My schedule for Readercon 32 is ready to go! As mentioned in an earlier post, it’s taking place July 13 – 16 at the Boston Quincy Marriott in Quincy, MA, with Guests of Honor Jeff VanderMeer and Justina Ireland. I absolutely recommend registering and attending if you can. Previous years’ schedules can be seen (and drooled over) here: https://readercon.org/readercon_past
I also have my first ever Kaffeeklatsch! “A kaffeeklatsch is a low-key, wide-ranging conversation hosted by one or two program participants for up to 12 fans. It gives you an opportunity to interact directly with writers, editors, and other estimable personages you admire. Spaces are limited, so sign up early in the weekend.” God only knows what I’d talk about, but pretty certain I’m gonna be weird about it! 👍👍
I am over the moon about my schedule — check it out:
How Can Short Story Authors Build an Audience?
Format: Panel | Salon 4
14 July 2023, Friday 3:00 PM EST
Short stories today are published across a wide variety of media, formats, and imprints. As a result, writers specializing in short stories have difficulty connecting with and building an audience over time. How can you find the people who enjoy your work, and how can they find you in a cost-effective way? We will discuss short story collections, social media, conventions, and other ways of finding and keeping in touch with our favorite short fiction writers.
Arley Sorg, Christopher Mark Rose, Katherine Crighton, Scott Edelman, F. Brett Cox (mod)
Excavating the Slush Pile
Format: Panel | Salon B
15 July 2023, Saturday 1:00 PM EST
Many small press and magazine publishers rely on volunteer “slush” readers for the first review of submissions. What are best practices for slush reading, and what issues and challenges face these volunteer readers? Do “blind” submissions policies help or hinder the #OwnVoices movement? How do slush readers handle controversial or triggering content without excluding marginalized voices? Must a story be appealing to the slush reader in order to earn a second set of eyes, or merely engaging?
Alex Shvartsman, Katherine Crighton, Leon Perniciaro, Neil Clarke, Scott H. Andrews (mod)
Career Promotion for Pseudonymous Writers
Format: Panel | Salon B
15 July 2023,Saturday 9:00 PM EST
Some writers use pseudonyms to keep their private and public lives separate. Others use them to differentiate their works in different genres. All professional writers need to bring their works to the attention of readers, but how should one go about doing that when one can’t, or doesn’t want to, pin it to one’s established name? A conversation with Elaine Isaak (E.C. Ambrose) and Katherine Crighton.
Elaine Isaak and Katherine Crighton
Space: The Ultimate Locked Room
Format: Panel | Salon 3
16 July 2023, Sunday 10:00 AM EST
Add “…but in space” to “locked room mystery” and you make the stakes even higher. From Tade Thompson’s Far From the Light of Heaven to Mur Lafferty’s Station Eternity to Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Spare Man, contemporary authors embrace and explore this collision of tropes, but what are the thematic implications?
Elizabeth Bear, Robert Killheffer, Sarah Pinsker, Shweta Adhyam, Katherine Crighton (mod)
Kaffeeklatsch: Katherine Crighton
Format: Kaffeeklatsch | Concierge Lounge
16 July 2023, Sunday 12:00 PM EST
Serial Fiction: Everything Old Is New Again
Format: Panel | Salon 3
16 July 2023, Sunday 2:00 PM EST
Present-day serialized fiction can be found as webnovels in China and on English-language sites like Royal Road; on platforms like Patreon, WattPad, and Inkitt; and as sequential art designed for mobile apps like Webtoon—among many others. Meanwhile, classic fiction is finding new readers through email newsletters like Dracula Daily. What opportunities does the serialized format offer authors and readers? And how has the proliferation of platforms affected authors, readers, and their communities?
Katherine Crighton, Sarah Smith, Kat Nepveu (mod)
(Image credit: Image by 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay)
Discover more from Katherine Crighton
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Katherine Crighton 
Leave a Reply