Steven Popkes at Arisia this coming weekend

 

 I’m going to be at Arisia this weekend, 1/13/2023-1/15/2023, the Science Fiction convention in Boston. All details at the link.

 

Come on down and join the fun.

 

These are the panels I’m on.

 

2:30pm Saturday

Scientists, Mathematicians, and Engineers in SFF - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W)

Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians make their appearance as characters in speculative fiction—naturally! Share your thoughts about superb, and awful, examples, as well as your suggestions for representing these professionals with greater realism, diversity, and empathy.

Kristin Janz (m), Siobhan Flanagan, Steven Popkes, Craig W Stanfill, Stephen R. Wilk

 

11:00am Sunday

Plagues in Fantasy and Science Fiction - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W)

From the Andromeda Strain to spattergroit, not to mention those adorable plush plague rats in dealers’ rooms everywhere, epidemics are common themes in speculative fiction. Which classic and current plague fiction stands out from the rest? What are the most common biomedical blunders SFF writers have, um, afflicted readers with? And has the pandemic breathed new life into this perennial theme in medical SFF...or turned readers (and writers) completely off the subject?

Alexander Jablokov (m), Amy Chused, Shana Jean Hausman, Joey Peters, Steven Popkes