Capclave is coming in just a few weeks, and though you’d normally find me there multiple days, this year I’ll only be attending on one of them, because a shift in the con’s usual dates means it now conflicts with both the Baltimore Book Festival (where I’ll be on three panels) and Baltimore Comic-Con (from which I hope to steal a comics guest to record an episode of my Eating the Fantastic podcast).

But that one day I’ll be in attendance, oh, what a busy day it will be. On Friday, September 28, you’ll be able to find me on five Capclave panels!

Here’s when I’ll be pontificating and what I’ll be pontificating about—

Secret Origins of Writers
Friday 4:00 p.m. Washington Theater
To MFA or not to MFA. Pros and cons of workshops like Odyssey, Clarion, Taos Toolbox and MFA programs such as Stonecoast and Iowa Writers Workshop.
with J. L. Gribble, Suzanne Palmer, Jack Skillingstead, and James R. Stratton

Rituals For Creativity
Friday 5:00 p.m. Jackson
How do you prepare to write each day? Do you have a special space or time of day? Do you need to have a particular snack near by or listen to just the right music? Authors share their rituals from the ordinary to the strange that help them create the right atmosphere to write.
with Will McIntosh and Irette Y. Patterson

Editing the Short Story
Friday 8:00 p.m. Eisenhower
Panelists talk about the work of editing short fiction, keeping things interesting and on-pace and making sure all the elements of a good story are in place when there are only so many words to work with.
with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Scott H. Andrews, Suzanne Palmer, and Hildy Silverman

Dealing With Rejection
Friday 9:00 p.m. Eisenhower
Everyone in the field has to deal with rejection at some point. Panelists will talk about how they handle rejection, and in the case of editors, panelists will offer suggestions on how NOT to handle rejection
with Neil Clarke, Barbara Krasnoff, and Michael A. Ventrella

Gardner Dozois Memorial Panel
Friday 10:00 p.m. Eisenhower
Gardner Dozois was an editor, writer, and the GOH at the first Capclave. His Year’s Best anthologies and years at the helm of Asimov’s had significant influence on the genre. Panelists will discuss Gardner’s legacy.
with Wendy S. Delmater, Craig L. Gidney, Darrell Schweitzer, and Ian Randal Strock

I hope to see you there—and maybe even the following two days at the Baltimore Book Festival!