Where I (and Queen of Swords Press authors) will be in 2024

Dec. 31st, 2024 08:16 pm
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2024 - Updates as I get 'em!

January:

  • We're taking January a bit slow. Catherine did a book club appearance is updating our TikTok with some short videos about our books and our history to celebrate our 7th birthday. Also going on: edits! And planning! We're putting out 7 books this year - Terror at Tierra de Cobre by Michael Merriam (Weird West novella with ensemble cast) and Melissa Scott's Astreiant Series, which includes 5 previously published books (Point of Hopes, etc.) and a brand new novella! It's going to be a great year!

February:

  • Capricon 44 - February 1-4, Chicago, IL. Catherine Lundoff is one of the Guests of Honor and on a bunch of programming items. Author Michael Merriam will also be attending.
  • Queer Writes - February 25, 12- 5PM. Urban Growler Brewery, St. Paul, MN. New local event for writers, publishers and bookstores hosted by Twin Cities Pride. We've got a table and will be there with books.

March:

  • MarsCon - March 8-10, Minneapolis, MN. Author Michael Merriam is a Guest of Honor as no we’ll both be on programming  and we'll be there with a book table and his latest books and more!
  • Cleveland Concoction - March 8-10, Ohio. Author Melissa Scott is a Guest of Honor!
  • Minicon - March 29-31, Minneapolis, MN. Catherine Lundoff, Jennie Goloboy and Michael Merriam will be there and on programming. We have a Queen of Swords Press reading on Saturday from 3-4!

April:

  • Story Hour - April 3rd. Online, 7PM PST. Author Dee Holloway will be reading along with another guest writer to be announced.
  • "Current Trends in the Publishing Industry" - April 9th, 6-7:30 PM CST. Online panel hosted by PEN. Catherine Lundoff will be one of the panelists.
  • 13 Gears Steampunk Festival - April 13-14, Roseville, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a table with authors Michael Merriam and Patrick Marsh.
  • DreamHaven Books Reading - April 18th, 6:30 PM, Minneapolis, MN. Michael, Jennie and Catherine will be reading.
  • Can*Con Virtual - April 20th. Online, Ottawa, Canada. Jennie Goloboy will be on
    “Agents Are Just People (No, Really!).

May:

June:

  • Pride Month StoryBundle - Kicks off May 31 and runs through July 1.  14 books by amazing queer authors and we're raising funds for Rainbow Railroad again!
  • Story Hour – June 5th. Online, 7PM PST. Author Dee Holloway will be reading along with another guest writer to be announced.
  • 4th Street Fantasy - June 14-16, Minneapolis, MN. Catherine Lundoff will be attending.
  • Midwest Book Awards - June 22nd, 6:30-9:30 PM, Minneapolis, MN. Death by Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold is a finalist.
  • Temporal Textual Talks Virtual Book Club - June 23rd, 4:30-6:30 PM PST. Death by Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold is the featured title and Catherine and at least one of the authors will be there.
  • Twin Cities Pride - June 29th-30th, Minneapolis, MN. We'll have a table in the Queer Writes tent (over by the bridge to the Sculpture Garden)!

July

August:

  • Mythcon – August 2nd-5th, Minneapolis. Michael Merriam will be tabling with a selection of Queen of Swords Press titles and his other books.
  • Boom Con – August 10th, Minnnetonka, MN. Michael Merriam will be tabling with a selection of Queen of Swords Press titles and his other books.
  • Glasgow Worldcon - August 8th-12th, Glasgow, Scotland. Some of us will be there online and some will be there in person. Catherine, Alex, Jennie and Heather will be there in person!
  • Carver County Pride - August 31st, Carver County Fairgrounds, Carver County, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a table.

September:

October:

November:
  • Fediverse BookFair - November 2nd-3rd, online. Mastodon - Catherine Lundoff will be posting on Wandering Shop. Follow the hashtag #FediBookFair to see all posts.
  • Writers Drinking Coffee - Air date, 11/1. Catherine Lundoff was this week's guest.
  • Odd Mart Odd Market - November 24th, 12-4, Minneapolis. Catherine Lundoff will be selling books at Minneapolis' emporium of the weird.

December:

