For the final Eating the Fantastic culinary conversation of 2019, we return to the Baltimore Book Festival, following up on last episode’s lunch there with Elsa Sjunneson-Henry. This time around, you get to take a seat at the table with Bob Proehl, who published his first novel in in 2016. A Hundred Thousand Worlds is about the star of a cult sci-fi TV show and her nine-year-old son making a cross-country road trip with many stops at comic book conventions along the way, and was named a Booklist best book of the year.

His latest novel, The Nobody People, about the emergence of super-powered beings who’ve been living among us, came out earlier this year. He also wrote on the Flying Burrito Brothers’ 1968 album The Gilded Palace of Sin as part of Continuum International Publishing’s book series 33 1/3. He has been a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Fiction as well as a resident at the Saltonstall Arts Colony.

We slipped away to Sabatino’s Italian restaurant during the two-hour gap between my panel on “Sandman to Saga: Great Comics & Graphic Novels for Adults” and his on “Dystopias, Near Future & Present,” where we chatted over orders of veal parmigiana and eggplant parmigiana. (I’ll leave it to you to guess which of us was the carnivore, though I suspect that if you’re a regular listener, you’ll already know.)

We discussed how it really all began for him with poetry, the way giving a non-comics reader Watchmen for their first comic is like giving a non-novel reader Ulysses as their first novel, why discovering Sandman was a lifesaver, the reason the Flying Burrito Brothers 1968 debut album The Gilded Palace of Sin matters so much to him, why he had a case of Imposter Syndrome over his first book and how he survived it, the reasons he’s so offended by The Big Bang Theory, what he meant when he said “I actually like boring books,” his love for The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the X-Men, whether it’s hard to get a beer in New York at six o’clock in the morning, why he wasn’t disappointed in the Lost finale, and much more.

Here’s how you can eavesdrop on our conversation — (more…)

For the penultimate Eating the Fantastic episode of 2019, we head to the Baltimore Book Festival, a fun, free annual happening held near the city’s Inner Harbour. In previous years, I’ve invited you to take a seat at the table during that event with the likes of writers Sam J. Miller and Nalo Hopkinson.

My guest this time around is Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, who was a winner of the Best Semiprozine Hugo Award earlier this year for her work as a Guest Editor of Uncanny Magazine’s Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction Special Issue. She was also a 2019 Hugo Award finalist for Best Fan Writer. Her fiction has appeared in such magazines as Fireside and Uncanny, as well the anthologies Ghost in the Cogs and Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling. She’s written non-fiction for The Boston Globe, Barnes & Noble, Tor.com, and other venues. She is a feminist scholar and disability rights activist (which I knew), but also a burlesque historian (which I did not know).

We lunched at La Tavola, where I’d previously joined Marv Wolfman during the 2017 Baltimore Comic-Con. We discussed her roller coaster of emotions the night she won a Hugo Award earlier this year during the Dublin Worldcon, how that editorial gig increased her empathy, the way writing roleplaying games and being a Sherlock Holmes nerd taught her about world-building and led to her first professional fiction sales, the dinosaur-themed Twitter feed that gave birth to her most recently published short story, the novel she’s working on which she describes as The Conjuring meets The Stand, her expertise in obscenity law and fascination with the history of burlesque, why she felt the Bird Box novel handled blindness better than the movie, her background in competitive improv and the way that helped her within science fiction, advice on how not to let Internet trolls get you down, and much more.

Here’s how you can eavesdrop on our conversation — (more…)

The Baltimore Book Festival, one of my favorite literary events of the year, begins a week from today. And this time, it’s going a be a bit different than usual.

Because the date has been shifted from the end of September to the beginning of November, when it might be too chilly to wander Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the SFWA-sponsored panels will no longer be outside in a tent but instead inside the Columbus Center at 701 East Pratt Street.

This will certainly change some of the feel of the event, where random passersby might be attracted to our open-air conversation, but I hope it doesn’t change its basic character.

