Interaction (Glasgow) Schedule

[ellenkushner]

Noted Office Archaeologist damascene, a.k.a. She Who Should Probably Be Obeyed, says it would be useful if I posted my Interaction schedule for all to see.


Thursday 9:00pm Reading (0.5 hrs)

Friday 12:00 noon
The Return of the Queen: Writing Feminism in a Medieval World
Lillian Stewart Carl
Ellen Kushner
Julianne Lee
Diana L. Paxson
Madeleine E. Robins (M)
The "real" Middle Ages is not known for fostering feminism. Apart
from the upper aristocracy, few women had any power or freedom of
action, and that was limited by the conventions of male society.
What are the effects of introducing feminism to a medieval setting?

Saturday 5:00pm
Silken Blades and Long Blonde Hair
Barrett Brick
Roz Kaveney
Ellen Kushner (M)
China Mieville
Is there too much homoeroticism in fantasy for real homosexuality?
There are lots of really lovely gay scenes in fantasy and slash
fiction, but how is the reality of being gay presented?

Sunday 12:00 noon Kaffeeklatsch
(with Delia Sherman)

I decided not to sit for a formal autographing - so if anyone has a book they'd like signed, just feel free to accost me in the hallway, or after a panel, or at the Kaffeeklatsch (where Delia & I will both be sitting ducks for signing The Fall of the Kings).

Comments

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Thursday 9:00pm Reading (0.5 hrs)

I'll read a scene from the new novel (the one I read at Wiscon, which reads aloud very well!).

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

Indeed it did read aloud very well. I enjoyed it enormously.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, so did I. Too bad we'll have to wait almost a year to verify it reads just as well in silence! ^____^ (Patrick from France)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Hi, Patrick! How's your kilt?

It will read even better in silence, I hope . . . but I did get a wonderful comment from my Spanish publisher, Luis Prado of Bibliopolis (http://www.bibliopolis.org), who also honored us with his presence that night: he said, hearing me read aloud, he realized that all the action was in the dialogue, and that none of my characters ever meant entirely what they said (or words to that effect; Luis is much more clever than that). Since he is bringing Swordspoint out in Spain in a couple of months, I am glad he got to see that!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I am so glad! Also relieved to note that I'm not a complete flake: the con really did tell me in advance I had 30 minutes to read - as I see up there in my cut-and-pasted schedule - but it was certainly fun getting to go to 50 minutes on the night.

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

Heh. There was nothing else on in that room 'til way later. I don't think anyone would have complained if you'd kept going.

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

Without wishing to sound overly gushy, I was just delighted you were writing in the first person again. One of the things that makes Thomas such a pleasure to read aloud is the way the tale is refracted through the viewpoints of the different storytellers -- as a reader, you're always sure of the voice you're inhabiting. And it reads like real speech.

Somewhat tangentially, Wodehouse's third person voice is amazing to read aloud. It's full of fabulously extended metaphors and... well... here's an example:

Situated in the middle of one of those districts where London breaks out into a sort of eczema of red brick, it consists of two parallel rows of semi-detached villas; all exactly alike, each guarded by a ragged evergreen hedge, each with coloured glass of an extremely regrettable nature let into the panels of the front door; and sensitive young impressionists from the artists' colony up Holland Park way may sometimes be seen stumbling through it with hands over their eyes, muttering between clenched teeth 'How long? How long?'

Taken at random from Leave it to Psmith

Decidedly daunting stuff if you stop to think about it, but if you just go with the flow and trust the writer it's magical...

Hmm... I think I may have to turn this tangent into a rather longer blog entry.

[(Anonymous)]

Kilt's fine, but packed away. Maybe I'll wear it tomorrow when, I go at my parents': deadest Sunday of the year, beautiful weather on the forecast, there should be not a soul in the streets as everybody is going to leave Bordeaux and laze on the beach (which I should do, but, hey: lunch in the family, so I can't).

Are you both still gallivanting about or back home, by now?