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Where I'll be in 2023

Dec. 31st, 2023 07:12 pm
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January:
  • Online celebration of Queen of Swords Press's 6th birthday! There will be a 5 day sale of Foxhunt kicking off on 1/12 to celebrate the launch of Wolfpack by Rem Wigmore! We'll also be doing an Instagram giveaway of Alex's books, Murder on the Titania and Wireless, on the awesomest of online heavy metal shows, Fistful of DOOM! Ylva Publishing will be doing a sale on the German edition of Silver Moon starting on the 13th and running all weekend as part of the general festivities! Plus new author reading videos and other fun.
February:March:
  • Speculations Reading Series: Michael Merriam - March 8th, 6:30-7:45PM, DreamHaven Books, Minneapolis.
  • Marscon 2023 - March 11th-13th, Minneapolis, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a hall table featuring Catherine Lundoff and Michael Merriam and they'll be on programming as well.
  • Rosemount Writers Festival - March 18th, 9-4:30.Jennie Goloboy and Catherine Lundoff are teaching "Marketability: How Professionals Look at Your Manuscript" from 12:30-1:30 and Queen of Swords Press will have some titles for sale.
  •  No More Lone Wolves: Writing Characters in Community - March 19th, 9:30-11:30 AM PST. Rambo Academy (online class). Catherine is teaching this.
  • The Story Hour - March 22nd, 7PM -8PM PST. Online reading series. Catherine will be reading from some of her recent work, along with another as yet unnamed author.
April:
  • 13 Gears Steampunk Festival - April 1st and 2nd, Minneapolis, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a table with authors Michael Merriam and Patrick Marsh.
  • Minicon - April 7-9th, Minneapolis. Catherine will be there on Saturday, might be on programming as well.
  • Flights of Foundry - April 15-17th. Online, based out of Chicago. Catherine will be  teaching a workshop and on programing.
  • HU's Women's Resource Center FemFair. April 27th, 4-6PM. Hamline University, St. Paul, MN. Women's Resource Center annual feminist business and art fair and anti-violence fundraiser. Queen of Swords Press will have a table.
  • Hook, Line and Sinker: Winning Them Over with Your First Three Pages. April 29th, 1:30-4:30. The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis. Jennie Goloboy and I are teaching one of our agent/publisher classes about what grabs us...and what doesn't in a submission.
May:
  • Write On! Radio - May 2nd, 7-8PM CST. KFAI FM Radio, Minneapolis.Catherine is getting interviewed about Queen of Swords Press and her writing.
  • Book Promo on a Budget - May 6, 9:30-11:30 PST. Rambo Academy. Catherine Lundoff will be teaching this online class.
  • Dancing Bear Chocolate Mother's Day Sunday Market - 5/14 - 9AM-1:30/2PM.
  • SFWA Nebula Weekend - 5/12-5/14 - Catherine, A.J. Fitzwater and possibly other Queen of Swords Press authors will be around for the online version. Catherine will moderating a panel on editing anthologies.
  • Rochester Pride - May 20th, 12-5PM. Rochester, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a booth.
  • WisCon - May 27-30th. Madison, WI. Queen of Swords Press will have a table in the Dealer's Room, Catherine will also be on programming and Heather Rose Jones will be in attendance.
June:
  • Nuts and Bolts of Small Press Publishing - June 4th 1-3PM PST. Rambo Academy. Catherine Lundoff will be teaching this online class.
  • Pride Month StoryBundle - Kicks off May 31 and runs through July 1. 17 books by amazing queer authors like Nisi Shawl, Sean Eads, R.B. Lemberg and Melissa Scott and you can earmark part of your purchase price for Rainbow Railroad!
  • Sophia Ignosi's Pride Month Interviews on Twitch - check out a new interview with Catherine, then listen to the rest of the series with Melissa Scott, Tom Cardamone and Nathan Burgoine.
  • 4th Street Fantasy - June 16-June 18. Minneapolis. Catherine Lundoff and Michael Merriam will be attending.
  • Tiny Diner Art Market - June 29th, 5-8PM. Minneapolis. Catherine will be there with books by local authors and some of Jana Pullman's handmade boxes and books.
July
  • Raedial Reads Book Fair - July 1, 11-5PM. Harriet Island Park, St. Paul, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a table.
  • Bay Con - July 1-4th. Bay Con, Santa Clara, CA. Heather Rose Jones will be on programming and autographing her books, including The Language of Roses.
  • West St. Paul Pride – July 8th, West St. Paul, MN. Queen of Swords Press will be back!
  • New Queen of Swords Press title coming out out on 7/13! Little Nothing by Dee Holloway is a sapphic historical fantasy novella about magic, weird horse girls and resistance. Stay tuned!
  • Diversicon - July 15th-16th, Plymouth, MN. Michael Merriam and Catherine Lundoff will be attending.
  • Dancing Bear Chocolate Sunday Market - July 23, 9-2PM, Minneapolis, MN. Queen of Swords Press will have a book and art table, including art from Western Slope Bindery.

August:
  • Open Door Bookstore - August 20th. Schenectady, NY.  Little Nothing author Dee Holloway and cover artist Caitlin Cadieux will be doing a book release event!
  • Dancing Bear Chocolate Sunday Market - August 27th, 9-2PM. Minneapolis, MN. We'll be back with a book and art table. 
  • WORD Christchurch - Sunday, August 27th. Christchurch, New Zealand. Check out this great panel on queer joy with The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper author A.J. Fitzwater.

September:October:

November:
  • Artisan, Fartisan - A Maker's Market - Saturday, November 11th, 12-5PM. La Dona Cerveceria, Minneapolis. The Ladies of the Lakes/Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are hosting a holiday shopping market and event and we'll be there with books.
  • To Market, To Market: How Professionals View Your Manuscript - Saturday, November 18th, Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis. Jennie Goloboy and Catherine Lundoff will be teaching this popular workshop.
  • World Oddities Expo - Saturday, November 25th. 12-8PM. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Minneapolis. Queen of Swords Press will have a table at this traveling Goth show.
December:
  • Quatrefoil Library - December 2nd, 2-4PM. Catherine will be doing a presentation on the history of LGBTQ publishing, using books from the collection. Free and open to the public!
  • Minnesota Women’s Art Festival – December 9th, 9:30-4:00 PM. Queen of Swords Press/Western Slope Bindery sharing a booth space with books and pretties.
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Big News!

Jun. 20th, 2023 09:25 pm
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Guess who's a GoH at Capricon 44 in Chicago in 2024! This gal! Plus an all-star lineup! :-D


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My Minicon Schedule

Apr. 6th, 2023 01:24 pm
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I will be at Minicon in St. Louis Park on Saturday and look forward to seeing those of you who may be attending. I’ll be on the following programming items: 

2:30-3:30 - LGBTQ+ Representation in SF and F
5:30-6:30 - Independent and Small  Press Publishing
 
Happy to sign books when otherwise unoccupied!  
Speaking if signing, GoH Martha Wells will be signing at DreamHaven tonight at 6:30!
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So much going on!

