Ann Leckie

1) I went to the Launchpad Astronomy Workshop two weeks ago, and had the most amazing time, and met the most amazing people. Some of them have written blog posts about it. I fully intended to, but I suspect there’s no way I’ll really be able to in any way that seems sufficient to me.

2)Readers who are familiar with my short fiction–a minority these days, for fairly obvious reasons–will recall that I wrote a fair amount of fantasy, nearly all of it set in the same universe. A new story, “Saving Bacon”–set in that same universe!–has gone live at Podcastle. Perhaps you will enjoy it.

3)Related to that last item, once, years ago, Mr Leckie and I visited some friends who’d moved out of the city and bought a farm. They had a pig penned outside, and they explained that the first year they’d gotten a pig, they’d named it and everything, and then when it came time to do what they’d bought the pig for to begin with, it was really hard on them. (Yes, yes, I imagine it was harder on the pig, but the pig, sadly, wasn’t telling the story.) The next year, they named their pig “Ham” so that they would never forget what that pig’s job was. Next morning, we were served (delicious) sausage that was very obviously home-made, and I said, “Is this Ham?” One of the friends said, very solemnly, “No, Ann, that’s sausage.” And then busted up laughing. She’d been waiting and waiting to make that crack. And yes, it was Ham.

4)Left Bank Books in St Louis has a regular science fiction book discussion thingy, and the next one is Thursday August 7, at 7pm. And the book they’ll be discussing? Ancillary Justice. And I’ll be there. Drop by if you’re interested.

5)There are (or were last I checked) signed copies of Ancillary Justice at both Subterranean Books and Left Bank Books. So if you’re in St Louis and want one of those, that’s where you’d go to get them.

6)I fail at subtweeting. I tried, but instead started a conversation about cilantro. Oh, well, that’s the breaks. I’ll do it more explicitly here, since there’s more space–obviously since cilantro tastes vile to me, people who rave about it only “like” it because it’s fashionable. They are deluded, brainwashed, perhaps even sheep-like. You cannot convince me otherwise, I know the truth, and I don’t care about what herbs might be in style, I just like good food. And cilantro isn’t good food.

7)Same goes for people who like chili peppers. They’ve got to be lying in order to appear cool, or so invested in the idea of being cool they’ve convinced themselves eating them is actually pleasant.

8)No, I don’t sincerely think that. But I am a wimp when it comes to spicy, and cilantro tastes like a mouthful of soap. Ick.

9)Yes, I am aware there’s probably a genetic component to the whole “cilantro tastes like soap” thing. Supposedly there’s also an “it’s in your head” component as well, but I’m not sure how any amount of exposure is going to make a mouthful of soap into some kind of pleasant experience.

10)I guess that’s everything. See you on the other side of Worldcon, unless I realize I forgot something.

My final schedule is basically identical to the draft schedule I posted a while ago, with the addition of a signing session on Friday. So–yes, I’ll be signing books (or bookplates, or whatever) on Friday afternoon.

This doesn’t include a few things that have been scheduled independently of con programming.

Short Fiction is Dead, Long Live Short Fiction

Thursday 19:00 – 20:00 Capital Suite 10 (ExCel)

Short fiction markets are always in flux, but the changes over the last decade have perhaps been particularly dramatic — a general shift from print to online, the rise of new funding models, and so on. And yet there is more short fiction published than ever: alongside print stalwarts such as Interzone and Asimov’s are online magazines such as Clarkesworld, Tor.com and Strange Horizons, any number of Kickstarted anthologies, and hybrid models such as Arc. For editors, what considerations go into developing a short fiction market for today’s readers? For writers, do the available venues shape what gets written, and if so in what ways? And why do so few British writers appear in online magazines?

Liz Gorinsky (M), Eileen Gunn, Simon Ings, Keffy R. M. Kehrli, Ann Leckie

Autographing
Friday 13:30-15:00, Autographing Space (ExCel)

A Queerer War

Sunday 13:30 – 15:00 Capital Suite 13 (ExCel)

Consideration of sexuality has been part of military sf since at least The Forever War, but while it’s easier than it used to be to find militaristic sf novels that address queer experience — Adam Roberts’ New Model Army, say, or God’s War by Kameron Hurley — they remain uncommon. Let’s talk about the implied or assumed links between combat, straightness, technology and morality, and how science fiction has succeeded and failed at complicating its understanding of the sexuality of war.

