Eastercon stuff

[ffutures]

I seem to be doing quite a lot at Eastercon this year, including a panel with Jim Butcher, Ashley Pollard, and others. Fortunately it's the "game of the book" panel so I shouldn't quite come across as an idiot, but even so...

My past experiences with being on panels with big name authors include finding out (as a panel with Philip Pullman started) that nobody actually involved in running the con was present, and that none of us knew who was supposed to be moderating it. I ended up moderating it myself. And on a panel with Roger Zelazny I recall going into a rant about the lack of imagination shown by authors who always put Jack the Ripper into stories with a Victorian setting, then learning that his latest novel's viewpoint character was JtR's dog.

Comments

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Yes, well, I have no idea who is moderating the panels I am on either. There are two I will not moderate - I have strong opinions on the subjects that do not go well with the moderator's role - and one I would prefer to moderate because I seem to be the 'token female' and have never even thought about the subject before. (The answer to the question posed by the panel title is, actually, 'No.' Just 'No.@)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I asked about one panel and was assured I was NOT moderating it, so I'm assuming that they'd tell me if I was.

[pauldormer.livejournal.com]

I just got an e-mail confirming the panel I'm on next week, which included the name of the moderator (and it's not me).

At one of the early Dublin Octocons, I got co-opted onto a panel at the last moment when KIM Campbell found she was rehearsing a play at the same time as the panel. As we left the green room, I asked who was moderating the panel.

"Since you asked, you are," came the reply.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That's pretty much happened to me - and I hope it's not happening this time. I'm not a good moderator, and no one is any good at moderating panels where they also have strong opinions on the subject. If I'm interested in the subject, I want to talk about it, not have to bite my tongue all the time...

[eledonecirrhosa.livejournal.com]

I'm now lokking forward to going through the programme book and seeing how many panels could have "No. Just No." as the response! :-)

[were-gopher.livejournal.com]

I see we're doing a two hander on the early cinema panel. Do you want to chat about what we're talking about before the con?

[pauldormer.livejournal.com]

When I arrived on Jersey for Helicon 2, I was suddenly asked if I'd like to be on a panel about the American Civil War with Harry Turtledove. I jumped at the chance, but I would have liked to have had some time to read up before hand.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Though, actually, that particular Zelazny (A Night in Lonesome October) turned out to be one of the better of his later books.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Sorry, must have missed this comment - it's a good one, I just hadn't read it at that point.

[eledonecirrhosa.livejournal.com]

I signed up to do panel stuff for them, but never heard a dickie bird, so am assuming that I'm not on any!

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Well, I was asked at a party if I'd be on some comics panels, said 'Yes' and didn't hear anything until a couple of weeks ago when I found myself supposedly on three, one of which is not on the programme so, presumably, has been cancelled. Pity. It was one I was looking forward to doing, as I have 'views'. I found out who was moderating the panel I don't really want to do - and am getting more and more apprehensive about - and it isn't me. The other panel, which is about the MCU, is one I will not moderate.

One of my friends received an email from the concom about an offer her husband - a scientist in an interesting field that has received quite a lot of media attention - made to do a presentation that was incomprehensible to all three of us...

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

I have just sent a message to the programme manager (and copied to the other members of the panel) which says, basically, "I am the wrong person for this panel. I have no knowledge, no enthusiasm and nothing to contribute," so maybe you'll get an emergency call up(!) I would feel much, much more guilty about doing this if the first I'd heard of it hadn't been about ten days ago.