Apr. 20th, 2022 08:30 pm
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Some of it very good on the personal level, just for variety. After an action-packed couple of weeks, we have the following to report:
  • Flights of Foundry was once again delightful. Good panels and discussions and a fun virtual time all around.
  • I'll be teaching So You Want to Put Together an Anthology for Cat Rambo's Rambo Academy (online) this Sunday April 24, 11:30-1:30 AM CST and there's still room for a few more signups!
  • My essay, "Queer Gothic, Edward Gorey and Me" has been accepted for Divergent Terror: The Crossroads of Queerness and Horror edited by Waylon Jordan (Off Limits Press, 2022). It's the first of the things that I've been poking at as a result of getting a literary grant from Ladies of Horror Fiction last year. More queer horror-related stuff coming soon, I hope!
  • Thanks to dave ring of Neon Hemlock Press, I'm going to be part of an online small press science fiction and fantasy panel for Library of Congress staff in June. :-D
  • Jennie Goloboy and I will be teaching a free workshop on demystifying agent and publisher relationships and processes for Clarion West Online in June and it just opened for signups! We'll also be teaching at the Loft Literary Center and the Rambo Academy later on this summer.
  • Queen of Swords Press title Foxhunt by Rem Wigmore is a Sir Julius Vogel Award Finalist for Best Novel! And our latest, The Language of Roses by Heather Rose Jones, is getting some lovely reviews!
  • Everything, Everywhere, All at Once is awesome, very queer and very much worth seeing.
Otherwise, things are complicated and stressful. I'm juggling a lot and we'll see how it goes. More updates coming soon!

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March Events

Mar. 5th, 2022 09:48 am
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Because this month is a madhouse, here's some of the things that I'm up to, aside from day job. Join me at an event or two?
March:
  • 13 Gears Steampunk - March 6th, Minneapolis, MN. 12-6 PM. Queen of Swords Press will have a booth with local authors Michael Merriam and Patrick W. Marsh. In person.
  • Querying Tips - March 9 at 6:30 PM CST. Join agent Jennie Goloboy, author Jenna Miller and publisher Catherine Lundoff for an online panel hosted by Dot & Dash LLC - preregister at link.
  • Marscon 2022 - March 11th-13th, Minneapolis, MN. I'll be the Author Guest of Honor this year. Currently planned for in person.
  • Write on! Radio KFAI - March 15th, 7-8PM CST. Streaming or on your radio dial.  Jennie Goloboy, Michael Merriam and I will be on this long running local radio show to talk about Queen of Swords Press and everyone's fiction.
  • SMOLFair - March 19th-26th. Online small press book fair based in Philadelphia. Queen of Swords Press has a virtual booth and will be doing a panel/short readings from a couple of authors on 3/19. Catherine will also be on a small press publisher panel, time TBD.


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Arisia Schedule

Jan. 11th, 2021 03:48 pm
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Coming up this weekend! Arisia (Boston area convention) will be online this year. There's lots of great stuff going on so if you haven't been to one before, I recommend checking it out. I'm teaching for Cat Rambo on Saturday (not part of the convention) but will be on a couple of panels on Sunday. Should be fun!
2:30PM - 3:30PM EST
Gender Diversity in Speculative Fiction - Literature, Panel - 55min - Zoom Room 4 (Programming/Events)
Speculative fiction, with its focus on expanding what’s possible, has been exploring the far-from-final frontiers of gender identity for decades. From classics like Octavia Butler’s Lilith’s Brood and Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness to Charlie Jane Anders’ All the Birds in the Sky and Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312, join in our discussion of fiction by and/or about genderqueer and genderfluid characters.
Trisha J. Wooldridge (m), Bob R R Angell, Sara Codair, Forest Handford, LB Lee, Catherine Lundoff

4:00PM - 5:00PM EST
Mining History’s Neglected Corners - Writing, Panel - 55min - Zoom Room 1 (Programming/Events)
Many writers have used obscure historical events to ground their speculations. Frank Herbert uses his research into Bedouin culture to inform his Fremen society. Ken Liu recast the rise of the Han Dynasty in his silk-punk series, “The Dandelion Dynasty.” How can we raise up untold stories and broaden the worldview of our audience? Panelists will share surprising events in world history that might make your next space opera or fantasy epic come alive.
Deborah Kaminski (m), Andrea Hairston, Catherine Lundoff, Anne E.G. Nydam, Ken Schneyer


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State of the Catherine and upcoming class

Sep. 23rd, 2020 10:52 am
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Coming up this weekend: I'm teaching a new class at Cat Rambo's Rambo Academy. No More Lone Wolves: Writing Characters in Community will be a discussion based class as well as an opportunity to look at your characters in relation to each other and to the world that you have built around them. It's also one of the classes included in Cat's new certificate program, under the World Builder category, if that's something you're pursuing. At any rate, it should be fun and there's room for more signups (and there are scholarships) so please check it out.

Been a full week so far. I'm making some decent progress on Blood Moon and I was just asked to do a Queen of Swords Press essay "package" for the Gay & Lesbian Review, now the G&L R, formerly the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review. Need to get that done, plus some QoSP stuff done before C'monfluence kicks off, my project management certification class kicks off and the rest of October's events blossom into being.

On the personal front, I've had a rough week with migraines and sundry ailments so we're very much on the good days and bad days schedule. I am making lots of good progress on stuff though and am looking forward to taking a bit of time off to watch "Enola Holmes," which looks like fun. I'm enjoying what I've read thus far of Queen of Swords Press submissions and hope to have more news on that front in the nearish future. And our mushroom logs took off, which I'm pretty excited about.

And this isn't taking into account all the external "fun." Going to be quite the winter from the looks of things. Hang in there, folks.



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Missing WisCon something fierce, but...

May. 21st, 2020 10:00 am
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We are online and doing the Discord and YouTube thing, in all its glory. If you are attending WisCon Online ( registration closed yesterday), be sure and check the Discord channel in the Artists and Vendors chat. I'll be posting a coupon for 15% on 5/22 for all sales over $3 from the Queen of Swords Press website. Does it make up for not getting to have a party to celebrate the launch of The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper, A.J. Fitzwater and Alex Acks's Wireless becoming a Midwest Book Award finalist? Honestly, no, but hopefully it becomes its own kind of fun. Speaking of A.J., who has just been promoting like a promoting thing, they are doing an AMA on r/Fantasy right now and you can stop by and chat about dapper lesbian capybara pirates and their other work.

