Late in 2019, I got an email inviting me to be the Author Guest of Honor at JordanCon in April 2021.

. . . yyyyyeah, obviously that didn’t go as planned.

But! JordanCon will be happening this year, and it will even be an in-person event, the weekend of July 16th-18th. Now, I imagine several of you are thinking that’s on the early side to be doing this kind of thing, and you’re not wrong — so it’s important to state up front that the con staff are taking stringent precautions around this. I don’t just mean requiring masks at all times (though that, too): they’re requiring proof of full vaccination no less than two weeks before the con (with medical exemptions handled on a case-by-case basis), along with daily temperature checks at the event. They’ve reduced capacity and won’t be having features like the con suite, room parties, or other things that involve people unmasking and/or being shoved into very close proximity with each other.

It’s still going to be fun. We’re looking into ways to do things like stream panels to other rooms and hold outdoor activities; it’s my intent to come up with as many creative things to do that are compatible with social distancing as possible. If you’re able to come, I hope to see you there! And even if you aren’t, note that JordanCon is holding a fundraiser — like many, many organizations right now, they’ve taken a financial hit due to not holding their 2020 event, so they’re working to make sure the con will be able to continue in the future.

This will certainly be a unique GoH gig for me (at least, I hope it remains unique). But I’m looking forward to it!

I am going to be at Boskone this weekend! Schedule is below; note that because Boskone is on the East Coast, I am giving all times in EST.

• Friday, February 12th, 5-6 p.m.: Science in Fantasy (panel with James Patrick Kelly, Adam Stemple, Tamora Pierce, and Andrea Hairston)
• Friday, February 12th, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Reading (with Max Gladstone and R.W.W. Greene)
• Saturday, February 13th, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: From Podcasting to Patreon, How to Make and Market Your Creative Work (panel with Marc Gunn, Neil Clarke, Gene Doucette, and Nicole Givens Kurtz)
• Sunday, February 14th, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: The Gritty Underbelly of Fantasy (panel with Rebecca Roanhorse, Joe Abercrombie, and Aleron Kong)

Next weekend I’ll be down in L.A. for the World Fantasy Convention. If you’re going to be there as well, here’s where you can find me:

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Combat!
Friday, 1 Nov, 17:00 – 17:55, Marquis 4-6

Experts in fighting hand-to-hand and sword fighting debunk myths and set the record straight as they talk about what authors get right, what authors get wrong, and why it matters.

Participants: Christopher Husberg (M), Troy Carrol Bucher, Scott Drakeford, Elizabeth Crowens, Marie Brennan

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Magic Systems 101
Saturday, 2 Nov, 10:00 – 10:55, Marquis 1-3

What makes a magic system work? What do you need to do to make it believable for the readers? And what makes it so unique and compelling that readers can’t put down the book?

Participants: Barbara Hambly (M), Margo Lanagan, Susan Forest, Marie Brennan, TA Moore, Marshall Ryan Maresca

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The World of Fairy Tales
Saturday, 2 Nov, 13:00 – 13:55, Marquis 1-3

Tales of events which occur outside of reality exist in most every culture throughout the world. What are the recurring themes that cross cultures? Are these expressions of societal norms or propagations of religious myths? Or are they just stories to scare kids into “behaving properly”?

Participants: Marie Brennan (M), Sheila Finch, Jack Zipes, Kathleen Jennings, Ann Chamberlin, Emma Törzs, David Drake
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Reading
Saturday, 2 Nov, 15:30 – 15:55, Pac Coast 3

This upcoming weekend, I’ll be at my very first DragonCon. I’ve got quite a full schedule, but fortunately everything has enough of a gap between it that I should be able to surf the crowds to my destination?

• Friday, 1-2 p.m., Regency VI-VII Hyatt — The Heroes of High Fantasy (with Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, Aleron Kong, and Jennifer Liang (M))
• Friday, 3-4 p.m., AmericasMart, The Missing Volume booth #1201,1203,1300,1302 — signing
• Friday, 10-11 p.m., Chastain 1-2 Westin — Magic Systems 101: Diverse Approaches in UF (with Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Melissa F Olson, R.R. Virdi, Tim Powers, and Carol Malcolm(M))
• Saturday, 1-2 p.m., Chastain 1-2 Westin — Back in Time: Historical Urban Fantasy (with Leanna Renee Hieber, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Walter H. Hunt, Tina Glasneck, and Laura Mathews(M))
• Saturday, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Macon Sheraton — Stand and Deliver: The History of Highwaymen and Bandits (with Tamsin L. Silver, John Floyd Rice, David Boop, and Darin Bush(M))
• Saturday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., International Hall South 4-5 Marriott — signing
• Sunday, 10-11 a.m., Roswell Hyatt — reading
• Sunday, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Chastain 1-2 Westin — Powers of the Mind: Psychics in UF (with Cecilia Dominic, Alledria Hurt, E.J. Stevens, Leanna Renee Hieber, and Jennifer Morris(M))
• Sunday, 10-11 p.m., Chastain 1-2 Westin — Wreaking Havoc: The Fae in Urban Fantasy (with Patricia Briggs, Eric R. Asher, E.J. Stevens, John G. Hartness, Ted Naifeh, and Carol Malcolm(M))
• Monday, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., AmericasMart, The Missing Volume booth #1201,1203,1300,1302 — signing

I have my schedule for Dublin WorldCon! If you’re going to be there, do try to catch me at some point and say hi.

