Dublin Worldcon kicks off in a little over two weeks – and I can’t wait to see you there! I’ll be appearing on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday on the main and academic tracks (details below). I’m looking forward to chatting about musicals, gods and superheroes, and building better online environments with you – or simply having a nice natter over a seasonally-appropriate beverage.
Before we get to the details, some amazing news: I’ve been shortlisted for the British Fantasy Awards – twice! ‘Telling Stories’ (first published in The Dark) is shortlisted under the Best Short Fiction category, while my columns for Shoreline of Infinity are up for Best Non-Fiction. This year’s shortlists really make a wonderful TBR pile, and I’m stunned to be included amongst such amazing works of genre, so do check them out. The final decision of the juries will be announced in October, but in the meantime, a massive THANK YOU to all the members of the British Fantasy Society and their upcoming Fantasycon for voting my work onto the shortlist. I’m very honoured.
In the meantime, you can catch me at Worldcon 2019 on the following items:
Utopias [Academic]
15 Aug 2019, Thursday 14:30 – 15:20, Odeon 6 (Academic) (Point Square Dublin)
- Ruth EJ Booth – ‘Superhero Adaptation in Gaiman’s American Gods’
- Tom Moylan – ‘Cognitive (Re)Mapping in Notes from a Coma’
Shining the spotlight on SFF musical theatre [Main Programme]
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 12:00 – 12:50, Wicklow Room-2 (CCD)
Dr Tony Pi, Amy Sundberg, Emily January (M), Ruth EJ Booth (University of Glasgow), Mark Gerrits
“From Wicked to Matilda, Spamalot, and Peter Pan, some of the most successful musicals have roots in SFF. What makes these musicals special? Is it the magic or the music? Why do they have such staying power? And what else would we like to see on the stage?”
Dystopias [Academic]
19 Aug 2019, Monday 13:30 – 14:20, Odeon 6 (Academic) (Point Square Dublin)
- Ruth EJ Booth – ‘The Problem with Adapting Ernest: Pop Culture Dystopia in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One’
- Prof Andrew Milner – ‘Utopia in MaddAddam, MAEVA! and New York 2140’
- Melissa de Sá – ‘Embracing a New Humanity in Dystopias by Women’
In the meantime, I’ll also be speaking at Embodying Fantastika at the University of Lancaster over 8th – 10th August (click here for my schedule).
Whichever one of these you’re heading to, I’m looking forward to seeing you there!