And more WisCon: my wife, Jana, is normally in the Art Show and has been happily making new pretties for the last few months. All of those are available in her Etsy: new handmade boxes, journals and her insanely affordable travel journals that come with their own pencil and refill pages.
WisCon is a sizeable chunk of our annual small business income, so if you can afford it and see something you like, please think about buying from us and the other vendors and artists.

If you are not at WisCon, but want to buy books, we are having other sales!In the next few days, I'll be announcing the books and authors for this year's Pride Month StoryBundle, which will kick off on 6/3. Last weekend, I was at Flights of Foundry, which was my first online con. It went quite well and I had a lot of fun. This weekend is WisCon and next weekend is the SFWA Nebula Weekend. I'm not on programming at either of these because I thought I was going to be doing other things, but A.J. will be on a couple of panels next weekend. In June, I'll be teaching Book Promotion on a Budget (COVID-19 version) at the Rambo Academy on 6/14, I'll be doing my annual talk at DreamHaven on 6/17 (online as well as socially distanced in person, bookstore staff permitting),  Rainbow Space Magic (a new LGBTQ con) from 6/20-21 and vending at Twin Cities Pride for the first time in the Virtual Marketplace. Queen of Swords Press now does print as well as ebook direct from the website.

In other news, my broken glasses have been dropped off for replacement, the squirrels are apparently evicted from the soffits and porch roof at great effort and expense, the attic is done (except for the floor) and is lovely, and sundry electrical fixes are happening around the house. So naturally, the washing machine is flooding, the garage door is iffy and the chimney needs repairs. Having the occasional financial/constant stress of having things always in repair or construction mode-related meltdown and trying to get an ton of stuff done, with mixed results. Hoping you all are doing well!

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Where I'll was in 2019

Dec. 31st, 2019 04:33 pm
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January:
  • greydogtales - Online. Queer Horror Month Celebration (collaboration with Gingernuts of Horror). Monthlong through January. I have a lengthy interview up about my work and thoughts about queer horror; plus, my short fiction collection Out of This World: Queer Speculative Fiction will be on sale 1/21-1/27.
  • Queen of Swords Press 2nd Birthday Celebration at Bingley's Tea Salon - Minneapolis. January 19th, 2-4PM. Books, munchies, chocolate and excellent company! Come celebrate with us!
February:
March:April:May:
  • Wordplay, Minneapolis, MN - May 11-12th. The Loft Literary's new author festival. Michael Merriam and I will be reading on the Pop-up Stage at 2PM on 5/12.
  • Cream & Amber Author Reading, Hopkins, MN - May 19th. 2-3:30. Michael Merriam and I will be reading from Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space)
  • WisCon, Madison, WI - May 24th-27th. A panel on marketing books, a presentation on small press publishing and a Queen of Swords Press party for our new titles.
June:

July:

August:
  • OutWrite 2019 - Washington, D.C. August 3. 4PM: Queering the Grotesque reading.
September:
  • Queer Voices Reading, Quatrefoil Library, September 20th, 7PM-8:30PM. I'll be reading with Rachel Gold and other contributors to the anthology.
  • St. Cloud Pride in the Park, St. Cloud, MN, September 21st, 11-4:00 PM. Queen of Swords Press will have a table.
  • Steampunk Tales and Tea - Bingley's Tea Salon, Minneapolis. Saturday, September 28th. Afternoon, TBD. Michael Merriam and I will be reading steampunk stories! We may end up in the art gallery downstairs from Bingley's - stay tuned for details.

October:
November:
  • "Breaking Out of the Slush Pile" - Online class at Hidden Timber Books, Moved to February 2020! Check link for pricing. I'll be talking about ways to make your work noticed in a good way and answering your questions.
  • DreamHaven Books/Ampersand Club- November 7th, 7PM. DreamHaven Books owner Greg Ketter and I will be talking to the Ampersand Club about running small press publishing companies and genre fiction.
  • A Room of One's Own Bookstore - Madison, WI. November 14th. 6-7:45. "Running a Small Press" - publisher talk and short readings from Queen of Swords Press titles.
December:
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WisCon 42, the write up

