MidAmeriCon II, the 74th World Science Fiction Convention, begins two weeks from today, and the programming committee last night released the event’s final schedule. There have been a few changes since I told you I’d be there. And guess what? A few of them involve me.

So … here’s my new and improved final schedule. Though you never know what might happen between now and then …

Reading
Wednesday 1:30 p.m.
What will I read? I might leave that up to the audience!

Movies and Monsters
Thursday 10:00 a.m.
Let’s talk monsters! Taking a somewhat scholarly look at the great monster movies of the past. Which monsters still resonate with today’s society? Panellists dissect what it means to be a monster then dig into the great monsters of the past and their modern day descendants.

Remembering the Futurians
Thursday 1:00 p.m.
Jack Robins, who died last year, was a founding member of the Futurians. The Futurians were instrumental in not only laying the groundwork for many fannish traditions, but also included the authors of many of the seminal works in the field from Asimov to Pohl, Kidd, and others. Let’s take a look back at their influence during a magical era with the future of science fiction and fandom was taking off.

Autographing
Friday 2:00 p.m.

Fast then Slow! Pacing in Comics and Graphic Novels
Friday 4:00 p.m.
Panelists discuss what it takes to create atmosphere, drama and tension in comics, and then how to take it down a notch. What are some of the most exciting ways to create dynamic stories that fly off the page, and how do you evoke stilness when it’s needed? Our panelists weave their way through some key ideas and experiments.

Magazine Group Reading: Escape Artists, Inc.
Saturday 2:00 p.m.
Our Magazine Group Reading Series continues with a special group reading that features authors from the family of Escape Artists magazines.

Kaffeeklatch
Saturday 3:00 p.m.

Writers Workshop
Sunday 10:00 a.m.
(Note: This session is a closed preassigned workshop.)
with Jim Doty

Horror Comics, Old and New
Sunday 2:00 p.m.
The pulps were full of horrible tales and weird happenings, but horror is a persistent topic in comics, from Locke and Key to Black Hole, and spanning diverse comics from the Horror Manga genre to our persistent love of zombies. Our panelists discuss some of the changes that this genre has seen, as well as stories and tropes that keep on returning to shock us.

So there you have it—a brand spanking new agenda! I also hope to record five episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast while there, but I’ll tell you about those later.

I look forward to bumping into (some of) you at MidAmericon II!