My Ad Astra schedule
April 9, 10, and 11 I can be found at the Crowne Plaza Hotel for this year's annual Toronto SF convention
Fri 9:00 PM:
Same Old Settings
What settings are overused and underused in SF, fantasy, and horror works? What would you like to see more of, and what have you seen enough of? If you are looking for more creative ideas for settings, where should you go? What works do you think have the most original settings?
Rick Wilber, Karina Sumner-Smith, Gregory A. Wilson, Karl Schroeder, Derek Kunsken
Sat 6:00 PM:
Putting the Science Into Science Fiction
How can authors effectively use cutting-edge science in their SF works?
Chris A. Jackson (m), Derek Kunsken, Peter Watts, Karl Schroeder,
Sat 7:00 PM:
Body and Person in SF
How SF has treated the connection between the body and the personality, from completely disconnected to very integrated.
J. Keeping, Peter Watts, Karl Schroeder
Sun 10:00 AM:
Writing the Future
How do you create a credible near future (up to 50 years from now)? What things are likely to change and what will stay the same? Technological and scientific changes aren’t the whole story. How do you incorporate probable or possible changes in the environment, economy and politics, culture and social mores into a believable future?
Hayden Trenholm, Karl Schroeder, Rebecca Simkin
Sun 2:00 PM:
Intersection Between SF and Contemporary Issues
Does an average 14-year-old understand that The Forever War is really about Vietnam? Are such allusions wasted effort? Does a writer limit his or her shelf-life by tying work too closely to the present day?
Robert J. Sawyer, Rick Wilber, Karl Schroeder, Ira Nayman, J.M. Frey
Sun 3:00 PM:
A.I. in SF
A.I. is a staple in SF. This panel discusses the current reality and probable future of artificial intelligence research
J. Keeping, Robert J. Sawyer, Karl Schroeder