Jun. 2nd, 2018 05:00 pm
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Said write-up consists entirely of my personal experiences, FYI, so none of the various and sundry things that went on that I either haven't heard about or wasn't present for are covered.
Friday:
  • Drove 4.5 hours, give or take, landed at the Concourse and did a mad dash from the car to the hotel registration to the con registration to the Art Show and the Dealer's Room. I also got to make a short dash into The Gathering to drop clothes for the Clothing Swap. Not very excited that the entrance was once more "mined" with an unexpected nail polish cloud from the nail polish booth. I have chemical allergies so I literally couldn't stay in the ballroom. I know I'm not the only one and this is year 2 of this happening; this is a thing that needs to be fixed before someone has a major asthma episode or equivalent. That aside, everything else went relatively smoothly. Jana got her artwork set up at the Art Show and got checked in. I dropped books off at A Room of One's Own and DreamHaven Books (both of which carry print Queen of Swords Press titles). After all that, we went and collapsed in the Starbucks to recharge.
  • There, we were joined by the delightful Robyn Bennis (whose books you should be reading), followed by postering for the Sunday night Queen of Swords Party. From there, we went out for vegetarian Tibetan food at the ever delightful Himal Chuli with Robyn. Then back to the hotel for pirate slush reading (me) and the hot tub (Jana). After that, I was off to the Twelfth Planet Press Party to learn about their latest and meet up with friends. The party was very pleasant, the friends very welcome, but it was on the second floor of the hotel with nothing around it, so it remained, alas, poorly attended. But check out their website and their new projects because they're pretty awesome.
Saturday:
  • The day dawned with a bright and early trip to the Farmer's Market for sundries, which is always fun.
  • After that, Jana went off to volunteer at the Art Show and I went to roam the Dealer's Room and the Art Show before meeting my friend Brontë for our annual lunch from Teddyweggers.
  • After that, we went off to our respective panels. Mine was Beyond Batty Old Ladies, with L. Timmel Duchamp, Georgie Schobrich and Isabel Schecter. We had a decent discussion and people enjoyed it so I felt like it went well, I plugged the Goodreads list  of books with older female protagonists that we've been nurturing along since Helsinki and my Old(er) Women in Spec Fic list and I've heard that folks are getting some good use from them, so that's all good.
  • There was more slush and more Dealer's Room, in the midst of which I learned that Other Me's (Emily L. Byrne) new novel, Medusa's Touch, had hit the bestseller list for its category on Amazon U.K., which made for a nice lift to the afternoon and evening.
  • Then we met up with Alex Acks and enjoyed a very nice dinner to celebrate the release of Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures.
  • After that, I went to Elise Matthesen's Haiku Earring Party briefly, then checked out the Comics party for a bit before bedtime.
Sunday:
  • The day began with a lovely breakfast with Caroline Stevermer (who has a new novel coming out in the nearish future!), followed by a stroll back to the hotel for more Art Show (Jana) and sundries (me).
  • Jana and I met up for lunch and were the targets of a homophobic freakout by a woman who may have been tweaked  out of her skull. She threatened us but didn't get close enough to be physically threatening. It was unpleasant, but we survived and she wandered off after her companion. Lunch was quite tasty, at least.
  • I went down to Michaelangelo's for a reading by Monica Valentinelli, LaShawn Wanak, Naomi Kritzer and David Levine. The readings were good, but the coffee shop is a really hard venue to read at - very noisy and lots of traffic, best-suited to humor.
  • After that, I went to go hear my friend Sigrid on a panel on leading women of Syfy, which was fine, though one panelist had some slightly odd and fairly strong opinions about a show she'd never seen. I was hoping to learn a bit more about shows I hadn't seen, but The Magicians doesn't appeal to me and I'd seen the others; always nice to burble about Killjoys though.
  • Shortly thereafter, we met up with Monica for dinner, then went off to go prep for the Queen of Swords Press Party. Reader, we had a blast, once things were set up and I was in my Victorian Matrix gear. There were games and tea and lovely fans and friends old and new. Alex was feted and chatted with. I met up with a couple of fans of my work and they said lovely things. People all retired at 1AM, which was when we were ready to call it a night and cleanup went swiftly.
All in all, we had a good con. There was some friction (which, for a change, I was neither directly involved in or present at) and a certain amount of tension, not surprising given events in the outside world. So we'll see how it goes and how things shake out. Right now, it's on the list for next year.
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Where I'll be in 2017

Dec. 31st, 2017 05:16 pm
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The annual list, updated as new things arise:

January:
February:
  • Skiffy and Fanty Podcast - I'll be interviewed on this Hugo-Award-nominated podcast about my work in general and about Out of This World and Queen of Swords Press specifically. Date of broadcast is TBD.
March:
  • Quatrefoil Library, Minneapolis - March 26th, 1-4PM. Queer Author Series - readings and signings by a bunch of local authors, including yours truly.
April:
  • Speculations SF Reading Series - April 19th, 6:30-7:45PM. I'll be reading from works new and in progress and such at DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis, MN.
  • Tea and Ghost Stories - April 29th, 5PM. Bingley's Tea Room, Minneapolis. I'll be reading a selection of my various ghost stories, there will be books for sale and excellent tea!
May:
  • Books and Beer Pop-up Store, Lake Monster Brewing, St. Paul. - May 11th, 5:30-9:30. I will be there with the new print edition of Out of This World, as well copies of Respectable Horror and sundry promo materials for upcoming works.
  • WisCon, Madison, WI - May 26th-29th. Programming participant - panels and reading. Wandering about, being authorial and publisherial as well.
June:July:
  • Diversicon, St. Paul, MN - July 21-23rd. Panelist and returning Special Guest.
August:
  • Worldcon 75, Helsinki, Finland - August 9-13. Programming participant and moderator.
September:October:
November:December:
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Some cool things from this week so far...

Jun. 13th, 2017 08:20 pm
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Nivair Gabriel and I did some brainstorming for a Sirens Con round table called "Kissing the Witch: Fantasy Women as Lovers" and we just heard that it's been accepted! I'm the official moderator, but Nivair definitely gets half the credit, especially since if she hadn't poked me about doing programming the night before proposals were due, I wouldn't have done anything. 

And I got preliminary programming assignments for Worldcon 75 in Helsinki!
This may be subject to change, of course.

Pronouns, who needs gender pronouns?
Wednesday 17:00 - 18:00, 102 (Messukeskus)
Lately in SFF, as well as in the real world, the use of gender pronouns have become problematical when referring to trans and intersex people and many writers have struggled to find ways--using "they", using feminine pronouns as the default, inventing pronouns.  However, there are many languages, including Finnish and Turkish, that do not come with gender pronouns, so does not have this mainly indo-european language-specific issue.  What can SF writers learn from native speakers of languages that just don't DO gender?
Cenk Gokce (M), Johanna Sinisalo, Catherine Lundoff, Kelvin Jackson, John Chu


LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction Goes Worldwide
Friday 11:00 - 12:00, 101a&b (Messukeskus)
Panel discussion on gay, lesbian, bisexual. transgender and queer representation international works of speculative fiction.
Catherine Lundoff, Laura Lam, Keffy R.M Kehrli, Kat Kourbeti (M)


Older women in genre fiction
Saturday 10:00 - 11:00, 101c (Messukeskus)
Genre fiction has tons of grizzled soldiers and space captains in their 40s and 50s, but where are the ladies at? Young Adult has its share of teenage heroines, but where are the adult women?
Catherine Lundoff (M), Delia Sherman, Liisa Rantalaiho, Helena

More stuff on the horizon, as usual.



