Hello Potential Potlatch Panelist or Audience Member! Potlatch 22 is almost here, and that means it's time to fill out your programming questionnaire. If you are already a member of Potlatch 22 (or Foolscap 2013, being as we are co-habiting with them this year) please fill out the questionnaire right away and mail it to us. If you are not a member of either convention, please join and fill out the questionnaire as soon as possible. You can join either convention, the one membership is all you need for both. Either way, filling out and returning this questionnaire is an extremely important step in helping us to bring you the best convention possible. Moreover, feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested! More info (and online membership purchase): - http://potlatch-sf.org/ - http://www.foolscapcon.org/ IMPORTANT! You must return the questionnaire to programming@potlatch-sf.org by Saturday, January 19th. The Potlatch Book of Honor this year is Jo Walton's Hugo-winning novel 'Among Others'. As usual we have a plethora of great programming ideas; some of which are specifically related to 'Among Others', some of which expand on themes of the book, and some of which have nothing to do with it at all. Please note that not all of these ideas will make the cut. We just don't have enough programming slots, for one thing. Your feedback will help us determine where we should focus our efforts and help determine which items make the final list. If you are interested in being on a panel, please note that fact in the proper section(s) of the questionnaire. Feel free to entirely skip any item in which you have no interest. Comment freely on any item that does interest you or of which you feel should not make the cut, for whatever reason. If you do volunteer for a panel, please make sure you also fill out the panelist section at the end. I am always forced to apologize for the length of these things, but frankly I don't think there is such a beast as a short convention programming questionnaire. The length will mean that some of you may be tempted to blow it off. I implore you: read the whole thing and comment freely. Take the time, because that is how we (together) make a better Potlatch. Every voice is important, even (especially!) yours. Jack William Bell, Potlatch 22 Programming Sub-committee ------- Questionnaire Follows -------- = Themes from _Among Others_ = == THEME: Karasses and Grandfalloons Much of the story in _Among Others_ revolves around Mor's need for the real companionship she could find in a Karass; a term taken from a fictional religion found in Kurt Vonnegut's _Cat's Cradle_. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokononism A Grandfalloon (also from _Cat's Cradle_) is a kind of fake Karass, a community that provides membership without any deeper meaning. We have all been part of both Karasses and Grandfalloons and, I'm sure, we know the value of a Karass in our lives. What is Fandom, but a series of interlocked Karasses? Why is it that a membership in an SF convention carries more weight than a membership in a health club, even when most of the people in both are random strangers? === Q: Do you think the theme of Karass and Grandfalloon is important and weighty enough for discussion? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == THEME: Reading as a Passion, threat or menace? In _Among Others_ Mor reads a lot, recording the books and her impressions and relating them to the events in her life. Mor reads many books from the shared canon of SF & F, but also from a wider range of classics. Reading is important to Mor, in many ways it shapes her even more than her do relationships with friends and family. (As dysfunctional as some of those relationships are.) To what extent is this true among others in Fandom? Could it be universal in Fandom? Could it be unique to Fandom? Are there any modern examples of people shaped by the books they read who never became part of our subculture? === Q: Do you think the theme of Reading as a Passion is important and weighty enough for discussion? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == THEME: Ambiguous Magic There is much magic and much of the supernatural in _Among Others_. Yet that magic is ambiguous: it could be that Mor is an unreliable narrator, either lying or experiencing hallucinations. How does one tell the difference? Did you ever experience anything yourself as a teen that felt like you were somehow crossing over the boundaries of fantasy? What do you think of that experience now? === Q: Do you think the theme of Ambiguous Magic is important and weighty enough for discussion? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == THEME: Did we miss an important theme? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. = Possible Program Items = == PROGRAM ITEM (ce Breaker/Audience Participation): Books that Shaped Us Come and share the books that helped make you the person you are. Find out who else loves those same books, even if they got something different from them than you did. Discover new books you need to read. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Radio Play): TTBD (Title To Be Determined) A radio play penned and produced by Seattle BNF Andy Hooper. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Would you play a role in the show? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Deconstructing _Among Others_ Our panelists explore the themes, discuss the stylings, overview the imagery, analyze the structure, and examine the impact of _Among Others_. Along the way they will ask (and hopefully answer) the most important question: why is this book important enough to the canon to deserve being a Potlatch Book of Honor? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Appreciating _Among Others_ (Note: This item may be combined with 'Deconstructing _Among Others_'. We will only do these two as separate panels if there is strong demand from the membership. That said, we feel this is a book deserving of two separate panels with different foci.) How many of you feel the character Mor could have been yourself at that age? Do you feel Jo Walton has given us a beautiful exegesis of SF Fandom or somehow missed the point? Our panelists discuss the personal impact of _Among Others_. Along the way they will ask (and hopefully answer) the most important question: why is this book important enough to the canon to deserve being a Potlatch Book of Honor? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Backdoor Fantasies Analee Newitz wrote on IO9 about _The Rise of the Backdoor Fantasy_ ( http://io9.com/5964139/the-rise-of-the-backdoor-fantasy-story ), leading our own Alma Alexander to pen her essay _Backdoor into Magic_ ( http://www.sfnovelists.com/2012/12/05/back-door-into-magic/ ) where she refers to _Among Others_ as a perfect example of a 'backdoor fantasy'. What is a 'backdoor fantasy'? What other backdoor fantasies are there? Do they represent a separate subgenre or do they serve instead to illuminate those books that came into the fantastic by the front door? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Audience Participation): An Hour of our Favorite Books Bring your favorite book and read a five minute (timed) excerpt to the audience. Audience participation will be limited to 10, so we may draw names from a hat. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Would you do a five minute reading of your favorite book? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): How Will Epublishing Change Reading? From a writer's perspective, Epublishing has been talked to death. How about from the reader's perspective? Our panelists explore how Epublishing might change the author/reader relationship, how will it affect the awards we give, what will constitute a "first edition," and so on. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Author's Karasses and Grandfalloons Critique groups, Writer's associations, and the 'Analog Mafia': panelists tell us which are Karasses and which are Grandfalloons and how to tell the difference. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Reader's Karasses and Grandfalloons Book Discussion groups, fannish gatherings, and conventions; panelists discuss which are Karasses and which are Grandfalloons and how to tell the difference. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Let’s Blow Up the Base Many SF shows feature a home base, starship, or ranch that is the characters' home and safe place, which then gets destroyed at some point during, or before, the narrative. We’ll discuss examples, how it's been done well or badly, and what effect it has on the story going forward. Meanwhile, in written fiction, the device is less common – or is it? What stories get under way because home is no longer available? Is the Book of Honor an example of a story that is started by the destruction of home? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Is That Magic, Alternative Science, or Are You Just Nuts? What makes fictional magic magical, why do read believe that it is true within the story? What defines magic, and how is it different from an alternate science? How can you tell that your protagonist isn't lying, mistaken, or just plain crazy? If wishes can affect the real world, is that magic? If it has hard, repeatable rules, is that science, even if the rules don’t match ours? How do we spot an unreliable or fanciful narrator, and is their ‘magic’ as appealing even if it isn’t ‘real’? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): The Company We Keep: In her book, The Company they Keep, Diane Pavlac Glyer writes about the Inklings and how they influenced each other as "Resonators," "Opponents," "Editors," "Collaborators," and "Referents." Diane shows how these apply to the Inklings, and to any creative community. We discuss how such influence is found in writing workshops like Clarion and Clarion West, in fan/writer groups like the Futurians or the Milford Mafia, and fan writing communities such as fanzines and fic fandoms. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Just One of the Guys? Representing Women in SF It used to be a fine and lonely thing to be a woman in the Science Fiction field: whether as a writer, a fan, or a character, women were a distinct minority and often relegated to minor roles. Recently there have been complaints (albeit controversial ones) that there are too many women showing up at San Diego Comic Cons, or that women are winning disproportionately too many awards in SF. Has SF reached its post-feminist stage, or are there still new peaks to be conquered? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Can Anyone Read too Much? When you were a child, did anyone tell you that you read too much? How did being a reader change your life for the better? For the worse? Our panelists will read too much into this panel description and fly off onto impossible tangents. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): How To Find (or Make) a Critique Group that Works One of the best tools at a writer's disposal is a good critique group. Getting the reaction of one's peers to one's work is an invaluable way to improve your writing. But not all critique groups are equal. Our panelists will relate their experiences and give their advice on finding (or making) a great critique group. === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): The Space Opera Boom There has been a recent resurgence of Space Opera stories. What makes a story 'Space Opera'? How do the recent spate of Space Opera novels differ from their older cousins? Who is writing them and who is reading them? (And what is it with the whole Scottish, Socialist, Space Opera thing anyway?) === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): A History of Clarion West (with a little Potlatch on the side) How did Clarion West come about? How did it grow and what changes occurred along the way? What were the great success stories? Most awful moments? Funniest tales? And what does it have to do with Potlatch anyway? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM (Panel Discussion): Potlatch, Withered or Whence? We've been keeping Potlatch alive for a couple of years past what many people felt was its natural expiration date. Is there still a place for Potlatch in the fannish calendar? Is Potlatch an important and useful Karass? Who will carry it into the future if the answer to those questions is 'yes'? === Q: Would you attend this program item? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. === Q: Do you think you can bring a unique perspective to this panel? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. == PROGRAM ITEM: Did we miss an important panel idea? (Yes/No) Feel free to comment. = Did you volunteer for a panel? = If yes, please tell us what times you will be at the convention and available for panels. If you have any special requirements (for example, no panels back-to-back), please explain.