Worldcon and birthdays and questions, Oh My!

[la_marquise]

First of all, many many happy returns to the wonderful rozk. I hope you have a good day.

I have my programme schedule for Worldcon. It's mow close enough that I'm getting excited -- I've wanted to go to Quebec province since I was eight or nine. My schedule looks like this:

12.30 Thursday The Werewolves of Brigadoon
The appropriation of Scotland, Ireland and Wales as lands of "Celtic fantasy" by North American authors whose Celtic experiences appear to begin with Sir Walter Scott, travel through
Brigadoon, and conclude with bad Hollywood movies. This one could get interesting. I have Views and I can quite genuinely claim to be expert. As most of the popular beliefs are, well, wrong... Hmmm.
Kari Sperring, Peadar Ó Guilín (M), Ian McDonald.

2 pm Thursday Translation Challenges
What are the artistic and professional challenges faced by translators? How do they tackle translating between languages whose grammars are incompatible?
Jetse de Vries, Kari Sperring (M), Rani Graff, Tom Clegg, Fernandes, Eileen Gunn

7 pm Thursday Horror and Dark Fantasy Writers: What Makes the Story "Horror" or "Dark Fantasy"?
Horror and dark fantasy writers tell how they do it, how do they think up the horror and how do they know it when they write it?
Ellen Datlow (M), Kari Sperring, Maura McHugh, Susan Forest, Kaaron Warren

9 am Friday Medieval France: Just another fantasy?
Fantasy authors are often inspired by medieval France, but how much reality actually gets ends up in their fiction?
Edward James, Faye Ringel, Kari Sperring (M), Sean McMullen

2 pm Saturday he Middle Ages: Getting it Right
Description: Professional medieval historians help you avoid howlers and offer you unlikely titbits of information.
Edward James (M), Kari Sperring (The Edward-and-Kari show rides again).

4.30 pm Sunday Kari Sperring Signing
Say what?

7 pm Folk Tales
Description: Listen to some folk tales from around the world. (Children's programme and bilingual)
Josepha Sherman (M), Kari Sperring
(I'd like to tell a really scary Viking folk-tale. Will I be lynched?)

10 am Monday 150 Years Later: The Continuing Exploits of the Three
Musketeers
Description: Kari Sperring (as Kari Maund) is the co-author of The Four Musketeers: The True Story of D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis and Athos
My solo talk on Musketeer sequels.

11 am Monday Non-Fiction for SF Fans
What non-fiction should SF fans be reading? The panel recommends and discussed recently published books and perennial classics.
Geoff Ryman, James Cambias, Kari Sperring, Niall Harrison (M), Vincent Docherty

12.30 Monday Author Reading
Patrick Rothfuss; Kari Sperring; Michelle Sagara.
(Eep. I am reading with Important Writers).

Monday morning is going to be rushed, methinks! But I've done worse when I was still teaching in universities. Most of these look like fun, though my translation skills involve mediaeval languages.

Serious question: can anyone on the f'list put me in email contact with Josepha Sherman, please? I've never met her, but I suspect the folk-tale item will need careful advance planning. I can tell a Welsh story in French quite happily, and another Welsh one (or Irish or Scandinavian) in English, but I don't want to overlap and I know little about her interests.

The marquis is on four items -- 3.30 pm Thursday, a discussion of the Hugo-nominated novels; 3 pm Friday, Jedi training workshop for the children's programme; Friday 9 pm, on RPGs and their fictional tie-ins; and 9 am Saturday on Mediaeval Technology.

Comments

[coth.livejournal.com]

What a schedule. Do make sure you look after yourself as well as enjoying yourself. I envy you...

Non-fiction for SF fans should include the quite wonderful Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds - just as pertinent now as it has been for the last 168 years (it was first published in 1841!).

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

You're even busier than they seem to want me to be!

I will probably be bowing out of that non-fiction panel -- I don't think I read enough to usefully contribute, even as moderator.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

I was offered the Werewolves of Brigadoon panel; much as I like you, I backed out of it because I suspect I'm likely to be less useful on it than you'd be on a discussion of mid-1990s dot-com startups.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

But you're Scottish... The make-up of that one is, well, odd.

[skaldic.livejournal.com]

My first thought looking through your schedule (other than annoyance that I'm not going to be at Worldcon) is that I'd love to meet Edward James... I've been a "fan" of his since I first read The Franks.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

He's a lovely person.
What a shame you won't be there, though. I was hoping we'd get to meet.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Oh yay! I didn't realize you were coming to Montreal! (I am very blonde. Very, very blonde. Blame the blondeness.)

We must have lunch or coffee or hugs or something.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Definitely.
I'm tall and bespectacled, and my hair colour changes -- right now it's light brown, but I may well be another colour by worldcon.

[anef.livejournal.com]

It looks like a very full schedule, although fun. I hope you will find some time to relax and enjoy yourself.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It's a shame you and M aren't coming.

[yendi]

Man, I get more and more jealous of folks at Worldcon with each schedule I see posted (but aside from timing conflicts, it's not economically feasible). You've got some awesome panels there. And Montreal is quite nifty!

I don't know any way to get in touch with Josepha, but the folklore book of hers we own is, Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts, which focuses on some of the more gross kids songs.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I am really looking forward to getting to see Montreal.

[saare-snowqueen.livejournal.com]

I haven't been to Montreal in years - like 25 but the last time we went up there it was lovely.

Is this World Con in Montreal every year or do they hold it somewhere closer to Europe occasionally?

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

It moves around -- it's usually in the USA, but it gets over here about once a decade. I don't yet know when the next European one will be, however.

[shannachie.livejournal.com]

Oh my God! What a schedule! I am slightly green with envy- :-))

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Wah! Now I want to come to Worldcon and come to all your panels.

Have fun!

[aberwyn.livejournal.com]

Now I wish I were going, for the "Werewolves of Brigadoon" panel alone, even!!!

They really have you working there!

I have a couple of old email addresses for Josepha which I'll send you in email. I hope one of them at least will still be good.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

That's really kind: thank you.

[armb.livejournal.com]

I wish I was there to hear some of that. Have a good time.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

I don't mean to worry you, but I read it as 'Kari Sperring singing'...

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I can carry a tune, but I'm not the most interesting singer!