Sakura of DOOM

I was at Wiscon! I think I go to fewer and fewer panels every year but hang out with more people. This time, I even convinced people to go to parties to find other people! CB laughed so hard when I told him that: "Whoa, you are being social and getting other people to do it too!"

( Read more... )

And: Hello everyone I met! Post-Wiscon exchanging of pseuds and whatnot highly welcome!

Also: Anyone want to brainstorm panel ideas in the comments? And do people have AMV recs? Anything is good, no matter how old; I've been out of the loop for a really long time.

Finalized schedules are up, whoo!

The Xenogenesis Panel
Sat, 1:00–2:15 pm
Moderator: Janet M. Lafler, Scott E. Gould, ANONYMOUS, Victoria Janssen, Oyceter

Octavia Butler's groundbreaking Lilith's Brood trilogy (Xenogenesis) explores many issues, in both science and social realms. The exploration of genetic engineering and medical enhancements in sexual and reproductive technology is remarkably prescient. These books also address sexism and racism, among other issues.

(I am really looking forward to this. I should remember to check out more in-depth looks at an author or a work for panels, and I should probably also suggest ones based on anime/manga too.)

Cultural Appropriation: The View From Outside the West
Sat, 4:00–5:15 pm
Moderator: Daniel José Older, Zen Cho, Na'amen Gobert Tilahun, Oyceter

Let's discuss cultural appropriation from a more global perspective, from people who belong to non-dominant cultures (i.e., not the US, Canada, Western Europe, or Australia) and cultures for which Western culture is a colonizing influence. From the outside, a culture tends to be perceived as monolithic, whereas from the inside it is usually more fractured. How does this affect our views of cultural appropriation?

(Not actually sure where this one is going to go... Will be interesting to see how the mod wants to define stuff. I was noodling a bit with hyphenates borrowing from sourcelander things.)

Anime & Manga 101
Sun, 1:00–2:15 pm
Moderator: Andrea Horbinski, David Emerson, Jackie Lee, Megan, Oyceter

Do you feel like you might like anime & manga, but feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of titles and some of the terminology? Come to this panel prepared with your storytelling likes/dislikes and a few questions, and allow our panelists to give you advice and recommendations.

(And this is my panel for fun and relaxation! Hopefully me being a few years out of date will not be too detrimental.)

con_or_bust is still going, and bidding closes on Sunday Feb. 26. And, more excitingly, they are trying to raise more this year because they are widening the scope to send fen of color to all fannish SFF cons, not just Wiscon! This potentially includes non-USian fans and non-USian cons!

Also, there is some really cool stuff up to bid on. I, alas, am going to be entirely selfish and only link to things I have been outbid on. But check out this gorgeous robot palm leaf engraving! And signed copies of a comic about beautiful women and monsters! (The Attack of the Alien Robotsaccount of how deepad got them for the auction is pretty awesome too.) Or tuckerization in the fourth Sarah Tolerance mystery!

I am offering a used Alex ereader. It is very lovely, and the only reason I am giving it up is because CB gave me a Nook Touch a few months ago.

And as to "Why help?" this is how Con or Bust has affected me.

( My story )

So that's why I'm pitching in.

And here are some other stories:
- deepad on expanding Con or Bust
- fantasyecho's experience