Upcoming Appearances and Forthcoming Works
OutWrite 2019
Washington DC
August 2, 2-3pm
Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/631330400609166/
Reading: A Crooked Looking Glass
Nino Cipri, Ruthanna Emrys, Craig L. Gidney, Margaret Killjoy. Moderated by Marianne Kirby
NecronomiCon 2019
Providence, RI
August 22 – 25
Link: http://necronomicon-providence.com/core-schedule/
Friday Aug 23 1:30pm
HER OWN DARK MYTHOS: TANITH LEE – Capital Ballroom, Graduate 2nd Floor
Tanith Lee (1947–2015) wrote broadly, including work for children and adults, poetry, and television. With her lush, dark, and often deeply psychosexual prose, she created bizarre fantasy worlds and turned familiar horror tropes upon their heads. Join our panelists as they explore the work of this grand master of the decadently weird and impossibly strange.
Panelists: Paul Di Filippo, Craig Gidney, Paul Tremblay (M), Sonya Taaffe, Allison Rich, Daniel Braum
Saturday Aug 24 10:30am
DARK MATTERS: WEIRD FICTION FROM THE AFRICAN DIASPORA – Biltmore Ballroom, Graduate 17th Floor
Writers of African descent around the world have been contributing to speculative fiction since the days of Charles W. Chesnutt, W. E. B. Dubois, and George S. Schuyler, but their contributions have not always been acknowledged. Our panelists discuss the history and importance of this literary movement and how the Diaspora experience has shaped and informed it.
Panelists: Victor LaValle, teri zin, Errick Nunnally (M), Craig Gidney, Hysop Loreal Mulero, Chesya Burke
I also wrote the introduction to Love in a Time of Dragons a new Tanith Lee collection of her short fiction put out by Immanion Press which will be released in August!
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My Orycon Schedule
| Fri Nov 9 4:00:pm | Fri Nov 9 5:00:pm | #OwnVoice In Storytelling |
| 166 B | What started out as a kid-lit movement, has emerged to be a discussion of representation in all the stories we consume. What does it mean for books, or other media, to be part of #ownvoice? How does the diversity of the creators influence the voice of the story? | |
| Craig Laurance Gidney Crystal Connor Maquel A. Jacob | ||
| Fri Nov 9 6:00:pm | Fri Nov 9 7:00:pm | Gender and Sexuality: The Divide |
| Overton | A discussion about the difference between gender and sexuality and why both need to be present on page. What does it take to be mindful of Queer readers when writing SFF with Queer characters? | |
| Craig Laurance Gidney Elton Elliott Greg Hallock J.S. Fields Taylor Brooke | ||
| Sat Nov 10 11:00:am | Sat Nov 10 12:00:pm | Historical Queerness |
| Lovejoy | Queer theory and how it can inform readings of fiction/literature from the Victorian era, such as Frankenstein and Sherlock Holmes. | |
| Arwen Spicer Craig Laurance Gidney Elinor Gray L.M. Pierce Maquel A. Jacob | ||
| Sat Nov 10 3:00:pm | Sat Nov 10 4:00:pm | Why inclusion in Media Matters |
| Overton | Inclusion for media, whether it is television, film or social media, has been a major topic for some time. It seems to be getting more confusing and frustrating. Panelist will discuss current examples with the strides we have made and far we need to go. | |
| Craig Laurance Gidney Judith R. Conly Steven Barnes | ||
| Sat Nov 10 6:00:pm | Sat Nov 10 7:00:pm | Backlash of Afrofuturism |
| Overton | With the growing popularity of Afrofuturism, assumptions for POC writers has emerged. Does this invalidate their story telling? Is it fair to call them traitors to their culture and ethnicity? | |
| Craig Laurance Gidney Frog Jones Maquel A. Jacob Tristan J. Tarwater | ||
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My Capclave Schedule this weekend
I will be my local con, the DC-Area Capclave, this weekend. My schedule is below. I love meeting writers and readers, so come on down!
| Friday 4:00 pm: Mindfulness and Habit Training/Tracking for Writers (Ends at: 4:55 pm) Jackson Panelist:Meriah Lysistrata Crawford (M), Kelly Dwyer, Craig L. Gidney, Cerece Rennie Murphy, Irette Y. Patterson What works, what doesn’t, resources, how mindfulness helps the writing process |
| Friday 6:00 pm: Reimagining the Fairy Tale (Ends at: 6:55 pm) Jackson Panelist:Sarah Avery, Craig L. Gidney (M), Michelle D. Sonnier Who doesn’t love a fairy tale retelling? Part of the universal appeal of fairy tales is that they were never a static form, at least not as an oral tradition. Re-tellers have used these archetypes and modes to spin new variations ever since these stories first came to the page. Angela Carter once said that “Ours is a highly individualized culture, with a great faith in the work of art as a unique one-off…. But fairy tales are not like that, and nor are their makers.” We can find fresh insight into our own lives and connections through these age old tales. This panel will focus on a variety of approaches in reconstructing fairy tales with a modern bent, both in their favorite respins and in their own work. |
| Friday 7:00 pm: Taxonomy of Fantasy (Ends at: 7:55 pm) Truman Panelist:Craig L. Gidney, J. L. Gribble, Lawrence Watt-Evans Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Dark Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Mythic Fantasy, etc. How many types of fantasy are there? Readers’ tastes evolve over time. Which types of fantasy are currently the most popular, which are becoming less popular, where is fantasy headed and why? |
