I’ll be doing the fifth Taboo reading at WisCon, this year with Jennifer Pelland and Charlie Jane Anders. MK Hobson designed our poster again and I think it’s amazing!

My taboo this year is swearing. Come listen if you’d like to hear me drop an F-bomb every other sentence. Jen and Charlie have stories about kinky robot sex and voyeurism.

Does anyone else find that the week or two before WisCon is absolutely packed with writing things they have to get done? I’m not sure if it’s something about the time of year, or some subconscious urge to feel like I “did something” right before the con.

John Joseph Adams and Creeping Hemlock Press are working on launching Nightmare Magazine, a new horror publication paying at least 5 cents a word.

They have a Kickstarter where you can help fund them and/or subscribe in advance. They also have a statement about welcoming diverse submissions. The project shows a lot of promise and I’m definitely supporting it.

Today I alternated research note-taking with socializing in a chatroom of writers. And we did a few “word wars” where we all focused on work for a period of time, then treated ourselves to chats. It’s amazing how much I can get done that way. I _love_ social writing and wish I had more opportunities to do it. I even like sitting in the same room with people who are all writing. I love Nanowrimo write-ins and things like that.

I’m far more social than the average writer-bear.

Something is going weird with the cross-posting between my blog and LJ. Let me see if this works… (no need to respond unless you have a totally smartassed witty comment that will make me laugh)

Editor Andy Cox tells me that “Seeking Captain Random” will be in the issue that’s mailed in early May. I’m really glad to see this story in publication; it was one of the last to be released from Realms of Fantasy, and the artwork was already done. Interzone was happy to buy the artwork, so this is the picture that was originally going to appear with the story. I like it.

Most of the conferences I go to are sf/f cons. Admission prices range from about $50-$225. That upper end is Worldcon, the fanciest event, and the admission cost gets me everything at the conference.

I’m considering going to The Amazing Meeting, but I am horrified by the price. It’s $425 just for the basic conference, and all the evening entertainment costs extra.

What the heck? Can anyone tell me what’s up here? Maybe some of you go to more conferences than I do. Are sf/f cons cheap for what you get? Does The Amazing Meeting sounds ridiculously expensive to you? Or is that pretty normal for other types of conventions? (It’s a skeptic/critical thinking conference, and I’ve heard it’s wonderful.) Thanks.

I’ve got a good set of panels this year. I’ll be really busy too.

Writers’ Workshop: Vylar Kaftan (scheduled) unlisted Fri, 9:00 am–12:00 pm Senate A

Taboo V: Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back Into The Water (scheduled) participant Fri, 9:00–10:15 pm Conference 2
Charlie Jane Anders, Vylar Kaftan, Jennifer Pelland, Rachel Virginia Swirsky
The taboo, the controversial, the confrontational. Fifth in the series of readings from Vylar Kaftan, Rachel Swirsky, and Jennifer Pelland, this year with Nebula-nominated guest Charlie Jane Anders.

Let’s Build a World (scheduled) participant Sat, 2:30–3:45 pm Room 629
Benjamin Rosenbaum, Vylar Kaftan, Rachel Kronick, Victoria Lopez, Carol Townsend
Whether it’s for movies, TV, literature, or games of all kinds, creative people in SF&F have to build their worlds from scratch. Let’s see how they do it. We’ll start with some categories (tech level, economic system, climate, races, etc.), get ideas about each of them from the audience, select the best ideas in each category, then watch the panelists writhe as they figure out how to make them work together.

Intersectionality in the Writing Workshop Environment (scheduled) moderator Sat, 9:00–10:15 pm Conference 4
Vylar Kaftan, Keffy R. M. Kehrli, Ibi Zoboi about this item.
Intensive writing workshops can be incredible life-changing experiences. But what’s it like to attend them as a writer of color, a woman, a trans person, a queer person? What if you have disabilities or are lacking in financial means? Let’s discuss which workshops are the most accepting (and to whom) and uncover strategies to help you get the best out of the experience. The focus will be on in-person workshops, but online workshops may also be discussed.

Critique Groups: How to Give and Take a Critique (scheduled) participant Sun, 10:00–11:15 am Caucus
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, Heather Beatty, F.J. Bergmann, Vylar Kaftan, Stacy Thieszen
Writers groups and other ways of giving and receiving critiques are important parts of the writing process for many authors. What are the keys to giving useful critiques to other writers? How can you get the most out of critiques of your own work? How do you cope with the emotionally tender bits of receiving criticism?

It’s Actually Quite Hard to Rip a Bodice: How to Use (and Not Abuse) Historical Details in Fiction (scheduled) moderator Sun, 1:00–2:15 pm Capitol B
Vylar Kaftan, Lucy Adlington, Ellen Klages, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Elizabeth Bear
Anachronisms can really get a person’s stockings in a twist. A 19th-Century heroine stalking the land in stiletto heels? Or, worse, being assaulted by a hunk who has no idea how to access a body bound by corsetry? But readers don’t want the story derailed by an author’s excessive display of “see-what-I-know-itis.” There are an increasing number of online sources for historical research. How do you gauge their accuracy? When telling your story, how do you strike a balance between imaginative flair and downright pedantry?

The SignOut (scheduled) participant Mon, 11:30 am–12:45 pm Capitol/Wisconsin
Come and sign your works, come and get things signed, come and hang out and wind down before you leave.

Project Unbreakable is photographs of rape victims holding up quotes from their attackers. Things their rapists said to them.

It can be extremely harrowing and triggering, so be warned. I don’t recommend reading it while at work. The pictures include male victims and now-adult incest survivors. It’s powerful and moving.

For writers, it’s also a really good study in dialogue–in what’s said, and left unsaid, and the effect the words possess long after they’re spoken.

Hey all! I would like to expand my selection of Music For Writing Time. My taste is eclectic.

Here’s what I am looking for:
–Instrumental. No lyrics. OK if there’s a couple stray scattered words in it, although it’s better if they’re not English.
–More upbeat/dance style. I like calm and relaxing stuff too, but I am currently heavily loaded with that and I don’t have enough high-energy stuff.
–Actually musical and not just noise. That’s a tough line for sure, but basically it needs to have some notes, and not just percussion.
–Complete albums (rather than single songs).
–Bonus points if it has a “world beat” music sound.
–Also bonus points if I can listen to samples at Amazon before buying.

Cirque du Soleil is just about perfect. I also like Uman, Lisa Gerrard, Tya, James Asher, David Arkenstone, Cusco, Juno Reactor, Osamu Kitajima, Dead Can Dance, Salaryman, Amethystium, Midnight Syndicate, and Explosions in the Sky.

Any new suggestions? Thank you!