catherineldf | Entries tagged with sirens conference

I've got a guest blog up for Sirens Con on the topic of some early feminist fantasy "buddy" novels ("She's a swordswoman, she's a sorceress and together, they fight crime!")

Sirens is a great conference on women in fantasy literature and I heartily recommend it.

http://www.sirensconference.org/news/2017/03/2017-book-list-catherine-lundoff/

More detail later.
So I took a week off work, not a moment too soon. I was closer to breaking than I realized, so a lot of this week has been about self care.
But I'm in Denver until tomorrow before I need to go back home (I should note I do miss everyone, just not work and stress).
Done so far:

Went to a workshop on writing women and gender defaults in fantasy with writer Kate Elliott.
Met a lovely bunch of Sirens folks
Went to dinner with a couple of folks I know from online to talk cons and writing and families and stuff
Took several hot baths
Took a headache day to rest and relax and work on a new story and plot some new projects
Went to a Sirens dinner and met more nice women
Did two panels, which went well
Hit the hotel hottub, which was very nice
Went to other people's programming, including a paper on women revolutionaries and a workshop on lock picking
Been alternately charmed and horrified by the number of aspiring, unpublished writers who I've met here who are "quitting their day jobs to write"
Long walks, a glorious trip to Tattered Cover Bookstore, more talks, more workshops, more chatting

Wow, did I need this!

Crossposts: http://catherineldf.livejournal.com/383546.html

Queers Destroy Horror is out! In eformats so far, but print format is coming soon. You can order it from the Nightmare Magazine website, Weightless Books, etc. It includes an essay by me on the history of LGBTQ horror and dark fantasy; the line up looks amazing and you should definitely pick up your copy soon.

If you're planning on coming to hear me read at DreamHaven Books for the Arcana 45 reading with Benjamin Percy on 10/22 and/or will be at Arcana proper (please come to Arcana! I am Editor GOH and I want to talk Gothic horror and ghost stories by women and queer horror and penny dreadfuls with lots of folks) 10/23-25 in St. Paul, I hope to have print copies with me for sale and autographing.

In other news, I've been asked to to speak to a class on science fiction at the University of MN about representation of older women in the genre and my ongoing bibliography project (new updates coming soon!). In addition, my Aging in IT essay at Model View Culture has prompted a lot of good discussion both locally and elsewhere. Here in town, I'm talking to one women in tech group about doing a panel of older women working in IT and to another about a possible presentation at a development conference next year. Stay tuned!

I'm off to Sirens Con in a few days and am really excited about it. Days and days of writing workshops, relaxation time, reading, spa time and a couple of panels - I expect that it will be glorious!. And when I get back, more legal stuff moving forward for Queen of Swords, which will put me closer to launching things. Updates soon. Plus, new stories in progress.

And while I'm at it, I also need to do a bit of thinking. I have the opportunity to pursue some higher ed options in something related to my day job, but I need to sort out what I can do vs. what I want to do vs. what I need to do. Heading into a thinking cap weekend, while clearing out some other backlogs of projects. Wish me luck!

Crossposts: http://catherineldf.livejournal.com/383097.html

First, I'm going to Sirens Con this year for the first time! And it looks amazing! I'm going to take the precon workshops and spend a whole week talking to other writers, readers and fans about women in fantasy. I can hardly wait!
I'm on back to back panels on Friday morning, because that is what my life looks like:
10AM

Women of the Revolution: Changing Genre and the World
Amy Boggs, Justina Ireland, Catherine Lundoff, Casey Blair
The fantasy genre is filled with revolutionary female characters. Some overtly overthrow regimes, and some challenge our conception of what is possible for women in our world. What does it mean to be “revolutionary” for female characters, and what makes their revolutions compelling? We’ll talk about why and how revolutionary female characters work, including which tropes are problematic, which important narratives writers and readers overlook, and how they reflect their societal context.

11AM
Women of War: Trauma and Healing in Speculative Fiction
Ann Aguirre, Artemis Grey, Catherine Lundoff, T. L. Morganfield, Bethany Powell
When revolutions and wars break out, everyone pays their own price. Warrior women go home with physical scars—or with trauma that isn’t written on their skin. Revolutionaries see others die for their ideals. Healers exhaust themselves and still cannot save everyone. The costs of war are often a central theme in fantasy literature, too. From depictions of PTSD to the treatment of physical injury, this panel will talk about books that deal with hurt and healing in the aftermath of battle.

And there's panels and papers and time to veg out and planned meals and tea and a dance and--but you get the idea. You can still sign up, too, FYI.

And what else am I up to? PT for my shoulder, which is definitely helping. Working on my business plan and starting to buy things I need for tabling and sales and whatnot. Hoping to shop for a laptop in the next few weeks and meet with an accountant. Working on misc projects, including one with an ASAP deadline for next week. Going to the Mn State Fair (it's a thing in these parts, what can I say? Plus, seed art!) this weekend. Wrangling work, which has become utterly insane.
At any rate, seed art portraits of Brigitte Lin and Michelle Yeoh by artists David Steinlicht, because I adore them and have to get back to work:

[David S. Lin image]