Nebula Conference 2018: Full Schedule

5:00pm EDT

Making hopeful art in hopeless times

When the real world continues to bombard us with fear and disappointment, it can be easy to write dark endings, or even worse, not write at all. Then along came Hopepunk. Alexandra Rowland describes this term as the opposite of grimdark. It’s not about writing happy endings, but creating stories where characters show true bravery by standing up for each other and fighting for a better world. This panel will bring authors and editors of optimistic fiction together to discuss the significance of using hope as an aesthetic, examples we've found, and how we as writers can use this subgenre to heal not only ourselves, but our readers.

Moderators

J. R. Dawson

Writer

Dawson (she/they) has been seen in places like The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Escape Pod, Lightspeed, and DSF. Her debut novel, The First Bright Thing, is now available from Tor. Find her at www.jrdawsonwriter.com and on twitter @j_r_dawson.

Speakers

Lettie Prell

writer

Lettie Prell is a science fiction writer whose work has appeared on Tor.com, and in Clarkesworld, Analog, and Apex Magazine. Her stories have been reprinted in a number of anthologies, including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, and The Year's Best Science Fiction... Read More →

Alexandra Rowland

Author

Elsa Sjunneson

Attendee

Hugo, BFA and Aurora award winning editor Elsa Sjunneson is a Deafblind hurricane in a vintage dress. Her written work has appeared in CNN Opinion, Uncanny Magazine, Women of Marvel #1, and many other projects and venues. Being Seen, her debut memoir on media and disability releases... Read More →

Michael R. Underwood

Attendee

Michael R. Underwood is an author, podcaster, and publishing professional. Mike's books include space opera Annihilation Aria, the Ree Reyes Geekomancy books, the Stabby Award-finalist Genrenauts series, and Born to the Blade (written with Malka Older, Cassandra Khaw, and Marie Brennan... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Marquis A

Professional Development, Panel

Company Agents, Early Career Writers, Game Writers, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional

5:00pm EDT

Shape of Narrative Arcs in Gaming

Stories can be found in games just as much as fiction. Panelists will discuss how they emerge in games, how the type of game affects the narrative arc, and how writers impact the story. The panel will also highlight techniques to evaluate the narrative arcs in published games.

Moderators

Monica Valentinelli

Monica Valentinelli is a writer, artist, and game developer who lurks in the dark. She is a hybrid author who writes both original and media tie-in fiction and works on games, essays, comics, too.A frequent guest at conventions, Monica is best known for creating the Make Art Not War... Read More →

Speakers

John Appel

Author

John Appel volunteered to jump out of planes before he’d ever been in a plane; his friends and family say this sums up his approach to life pretty well. He writes science fiction and fantasy and the occasional tabletop RPG adventure. A lifelong Marylander, he lives in the Baltimore... Read More →

Jason Stevan Hill

Chief Operating Officer, Choice of Games

Hill is the author of two interactive fictions (Choice of the Vampire, Choice of the Vampire: Fall of Memphis). He spends most of his time as an editor and managing partner for Choice of Games.

Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of the Lady Astronaut series and historical fantasy novels: The Glamourist Histories and Ghost Talkers. She’s the president of SFWA, a member of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses and has received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer... Read More →

Todd Sanders

Director, Air and Nothingness Press

I have run my own press - Air and Nothingness Press - since 1997. I’ve published five books of the translated poetry of Robert Desnos, three of my own books of poetry and am now publishing the writing of Jamie Lackey and UK fantasy authors Steph Swainston and Jonathan L. Howard.I... Read More →

Thursday May 17, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Marquis B

Professional Development, Panel

Company Art Directors, Editors, Hybrid, Indie, Game Writers, Early Career Writers

10:00am EDT

Ask me about Deathbuilding

You pick the darlings, we'll help you plan their gruesome, protracted, and highly entertaining demise and/or near death experience! Learn why you can't really sword-fight after taking a bullet in the shoulder, why not all toxins are created equal, and how to have fun with anatomy, pathophysiology, and epidemiology.