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WisCon 41 Schedule

May. 6th, 2017 04:19 pm
catherineldf: (Default)
I'm headed back to WisCon for the first time in a couple of years. I've got a reading and a couple of panels and will be floating around. I will have the new print edition of Out of This World: Queer Speculative Fiction Stories with me and will try to make it available in the Dealer's Room as well. Invite me to tea or breakfast ot such. My attention is drawn to shiny things, chocolate and good tea, just saying. :-)

Friday:
  • 10:30PM - Yes We Are Internet (Conference Room 4) - Group reading by Robyn Bennis, Seth Frost, Aimee Ogden and Catherine Lundoff (I've never met these folks other than on Twitter, so we will be living up to the name)
Saturday
  • The Business of the Small Press (scheduled)      Sat, 10:00–11:15 am     Conference
Moderator: J. Boone Dryden. Timmi Duchamp, Catherine Lundoff, Michael Damian Thomas
Small press publishers, whether just starting out or long-time owners, come to talk about the challenges of getting started and sustaining the business. What's the nitty-gritty that readers and writers don't get to see? How are contracts drafted? What legal know-how is needed? How do you balance the books?

  • Red As Blood: Women and Gothic Horror (scheduled)     moderator     Sat, 1:00–2:15 pm     Caucus
Moderator: Catherine Lundoff. Emily B. Cataneo, Katie Sapede, Cath Schaff-Stump , Sheree Renée Thomas
Women figure prominently in classic Gothic horror as victims, protagonists, or villains and Gothic horror has had a profound influence on fantasy as a genre (Tanith Lee and Angela Carter, to name a couple of examples.) Television shows like Penny Dreadful and films like Crimson Peak help keep the subgenre alive and appealing to new generations. What makes Gothic tales so appealing? What do we see as the future for Gothic tales and what would we like to see more/less of?
Monday:
  • Catherine Lundoff, Presentation. Assembly Room, 8:30-9:45AM
  • Aging in Speculative Fiction - Aging is subject to a wide range of magical cures and fixes in the genre as a whole. On the one hand, older characters in genre can be powerful (and/or oppressive) authority figures. At the same time, older characters are subject to sacrificial redshirting or are rendered invisible. Works that include older women as protagonists are still a rarity (and the number of older LGBTQ+ characters and/or older women of color is considerably smaller) despite a number of factors that should have brought greater changes in representation over the last couple of decades.
Come say hi!
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Where I'll be in 2016

Dec. 31st, 2016 03:35 pm
catherineldf: (Default)

The list in progress!

January:

· Arisia, Boston, MA. Jan. 15-18th. I’m moderating a panel on the Founding Mothers of SFF and helping with the Outer Alliance gathering on Sunday. Otherwise, hanging out and enjoying myself.

· 2016 Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event – Jan. 21. I’ll be doing a post on things I have pondered while serving as an awards judge for various writing awards.

February:

· DevFest MN 2016 – February 6th, Minneapolis. I’ll be doing a joint presentation on Accessibility and Aging in IT with Twin Cities Women in Tech founder Valerie Lockhart.

· Inflagranti Delicto: Writing Good Sex Scenes – Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis. February 13, 1-5PM. Class that I’m offering at the Loft; it will need to have 6 or more registrants to carry.

· Lavender Ink: Writing and Selling LGBTQ Fiction - Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis. February 27, 1-4PM. Class that I’m offering at the Loft; it will need to have 6 or more registrants to carry.

March:

Women Author's Event - Tretter Collection at the University of MN Libraries (joint event with Quatrefoil Library).March 26, 1-4PM. Featured authors include Jessie Chandler, Judith Katz, Pat Schmatz, MB Panichi, myself and possibly Rachel Gold.

April:

AlterConf Minneapolis - Lead Pages, Minneapolis, April 9, 11PM - 4PM. Tech conference focused on diversity issues in IT and gaming. Valerie Lockhart and I will be focusing on making IT-related workplaces more accessible on multiple levels.

May:

June:

· Au Contraire! 2016 – Wellington, New Zealand. June 3-5th. No idea if I’ll be on programming but hoping to get on a panel or two. Besides, New Zealand! Whee!

CONvergence 2016 – Minneapolis, MN. June 30th- July 3rd. Panels, perhaps a reading. Got sick and was unable to attend. :-(

 

July:

· Diversicon 24 – Minneapolis, MN (new hotel likely). July 29th-31st. Jessica Amanda Salmonson is GOH this year. Panels.


August:

· MidAmericanCon II – Kansas City, MN. August 17th-21st. Worldcon for 2016. Panels (see tag)

September:
Speculations Reading Series -

DreamHaven Books, Comics and Art, Minneapolis, MN. September 21st, 6:30PM. At which I will be reading stuff of my own composition and suchlike.


October:

· Gaylaxicon 2016 – Minneapolis, MN. October 7th-9th. Panels and perhaps a reading.

· Arcana 46 – St. Paul, MN. October 21st-23rd. Panels. Alas, no Arcana for me as I have a conflict. But Kathe Koja is GOH and the rest of you should go.

November:

· TeslaCon, hopefully. For the sheer joy of it. Madison, WI. November17th-20th


December:

 

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New acceptance and Gaylaxicon 2016 Schedule

Oct. 3rd, 2016 08:11 pm
catherineldf: (Default)
This is cool bit of news, at least for me. Literary fiction is not as a rule a thing that I write. To date, I have written exactly one story, long out of print. But a year or so back, I went to an art opening and was captivated by an interesting piece of art, a print depicting a woman, who has no face, holding a mask and a gun. I bought it and it inspired me to write a short-short piece about a wretched first date at an art opening. I subbed it a couple of times, without success, then last week, I was asked to submit something for the new queer literary journal, CALLISTO. I polished the story up and sent it in and voila! "Faceless" has a new home. :-D
Coming soon...

