The 62nd World Science Fiction Convention

  • Sept. 2-6, 2004
  • Boston, MA

Program Brainstorming Introduction


  • This weblog is a place where you can give us your suggestions for Noreascon 4 programming. What great new ideas do you have and what things have you seen at other conventions that you'd like us to "steal"? (Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.) To make a suggestion, please add a comment under the appropriate heading. Feel free to write a short description of the topic and even suggest appropriate program participants for it. If there's a lot of interest in a particular topic, we'll add a new heading for it.

    Please note: This is not the place to volunteer to be on Program. If you are interested in being on the Program, please see our Program Participant Selection FAQ.

Main | Fannish »

September 24, 2003

Other

This is where you can give us suggestions for program ideas that do not fall into any of the other categories.

September 24, 2003 | Permalink

Comments

He will be attending. Have no idea why he dropped. Will update.

The complete program schedule SHOULD be up on the web by now.

Thanks for everyone's help (you'll see a whole bunch of your great ideas incorporated!) and patience.

Posted by: priscilla | August 26, 2004 09:01 AM

I see where Fred Pohl dropped off the list of Program Participants. Was this a typo, I assume that he will NOT be attending? is his health ok?

Please advise

Thanks in advance
DLT

Posted by: Doug TIllyer | August 20, 2004 09:59 PM

*its*

(ye olde programme head is very tired...)

Posted by: priscilla | August 19, 2004 02:12 PM

The latest version of the program (which did it's initial dump to the program guide about 30 hours ago) will be up on the web by Friday. It will have publisher's panels, and changes to the previous ones, and people, and all that good stuff.

Posted by: priscilla | August 19, 2004 02:09 PM

Just did a scan of the Beta Program. I see no panel s of the for Upcoming books from Baen/Ace/Tor etc. Is there going to bne such a series of panels? If there is please remind the Publishing houses to bring a preprinted list of the books and authors they will be covering. The call them the Upcoming list s but we the readers think of them as shopping lists. Also it would help if they would include previous titles in the same series....

i.e.
October releases
Children of the Lens (6)- E.E."Doc" Smith
Second Stage Lensmen (5)
Grey Lensman (4)
Galactic Patrol (3)
First Lensman (2)
Triplanetary (1)

Posted by: Doug TIllyer | August 16, 2004 07:39 PM

I should have an alternative housing SIG on the schedule. Doesn't anyone live in an Adobe house or earthship? Do you want to discuss how alterrnative housing can help us meet the Kyoto Accords?

Click on my name. Go to the bottom of my alternative housing web site and send me an email.

Posted by: David J Van Deusen | July 28, 2004 10:09 PM

Since the future of the world may depend on it, do have a Bush vs. Kerry panel?

Posted by: David J Van Deusen | July 26, 2004 11:31 AM

Yes - the schedules should be up on line in mid August. (We're updating the program participant list on a regular basis already.)

Posted by: priscilla | July 14, 2004 08:49 AM

Does Noreascon plan on making the final program (times and seminars) available on-line before the con?

Posted by: Tom Kunsman | July 13, 2004 12:02 PM

I was at a game store and saw something that might work for a workshop.
Anyone who's ever played a tabletop war simulation knows that you have to make your own battlefield. For some, it's household items, but for the truly artistic, they create their own fortresses and embankments out of styrofoam.
This can get rather messy as you have to sculpt and paint the styrofoam.

Posted by: Bill Todd | June 8, 2004 01:25 AM

Please schedule Sheila Oranch (a frequent Arisia program participant and wonderful moderator and speaker) to do a few panels. One area of particular intertest that she is really great at is the subject of MEMES. She did a panel on memes several years ago and it was fascinating. Also a panel on Personality Development and Personality Types - another area of expertise of hers. She is too fine a speaker not to have her doing panels at World Con.

Posted by: Charlene T. D'Alessio | June 6, 2004 11:47 AM

That's a really fun idea! (We also had a thought of having the (Noreascon 4) "Presidential" Convention but this sounds potentially better.