| Friday 9:00 pm: If I Ran the Studio (Ends at: 9:55 pm) Washington Theater Panelist:Sarah Avery, Craig L. Gidney, Will McIntosh, Sherin Nicole (M) What books and stories would you adapt to film? Live action or animated? Why do film studios insist on optioning novels when short form fiction is really the ideal length for being adapted to film? Which series or stand alone book that hasn’t been adapted for the big screen or television would you like to see made? |
| Saturday 10:00 am: I Hate Myself For Loving You (Ends at: 10:55 am) Monroe Panelist:Alyssa Wong, Jonathan Edelstein, Jim Freund (M), Craig L. Gidney Guilty pleasures and secret fandoms |
| Saturday 4:00 pm: Stalker vs. Love Interest (Ends at: 4:55 pm) Jackson Panelist:Alyssa Wong, Jeanne Adams, Craig L. Gidney, Sherin Nicole, A.C. Wise (M) Given changing cultural norms is the handsome prince engaged in romantic pursuit or is he a creeper? |
| Saturday 5:00 pm: Political Dynamite (Ends at: 5:55 pm) Monroe Panelist:Craig L. Gidney, Larry Hodges, Mark Laporta, Joan Wendland Writers and editors talk about how they address current events in their work and in social media–and what they don’t. |
| Saturday 7:30 pm: Mass autographing (Ends at: 8:55 pm) Eisenhower Panelist:Nancy Kress, Alyssa Wong, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jeanne Adams, Catherine Asaro, T. Eric Bakutis, Stafford Battle, Jonathan Brazee, Jack Campbell – John G. Hemry, Neil Clarke, Doc Coleman, Wendy S. Delmater, Tom Doyle, Kelly Dwyer, Deidre Dykes, Andrew Fox, Jim Freund, Charles E. Gannon, Craig L. Gidney, Carolyn Ives Gilman, J. L. Gribble, Bjorn Hasseler, Inge Heyer, Larry Hodges, David Keener, Barbara Krasnoff, Mark Laporta, John Edward Lawson, Edward M. Lerner, Will McIntosh, Mike McPhail, Bernie Mojzes, James Morrow, Kathryn Morrow, Lawrence M. Schoen, Darrell Schweitzer, Alex Shvartsman, Jack Skillingstead, Alan Smale, Joe Stech, Michael A. Ventrella, David Walton, Jean Marie Ward, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Joan Wendland, Steven H. Wilson, A.C. Wise, Allen L. Wold |
| Sunday 10:00 am: 50 Years of The Last Unicorn (Ends at: 10:55 am) Jackson Panelist:Mary Fan, Craig L. Gidney (M), Yosef Lindell, Darrell Schweitzer It’s been 50 years since Ballantine published Peter S. Beagle’s Th Last Unicorn. Panelists will discuss the book, what it meant to them and its enduring popularity. |
| Sunday 12:00 pm: Black Panther (Ends at: 12:55 pm) Washington Theater Panelist:Craig L. Gidney, John Edward Lawson, B. Sharise Moore, Irette Y. Patterson, K. Ceres Wright (M) The impact of the movie and the comics. The movie was huge. Nnedi Okorafor has just announced she’s writing the new Shuri comic and Ta-Nahesi Coates has written for Black Panther as well. Panelists discuss the cultural significance of Black Panther. |
| Sunday 1:00 pm: Stories Lacking in Traditional Plot Structure (Ends at: 1:55 pm) Jackson Panelist:Wendy S. Delmater, Craig L. Gidney (M), David Stokes How to approach stories with experimental structure or structures that don’t always follow traditional narrative storytelling such as travel guides, lists, stories via instruction manuals, slice of ice or mood pieces |
| Sunday 2:00 pm: Why Do We Like Being Scared (Ends at: 2:55 pm) Truman Panelist:Craig L. Gidney, Hildy Silverman (M), Michelle D. Sonnier, Kenesha Williams Fear probably developed as a survival mechanism. We fear things that might hurt us. Yet many read horror, go to slasher films, ride roller coasters, and climb cliffs. Why? What does this say about us and our psyches? |
| Sunday 4:00 pm: Resistance is Never Futile (Ends at: 4:55 pm) Monroe Panelist:Tom Doyle (M), Aaron Emmel, Craig L. Gidney What science fiction and fantasy can teach us about being advocates and activists in fraught times. What should the allegorical protest literature of our time look like? |
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On Cons and Social Anxiety
I just came from Balticon, where I had a great time both as a panelist and an audience member. It was great to be among a group of people who were enthusiastic about the various genre fandoms. The con did a good job of making a welcome atmosphere for LGBTQ and POC folks, and had a robust harassment policy posted prominently. My panels were evenly spread and not back-to-back, and I had plenty of time to chill out. In fact, my Saturday schedule was basically empty! But I noticed something: I was exhausted by 10pm each day, even during the light schedule days. And by exhausted, I mean fatigued. Bone-deep tiredness, the type where your eyelids feel like they have weights on them. When I got in bed, I immediately fell asleep as if I had done strenuous exercise. It was beyond just the normal con fatigue.
And that’s when it dawned on me—I was experiencing the physical toll of social anxiety. I have a mild form of anxiety, one that I am finally addressing in treatment. I never feel like I belong. I am awkward in crowded social situations (such as room parties!) and find that I need some time alone after being social. I will often go up to a con’s Green Room just to be alone.
I am writing this for a couple reasons. One, to apologize for any aloofness/unapproachability vibe I radiated. Secondly, I want to kind of raise awareness about this issue. Much of the reason I go to cons is for networking. And networking is one of those things you must do as an author. Face-time with editors and authors are as important as submission in this business. And I know that I have missed connecting with other people because of this condition of mine. Finally, I think this is an important signal-boost the issue. I tweeted that “Networking for the Socially Anxious” should be a panel topic.
Craig Laurance Gidney 
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