podcasts: Escape Pod, PseudoPod, PodCastle, and Cast of Wonders. There’ll be a Q&A session, swag giveaways, all the latest news, and live readings.
Why is it always raining in Gotham? Noir themes in SF 50 minutes FRIDAY 9:00 PM – 9:50 PM | CCD , Wicklow Hall 2B
Moderator Madeline Ashby | Errick Nunnally | Laurence Raphael Brothers | Dr Kate Laity (College of Saint Rose)
Panel
Noir tropes are hugely popular in science fictional settings, such as China Miéville’s The City and the City, or William Gibson’s Neuromancer. In what ways are noir tropes adapted or subverted within the genre? Is there a difference in the ways SF books, comics, and movies use elements of noir? The panel will discuss the uses of noir across SF genres and formats.
SATURDAY
Moderator E. C. Ambrose (Rocinante Books) | Rebecca Slitt (Choice of Games LLC) | S.A. Chakraborty | Dr Kate Laity (College of Saint Rose)
Panel
The medieval period is a rich source of inspiration for writers of speculative fiction, but medieval life has been so romanticised in popular culture that it has become hard to separate the chaff of fiction from the wheat of historical fact. Our panel of medievalists will saddle up their warhorses and ride to rescue the damsel of medieval history!
Revolutions in an era of advanced technology 50 minutes SATURDAY 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM | CCD , Wicklow Room-3
Moderator Marguerite Kenner (Escape Artists Inc.) | Ms Maria Farrell Ms | Klaus Æ. Mogensen (Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies) | Catherynne Valente
Panel
How do revolutions (e.g. overthrowing government) occur in an era of advanced technologies? Are orderly regime changes jeopardised with growing asymmetries in weaponry, surveillance, and political power? Are current political processes up to the challenge?
‘Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know’ SATURDAY 11:30 AM to 12:20 PM (50 minutes) Odeon 6 (Academic) Part of: Crusaders and Fairy Kings
Paper
Susanna Clarke’s sprawling novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell takes in the whole of the 19th century attempt to restore magic to respectability in England. Repeatedly the readers are warned that fairy magic is ‘not respectable’ – most often by Gilbert Norrell, who hides his shame at stooping to its employment on at least one occasion. Why is fairy magic not ‘respectable’? I will argue that it is because it is mostly Celtic, rather than the more dour, respectable, and rather puritanical English magic that Norrell seeks to revive and rule over. In contrast, John Uskglass was trained in fairy magic and his troop, the Raven King’s army, is specifically identified as the Daoine Sidhe. In pursuing the Raven King’s example, Jonathan Strange remains open to this Celtic influence and soon surpasses his teacher in skill and daring, but both Englishmen are unprepared for the full fury of the fairy fight.
Moderator Alasdair Stuart (Escape Artists) | Stephen Jones | Ellen Datlow | Brett Savory (ChiZine Publications) | John Connolly
Panel
Moderator Marguerite Kenner (Escape Artists Inc.) | D Franklin | Juliet Mushens (Caskie Mushens Ltd) | Molly Ker Hawn (The Bent Agency UK) | Stevie Finegan (Orion Publishing Group)
Panel
Who decides which YA books get bought? Publishers? Editors? Booksellers? Parents? Or maybe even YA readers? Join us for a thoughtful discussion on marketing and publishing in YA as we look at how YA novels get chosen. Moreover, what are publishers and readers looking for in a book?
SUNDAY
Moderator Alasdair Stuart (Escape Artists) | Penny Jones| Dr Glyn Morgan (The Science Museum, London) | Devin Madson
Panel
Content warning: may include discussions of suicide and self-harm, mental illness and ableism, eating disorders.
Mental health used well can drive a story, create believable motives for characters and even greater awareness amongst the audience. However, these issues are not always treated sensitively or realistically. This panel will explore examples of mental health issues in genre fiction and consider their implications and accuracy.
Podcast
MONDAY
Panel
Critic Peter Tremayne observed that: ‘Practically every Irish writer has … explored the genre for the supernatural part of Irish culture.’ Ireland has always held its own in fantastical literature, from Jonathan Swift and Bram Stoker to Dorothy Macardle and Elizabeth Bowen. But is there a discernible tradition threaded through their fictions? And what, if anything, makes their writing Irish?
Kaffeeklatsch
Kaffeeklatsch
[If we missed something tweet Kate with the details]