Posted by: priscilla | May 31, 2004 10:37 PM

A panel with absolutely no redeeming social value: Worldcon - The Movie. Panelists and audiences will make suggestions on topics like; Who should direct? (Tarantino? Spielberg?) Which actors should appear playing characters whose resemblance to actual persons/Worldcon attendees is purely coincidental? Which sets from other movies might be reused for Worldcon locales (Bladerunner/con suite)? Which songs should be on the soundtrack (in addition to Paperback Writer, Rocketman and Get This Party Started)? I'd also nominate Bud Sparhawk as having a sufficiently twisted and irreverent sense of humor to moderate such a panel.

Posted by: John G. Hemry | May 31, 2004 11:12 AM

Okay, so I'm still asleep at the wheel.
URL received and noted.

MK
[slinking away in embarrassment]

Posted by: MK Fuller | May 13, 2004 09:44 PM

Hi.
I've been asleep at the wheel... who do I speak to regarding the list of panelists? I should have signed up Dr. Sullivan earlier-- you may remember him from 2002 & 2003 Worldcon panels. If there's a form for contact info, areas of expertise, etc., please point me to it.

Many thanks,
MK Fuller
NeverWorlds Press

Posted by: MK Fuller | May 13, 2004 09:42 PM

I took a SF class in high school. They let you take it as part of your normal English classes. That was a great class. Read Sound Of Thunder for the first time in that class, as well as Dune (cringing in fear as I remember trying to remember all the terms for the weekly test).
I would've thought that would be a normal class in high school, but if it isn't it should be.

Another thought I had for this post: a problem I've run into as an adult that plays games:
Where do older players go to play games? There are websites out there that can help, but how do you overcome the demands of being an adult (work, marriage, kids, etc.) to get together with the guys for poker (or whatever it was you were playing)?

Posted by: Bill Todd | April 30, 2004 06:55 AM

I really would like to see a panel discussion for teachers of older students. I teach in high school, in a community college, and in an alternate high school. It seems to me that most education-and-sf discussions I've attended for the last 20+ years have concentrated on kid lit or ya lit.

Posted by: ann crimmins | April 28, 2004 01:40 PM

At one of the Readercons some years ago, there was a continuing discourse going on at the convention all weekend long about "subtext" held in the bar and in the lobby. There were two principals with opposing viewpoints about it, and a cast of many listening in and sometimes contributing to the discussion.

I wonder if there are one or more topics which formal programming could apply to, having e.g. a discussion featuring a core two or three panelists on a topic, and with the panels convened longitudinally. Say, for example, that there would be a succession of panels, in the same room, with the same start and stop hours, on subsequent days, with the core staying the same, and one or two people different people also on the item as panelists?

That would provide continuity from the previous day's material, while also adding another perspective or two to the subject on the panel. The result would likely be an evolving discussion, in greater depth and consideration that usually occurs -- the participants would hav the opportunity to bring up thoughts the next day, that didn't occur until after the program item on the previous day, and to think more about audience questions and comment

Posted by: Paula Lieberman | April 22, 2004 08:38 PM

"Going to School in a SF/Fantasy Environment" - This ended up being a great panel at MidSouthCon last March, and may be repeated for MSC next year. Lee Martindale (one of the panelists at MSC) said that it could easily have went for over the alloted one-hour time slot, and half-jokingly said that there was such great audience participation that if the panelists decided to walk out and head for the bar, most of the attendees wouldn't have noticed (or even cared).

The MidSouthCon panel was meant to talk about school settings in your favorite SF universe from printed or visual media (Hogwarts, Sunnydale High, Smallville High, Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, BattleSchool, Zenna Henderson's "People" stories, etc.), but it could be expanded to talk about what schools might be like in SF settings (alien culture, generation starship, colonists on a newly discovered planet, etc.).

This may (or may not) even be included as part of the Education track being planned.

Posted by: Mike Kingsley | April 22, 2004 02:20 PM

Since we've talked about haunted hotels, how about a general ghosts: believe them or not panel?

