Category: SF & Fandom

It’s About to be Minicon

I’ll be heading over to the hotel this afternoon.

Pictures will eventually (sometimes sooner, sometimes later) appear here. The Wednesday night work party is already up.

I’m on a 4pm panel on “The Art of the Snapshot” today (Edina room, 4pm). My part of it is definitely not about expensive equipment and software. Hope it’s of use to people!

I’m also on “Keeping It Alive” 2:30PM Sunday – Veranda 3 /4. Don’t come if you’re tired of hearing me talk about Doc Smith (among others).

And I commend to people’s attention the panel on basic book repair (which I have no connection with). That’s Saturday, 2pm,  in the Edina room.

I probably should have planned to be over at the hotel yesterday; sounds like quite a lot was going on. I had planned things so I needed last night to finish my outline and prepare my examples for the snapshot panel, so I couldn’t make last-minute changes of plan.  But I think I’ll try to remember for next year.

 

 

Women Writing SF

Fred Pohl, in a 1978 discussion with Alfred Bester (transcribed and posted recently here):

“No woman writer has been in any way handicapped by being female in science fiction in the last 10 to 15 years, with one single exception.”

Pohl, with his career as writer, agent, and editor, was in a better position to have an opinion than most people.  On the other hand, as a male insider, he was in a better position to harbor self-serving delusions than most people.   Also, his statement doesn’t address any possible prejudices harbored by the readers; even if the publishing chain was completely sex-blind, it would take account of how things sold, and so if the readers cared, it would end up being reflected in publishing.