Moderators

Sarah Gailey

Author

Hugo, Campbell, and Nebula award finalist Sarah Gailey lives and works in beautiful Portland, Oregon. Their nonfiction has been published by Mashable and the Boston Globe, and their fiction has been published internationally. They are a regular contributor for Tor.com and Barnes... Read More →

Speakers

Anatoly Belilovsky

writer

Anatoly Belilovsky is a Russian-American author and translator of speculative fiction. He was born in a city that went through six or seven owners in the last century, all of whom used it to do a lot more than drive to church on Sundays; he is old enough to remember tanks rolling... Read More →

Jonathan Brazee

Writer

I am a retired Marine infantry colonel and now a full-time hybrid writer living in Colorado Springs with my wife Kiwi and twin pre-school-age girls, Danika Dawn and Darika Marie. I am a two-time Nebula Award Finalist, a two-time Dragon Award Finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling... Read More →

Patrick Rothfuss

Monica Valentinelli

Friday May 18, 2018 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Marquis A

Professional Development, Panel

Company Early Career Writers, Game Writers, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional

10:00am EDT

We're New Here: How to Navigate Being an "Emerging Author"

At some point, every published creator was a newcomer to their field. This panel will bring together both established creators and those in the early years of their careers to talk about the challenges they've faced in the publishing world and what they've learned about navigating through them.

Moderators

Fonda Lee

Author

Fonda Lee is the author of the epic modern fantasy Green Bone Saga, consisting of Jade City, Jade War, and Jade Legacy. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, a four-time winner of the Aurora Award, and a finalist for the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award. The... Read More →

Speakers

Vera Brook

Writer

Vera Brook is a neuroscientist turned science fiction & fantasy writer, braving the indie publishing route. Her debut novel, Sand Runner, was published in June 2017, and Cage Runner, book 2 in the series, followed in February 2018. She's also working on several short stories, but... Read More →

Peng Shepherd

Writer, HarperCollins

Peng was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York. Her first novel, The Book of M, won the 2019 Neukom Institute for Literary Arts Award for... Read More →

Rebecca Thorne

Writer

R.K. Thorne writes science fiction and fantasy with strong romantic subplots and an all too frequent theme of baked goods. She's a full-time indie who works from the hills of Pennsylvania with her two gray cats at her side.

Tracy Townsend

Writer, English Instructor

Tracy Townsend is the author of The Nine, book one of the Thieves of Fate series (Pyr), a gaslamp fantasy debut set in a world where theology is a science, three sentient species live in an uneasy truce, and the fate of humanity rests on the shoulders of nine unsuspecting individuals... Read More →

Friday May 18, 2018 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Marquis C

Professional Development, Panel

Company Agents, Art Directors, Early Career Writers, Editors, Game Writers, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional

11:30am EDT

How to decolonize your fiction

The history of western colonialism is integrated into the foundational texts of the genre. From Verne to Tolkein, empire has been at the forefront of our visions of the future and of fantastical worlds. But change is here. The recent success of Black Panther provides a vision of an afrofuturistic society untouched by colonial powers. How, then, do we tell stories that build on these beginnings that gesture towards alternative paths forward? How can we envision futures that celebrate cultural difference while acknowledging violent histories and the realities of our shared present?

Moderators

DongWon Song

Agent, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency

DongWon Song is an agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency representing science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adult, and middle grade readers as well as select non-fiction. They were formerly an editor at Orbit and a product manager for the ebook startup, Zola Books and has... Read More →

Speakers

Bill Campbell

Bill Campbell is the author of Sunshine Patriots, My Booty Novel, and Pop Culture: Politics, Puns, "Poohbutt" from a Liberal Stay-at-Home Dad and Koontown Killing Kaper. Along with Edward Austin Hall, he co-edited the groundbreaking anthology, Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and... Read More →