Posted by: Bill Todd | April 20, 2004 09:56 AM

My name is Clarinda Merripen and I am Director of Operations at Cyberlore Studios (www.cyberlore.com) and am a member of the upcoming convention. Cyberlore is a successful Video Game Developer in Northampton. I am also an active member of the Int'l Game Developers Association and have spoken for the last two years at the National Game Developer's Conference in San Jose. Further, I have strong ties with the local game developers, from Stainless Steel to Blue Fang to Harmonix and would be happy to either make introductions or organize panels for the convention.

- Clarinda Merripen

Posted by: Clarinda Merripen | April 18, 2004 07:42 PM

I went back and forth trying to decide where this request belonged and gave up and came back to this section: I would love to see/hear Voltaire doing his songs from Banned on Vulcan.

Posted by: Cat Calhoun | March 7, 2004 08:40 PM

How about a Time Warp Conga Line? Is that even possible?

Posted by: Cat Calhoun | March 7, 2004 08:26 PM

I'm a magician and I will be coming to the convention. Would you like me to perform a 30 to 40 minute magic show for children or for a mixed audience of the children and the adults? Please do let me know if want a show done at Noreascon so I know what to bring with me. Thank you.

Posted by: Bill Brang | March 5, 2004 05:25 PM

Mainstreaming of Fandom...

The article I linked to below is a good place to start.

http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CA436.htm

Posted by: James A. Wolf | March 5, 2004 11:33 AM

Can I suggest a panel entitled, "If...SF/F writers ran the country." This arose during a news group and it was pretty entertaining. I stress that this is a light-hearted panel, not a serious political debate...more about neat SF/F ideas that could enhance every citizen's life rather than some of the grimmer stuff that our colleagues discuss. We all need a laugh about politics sometimes.

Posted by: Karen Traviss | March 3, 2004 03:41 PM

The Red Sox are in town the weekend of the con. Is there any interest from either the con committee or otherwise to organize a group to a game on Friday night or Sunday Afternoon?

This would be a great opportunity to have folks from all over to experience one of the best places to watch baseball int he world.

Posted by: The Hey | March 3, 2004 02:14 PM

That's a really nifty idea! I wonder if it could be turned into a sort of game show/improv thing ...(and I may have just the right sort of people to pull it off....)

Posted by: priscilla | February 25, 2004 01:23 PM

I was thinking about that group that does all of Shakespeare's works in an hour - radio, I think. BUT a local performance group or willing participants could put together x number of classic SF scenes (from novels) in x minutes. A few people and a variety of props could pull this off and it could be hysterical. It would be fun to watch (the key to making it funny is making it fast!) more...

One could even go further and make this a contest. Two teams of authors, each with a box of props. They are given a scene to act out in one minute and the audience must guess. They might be Hobbits in a scene from LOTR or harnessed sandworms in Dune or Ender playing his electronic games...

Posted by: Lois Powers | February 24, 2004 05:02 PM

How about some live theatre? One of the events at Torcon 3 (last fall's Worldcon in Toronto) was an SF play, which drew a good audience.

I have written several short plays with SF and fantasy themes. One was staged in 2002, and another will premiere this April in Worcester. If I can get a cast together, would N4 provide a venue?

Posted by: Mike Ciaraldi | February 19, 2004 04:54 PM

If the ConSuite is in a hotel suite, you could watch Red Sox games there.

Posted by: David J Van Deusen | February 18, 2004 01:10 PM

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum but would it be feasible to patch in the feed from a Red Sox game into the auditorium or some other large seating area?

Posted by: Bill Todd | February 18, 2004 04:11 AM

Since Julie Schwartz has recently died, a memorial panel would be a good thing to have. He had an interesting history, having published, with Mort Weisinger, the first fanzine, then been a literary agent for SF authors, an editor who created the "silver age" of comic book superheros, edited DC's science fiction comics, Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space (as well as Superman and Batman), and had a hand in the creation of comics fandom.

As a fan of his SF comics, I would love to be on such a panel.