Duncan Lawie (M), Geoff Ryman, S. J. Groenewegen, Tanya Huff, Ann Leckie

The Hugos
No, I do not plan to sit this particular Hugo Ceremony out in the bar.

Pew Pew! Where Have the Lasers Gone?

Monday 10:00 – 11:00 Capital Suite 10 (ExCel)

When was the last time you read a science fiction novel with lasers? Everything is flachettes and high explosive rounds. Do we blame William Gibson or has the technology of laser guns been debunked to the point that GI Joe and Cobra’s inability to actually kill one another has finally been explained? Is there still a place in science fiction for the obviously impossible and/or impractical?

Tom Becker (M), Gillian Clinton, Rachel Erickson, Neyir Cenk Gokce, Ann Leckie

The title of the post is where I’ll be and when!

Basically, Left Bank Books in St Louis is having its 45th birthday, and as part of the celebration Mark Tiedemann, Kevin Killeen, and I will take turns writing a story in the shop window. Audience members–and Twitter denizens–will be able to suggest things that we have to work into the story somehow. And apparently there’ll be a live video feed, which you can find here.

During not-my-turns I’ll be available to sign books. It should be fun! So if you’re looking for something to do from about 5pm to about 9pm this coming Friday, drop on by!

So! I am going to Worldcon this year! And I am on a few panels and have a preliminary schedule. Which is reproduced below for those who may be interested.

Short Fiction is Dead, Long Live Short Fiction

Thursday 19:00 – 20:00

Short fiction markets are always in flux, but the changes over the last decade have perhaps been particularly dramatic — a general shift from print to online, the rise of new funding models, and so on. And yet there is more short fiction published than ever: alongside print stalwarts such as Interzone and Asimov’s are online magazines such as Clarkesworld, Tor.com and Strange Horizons, any number of Kickstarted anthologies, and hybrid models such as Arc. For editors, what considerations go into developing a short fiction market for today’s readers? For writers, do the available venues shape what gets written, and if so in what ways? And why do so few British writers appear in online magazines?

Liz Gorinsky (M), Eileen Gunn, Simon Ings, Keffy R. M. Kehrli, Ann Leckie

A Queerer War

Sunday 13:30 – 15:00

Consideration of sexuality has been part of military sf since at least The Forever War, but while it’s easier than it used to be to find militaristic sf novels that address queer experience — Adam Roberts’ New Model Army, say, or God’s War by Kameron Hurley — they remain uncommon. Let’s talk about the implied or assumed links between combat, straightness, technology and morality, and how science fiction has succeeded and failed at complicating its understanding of the sexuality of war.

Duncan Lawie (M), Geoff Ryman, S. J. Groenewegen, Tanya Huff, Ann Leckie

Pew Pew! Where Have the Lasers Gone?

Monday 10:00 – 11:00

When was the last time you read a science fiction novel with lasers? Everything is flachettes and high explosive rounds. Do we blame William Gibson or has the technology of laser guns been debunked to the point that GI Joe and Cobra’s inability to actually kill one another has finally been explained? Is there still a place in science fiction for the obviously impossible and/or impractical?

Tom Becker (M), Gillian Clinton, Rachel Erickson, Neyir Cenk Gokce, Ann Leckie

In addition to these items, of course, I plan to attend the Hugo ceremony. There will probably be a few other things added into my schedule as the con draws nearer. Possibly quite a few, actually, but I do hope to be able to say hi to people I’ve so far only met online, and hi again to people I’ve met in person but don’t see often. The last couple Worldcons I’ve been to, I didn’t go to a single panel–wait, no, actually, the last two Worldcons, I did go to a reading or two but that was pretty much it–because I spent all my time hanging out with people. I suspect this one won’t be terribly different, except for my actually being on panels myself and having a reason this year to be busy doing book things.

Anyway, hope I see you there!

So, little or no sleep last weekend wasn’t enough for me–I need to do it again this coming weekend! So I’ll be at Wiscon.