Fonda Lee

Author

Rebecca Roanhorse

Author

Rebecca Roanhorse is a Nebula/Hugo/Sturgeon/Locus Award Finalist for her short fiction and a 2017 Campbell Finalist. Her debut novel TRAIL OF LIGHTNING Book #1 in the SIXTH WORLD SERIES (Saga Press) drops June 26th, 2018. She lives in Northern New Mexico with her husband, daughter... Read More →

JY Yang

JY Yang is a Hugo/Nebula/Locus award finalist and the author of the Tensorate novellas from Tor.Com Publishing (The Red Threads of Fortune, The Black Tides of Heaven and the forthcoming The Descent of Monsters). A graduate of the Clarion West class of 2013, they live in Singapore... Read More →

Friday May 18, 2018 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Marquis B

Professional Development, Panel

Company Hybrid, Traditional, All welcome, Agents, Art Directors, Early Career Writers, Editors, Game Writers, Indie

3:30pm EDT

The Joys and the Hazards of Writing #OwnVoices Fiction

"Write what you know" sounds easy, but is it always? #OwnVoices was created to celebrate the works of marginalized writers telling stories from their lived experience. But distilling experience into fiction comes with unique challenges and risks that we don't often get to talk about. Panelists discuss how to tap into your own life for stories without damaging themselves or their loved ones, the insights and liberations that can come from that experience, and the challenges of speaking for a community.

Speakers

Jaime O. Mayer

Attendee

SFF writer based out of the Seattle area. Korean American adoptee. Soaked in tea, would rather be knitting. Fountain pen obsessed. Fiction and nonfiction at/forthcoming: Cast of Wonders, Cicada Magazine, The Learned Fangirl, Invisible 3, and Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction... Read More →

Rebecca Roanhorse

Author

Karlo Yeager Rodriguez

Attendee, Author

Karlo Yeager Rodríguez is originally from the enchanting island of Puerto Rico, but moved to the Baltimore area some years ago where he now lives with his wife and one odd dog. His fiction has appeared in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Seize the Press, Pseudopod, and khōréō. He... Read More →

Elsa Sjunneson

Attendee

K. M. Szpara

Author

K.M. Szpara is a queer and trans author who lives in Baltimore, MD, with a tiny dog. Kellan's debut alt-/near-future novel, DOCILE (Spring 2020, Tor.com Publishing), explores the snowballing debt crisis, consent, and privilege, and can be described as "really gay". He is the author... Read More →

Friday May 18, 2018 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Marquis C

Professional Development, Panel

Company Early Career Writers, Game Writers, Hybrid, Traditional, Agents, Editors, Indie, family members too.

5:00pm EDT

New vs. Experienced: The evolution of a writer

Editors and agents are always looking for fresh voices. Why, when they have already experienced writers to work with? This year's Nebula nominees span five decades of age and experience. How does a writer evolve over the course of their career? Using short fiction as a lens, our panelists examine the differences between working with a new voice and the experienced author.

Moderators

Ellen Klages

Writer, self

I write historical fiction for middle grade readers and SF/F for adults. I have won multiple awards in both fields. I love research. I have played poker every Tuesday night for 35 years. I collect lead civilians and other odd, old toys. I sometimes give ultraviolet tours of my dining... Read More →

Speakers

Alyx Dellamonica

A.M. Dellamonica's first novel, Indigo Springs, won the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. Their fourth, A Daughter of No Nation, won the 2016 Prix Aurora for Best Novel. They have published over fifty short stories in Tor.com, Asimovs SF, and elsewhere, along... Read More →

Rebecca Roanhorse

Author

Erin Roberts

Attendee

Sheila Williams

Attendee, Asimov's

I'm a science fiction short story editor.

Friday May 18, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Marquis C

Professional Development, Panel

Company Editors, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional, Agents, Early Career Writers, Game Writers, All welcome

5:00pm EDT

Ongoing funding for authors

There are more ways for a writer to earn income now than every before. This panel focuses specifically on the subscription or patronage model for providing an author with on-going support. From Patreon to Drip to Koffi, what are some ways to reduce the uncertainty of your income stream?