Posted by: A. Joseph Ross | February 16, 2004 12:15 AM

I’d like to see a panel on Collecting Discworld Paraphernalia. By this I mean the Clarecraft figures (which could warrant an entire panel to themselves), Bernard Pearson’s Discworld buildings, posters, mugs, the Discworld beers, jigsaw puzzles, computer games, books such as the Discworld Diaries, etc., etc. Many of these items are difficult to purchase here in the United States unless one knows where to look. I have the addresses and websites that I personally use. But what would bring this panel alive would be if pictures from the various websites could be projected onto a screen for the audience to view. I personally don’t have the resources or expertise to do that, but I know it can be done.

Posted by: Becky Thomson | February 11, 2004 01:39 AM

How about a panel on Bringing the Discworld to the Stage? Stephen Briggs has written stage plays for a large percentage of the Discworld books, and performances have been done by theatre groups all over the world. I personally have never had the opportunity to see one, but I would like to hear about casting considerations, sets, and various ways of meeting the challenges of bringing fantasy (such as a dragon or a seven-foot skeleton) to the live stage.

Posted by: Becky Thomson | February 11, 2004 01:24 AM

Considering our Guest of Honor, surely there is going to be a Discworld trivia bowl? David Langford has composed two Discworld quizbooks, 'The Wyrdest Link' and 'The Unseen University Challenge', as a good place to start, although those questions are mostly really tough. I’d be willing to help, but I wouldn’t want to be the one to actually organize the trivia bowl. I did the trivia bowl at Chicon IV, but it was fairly complex, with pre-registered teams, tournament rounds, and prize certificates for the winners.

Posted by: Becky Thomson | February 11, 2004 12:33 AM

At ConTact (a small local gaming con), we played a game called Story Spinners: One or more storytellers and a bottle spinner are selected, and there's a bottle for each storyteller . Each storyteller is assigned a bottle, when it spins, they have to add in the person it points to as a character in the story. Photos and people randomly passing in the hall or through windows count. The storytellers may choose to tell the same story from different MC viewpoint, or 2 entirely different stories. The pool of potential characters (everyone else in the room) choose when new characters will be added by shouting out "Spin the Bottle!". The bottle spinner picks the bottle to spin. If a person gets the point twice, the storyteller has the option of adding the character in as a twin or duplicate, or asking the character to give a plot complication. The story ends at either at a set time (the bottle spinner can also be time keeper in this case), or at the storyteller's choosing. This can get rowdy, and very adult very quickly, but it is so much fun.

Posted by: Sena Brothers | February 6, 2004 03:17 PM

Dennis Livingston: Don't forget 'RUR'.

Posted by: James A. Wolf | February 5, 2004 05:53 PM

Michael Kingsley: Good idea. How about a panel on non-genre works we should be reading.

Posted by: James A. Wolf | February 5, 2004 05:51 PM

THE ART OF STORYTELLING

Storytelling plays a significant role in SF/fantasy literature, in the form of characters who gather you around the campfire, and at cons, where authors’ readings could be considered a form of telling stories. It’s also become a noticable art form with the prominence of Eric Bagdosian, Boston (actually, Brookline)’s own Jay O’Callahan and theater performers who offer multi-character monologues. Ah, but there’s an art to it and here’s the place to find out more – especially for fans who would like to specialize telling or performing SF/fantasy influenced tales, original or not.

For panelists, I know there’s at least one area group that practices the form.

Posted by: Dennis Livingston | January 27, 2004 09:42 PM

One of my favorite panels at the 2000 WorldCon in Chicago was the "Patrick O'Brian Remembered" panel. Has a panel on George MacDonald Fraser's FLASHMAN novels ever been done at a WorldCon? Now there's a hero a guy can relate to! A coward, a cad, a snob, and a bully. What more can one ask?

Posted by: Michael Kingsley | January 22, 2004 03:22 PM

Any chance of getting group tickets to the LOTR movies touring exhibit?

