Monday, August 21st, 2006

Time	Event
8:14p	Fandom in the 60s Actually, I'm still only 59. There are a few months left before the digit in the tens place rolls over on me, again. Just between us, I become like a depressed, ticking clock (with blocked minute and second hands) every July when I read the preliminary Worldcon program draft. I attended my first one at age 17, in 1963. To condense an epic stream o' consciousness rumble, I want the new conventions to kindle the intellectual and emotional excitement that the old ones delivered to me. I'm appreciative of the fact that Craig Miller, this year's Worldcon programming head, was willing to read my various emails, consider and adopt some of the ideas I tossed in his direction. Craig is one of the best Worldcon facilitators in the business. He's committed to serving the needs of all the various factions and demographics in the modern science fiction community. The L.A.Con IV programming committee has really done right, this year, by the core of readers and writers who comprise the legacy brigade of carpers, diarists and punditizers in fandom. L.A.Con IV has fanzine (and blogger) programming up the wazoo. I'm, therefore, able to get past my disappointment in not getting any of the following into the show: After the Garden Is the United States on a one-way ride to becoming a post-democratic state populated by corporate citizens? What can we do to stop the gradual replacement of individual rights and freedoms in this country with corporate rights and freedoms? (Alternate title: Egypt Land: are we all working for the Pharoah?) Media Matters How do bloggers challenge lies and political distortion fields that mainstream media overlooks? This article inspired me to suggest that this might be a good discussion for LACon. Sexism in Superhero Books See Teresa Nielsen Hayden's ML essay on Styrofoam Tits. The Battle of the Sexes in SF A discussion of the changing roles women have played in shaping science fiction, centered around Justine Larbalestier's research project: sex objects to 3-D characters in stories. Or it might focus on the changing roles women have had as authors, editors, and reviewers in the science fiction field -- introducing new con attendees to the history of feminism in s-f, the creation of WisCon, the Tiptree award, and the expanding literary counterculture (encompassing literary diversity) that centers around WisCon. If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own. -- Scoop Nisker (Comment on this)
8:19p	Seekers Into Mystery I'm on two panels a day at L.A.Con IV. Mostly fanlounge stuff about fan history and fanzines -- plus one on Saturday morning that I invented about comparing/contrasting Superman archetypes and story realizations ... and one titled "Obscure Dick." Sat 8/26 10:00 AM, 60-90 minutes. Title: FROM SMALLVILLE TO SECRET IDENTITY Participants: Lenny Bailes Tom Galloway(M) Lee Whiteside Marv Wolfman Doselle Young Precis: Kurt Busiek, Jeph Loeb/Alfred Miller, Grant Morrison, and others have found radically different ways to retell and re-invent Superman's story. Panelists discuss approaches that add to and detract from the collective myth. I formulated this panel concept to Craig Miller--mostly because I was really blown away by the Kurt Busiek mini-series of several years ago. It hit me as a memorable, thoughtful treatment that revived all the sense of wonder anyone might need around the flying man who can bend steel in his bare hands. Busiek's story reminds me of Steve Gould's "Jumper," which is a great YA novel about a teleport. If you haven't read Secret Identity, see here for a good abstract. I'm pretty much left cold by the Smallville TV series -- another attempt to reformulate a classic storyline for a new audience. I thought it might be interesting to discuss the way different creative teams have attempted to "refresh" the story of Superman. Which ones are really memorable? For me, Grant Morrison's DC One Million is another really innovative effort. I don't have much to say about the Byrne Death of Superman. Another topic that might have tangential relevance to this panel is the influence of Alan Moore's discarded Twilight script on Morrison's DC One Million, in addition to the obvious evolution of Twilight into Kingdom Come/The Kingdom. As far as Smallville, I don't want just to diss it--but rather to talk about elements that seem to succeed and fail in the context of it (apparently) having to succeed as a WB teen-relationship soap opera. Certainly, Michael Rosenbaum and John Glover have done some good character acting in it, and there are attempts by script writers to integrate moral value issues in the middle of the "monster-of-the-week"/"seduction of the week" infrastructure. But, for me, the thing has a hard time escaping from a tragic reliance on the Salkind concept of Superman -- a woo-woo infrastructure that makes less sense than Mort Weisinger's. (I definitely hope most of the panel doesn't get sidetracked into discussion of this and comparisons with the new movie.) - - Sun 8/27 2:30 PM, 60-90 minutes. Title: OBSCURE DICK Participants: Lenny Bailes(M) John R. Douglas David Hartwell Eric M. Van Mark von Schlegell Precis: Discussion and appreciation of the lesser-known works of Philip K. Dick. What did you think of "Now Wait for Last Year"? I'm hoping we can use the title as a springboard to talk about the best of PKD's mainstream novels, as well as his obscure science fiction. Dave Hartwell has already promised to bring his advance copy of "Voices From the Street" (Tor, January 2007) to the panel. David published an excellent article in NYRoSF in 2001 by Josh Lukin: "This sense of worthlessness": Ideals of Success in PKD's Humpty Dumpty in Oakland. Here are some choice soundbytes