Blarg!

Bill's blog. Writing, guitars, gratuitous Simpsons references, you'll find i​t all here. Almost certainly a waste of time for both you and the author. On the internet, that's actually a plus.

Find me at Illogicon this weekend!

illogicon_2018.png

It's time again for one of my favorite cons of the year, Illogicon in Cary, NC. I'll be paneling with some smart people, and doing a reading on Saturday night. Come say hello! Mention that you saw this blog post and I'll give you a high-five.

Here's my schedule:

Friday, 4pm

  • Do You Even Geek Sports and Fitness? – Reynolds
    Apps, gamification, heart rate computer bands, zombie runs… There are more ways than ever to improve the health of our physical meat sacks in the nerdiest of ways!
    Panelists: James Maxey (M), Calvin Powers, Matthew Penick, Mur Lafferty, Bill Ferris, Ian Malone

Friday, 9pm

  • Box of Office Bombs – Smith
    Sci-fi, comic, or fantasy movies aren’t niche and they’re getting some mega-budgets. Why do so many under perform?
    Panelists: Jason Gilbert (M), Bill Ferris, Michael G. Williams, Samantha Bryant, Jay Requard, Ian Malone

Saturday, 12pm

  • Anti-World Building – Smith
    When what you don’t say says more than what you do. Sometimes too much detail in your world-building can be immersion breaking
    Panelists: Holly Walrath (M), Alyssa Wong, Jason Gilbert, Bill Ferris, Clay Griffth, Susan Griffith

Saturday, 7pm

 

Come see me at Illogicon V this weekend

I'll be at Illogicon this weekend in Durham, NC January 8-10. Come on down to the  and hear me say something dumb. This year, I'll once again moderate the "The Sporting Geek" panel about where sports fandom and geeky fandom collide (see below for full descriptions). I'll also be a panelist on the "Writing Stand-Out Superheroes" session. As per usual, I'll be paneling with some pretty smart folks, so it'll definitely be worth your while.

Friday, January 8

  • The Sporting Geek - 6-7 pm (I'm the moderator!)
    Being a nerd doesn't mean you have to shun sports. Sure, we'll talk mainstream stuff like basketball, football, baseball, and hockey, but we'll also delve into geek-friendly activities like rock climbing, running, and disc golf. Anything that's nerdy and sporty is fair game, from sabermetrics to fantasy sports like Quidditch and Calvinball. 

Sunday, January 10

Writing Stand-Out Superheroes - 10-11 am
I don't have a description for this session, but it's pretty much what it sounds like.

Come see me at Illogicon this weekend

I'll be at Illogicon this weekend in Durham, NC January 9-11. Come on down to the  and hear me say something dumb. This year, I'll be moderating two panels that I'm very excited about: "Make with the Funny" about humor in genre fiction, and "The Sporting Geek," about where sports fandom and geeky fandom collide (see below for full descriptions). Once again, I'll be paneling with some pretty smart folks, so it'll definitely be worth your while.

Friday, January 9

  • Social Scientists' Science Fiction - 5 pm
    There's no shortage of science fiction written by authors with Ph.D.s in the "hard sciences" (biology, chemistry, physics), and their expertise show up in everything from world building to alien physiology. But what about authors with educations in Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Linguistics, Economics, and so on? Is the SF experience redefined when it comes from social scientists instead?
  • Bwa Ha Ha Ha! - 9 pm
    Sometimes we take so long creating protagonists that will appeal to readers, we forget to give the same depth and character to the enemy. Let's talk about some of the best literary villains, and techniques writers can use to make a truly memorable bad guy.

Saturday, January 10

Make with the Funny - Noon (I'm the moderator!)
Authors and artists talk about how they write humor in SF&F. They'll also share what books, movies, TV shows, and comics make them laugh the most. The panel itself will probably be funnier than this description you're reading now.

Sunday, January 11

The Sporting Geek - 1 pm (I'm the moderator!)
Being a nerd doesn't mean you have to shun sports. Sure, we'll talk mainstream stuff like basketball, football, baseball, and hockey, but we'll also delve into geek-friendly activities like rock climbing, running, and disc golf. Anything that's nerdy and sporty is fair game, from sabermetrics to fantasy sports like Quidditch and Calvinball. 

I'll be paneling at Illogicon January 10-12

shrodie-sit.gif

I'll be at Illogicon this weekend in Durham, NC. Come on down to the Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham and hear me say something dumb. I'll be in some pretty interesting sessions with a bunch of smart people:

Friday, January 10

  • 4 pm: The Fortunes of Small Press
  • 9 pm: Lies with Words

Saturday, January 11

  • 12 pm: Social Scientists' Science Fiction

Sunday, January 12

  • 10 am: Advice for Fiction Writers
  • 12 pm: Reading
  • 1 pm: Fuck the Universal Translator!
  • 4 pm: The Superhero Next Door
  • 5 pm: New Trends in Speculative Fiction

Illogicon