Posted by: Marie | January 17, 2004 01:44 PM

Hopefully, the next worldcon will go back to a regular BBS rather than these stupid trendy blogs.
Here is a BBS that I really like the format of: http://bbs.monolithic.com/

Posted by: David J Van Deusen | January 15, 2004 01:58 PM

Will the Real Terry Pratchett Please Stand Up? [Also "Will the Real William Tenn Please Stand Up?"] -- program item where the audience gets to vote on who on the panel makes the most convincing GoH of that name.

Posted by: Paula Lieberman | January 14, 2004 02:20 AM

Boston has an unrivalled collection of academic expertise in finance at MIT, Harvard and other schools such as BU and practical expertise with funds (Fidelity etc), banks (Fleet, State street), private equity. TorCon had a few program items on finance: with variable success. There are all sorts of finance/business related issues that could be discussed:
- practicalities of intersystem/stellar finance
- future of money
- innovations in finance.
There have been stories written that have a strong financial/market focus (and maybe a session on the history of finance in SF with some strong moderation might be good), but often the lack of reality is palpable - so some basic education on how the financial world works might be useful and/or interesting.

Posted by: Paul Hattori | January 11, 2004 11:15 AM

Concerning music: having grown up through the 80's, I've heard a lot of synthisicers over the years. It's ability to have sounds fed into it and then alter them makes it an excellent device for creating weird sound effects or strange music (think early 80's 'new wave'). Maybe a panel on instruements? Perhaps a look at science fictions influence on music (Major Tom by Bowie, and then the sequel some 15 years later by a one hit wonder, and music from bands like Rush)?

Posted by: Bill Todd | January 9, 2004 03:04 AM

Bill Brown's post about the Exomusicology panel at ConJose is an idea well worth copying - what a great topic. As for whether we would truly recognize "alien" music as such, I'm sure that has come up at times in Earth history, as when westerners first encountered classical Japanese or Chinese music or, for that matter, when Stravinsky blew up all past notions of classical music with Rite of Spring, etc. For that reason, such a panel should ideally include a music historian and/or ethnomusicaologist. Make it so.

Posted by: Dennis Livingston | January 5, 2004 05:17 PM

Some of the most interesting, well-attended AND audience-participatory program items have had music as their topic - discussion, theory, themes and preferences rather than performance. At Denvention Two, there was a raucous panel called "Beyond the Punk Nebula: SF Rock 'N Roll", a lively!! discussion of the panelists' favorite music for both listening and writing (and much of that music was very contemporary, something sorely lacking at sf cons). At ConJose, there was "Exomusicology: Alien Music Theory" - what would be 'universal' characteristics of 'music', what would truly alien music be like, and would we even recognize it as music?

Posted by: Bill Brown | January 4, 2004 05:49 PM

Not sure if this has been brought up yet or not, but how about a panel/slideslow of Boston's Big Dig project from the past decade?

As an engineer I have been amazed at the many challenges imposed on the project. Could maybe include a discussion of how what has been learned on the Big Dig could be used in a moon/Mars manned base.

Posted by: Tom Kunsman | January 1, 2004 05:57 PM

OK, one more and I'm through for today. It would be scandulous if the con didn't have a presentation from:

EXPERIENCE SCIENCE FICTION: THE NEW SF MUSEUM IN SEATTLE

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has announced plans for "Experience Science Fiction" (ESF), a facility that combines multimedia exhibits and SF memorabilia to explore the history of science fiction and its impact on society, culture and the imagination. Located in Frank Gehry’s Seattle landmark that houses the Experience Music Project, ESF is scheduled to open in June 2004, just months before the Boston worldcon. What will you find at EFS? How might this facility, which will include a hall of fame and annual awards, impact the SF community? How may SF fans contribute to EFS?

Likely suspects: Whoever is available from the staff of EFS, such as Tim Kirk of the design team. From the EFS Advisory Board: Greg Bear, James Gunn, Kim Robinson, Michael Whelan, Gregory Benford, David Brin, Octavia Butler, Charles Brown (some of these people must be coming to the con). Hey, might as well ask Paul Allen too.

