Boskone Panels & More "Reading Body Horror" Classes

Boskone 59 (Feb 18-20th) is running this year in a hybrid format, so if you’re not local to the Boston area or comfortable going to in-person events, you can still check it out virtually. I’ll be participating in three panels, all on Saturday the 19th:

The Queer Future (1:00 PM - Marina I, Westin)

“With a much-needed surge of people openly embracing diverse genders and sexual identities, how is speculative fiction doing in representing the breadth of identities in stories set in SF/F/H? Is there still a disparity? How can SF writers/creators best write the "other" if it's outside their own lived experience? And what more do we want to see in an engaging queer future within speculative fiction?”

My Clone, My Self (5:00 PM - Harbor II, Westin)

“Let's take a look at the science and implications of where we are today with cloning. Advances have made it possible to produce viable animal clones, where does that leave us for humanity? How does that change the definition of humanity and our relationship to each other and to ourselves? How might this affect everything from identity to parental rights to inheritance and ownership?”

Haunted: Horror as a Way to Heal Trauma (10:00 PM - Marina II, Westin)

“They can be exploitative — but many horror stories instead tackle traumatic themes with nuance and complexity. Whether you are consuming it or creating it, horror can become a vehicle for power when you feel otherwise powerless. What is the value in seeing our worst experiences writ large? How can these kinds of stories help us to heal?”

Additionally, though unrelated, I’m offering my “Reading Body Horror as Writers” class again in April. I’ll be revising and adding some material based on the (awesome) first run of the class, and Catapult and I have agreed to raise the enrollment limit to 18 people from 12. If you missed it last time around, don’t worry, the weather will be absolutely miserable and cold this spring and you’ve got another chance to curl up with a bunch of unsettling fiction!

Love,

Julian