What has science ever done for art?

Format: Panel
15 Aug 2019, Thursday 18:00 – 18:50, Liffey Room-1 (CCD)

From the making of art materials to the understanding of anatomy, what scientific discoveries have helped to make art what it is today?

Grzegorz Aleksander Biały (Atelier Improwizacji), Tom Toner (Gollancz), Marie Brennan

The above panel was unfortunately canceled.

Stories from other media turned into games

Format: Panel
16 Aug 2019, Friday 12:00 – 12:50, ECOCEM Room (CCD)

From the transition of ‘select-your own adventure’ books to Douglas Adams’ first computer game version of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, storytellers have been happy to entice their audience to play in their worlds through games. What are the different ways they done this? Which stories have transitioned well? Which have not?

Michael Cule (M), Rebecca Slitt (Choice of Games LLC), William C. Tracy (Space Wizard Science Fantasy), Marie Brennan, Keith Byrne (Tantalus)

Autographs: Friday at 14:00

Format: Autographing
16 Aug 2019, Friday 14:00 – 14:50, Level 4 Foyer (CCD)

Victoria “V.E.” Schwab (Tor Books, Titan, HarperCollins, Scholastic), Marie Brennan, Sarah Pinsker (SFWA), Taiyo Fujii (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan), Sam Hawke, Mary Turzillo

Reading: Marie Brennan

Format: Reading
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 13:30 – 13:50, Liffey Room-3 (Readings) (CCD)

The bare bones of worldbuilding: archaeology in SFF

Format: Panel
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 10:00 – 10:50, Wicklow Hall 2B (CCD)

Whether it’s an actual archaeological dig looking for evidence of alien civilisations or fantasy characters camping in the ruins of their ancestors, archaeological evidence and research can be used to help develop a world beyond the here and now and add complex layers to a story without the need for exposition. The panel will discuss the ways in which archaeology has been used to deepen SFF worldbuilding and storytelling.

Ehud Maimon (M), Dr Katrin Kania (pallia – Mittelalter hautnah), Alyc Helms, Marie Brennan

Kaffeeklatsch: Marie Brennan

Format: Kaffeeklatsch
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 11:00 – 11:50, Level 3 Foyer (KK/LB) (CCD)

Invented Mythologies in SF

Format: Panel
19 Aug 2019, Sunday 19:00 – 19:50, Wicklow Hall 2B (CCD)

Whether it’s creation myths for sentient AIs or a pantheon of alien gods, invented mythologies can add depth and weight to SF storytelling. How have myths from our own past informed the creation of fictitious mythologies in SF? Where do you start when inventing mythology? What makes a mythos convincing, and how do you subtly weave your mythology into the narrative?

Fonda Lee (M), Marina J. Lostetter, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Marie Brennan

Dragons, wyrms, and serpents: why the myth endures

Format: Panel
19 Aug 2019, Monday 12:00 – 12:50, Wicklow Hall 2A (Dances) (CCD)

There are a lot of mythical beasts that can and do feature in fantasy, but the dragon/wyrm/serpent seems to be one of the most popular. What are the reasons for this enduring popularity? What roles does it perform? What mythic properties does it embody and why do these continue to resonate (if they do)?

Marie Brennan, Karen Simpson Nikakis (SOV Consulting LLC -SOV Media) (M), Aliette de Bodard, Naomi Novik, Joey Yu (Kino Eye Ltd. / Freelance)

It’s going to be a busy few days . . .

Up until a couple of days ago, I was not going to be at the Nebulas weekend down in Los Angeles. But then Alyc Helms told me that most of the panelists for their panel had backed out, leaving only Alyc and the moderator to carry the topic, and they wanted to know if I’d be interested in pinch-hitting. Here’s the topic:

The Gentle Art of Cursing

Cursing functions as punctuation in every language and culture. While some areas seem consistent, such as the use of excrement, others vary wildly. By taking a look at cursing, we can learn a lot about what a culture considers sacred or taboo. Extrapolating from that, one can use cursing as part of worldbuilding to create a well-rounded world.

Nah– We’re just f*cking with you. This is a bunch of linguists and folklorists sitting around cursing and pretending to be academic about it.

With a topic like that, how could I refuse?