In the meantime, this upcoming weekend's adventures!
I'll be at Gaylaxicon 2016 in scenic St. Louis Park with a bunch of other exciting authors, publishing professionals and other fun folks.
My schedule:

Friday 10/7
6 PM - Courtyard 1
Coming Out Fen
Panelists: Catherine Lundoff, Rachel Gold

11 PM - Mainstage
Werewolf Panel
Panelists: Warren Rochelle, Catherine Lundoff, Rachel Gold, Kyell Gold

Saturday 10/8
11 AM - Courtyard 1
LGBTQ Myths and Fairy Tales
Panelists: Warren Rochelle, Catherine Lundoff

 
Sunday 10/9
12:30 PM - Mainstage
I Kissed a Girl: Celebration of Queer Women
Creators and Characters
Panelists: Catherine Lundoff, Rachel Gold

Hope to see some of you there!

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Finalized MidAmericon II Schedule

Aug. 3rd, 2016 09:08 pm
catherineldf: (Default)
Comics, aging, cyberpunk, small presses, queer YA, a game show and autographing! They're going to keep me hopping.

Knock on Wood. From Squirrel Girl to Lumberjanes
Thursday 5:00 PM, 2206 (Kansas City Convention Center)
What the junk?! In the last couple of years we've seen the growth of comics that might superficially appear to be aimed at a YA audience, however these titles are hitting the mainstream with a vengeance. Marvel are leading the pack with Squirrel Girl, Ms Marvel and Captain Marvel, but there's also a vast amount of Indie work coming through such as Lumberjanes, Space Dumplin', Kaos Komics and Footloose. Our panel discuss why these titles are so popular, and what they have to offer both new and established audiences.
Tom Galloway, Jason Sanford, Adam Rakunas, Rebecca Schwarz (M), Catherine Lundoff


The Joys of Running a Small Press
Friday 10:00 - 11:00, 2205 - A/V (Kansas City Convention Center)
The old joke is that the way to make a small fortune in publishing is to start out with a large fortune.  Small publishers fill an important niche in the world of science fiction, even in this era of self-publishing.  Some of the foremost small publishers talk about the trials and tribulations of finding their place and surviving.
Eric T. Reynolds, Catherine Lundoff, Beth Meacham (M), Mr Paul Starr, Jason Sizemore

Living in a Cyberpunk Society
Friday 11:00 - 12:00, 2208 (Kansas City Convention Center)
We may not be able to jack in directly, but we are part of the Cyberfuture. When technology thrives but society decays, seemingly dystopic worlds arise. To what extent is our world a cyberpunk universe and what more can we expect to happen to take us there?
Ms Pat Cadigan, Lyda Morehouse, Allan Dyen-Shapiro, Takayuki Tatsumi, Catherine Lundoff (M)

The Build-A-World Game Show
Friday 9PM-10PM, 2503A - A/V (Kansas City Convention Center)
The Build-a-World Game Show is a live action worldbuilding game designed and run by Monica Valentinelli. Two teams of panelists compete to build a fantastic world in under an hour for fun and prizes. The Build-a-World Game Show incorporates audience participation, takes place in three rounds, and results in a fan-voted winner! This year, Martha Wells, David McDonald, Catherine Lundoff, and Tex Thompson will be competing.
 Ms. Monica Valentinelli (M), Tex Thompson, Mr David McDonald, Martha Wells, Catherine Lundoff

Complexity of Character: Coming Out in Teen SpecFic
Saturday 10-11AM, 3501B (Kansas City Convention Center)
Young adult speculative fiction is doing a fairly good job of featuring a diverse and varied cast of characters, but books that feature LGBT, asexual, and nonbinary characters are still not always easy to find. Let’s talk about what books and characters are out there, and what themes and identities are still underrepresented in YA SF? What challenges do spec fic authors face when writing and publishing books about teen sexuality and love? Beyond the main characters, what roles do the secondary and tertiary characters play in helping to advance the conversation about teen sexuality?
Catherine Lundoff (M), Mark Oshiro (Mark Does Stuff), Lyda Morehouse, Jaylee James

Autographing: Pat Cadigan, David Dvorkin, James Gunn, Catherine Lundoff, Megan O'Keefe, John Picacio
Saturday 1PM -2PM Kansas City Convention (Autographing Space)

Aging in Speculative Fiction
Saturday 3:00PM-4PM, 3501H (Kansas City Convention Center)
One day you wake up with a new ache, another day you notice you have more grey hairs than brown, another you realise people on the bus ask if you would like their seat. Despite all of this you are still 30 inside and just as lively as ever (well, almost). Is the process of aging ever covered in science fiction and fantasy or is it one of the last great taboos?
Eleanor Arnason, Catherine Lundoff, James Patrick Kelly (M), Connie Willis, Bud Sparhawk


midamericon2.org/
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CONvergence schedule, 2016 version

Jun. 9th, 2016 11:29 am
catherineldf: (Default)
And I'm back from New Zealand! It was fab and I will be posting my travelogue out here, with some pictures, in the next couple of days. I'm still unpacking and jetlagged and back at work so catching up. In the meantime, have a CONvergence schedule, filled with interesting things and people and hopefully, discussion.

Thursday, June 30 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Writerly Career Cycles: Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here?

Most professional careers have their ups and downs. The average writer experiences lots of highs and lows. This panel will focus on how to survive and thrive on the roller coaster. Panelists: Carrie Patel, Eli Effinger-Weintraub, Catherine Lundoff, Jay Gallentine (mod), Chrysoula Tzavelas

 

Friday, July 1 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Rise of Dark Fantasy

Fans of dark fantasy have more choices than ever on TV: Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, and the list goes on. Why the trend, and will it continue? Panelists: Cetius d'Raven, Jessica Walsh, Catherine Lundoff, Patrick Marsh (mod), Jody Wurl

Saturday, July 2 • 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Why Afrofuturism?

