Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Reminder: I'm Gonna Be At Fogcon!


Just a reminder that I'm going to be at Fogcon this weekend ... so if you just happened to be in Walnut Creek swing by and check out the convention and say hello!

Historical Crime Fighters
Sat 9:00 - 10:15AM
Thief-takers, Bow Street Runners, Pinkerton detectives...What was solving crime like in the bad old days?

Anarchists! Innnn! Spaaaaace!
Sat 1:30 - 2:45PM
Outside of the law can mean outside of the city. The classic justice systems offered exile as an avoidance of fatal sentencing, considering exile equally terminal. But what happens when all of Earth is girded with awareness and broadcasting, how far do you go to find exile? How do you opt out from the water you're swimming in?

Erotic Reading Trio
Sat 8:00 - 9:15PM
M.Christian, Mistress Lorelei Powers, Steven Schwartz

And I Awoke And Found Myself In Prison: Sex, Science Fiction, and the Law
Sat 9:30 - 10:45PM
Until very recently, in many parts of the U.S., consensual sex between two adults of the same gender could be punished by law. People defined as "sex offenders" are monitored in ever more high-tech ways. As technology and culture change, so do the things people do sexually, and the way the law reacts to them. And that's without even thinking about throwing aliens in the mix. Should it be illegal to have sex with your own clone, if it's less than 18 calendar years old, though it was put through forced-growth and has your memories implanted? Or does that count as incest? Would it be illegal for a human to have sex with an alien or two, and to broadcast it all over the Galaxy-Wide-Web? And if so, how do you punish? This panel is intended for adults, since sexuality will be at the core of the discussion, especially sexuality at the fringes.

The Author's Body
Sun, 9:00–10:15AM
Unlike athletes, writers can do all their work hidden behind a screen of ink or pixels. Nevertheless, readers unconsciously approach fiction in the context of what they know or believe about the author's gender, race, ethnicity, age, looks, orientation, and dis/ability. How does an author's corporeal self influence the way we read the author's words? And what happens when readers find out an author is lying? We'll discuss such writers as Carl Brandon, James Tiptree, Jr., and the recent fake lesbian bloggers. 

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