Here’s where you’ll be able to track me down and hear me pontificate —

Friday, November 1

Plays Well With Others: Collaborative Worlds, IP, and Other Shared Worlds
2:00 p.m.
Writing has traditionally been a solo occupation, but there are plenty of opportunities these days to work in shared worlds, other people’s worlds, or even tag team fiction. What are some of the challenges of working with others, and who is doing it well? (I volunteered to play moderator for this one, because I am fascinated by collaboration, perhaps because it’s a thing for which I am totally unsuited and find baffling.)
with Bob Bates, Malka Older, Erin Roberts, Richard C. White, and Alison Wilgus

Recognize Me? Writing Real People and Other People’s Characters Into Your Fiction
5:00 p.m.
Many authors love writing non-fictional characters into their fiction. Others get a kick out of using characters from books. What’s the appeal? What’s fair use? When can you stray from the canon for that character?
with Lara Elena Donnelly, Ruthanna Emrys, Jeffrey Ford, Natasha D. Lane

Saturday, November 2

With the Lights on It’s Less Dangerous
7:00 p.m.
Talking dark fantasy and horror with some of the stars of those fields.
with Nino Cipri, Craig Gidney, Micah Dean Hicks, AC Wise

Sunday, November 3

Sandman to Saga: Great Comics & Graphic Novels for Adults
12:00 p.m.
Our panel weighs in on the comics you should be reading.
with Bill Campbell, Michael R. Underwood, Alison Wilgus

When not on panels, I’ll likely be in the audience to hear what the other participants have to say, except for when I’m off recording two episodes of Eating the Fantastic.

I hope to see you there!

I just returned from the San Jose Worldcon, which I guess means it’s time to start thinking about what’s next. And one thing that’s next is the Baltimore Book Festival, held in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

There’ll be more than 100 exhibitors there this year, and one of them will be the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. SFWA members will gather under a tent for three full days of programming , and I’ll be there for two of those days. (I hope to attend the competing Capclave on Friday.)

Here’s where and when you’ll be able to find me pontificating—

Saturday, September 29, 4:00 p.m.
I’ve Seen Your Face Before
From John Kessel’s Pride & Prometheus to Victor LaValle’s “The Ballad of Black Tom” to Maria Dahvana Headley’s The Mere Wife to our panelists’ own work, authors discuss how it can be a fascinating and rewarding experiment to ask new questions of others’ characters, and to take a page from their stylebooks. What does it take to put a new spin on a character readers recognize? 
with Ruthanna Emrys, Theodora Goss, Nibedita Sen, Vivian Shaw, Jon Skovron

Saturday, September 29, 6:00 p.m.
The Speculative Table: Beyond Stew and MREs
Every character needs to eat, but food is more than just sustenance. It interacts with culture, identity, class, gender, and power. How does SFF deal with those intersections? Which books acknowledge the effort (or future ease?) of putting food on the table? Whose menus are represented, and why?
with Denise Clemons, Lara Elena Donnelly, Marianne Kirby, Karlo Yeager Rodriguez, Nibedita Sen

Sunday, September 30, 6: 00 PM
HELP! I loved ____! What should I read?
Ever reach the end of a great book (or movie or TV show) and find yourself at a loss for how to follow it? Our panelists are at your service to suggest the book you’ll love next based on your taste.
with Andy Duncan, Jonathan P. Brazee, Marianne Kirby, Day al-Mohamed

I hope to see you there!

I’ll be heading to the Helsinki Worldcon next week, and I hope to see some of you there—but I also know most of you won’t be able to make it. That’s why it’s a good thing the Baltimore Book Festival is just around the corner!

I took part in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s programming there each of the past two years, and had a great time interacting with readers while enjoying Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Last year, I even managed to record episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast with Nalo Hopkinson and Sam J. Miller. I might try for a couple more this year, either at the festival or at Baltimore Comic-Con, which will take place the same weekend a few blocks away.