Moderators

Margot Atwell

Head of Publishing, Kickstarter

Margot Atwell is the Head of Publishing at Kickstarter, where she helps authors and publishers build community and find support for their creative projects. Previously, Margot was Publisher at Beaufort Books, an independent publisher of fiction and non-fiction books. Her first book, The... Read More →

Speakers

Pablo Defendini

Publisher, Fireside Fiction Company

Pablo Defendini is a designer and developer for hire. He works with clients that sit in the overlap between publishing and technology. In addition to his design and development consultancy, Pablo runs Fireside Fiction Company, a small independent publisher.

Mary Robinette Kowal

Merc Rustad

author / AV

Friday May 18, 2018 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Marquis A

Professional Development, Panel

Company Early Career Writers, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional, All welcome, Game Writers

1:00pm EDT

The problem with history

History repeats itself, so it's natural to look to history for inspiration for fiction. While it's obvious that historical details should be treated in the same way as any other piece of world-building, how does the author navigate the changes in culture? Is there a responsibility to be factually accurate, even when that means replicating problematic language and attitudes from the past? Are there certain cultures' histories that we shouldn't write about? If so, why? This panel will seek to place planks over the pitfalls in writing historical fantasy fiction.

Moderators

Arkady Martine

Arkady Martine is speculative fiction writer and, as Dr. AnnaLinden Weller, a historian of the Byzantine Empire and a city planner. She is currently a policy advisor for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department, where she works on climate change mitigation... Read More →

Speakers

Lara Elena Donnelly

Lara Elena Donnelly is the author of the vintage-glam spy thriller Amberlough and it’s forthcoming sequels Armistice and Amnesty (Tor). Lara’s other work has appeared in venues including Strange Horizons, Escape Pod, Nightmare, and Uncanny. A graduate of the Clarion and Alpha... Read More →

Annalee Newitz

writer

Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the author of three novels: The Terraformers, The Future of Another Timeline, and Autonomous, which won the Lambda Literary Award. As a science journalist, they are the author of Four Lost Cities: A Secret History... Read More →

Kat Otis

Kat Otis writes speculative fiction – everything from historical fantasy to urban fantasy, with a bit of science fiction thrown in for good measure. She lived a peripatetic life for almost two decades and is now rather bemused to be living in one place; she’s not recycling her... Read More →

Angus Watson

Writer, Angus Watson

I'm a British historical fantasy writer currently living in New York. My first trilogy, Age of Iron, is a fantastical epic adventure based around the Roman Invasions of Britain in 55 and 54BC. My current trilogy, West of West, is about Vikings crossing a fantasy North America a thousand... Read More →

Saturday May 19, 2018 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Marquis C

Professional Development, Panel

Company Early Career Writers, Game Writers, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional, Art Directors, All welcome

2:30pm EDT

Health and Happiness for Writers

This panel begins with the radical idea that writers do their best work when they're healthy, happy, and reasonably secure: when they are not living up (or down) to the stereotype of the starving, possibly addicted, probably self-destructive artist. We will discuss what makes for a good, and hopefully productive, writing life. How can we arrange our days . . . and years? How can we cultivate healthy and productive habits, and what does that mean, anyway? How do we deal with the problems and challenges of writing--lack of time, lack of money, the inevitable criticism and rejection? The panelists will share their (positive and negative) experiences creating lives for themselves that enable and support their writing, and hopefully give you some ideas for how you can think about and create your own writing life.

Moderators

Theodora Goss

Speakers

Lara Elena Donnelly

Rekka Jay

Attendee, R J Theodore

SFF author of Peridot Shift and Phantom Traveler series. She/her. Early riser. Graphic designer by profession. Co-host of WE MAKE BOOKS podcast (wmbcast.com) with Kaelyn Considine of Parvus Press. Contributor to Glitter + Ashes anthology.