And I’m on panels! These panels, in fact:

What is Science in Feminist SF? Sat, 10:00–11:15 am Conference 4
Moderator: Jacquelyn Gill. Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, Nivair H. Gabriel, Ann Leckie

When we argue about whether women write more fantasy than SF, are we assuming a particular definition of science that should be questioned? And are we also applying gender bias when we assess the “hardness” of SF by men and women?

SFWA: Is It Relevant? Is It Useful? Sun, 1:00–2:15 pm Conference 4
Moderator: Ann Leckie. Wesley Chu, Gary Kloster, David D. Levine, Grá Linnaea

Many accomplished sf/f writers don’t qualify for full membership in SFWA. Other organizations, such as RWA do a lot more for writers at every level. With the latest election, the SFWA Bulletin problems, and the attack on one of our Guests of Honor by one member of SFWA and its results, do we as feminists and writers want to be part of that organization? Can working from within to change it have real results?

What’s Gender in an Equal-opportunity Future? Mon, 10:00–11:15 am Solitaire
Moderator: Christopher Davis. Jed Hartman, BC Holmes, Erin M. Kelly, Ann Leckie

In various science fictional futures (Star Trek, the Culture, etc), women and men have, in theory, full or near-full social equality, whether or not the portrayals always reflect it in practice. In a fictional society in which there is no gender discrimination and/or no limiting gender roles, what does it mean to be male, female, or any other gender? Is it all about physical characteristics? Are there likely to be gendered names, clothes, hairstyles, and stereotypical interests in such a world? In a fictional world with uterine replicators, equal sharing of parenting responsibilities, same-sex parents, multiple parents, and/or no stigma against being or not being a parent, what does it mean to be a mother or a father? (Please be trans-friendly in all your answers.)

The SignOut Mon, 11:30 am–12:45 pm Capitol/Wisconsin
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, Stacie L Arellano, Eleanor A. Arnason, Greg Bechtel, F.J. Bergmann, Susan Simensky Bietila, Alex Bledsoe, Gwenda Bond, K. Tempest Bradford, Chesya Burke, Wesley Chu, Julia Dvorin, Rhea Ewing, Hiromi Goto, Eileen Gunn, Andrea D. Hairston, Dorothy Hearst, Liz Henry, Lauren Jankowski, N. K. Jemisin, Emily Jiang, Vylar Kaftan, Keffy R. M. Kehrli, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ellen Kushner, Ann Leckie, Kimberley Long-Ewing, Heather McDougal, Allison Moon, Katrinka Moore, Nancy Jane Moore, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, Melissa F. Olson, Samantha Haney Press, Mary Rickert, James P. Roberts, Madeleine E. Robins, Catherine M. Schaff-Stump, Nisi Shawl, Delia Sherman, Cecilia Tan, Sheree Renée Thomas, LaShawn M. Wanak, Sunny Moraine

Come and sign your works, come and get things signed, come and hang out and wind down before you leave.

When I’m not doing a panel, I’ll probably be in the bar, or wandering around and not hard to find. I’m looking forward to seeing the cool folks I usually see, and meeting new cool folks!

I need to thank so many people for their congratulations about the Clarke and the Locus Award shortlisting–and I have been so incredibly taken up with other things. Thank you so much!

I also want to mention–partly triggered by recent events, but partly just generally–that libraries and librarians are wonderful gifts to the world. I know not everyplace has access to a good library, or to ILL (oh, Mithras, I love ILL). And some places have been cutting back on funding for libraries because…why? It’s not a good use of money somehow? I do not understand how that thought could even be entertained. Libraries are wonderful and necessary and I wish everyone a good library nearby.

Unrelatedly, I maybe saw some fanart on Tumblr and it might have filled my heart with delighted joy.

This weekend I’ll be at the Nebulas. Pretty much every moment is already accounted for, including of course the awards banquet, at which I anticipate enjoying hotel banquet chicken and cheering for everyone. I’ll also be participating in a mass signing Friday evening from 8pm until 10, so if you’re in San Jose and would like me to sign your book, well, come on down to the Marriott and I’ll be happy to oblige.