This year’s Conbust mascot art was created by Evanleigh Davis.
It’s time for Conbust 2015 up at Smith College this weekend! Three days of workshops, panels, classes, demonstrations, role playing games and more–covering everything from Dr. Who, Welcome to Nightvale and Found Footage to Cosplaying Basics and many aspects of writing including character creation and publication–starts at 5 p.m. Friday at the college’s Seelye Hall.
I’ll be involved in a few programs with some very talented people this year! Here’s my schedule for the weekend. The descriptions are from the Conbust website:
Saturday 9-9:50 am Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading. Broad Universe. A Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading (RFR) is where 5-10 Broads get together to read snippets from their works. Audience members can expect to hear the latest in science fiction, fantasy and horror from this group of talented women. For more information, please visit
http://broaduniverse.org/. I don’t know what other Broads will be there, but I’ll be sharing time with friends Trisha Wooldridge and Jennifer Allis Provost, reading the opening of a story which was just accepted to anthology coming out this summer. (UGH! WHY do I always get some kind of panel at 9 a.m. when I go to these things? Do they know how late I’m up drinking wine?)
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Saturday 10-11:30 am Character Building 101 with Anna Erishkigal, Tamora Pierce, Kelly Turnbull, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, and Slake Saunders. Character Building 101. Anna Erishkigal, Kelly Turnbull, Kristi Peterson Schoonover, Slake Saunders, and Tamora Pierce. The nice thing about fiction is that you can fill the world with fascinating people you’d like to meet. Learn to round out your characters, from Our Hero(ine) to Bar Patron #3 to the talking alligator in the swamp.
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Saturday 2-2:50 pm This Thing Called Found Footage Kristi Petersen Schoonover. Ever since three “student filmmakers” Blair Witched it in 1999, found footage has become (to the delight of some and the chagrin of others) a staple in the horror film industry. Why are more coming out every year? What does this say about our changed “selfie”-oriented culture, and how has it changed the way we expect stories to be told? On the flipside, how is this phenomenon reviving the old-school unreliable-narrator tale and true magic realism? We invite you to come and discuss these questions, share your faves and flops, and why you love found footage films…or hate ’em. [I’m really excited about this one since I pitched it! And I have been cramming Found Footage for weeks!]
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Saturday 6-6:50 pm Suspension of Disbelief with Kelly Turnbull, Kristi Petersen Schoonover and Julie Holderman. You’ll believe he’s an ungodly superhero but you won’t believe that he showers with his katana? How much is too much?
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Sunday 12-12:50 am The Publishing Industry with Annette Curtis Klause, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Sharyn November, Trisha J. Wooldridge, and Jane Yolen. Don’t be intimidated by the scary editors in suits! Act like the hero you wrote about and come to this panel to learn the tricks of making a living with storytelling.
Being on panels is fun, but it’s also great to have time to sit in on other programming. Last year, I found the variety of subjects appealing and exciting — I went to some things I normally wouldn’t, like anime panels. I finally learned all about a bag of holding and gained an understanding of Creepy Pasta. I saw a Civil War bayonet drill. And most of all, I had a blast hanging out with friends–old and new (you can see photos from Conbust 2014 here)!
For the down and dirty on Conbust 2015 – including the schedule (which might be subject to change) — visit http://sophia.smith.edu/conbust/index.html
Hope to see you there…I’ll be on the road very shortly!
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Sounds great! I am well familiar with Smith College. When I was 18, 19, and 20 years old, I lived a few blocks from Smith.
It’s a fantastic little town! So many cute restaurants and cool little things to do. I always have a great time when I visit. We went to this awesome Tapas bar called Ibizia. It was EXCELLENT!!
I am glad you like Northampton! I hear it has now revived as a major hotbed for the survivor movement, along with Portland, Ithaca, and a few other places. If I were ever to return to the states, I’d seriously consider one of those areas, probably Portland, where it’s a bit safer than the cities such as Boston or Cleveland which are overrun by the gigantic greedy medical corporations. Northampton does indeed have great restaurants and bars, most likely due to the number of nearby colleges.