My ReaderCon Schedule July 17, 2008 – Posted in: Aberrant Normalcy, Altered Fluid

I hope to see many of you there!

Friday 3:00 PM, ME/ CT: Discussion (60 min.)

Writers’ Groups and Writers: A Match Made in Heaven or Hell? Alaya Dawn Johnson and Matthew Kressel (co-L) with Richard Chwedyk, F. Brett Cox, Michael J. Daley, Scott Edelman, Andrea Hairston, Kay Kenyon, Barbara Krasnoff, Resa Nelson, Jennifer Pelland,Luc Reid, Paul Tremblay, _et al_
*Leader (Participant / Moderator) *

Writers groups: some writers swear by them, others swear at them. Many writers consider critiques from their writers’ group an invaluable part of the submission process. Others believe that writers’ groups tend to dilute individual style, tending toward “groupthink.” Our leaders are members of Altered Fluid, a Manhattan-based writer’s group that has met regularly since 2001.

Friday 4:00 PM, ME/ CT: Panel

I’ve Seen Things You People Wouldn’t Believe: The Influence of _Blade Runner_. David Louis Edelman, Glenn Grant, Matthew Kressel (L), Geoff Ryman, Diane Weinstein
*Leader (Participant / Moderator) *

This year saw the twenty-fifth anniversary release of the definitive version of Ridley Scott’s _Blade Runner_, a film universally recognized as one of the two or three greatest achievements of sf cinema. The film’s groundbreaking (and insanely detailed) visual design has influenced everything from runway fashions to building architecture, and some would argue that the current “default” dystopian science fiction vision comes right out of the film’s dark LA streets. How pervasive has _Blade Runner_’s influence been on sf (both written and cinematic)? Has the film altered the way we look at ourselves and our future? Is it possible that its dark landscapes have discouraged us from envisioning a better tomorrow?

Saturday 1:00 PM, Vinyard: Kaffeeklatsch

Scott Edelman; Matthew Kressel