Worldcon 2019
I shall be at the World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin for a few days in August and have quite the packed schedule of panels, readings, signings, and generally talking nonsense in various contexts. Some details:
Writing beyond king and colony
Format: Panel
16 Aug 2019, Friday 10:00 – 10:50, Wicklow Hall-1 (CCD)
Fantasy novels often use monarchy, SF often relies on corporate governance, and space operas are full of planetary colonies. What other paradigms can writers bring to systems of government? What should they keep in mind when creating a new structure or repurposing an existing framework? What models can they follow? And what pitfalls should be avoided for stories set here on Earth, in a fantastical world, or on a far distant planet?
Erin Roberts, Joe Abercrombie, Sean Hazlett (M), Brenda Clough, Natasha Bardon
Kaffeeklatsch: Joe Abercrombie
Format: Kaffeeklatsch
16 Aug 2019, Friday 11:00 – 11:50, Level 3 Foyer (KK/LB) (CCD)
Reading: Joe Abercrombie
Format: Reading
16 Aug 2019, Friday 14:00 – 14:20, ECOCEM Room (CCD)
YA fiction: literary gateway or lifestyle choice?
Format: Panel
16 Aug 2019, Friday 16:00 – 16:50, Liffey Room-2 (CCD)
YA readers and writers are often asked when they are moving on to adult fiction, or ‘real’ books. Is YA just a gateway to other fiction, speculative or not? What’s the effect on YA readers? Do they move on? Should they? Or does YA have a greater, ongoing appeal to readers and writers, teen and adult? Our panellists discuss the history and relationship between YA and the other speculative genres.
Kate Elliott, Sam Bradbury, Carrie Vaughn (M), Joe Abercrombie
Autographs: Saturday at 11:00
Format: Autographing
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 11:00 – 11:50, Level 4 Foyer (CCD)
Joe Abercrombie, Justin Call, S.A. Chakraborty, Scott Lynch, James Smythe, Cadwell Turnbull
Panel show: ‘That was unexpected!’
Format: Quiz/Gameshow
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 21:00 – 21:50, Wicklow Hall 2B (CCD)
Ever wanted to know what your favourite fantasy novelist would do if they were suddenly turned into a witch’s familiar? Or how a popular sci-fi writer would communicate with an alien race that only speaks in bad puns? Watch a team of esteemed writers talk their way out of the kinds of problems they’re accustomed to writing their characters out of, and some that they would never have imagined.
Brandon O’Brien (M), Catherynne Valente, Charlie Jane Anders, Rafeeat Aliyu, Joe Abercrombie
It’s all gone to shit: grimdark worldbuilding
Format: Panel
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 10:00 – 10:50, Wicklow Room-2 (CCD)
Let’s build a dark and dreadful world, and then make it worse. Join our super-serious panelists as they discuss the darker aspects of worldbuilding in fantasy.
Dr Anna Smith Spark, Cameron Johnston, Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, Robert Corvus (M)
Using science in fantasy writing
Format: Panel
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 16:00 – 16:50, Wicklow Hall-1 (CCD)
When do you use science in fantasy? Whether you are dealing with medical problems, outbreaks of disease, or aspects of technology, how can these be integrated with fantasy – and what makes it different from SF?
Ginjer Buchanan, Joe Abercrombie, A. T. Greenblatt, Peter Adrian Behravesh, Jo Walton (M)
I’ll also be doing another signing at the Gollancz stall from 14.30-15.30 on Friday 16th. I’m not absolutely sure how things are working this year as they tend to change each time, but usually the Readings are in fairly small rooms so you may have to turn up early and really wedge in there to be sure of a place. The Kaffeeklatsches are by definition small and informal gatherings so you usually have to book a place via the convention. The panels tend to be much bigger, so there’s usually room for everyone.
Signing-wise I’m generally happy to sign anything of mine you’ve got, within reason, though time is sometimes limited at these sort of events so be aware that the organisers may hurry you through if queues get long, though they probably won’t. I’m usually happy to sign stuff if you just collar me in the halls and corridors too, though forgive me if I’m on my way to something. Hopefully I’ll see some of you there…
A Little Hatred UK Tour
I’ll be touring the UK for the release of A Little Hatred between 15th and 21st September, and the dates and locations are now out there… Typically the lunchtime events are just a signing, the evening ones are reading, talk, questions then signing. There’ll be copies of A Little Hatred available at all these events, of […]
The All New Joe Abercrombie.com
The new website (as you will probably have noticed) is now live! Thanks first of all to Darren Turpin, who set up and managed the old site, which served me well for the best part of a decade. But Darren has drifted away from the web design business (and into gardening), and the internet is […]