So I’m going to be at the Nebulas! The panel will be at 5 p.m. Friday. If you’re attending, come hear us use bad language for intellectual purposes, or just say hi to me at some other point!

I know this blog has kind of been All Arisia, All the Time lately; I promise it won’t stay that way forever. But, well, when a friend of yours is the one who’s brave enough to finally tear the covering off a festering wound . . . you wind up following the story pretty closely. And there are three recent developments I want to specifically discuss.

The first is the simplest: the acting president of Arisia has found a way to finagle the bylaws so that anyone who attends the corporate meeting on November 11th will be able to vote. (Normally voting rights come at the end of your first meeting, i.e. you have to show up to a second one in order to vote.) I don’t know who the people are who have stepped up to the plate to run for office, replacing the members of the board who have resigned, but I know some people have done so, and I hope more will join them. If you’re local and you care about fixing Arisia rather than just letting it die, consider going to the meeting.

The second is this rather astonishing statement from the founder of Arisia, Matthew Saroff. He hasn’t been involved with the con since 2005, but he’s apologizing anyway, because he believes his own actions back then — especially in the final six months, when he refers to himself as a “legendary asshole” — contributed to the problems Arisia has today.

I don’t know if he’s right. Thirteen years is quite a long time, especially in con history; lots of other people have come and gone and left their mark on Arisia. Even if he did set things on a bad path, it isn’t like he’s wholly to blame, and everybody else can wash their hands. But that’s the thing about rape culture, and white supremacy, and all the other systemic ills of our society: they are simultaneously bigger than any one person and built by individuals, one brick at a time. Saroff recognizes that he did something wrong, and he’s apologizing for it, years after the fact, at a point in time where quite possibly nobody other than himself would think to point a finger of blame at him.

Good on him. And good on Cody Lazri, who was briefly on the executive board and has resigned as staff for A’19 and apologized (with some insight into Arisia’s internal politics). I’ve been pleasantly astonished by the amount of support I’ve seen for Crystal Huff, Maura Taylor, and everyone else who has come forward with their stories, and the lack of the usual accusations against them — though such statements always come with the asterisk of “I haven’t seen all the conversations about this” — but there’s still been a dearth of those responsible apologizing in a meaningful way. Neither Saroff nor Lazri is at the epicenter; those who were have, so far as I know, remained silent. And that part’s still not good.

The last thing is that the Olders have made a firm decision not to attend Arisia as the Author Guests of Honor this year. The Artist GOH, Elizabeth Leggett, will still be attending, but will be donating proceeds from one of her pieces of artwork to the Boston Rape Crisis Center.

I’m going to be very interested to see what Arisia does about the Author GOH void — or, to put it another way, to see who steps into that void. Anybody who does so runs a high risk of having half of fandom fall on their head: it’s going to look a lot like they wanted the spotlight badly enough that they were willing to hold their nose and ignore the stench. I don’t know if Arisia’s setup means they can limp along without a GOH at all; doing so might very well be the best course of action. But if not, then I sincerely hope whoever does take that slot does so on terms that make it less about them and their own prestige, and more about keeping the focus on the problem. A keynote address, a panel — one or more somethings to make it clear that GOH isn’t there to put a smiling face on the situation, but to help with the soul-searching.

We’ll see how it turns out. But for now, this is where things stand.

So, one thing I find heartening: the overwhelming majority of the response I’ve seen to the Arisia blowup has been “this is bad and needs serious fixing.” I’m sure there are corners of the internet where that isn’t true, but the usual handwringing replies of “but won’t anybody think about how we’re ruining this poor man’s life” or “can’t we all just have a nice con” haven’t been in evidence.

In case anybody needed further nails in the coffin, though, the former head of Arisia’s Watch (their con safety team) has spoken up. They quit after last year’s con, not because of what happened to Crystal, and the mis-handling of the “investigation” there — but because Arisia’s leadership so thoroughly cut them out of the loop and made them feel belittled and demeaned for no perceptible reason that they just couldn’t take it anymore. They didn’t even know about Crystal’s situation until last week, because Arisia changed its procedures in order to keep them ignorant.

When we talk about Arisia’s board having lost all claim on people’s trust, this is what we mean. Keeping your own head of con safety in the dark about an issue of con safety? Is not a sign that you’re acting in good faith and have merely fallen a little short.

But back to heartening news: four members of the board have resigned, including at least one Crystal specifically called out as having aided and abetted this entire disaster. That one has quit entirely; the other three have resigned effective upon their replacements being voted in at the upcoming meeting on November 11th. Looking at this page, it seems there are three voting members remaining on the board (not counting the three who have resigned), plus four non-voting members whose involvement with these problems I’m not at all sure of.

This is a big step in the right direction, and I’m glad to see my pessimistic assumption that it wouldn’t happen is at least semi-unfounded. I hope the trend continues.