What is Afrofuturism? What can be learned from it? How can you support it? Panelists: Catherine Lundoff, Rob Callahan (mod), Ytasha Womack, Gregory Parks

Saturday, July 2 • 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Small Businesses in the Geek Community

Strategies for starting and running a geeky small business. The discussion will include: funding strategies, selling online, involvement with local conventions & festivals, developing unique creations, testing the market, & working with fellow artisans. Panelists: Tania Richter, phillip andrew bennett low, Dorianne Jarchow, Anj Olsen, Catherine Lundoff

 

http://www.convergence-con.org/





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Arisia writeup, the not so good part

Jan. 24th, 2016 09:25 pm
catherineldf: (Default)
Okay, so registration on Friday night was a disaster. It was a disaster that started out as an inconvenience, then ramped up to an accessibility issue. Here's what I gleaned about how that came about: somewhere along the line, it got decided that the con (which gets attendance in the 4000+ range) should have a signed code of conduct from each attendee. Okay. There's a registration database, customized for the con, but for some reason, the form wasn't included in the preregistration options; I can only assume that it was a late addition. I know that I got a copy in an email on the 11th but didn't get around to running off a copy before the con. I had a LOT of company, as it turns out, and it would have made little difference if I had run it off beforehand.

What they decided to do instead was to set up a couple of stations and one printer. Each con goer in line was expected to run off a personalized print out of the code in order to get a printed on the spot badge. No provisions were made for people with obvious mobility issues or small children or panelists or vendors or preregistration vs.pay at the door, or any other logical breakdown that would have helped this process in any way. Periodically, small handfuls of people who had printed the code off were run through faster, but not consistently or often. I ended up in line for over two hours, with no sitting and one cup of water. I think the people further back ended up waiting even longer. One vendor I spoke to the next day told me he was in line for 4 hours, due to various issues which got him returned to the back of the line for sundry reasons, only one of which seemed to have much to do with something he had forgotten to bring. Anybody who had any programming or plans for Friday night and didn't already have a badge by 5PM missed a big chunk of the evening. So, yeah, disaster.

Why was this an accessibility issue? Let's start out with all the folks who couldn't stand in line that long. I stayed because I had a morning panel and I had no idea whether things would improve in the morning, and I thought I needed a badge. At the end of my time in line, I had a swollen knee and a hypoglycemic crash, neither of which were fun. I also had a badge and a signed, personalized code of conduct that neither I or probably anyone else in that line actually read, thereby reducing its effectiveness to nil. But I was also not the elderly man with the cane who one of the line volunteers persuaded to get up from one of the few chairs to stand in line again, despite the fact that he seemed unsteady on his feet (I was too far away to hear what actually got said, in all fairness, but could see the affect). There were folks with walkers and wheelchairs or using canes or crutches (this does not, of course, include less visible disabilities that would have made all this unpleasant, if not impossible), standing in line for well over an hour in many cases. The registration volunteers either couldn't or didn't look for other options. And, based on conversations I had the next day, a lot of people paid for it in physical discomfort. The con was very, very lucky that no one passed out or had a seizure or other issue.

I have no idea how those decisions got made within the Con Com, but I really hope that that they do better next year. A signed code of conduct is all well and go but it's only effective if someone actually reads it and agrees to abide by it. One of the things that I like about CONvergence is the "Costumes are not Consent" campaign which includes posters and flyer throughout the con. Many of these are humorous, but all of them taken together help create some level of awareness around harassment. I assume that was one of the intended points of Arisia's code of conduct. Maybe some day, I'll get the opportunity to read it and find out under less unpleasant circumstances.


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Arisia writeup, the good parts

Jan. 24th, 2016 09:13 pm
catherineldf: (Default)
Last weekend, we went to our second trip to Boston and Arisia. Boston kicked off splendidly with a trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. On the way, we ran across a terrific hurdy-gurdy player in the train station who proved to be the famed Donald Heller of the Hurdy-Gurdy Band. We didn't know he was famed, precisely, at first, but we had acquired a taste for the hurdy-gurdy when we went to the late, lamented Nordic Roots Festivals at the Cedar Cultural Center. And he's very good and very charming and we geeked about hurdy-gurdies and such and bought a CD. Good stuff!

From there, we went on to the Museum, where a nice man stopped us on the steps and handed us two tickets to the Museum, thereby saving us $50. He said it was too crowded for him that day and was headed for quieter pastures so we got to celebrate part of our 22nd anniversary trotting around a lovely museum. Amongst our discoveries, actress Sara Bernhardt was also a sculptor! This is a fabulous self-portrait of herself as a sphinx.

After that, we were off to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, with its glorious interior courtyard. Lovely furniture, art, tapestries and other sundry pretty things to look at, plus a nice cafe and good gift shop. Definitely going back there again next time we're in town. Then we went back to the con, and things went awry for a bit (see next post).

Saturday's panel on Founding Mothers of SF and F went pretty well. We covered a lot of genre territory, from Mry Shelley and Margaret Cavendish to the Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain to Shirley Jackson, Zenna Henderson, Naomi Mitchison, Octavia Butler, Elizabeth Lynn, Angela Carter, Marge Piercy, Joanna Russ and others. The audience was very involved and interested so there were a lot of good additions and questions. I went on to a very entertaining talk on bad cover art while Jana went on to various art programs. After that, I tracked down the fine folks at the Broad Universe table and roamed around with one of my friends. Then Jana and I wrapped up our evening by enjoying dinner at a local restaurant with author Jude McLaughlin and her lovely wife. And we got back to the hotel in time for the Worldcon 75 (Helsinki) Party and I got to meet Crystal Huff and we both sampled reindeer pate and pine tar soda, as you do.

Sunday was miscellaneous stuff, then lunch with the fabulous Julia Rios, followed by a very nice party/discussion for the Outer Alliance. I haven't had the opportunity to sit around with a group of queer-identified folks of different ages and backgrounds and identities and chat.  Plus, there were really good munchies. Sacchi Green gives good party, just saying. And we got to hang more over dinner after that. 

The masquerade was impressive (we watched it on TV) and the rest of our time was spent working on sundry projects until we had to head home. Overall, people were pleasant, the programming we went to was decent to good and the hotel was quite nice.

In the next post, I'll talk a bit about what didn't go as well.


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