And now for something completely different! I will be attending WorldCon next week and have some programming to share (OK, I’ll be honest, the main reason I’m putting this here is to provide myself with a handy reference, but there are at least a handful of people who read my blog for the SF/F stuff instead of, or as well as, politics.)

Thursday, August 8, 2024

13:00 (1 p.m.) BST – Autographing
Hall 4 (Autographs)

19:30 (7:30 p.m.) BST – Reading
Castle 2, 30 min

Friday, August 9, 2024

16:00 (4 p.m.) BST – Imagining our Great AI Overlords
Hall 1, 60 mins
Panelists: Justin C. Key, Lettie Prell, Mikko Rauhala, Naomi Kritzer, Stew Hotston (moderator)

From Samuel Butler’s 1872 novel Erewhon to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, readers and writers continue to be fascinated by artificial intelligence, in both utopian and dystopian settings. As scientists and engineers note the implausibility of many science fiction scenarios, what does it take to create a believable fictional AI character? Join our panel as they discuss their favourite, and least favourite, AIs, robots and sentient machines. 

Saturday, August 10, 2024

13:00 (1 p.m.) BST – Table Talk
Hall 4 (Table Talks), 60 mins

Table talks are small events; signup is required. I think you sign up on the online portal (it opens August 6).

Sunday, August 11, 2024

11:30 BST – All the World’s Books Depend on the Beancounter: Economics in SFF
Carron, 60 mins
Panelists: Charles Stross, Eleanor Teasdale (mod), Naomi Kritzer, Scott Lynch, Stew Hotston

Economics is the “dismal science”, but economic speculative fiction is far from dismal; writers have experimented with all kinds of economic models from social credit to gift exchange, in worlds fantastical or space bound. And that’s without thinking about the impact of magic on currency values or space travel on the flow of trade. Our panellists will share their favourite examples of economic systems in SFF, which ideas they think the genre should be doing more with, and even what economics can learn from speculative fiction!

14:30 (2:30 p.m.) BST – Best Cats of SFF
Hall 1, 60 mins
Panelists: Erin Hunter, John Scalzi, Naomi Kritzer (mod), Nnedi Okorafor, Seanan McGuire

As the great, late Sir Terry Pratchett once said, “in ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.” No wonder we can’t imagine our stories without them, no matter where or when they are set. 

From Garth Nix’s Mogget to Terry Pratchett’s Greebo and Maurice, Robert Heinlein’s Pixel to Robin Hobb’s Fennel, come along as our panel celebrates their favourite felines.