I’m pleased to be traveling to Seattle this week, where I’ll be the science guest of honor at Norwescon. This is the Pacific northwest’s premier science fiction and fantasy convention, and also one of the largest regional cons in the US.
Norwescon also hosts the Philip K. Dick Awards, which are given to “distinguished science fiction books published for the first time in the United States as a paperback original.”
The organizers were kind enough to offer me several slots on the program. Here’s where I’ll be:
Thursday
Worldbuilding through Biology
3:00pm – 4:00pm @ Cascade 10
Pat MacEwen (M), KJ Kabza, Coral Moore, Daniel Koboldt
I’m looking forward to this one, because I love biology.
Interview and Q&A with Dan Koboldt
4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Evergreen 1 & 2
Jake McKinzie (M), Dan Koboldt
This is going to be fun. Jake is a longtime Norwescon attendee with a reputation for translating technical jargon for a general audience.
Guest of Honor Banquet
5:00pm – 6:30pm @ Grand 2
Daniel Koboldt, Mary Robinette Kowal, Nancy Pearl, Neil Clarke, Tran Nguyen, Yanni Kuznia
A ticketed dinner for members where, presumably, they can chat up any and all of the GOHs.
Opening Ceremonies
7:00pm – 8:00pm @ Grand 3
Abie Ekenezar (M), Nancy Pearl, Neil Clarke, Mary Robinette Kowal, Tran Nguyen, Yanni Kuznia, Daniel Koboldt
Bring on the pomp and circumstance.
Friday
The Science of Science Fiction
10:00am – 11:00am @ Grand 2
Dan Koboldt (M)
This is one of my main presentations, a lecture (with Q&A at the end) on crafting realistic fiction with input from real-world experts.
Ask a Scientist
1:00pm – 3:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4
Jake McKinzie (M), Brian Haas, PhD, Stephen L. Gillett, Dr. Ricky, Pat MacEwen, Charlotte Lewis Brown, Daniel Koboldt
Very much looking forward to this panel, in which audience members can ask a panel of scientists.
Eugenics, Evolution, and Ethics
4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4
Jake McKinzie (M), Brian Haas, PhD, Dr. Ricky, Pat MacEwen, Dan Koboldt
Eugenics, if you didn’t know, was a movement in the early 20th century that aimed to “improve” the human race by preventing some individuals — such as minorities, neurodiverse individuals, and other marginalized groups — from having children. It generally fell from favor, but recent advances in genetic engineering are making us revisit these ethical questions.
Lifetime Members’ Dinner
5:00pm – 7:00pm @ Grand 2
Dan Koboldt, Mary Robinette Kowal, Nancy Pearl, Neil Clarke, Tran Nguyen, Yanni Kuznia, Abbey Mei Otis , Audrey Schulman, Ian McDonald
A slightly more formal dinner for lifetime con members and the GOHs.
Saturday
Autograph Session 1
10:00am – 11:00am @ Grand 2
Nancy Pearl, Yanni Kuznia, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Koboldt, Neil Clarke, Tran Nguyen, Carol Berg, Stephen L. Gillett, Pat MacEwen, Lee Moyer, Spencer Ellsworth, Caroline M. Yoachim, Curtis C. Chen, Evan J. Peterson, Julie McGalliard, Scott James Magner, Joseph Brassey, Fonda Lee, Barth Anderson, KJ Kabza, Miss Violet DeVille, Abie Ekenezar, Greg Bear, Ren Cummins, Nisi Shawl, Nancy Kress
I can only assume I’ll be trying to get autographs during this session, but if you happen to have a book of mine, please bring it by.
Autograph Session 2
11:00am – 12:00pm @ Grand 2
Nancy Pearl, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Koboldt, Neil Clarke, Tran Nguyen, Michael Mammay, Yanni Kuznia, Kurt Cagle, Rhiannon Held, Kat/K.R. Richardson, Cat Rambo, Jack Skillingstead, Patrick Swenson, Kay Kenyon, Sienna Saint-Cyr, Peter Orullian, Lisa Mantchev, Louisa Morgan, Brenda Cooper, Laura Anne Gilman, Sandra M. Odell, John (J.A.) Pitts
In the second hour, no one is obligated to talk to me, so go get the other autographs you’ve really been waiting for.
Crispr Babies: Beggars in… China?
6:00pm – 7:00pm @ Evergreen 1 & 2
Pat MacEwen (M), Nancy Kress, John Schlick, Daniel Koboldt
A timely discussion on the recent claim by a Chinese researcher that genetic modification was successfully applied to newborns, and the resulting backlash from pretty much everyone who was not that researcher.
Reading: Dan Koboldt
7:00pm – 8:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4
Dan Koboldt (M)
You might be wondering, holy crap, is Dan really going to read for an hour? The answer is no. I’m going to do a reading from my upcoming sci-fi adventure series The Triangle, but that will only be 10 minutes or so. For the rest of the time, I’m going to chat with the audience, take questions, and maybe tell a joke or two.
I hope to meet some of my friends from the online writing community for the first time, and to make some new ones! If you’ll be at Norwescon, please come say hello.
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