Well well. It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here. I have been a busy bee, from moving to the northwest corner of Minnesota to a new job to writing a textbook to partly semi-producing a podcast. Yup. Busy. And that means I’ve neglected this blog along with a lot of other things.. Sadface.
Speaking of podcasts: The Skiffy and Fanty Show is once more a Hugo Award finalist. Ballots are submitted, so we’ll find out if we’re winners in about 2 weeks. Wish us luck!
And since I am part of that show, I’ll be at Worldcon in Dublin. As the title of this post suggests, that’s what I’m here to talk about today. As it turns out, I’m on programming at Worldcon, which means some of you might have the opportunity to hear me babble about a variety of topics. With that in mind, here’s my schedule for the event:
- The use of SF in higher education
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 15:00 – 15:50, Wicklow Room-2 (CCD)
Professors from different disciplines discuss the possible uses of speculative fiction as a tool for teaching. From humanities to sciences via legal studies, how have academics used SFF in the classroom in the past, and how can we dream of speculative fiction – and the technology it posits! – being used in future?
Panelists: Mary Anne Mohanraj (M), Nora E. Derrington, David DeGraff, Dr. Shaun Duke, Corry L. Lee Ph.D. (corry.lee@gmail.com) - Literary Beer: Dr Shaun Duke
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 17:00 – 17:50, Liffey-A (Fan Bar) (CCD)
Basically, you can come talk to me while having a beer, water, or air. For 50 minutes. So please come say hello. Please! - Academics and acolytes: learning in SFF worlds
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 12:30 – 13:20, Odeon 4 (Point Square Dublin)
Whether they’re apprenticed to an assassin, a grunt in basic training, downloading knowledge from an online academy, or learning spells from wizardly professors, characters often need to gain skills and qualifications of some kind. How and when they do this is an important element of worldbuilding and there are endless options. What does it tell us about the Discworld that wizards attend university and witches are apprentices? How does Starfleet Academy differ from the Imperial Academy? From Hogwarts to Brakebills to the Oha Coven, how does magical instruction differ?
Panelists: Dr. Shaun Duke (M), Karen Simpson Nikakis, Prof. Kenneth Schneyer, Ali Baker - Fan podcasts
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 15:30 – 16:20, Odeon 5 (Point Square Dublin)
Podcasts have become a popular way to talk about and hear about our fannish favourites, share the latest theories and plot developments, and find new things to love. Our panelists discuss the challenges and delights of podcasting, and help you find new podcasts to check out.
Panelists: Heather Rose Jones (M), Alexandra Rowland, Dr. Shaun Duke, Jonathan Strahan, Jen Zink
I’ll also be in attendance for the Hugo rehearsals and the Hugo Awards proper. I don’t expect to do much more than clapping for the latter event, but you never know!
Beyond these events (please come!), I’ll also be hard at work on various other podcast activities throughout the convention AND some Dublin shenanigans around those days.
Speaking of podcast activities: if you’re a creative type with a nifty project to talk about OR a fan with a cool blog, podcast, or other super fan thing to plug, get in touch at skiffyandfanty[at]gmail[dot]com OR via Twitter DM @SkiffyandFanty. We’re interested in interviewing folks!
Anywho. That’s all for now. Hopefully, I can get back into this blogging thing again…soon.