Here’s where you’ll be able to find me—

Turning Old Monsters Into New
Saturday, September 23, 4:00 p.m.
Still scared of the Boogie Man? Our panel resurrects the monsters you grew up with, talks about all the monsters you grew up with, from fairy tales to urban fantasy to myths and legends and the thing underneath your bed, discuss how modern fiction is reinterpreting them.
with Ruthanna Emrys, Craig Laurance Gidney, Vivian Shaw, and Ruth Vincent

Beyond Stew and Replicators: Food in Science Fiction & Fantasy
Saturday, September 23, 5:00 p.m.
Sensory details are the hallmark of great science fiction and fantasy, and nothing brings that home quite like the food! Join our panelists as they discuss what goes right and wrong with food in their favorite books. We guarantee you’ll leave hungry—unless they start talking about soylent green.
with Lara Elena Donnelly, Ruthanna Emrys, Lawrence M. Schoen, Fran Wilde, and Denise Clemons

Podcasts & Audiobooks
Sunday, September 24, 11:00 a.m.
Love to read but don’t have time? Try audio! This panel is all about discovering science fiction and fantasy you can listen to, as well as podcasts that interview your favorite authors.
with Kate Baker, Jeremy M. Gottwig, Sunny Moraine, and K.M. Szpara

I hope you can make it!

Just as I foretold, I spent Friday and Saturday participating in the Baltimore Book Festival. And I even have proof. See?

My name on the program board at the Science Fiction Writers of America tent!

I took part in four programming items—here I am (in a photo taken by Sam J. Miller) with Lara Elena Donnelly as I pontificate on Friday’s “The Future of Science Fiction & Fantasy” panel.

I had a great deal of fun hanging out with friends and interacting with readers, so much so I regret I didn’t stay on for today’s third day of the festival. And as usual, a lot of the fun took place outside the confines of the official event itself. (more…)

I loved, loved, loved last year’s Baltimore Book Festival, and not just because I had an opportunity to spend time with some of my favorite science fiction and fantasy folks on the planet. I was also able to meet new people, people I wouldn’t ordinarily have met as I travelled the convention circuit, because the event wasn’t a closed con that required payment to enter, but rather a way of interacting with the general public. That is—anyone who might choose to wander the Inner Harbor over a long Autumn weekend.

So, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to do it all over again.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America arranged a full weekend of programming September 23-25—orchestrated by local writer Sarah Pinsker—and you can see our complete schedule here. But since you showed up on this page looking for info about my appearances, here’s where you’ll be able to find, well, me.

Book Speed Dating
Friday, September 23, 11:00 a.m.
Our authors have a minute to tell you about one of their books and the perfect book to go with it. What could possibly go wrong? Find your next favorite book!
Authors: DH Aire, Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Addison Gunn, and more.

The Future of Science Fiction & Fantasy
Friday, September 23, 3:00 p.m.
Genre bending fiction, new frontiers, self publishing. Science fiction and fantasy are quickly changing, so what is on the horizon? Join us as we discuss where we are and where we are going.
Authors: Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Addison Gunn, Larry Hodges, Justina Ireland.

Second Breakfast & Snozzberries: Food in SF & Fantasy
Saturday, September 24, 5:00 p.m.
Sensory details are the hallmark of great science fiction and fantasy, and nothing brings that home quite like the food! Join our panelists as they discuss food in their favorite books. We guarantee you’ll leave hungry.
Authors: Cinda Williams Chima, Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Anna Kashina, Fran Wilde, K. Ceres Wright

Meet the Authors Party
Saturday, September 24, 6:00 p.m.
Rub elbows with your new favorite science fiction and fantasy authors at this annual event!

Hope to see you there!

I spent the weekend at the Baltimore Book Festival (combined with multiple visits to Baltimore Comic-Con, about which more later), where the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America hosted a tent featuring panels and readings from Friday through Sunday. That’s me to the left on the event’s homepage below, where I appeared for a few seconds at a time in rotation with the many other featured writers.

I was programmed for two items Sunday, but spent many additional hours beyond that at SFWA’s tent as well, enjoying (among other things) the Dangerous Voices Variety Hour gameshow, which put both authors and audience on the spot in amusing ways. You can check out my photos from the weekend over on Flickr.

Unfortunately, I forgot to hand my camera over to anyone to snap any pics of me, but luckily, the Internet provides … (more…)