from that article--observations that apply to PKD's science fiction as well as the mainstream novels: "In the world of Dick's novels, the "independent" people constitute far less than a quarter of the population. Even the science-fictional heros who suspect that reality is very different from what's presented to them only begin to act independently when they find some form of outside validation for their suspicions. Consensus reality -- what Dick called the koinos kosmos - has an immense impact on nearly all of his characters." "'50s sociology has the habit of "falsely universalizing a white, male middle-class experience of economic and social change." Scholars in the mid-1970s began pointing out the disparity between '50s discourse and '50s realities. "A powerful synthesis of [these] critiques of '50s literature appears in a 1957 lecture given by novelist Robert Bloch. Bloch begins by waxing nostalging over the great protest fiction of the '30s by the likes of John Steinbeck, Sinclair Lewis, and James T. Farrell. He then denounces the popular literature of the '50s, with its message that "we must adapt, we must conform to the rules instead of wasting our time and energy asking a lot of foolish questions or putting up a bunch of stupid arguments." [quoting Gregg Rickman]: "Dick might have been able to get away with a qualified pessimism in his genre work .. but such pessimism as Dick expressed had no place in mainstream American publishing." "In the world of Dick's novels, the "independent" people constitute far less than a quarter of the population. Even the science-fictional heros who suspect that reality is very different from what's presented to them only begin to act independently when they find some form of outside validation for their suspicions. Consensus reality -- what Dick called the koinos kosmos - has an immense impact on nearly all of his characters." Dick is involved with hands-on labor, but does not always idealize the lone craftsman: "In the science fiction realms that Dick frequented, hands-on labor is indeed often idealized in the form of the lone tinkerer who builds a teleporter out of his grandma's sewing machine and a few radio tubes. But to say that Dick consistently idealizes the isolated craftsman is to oversimplify his values. A Dick hero involved in collaborative labor (Ubik), administrative work (The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch), or even sales (The Transmigration of Timothy Archer), may find that work fulfilling. Other factors are involved in distinguishing a good job from a lousy one. (such as the pride Jim Fergusson takes in treating his customers better than a large-scale operation might.}" - - The Rest of My WorldCon Schedule Thu 8/24 11:30 AM, 60-90 minutes. Title: FAVORITE FANNISH BLOGS & WEBSITES Participants: Lenny Bailes(M) Mary Kay Kare Vanessa Van Wagner Precis: What are your favorites? (Or least favorites?) Our panel will tell you theirs and ask for yours. Have reasons waiting. The participants, in conference, have so far agreed that at least one of the L.A.Con IV blogging panels should have some focus on LiveJournal, and this one might be it. - - Thu 8/24 5:30 PM, 60-90 minutes. Title: BOOKS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE Participants: Lenny Bailes Chris M. Barkley Sheila Finch Amy Thomson Harry Turtledove(M) Precis: Some books have a profound effect on people. Come hear from our panelists which books had a major effect on them and share your own stories. Have to think about this one. Did I read most of the ones that changed my life before I was 20 years old? - - Fri 8/25 4:00 PM, 60-90 minutes. Title: WHAT MAKES A GOOD FANZINE? Participants: Lenny Bailes John-Henri Holmberg Jerry Kaufman(M) Spike Suzanne Tompkins Precis: Is it the community, the gestalt, or the craft? This one's well-populated. We might have our own two-hour CORFLU at it. Examples of great fanzines where "gestalt"/editorial attitude is an integral component: Quandry, Innuendo, Fanac, Void, Flying Frog, Hot Shit, Cheap Truth. Having an attitude doesn't necessarily guarantee greatness, of course. - - Fri 8/25 5:30 PM, 60-90 minutes. Title: FANDOM IN THE '60S Participants: Lenny Bailes David A. Kyle Anthony R. Lewis Rich Lynch Milton F. Stevens(M) Precis: Richard Lynch is hard at work on his history of SF Fandom in the 1960s. He's got an outline worked out. Come hear about his progress, offer support, information, corrections, etc. It's good that someone remembers what happened in the '60s. I referred to Dick Lynch's notes just a couple of months ago in order to verify which year it was that I just missed getting hit by a bullet at the LASFS Halloween party. - - Sat 8/26 1:00 PM, 60-90 minutes. Title: WHY DO PEOPLE WRITE FOR FANZINES? Participants: Chaz Boston Baden Lenny Bailes Christopher J. Garcia Guy H. Lillian III(M) Andrew T Trembley Precis: Old and young fans discuss what motivates them and present views of fanwriting. This one has an email discussion groping with weighty questions such as "Do fanzines have a future?" and "What's different about writing for blogs?" -- but, also, Chris Garcia's on it. - - And then, the (maybe) cross-universe meltdown between L.A.Con IV's "Young Fandom" Chaos Space Pirates track and "Old People's Fanzine Fandom": Sun 8/27 10:00 AM, 60-90 minutes. Title: HOW TO START (AND END) A CLUB Participants: James Bacon Lenny Bailes John Mansfield(M) Lee Whiteside Mike Willmoth Precis: What is the lifespan of the average fan club? How do you define a successful club and what are the pitfalls associated with orchestrated group activities? I'm thinking that it depends on how deep the orchestra members dig the pit. (7 Comments | Comment on this)

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