Matthew Kressel

Full-stack developer, writer, Tyrell Corporation

Matthew Kressel is a three-time Nebula Award finalist and a World Fantasy Award finalist. His short fiction has appeared in many places, and his work has been translated into six languages. He is a full-stack developer, environmentalist, and cautious optimist. He co-hosts the Fantastic... Read More →

Erin Roberts

Attendee

Patrick Rothfuss

Saturday May 19, 2018 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Marquis B

Professional Development, Panel

Company Art Directors, Early Career Writers, Editors, Game Writers, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional, Agents, family members too., All welcome

4:00pm EDT

Skynet, Matrix, Other: Where Will AI Lead Us?

A survey of artificial intelligence as it currently stands, this talk will survey what AI is good at and what it's likely to continue to stink at. Hint: our expectations for AI are as likely to be as predictive as were the SF stories anticipating those air-cars, jetpacks, and interstellar flights we enjoy today.

Moderators

Martha Wells

Martha Wells has written many fantasy novels, including The Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads), the Ile-Rien series (including The Death of the Necromancer) as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, media tie-ins (for Star Wars and Stargate: Atlantis... Read More →

Speakers

Kenneth Chiacchia

Senior Science Writer, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center

Ken Chiacchia’s bio reads like a random sampling of events from different people’s lives. A defrocked biochemist, he has since been a public relations writer, freelance newspaper reporter, science fiction author, EMT, search-and-rescue dog handler and search manager, firefighter... Read More →

Matthew Kressel

Full-stack developer, writer, Tyrell Corporation

David D. Levine

David D. Levine is the author of Norton Award winning novel Arabella of Mars (Tor 2016), sequels Arabella and the Battle of Venus (Tor 2017) and Arabella the Traitor of Mars (Tor 2018), and over fifty science fiction and fantasy stories. His story “Tk’Tk’Tk” won the Hugo... Read More →

PJ Manney

author, PJ Manney

PJ Manney is the author of the P.K. Dick Award-nominated (R)EVOLUTION, book 1 in a trilogy with (ID)ENTITY, and the upcoming (CON)SCIENCE, out April 27, 2021. She also writes non-fiction and consults about emerging technology, future humans, empathy-building through storytelling... Read More →

Aaron M. Roth

Science Fiction / Fantasy writer, Artificial Intelligence / Robotics Scientist

Aaron Roth is a science fiction / fantasy writer. He currently pursues research in robotics and artificial intelligence as a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University. He has worked as a software engineer at tech startups in fields such as machine learning, finance, healthcare... Read More →

Saturday May 19, 2018 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Marquis B

Professional Development, Panel

Company Agents, Early Career Writers, Editors, Game Writers, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional

11:00am EDT

Structuring a Series

Series books, whether a trilogy, quintology, or open-ended slide into infinity, have a very different story arc than the one-off single title. Knowing that, how do you approach one? How do you plot it, structure it, talk about it? What makes for a good long-running series, and what are the pitfalls to be avoided?

Moderators

Laura Anne Gilman

d.y.m.k. productions

Relapsing Editor, Recurrent Novelist, Occasional Short Story Writer. Proud Hybrid. Never met a sub-genre she didn't flirt with.

Speakers

Susan Forest

Laksa Media Groups

Susan Forest writes SF, fantasy and horror, and is an award-winning fiction editor for Laksa Media. Her novel, Bursts of Fire, came out in 2019, to be followed by Flights of Marigolds. She has published over 25 short stories, contributes to When Words Collide, and has appeared at... Read More →

Kevin McLaughlin

Writer, Role of the Hero Publishing

Kevin McLaughlin is a USA Today bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy novels, with over thirty books published. He has been a speaker at DragonCon, the Nebula Conference, 20Books, WorldCon, Arisia, Boskone, and other events. He believes in giving back to the writing community... Read More →

Mark Tompkins

Author

Mark Tompkins is the Author of The Last Days of Magic and Days of The Witchhunters (Penguin Random House). Last Days was hailed by The Washington Post as “a beautifully detailed book and an entertaining read” and named one of The Best New Books by People Magazine. Mark is under... Read More →

Martha Wells

Sunday May 20, 2018 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Marquis C

Professional Development, Panel

Company Agents, Early Career Writers, Editors, Hybrid, Indie, Traditional