So, the Baltimore Book Festival is like…a book festival in downtown Baltimore (Mt. Vernon Place), where there are panels and author talks and signings and all that stuff. For some reason, the Science Fiction  and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have partnered up with the book festival and, thus, have an entire tent on the eastern part of the park.

I am a member of SFWA and thus, I graciously assented* to be on three panels.

• Friday, 6 PM, “How I Got Published” – Writers talk about how they broke into the field and give tips to aspiring authors on getting published. Panelists include: Rahul Kanakia, Diana Peterfreund and Catherine Asaro.
• Sunday, 4 PM, “Literary Science Fiction: It’s Not A Contradiction In Terms” – Talk with our experts about science fiction in fantasy, academia and the literary canon. Is it overlooked by the establishment? Panelists include: Cat Rambo, Rahul Kanakia and Sarah Pinsker.
• Sunday, 5 PM, “Short Fiction” – How are short fiction and long fiction different to write? Talk with our experts on the differences, pros and cons of writing one type of fiction over the other. Panelists include: Cat Rambo, Rahul Kanakia, Bud Sparhawk, Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Jack McDevitt.
• In addition, I’ll also be at the SFWA Author’s Reception from 6 PM to 8 PM on Saturday.

These are my first-ever panels! I am very excited to be able to bloviate for an audience. If any of you want to hear my pontifications, then coming out from 4PM to 6PM on Sunday doesn’t seem like it’d be a terrible idea.

 

*By emailing the organizer, Catherine Asaro, way back in June and being like, “I am going to be in Baltimore and I really, really want to be on the program!”