Posted by: Dennis Livingston | December 30, 2003 05:23 PM

Following up the suggestions about music panels - Here's one that has likely never been done at a con that I would love to organize and moderate:

SCIENCE FICTION AND MUSICAL THEATER: WILL THE TWAIN EVER MEET (SUCCESSFULLY)?

Science fiction musicals – the hybrid beast does exist. Think Little Shop of Horrors, Carrie, Via Galactica, Flowers for Algernon and The Girl Who Was Plugged In. But such shows are few and far between, rarely adapted from literary SF stories and even more rarely successful. Why - is there something inherent to the genres of musical theater and SF that makes a winning collaboration problematic? Possible factors: the double suspension of disbelief needed to make an SF musical work; the difficulty of fitting stereotypical SF themes or vast conceptual visions into a musical format without looking silly (unless that’s the point); the traditional identification of musical plots with romance and happy endings, not major concerns of SF; the likely unfamiliarity of most musical producers with quality SF. What about several recent well-received shows arguably derived from SF themes, including Batboy and Urinetown? A panel of knowledgable people from both sides of the aisle will explore these issues.

SF authors: Mike Resnick, Michael Burstein, Laura Frankos. NY musical theater composer/lyricist: Noel Katz (wrote off-Broadway show, Area 51: The Musical).
Note: I've already queried Resnick, Burstein & Katz about this topic - they're game, if it's approved.

Posted by: Dennis Livingston | December 30, 2003 05:19 PM

At Chicon a few years ago they planned a terrific group outing to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game... that was great fun with about 50 SF fans sitting together! It can of course be much tougher to score Fenway tickets but the Sox ARE home for much of the convention (Thu-Sun)... perhaps a group outing could be considered?

Posted by: Bismo | December 29, 2003 09:25 PM

How about a guest-of-honor panel modeled on To Tell The Truth? Every panelist introduces him or herself as "I am Terry Pratchett." They read a brief excerpt (which is their best parody of Terry Pratchett's own work) to prove their identity. The audience asks questions of the panelists, who make up answers. At the end, the audience votes on who's actually the real Terry Pratchett.

Posted by: John G. Hemry | December 21, 2003 10:58 AM

Yes, we're planning to do Education stuff.

On another note, I'd *love* to do a series of _either_ /or??? exact repeats or remakes of selected programs from past Worldcons, and perhaps through these cast some light on con/fan/mundane? social changes. Any ideas on specific program items?

Posted by: priscilla | December 19, 2003 09:53 PM

Are we still going to do an education track? I'd still like to help with it. I can do a PowerPoint presentation on SF as a learning motivation. I'd also like to do panels dealing with SF and education, literacy, reading, etc.

We could also do panels on the Patriot Act, Internet (and other forms of) privacy, identity theft, the Internet and the constitution (CIPA, COPA, filtering, etc.).

Posted by: Val Ontell | December 18, 2003 12:31 AM

Believe in global warming?
Then what are you personally doing about it?

Build an energy efficient home. Discuss building style that should be required to help meet the Kyoto Accord standards: Earthship, Adobe, Rammed Earth, Straw Bale, Monolithic Dome technology.


To see the shape of houses tomorrow built today: http://home.earthlink.net/~djv1255/id1.html

Posted by: David J Van Deusen | December 10, 2003 09:56 AM

Everyday Life in Extreme Environments: settings in fantasy and science fiction range from contemporary and historical, to all over time, space, and alternate verses. But, there are people living today in extreme environments requiring special clothing and equipment for survival--the polar regions, in subs, at high altitude, on space stations. What's it really like living where "normal" means "go outside without equipment and you die"?

Posted by: Paula Lieberman | December 10, 2003 02:30 AM

Bill's mentioning of format migration might be related to another trend -- the issuing of more "double issues" in the digest-sized SF magazines and consolidation of contents of what used to be two months' worth of contents for two monthly issues, into a single issue with a cover date of e.g. November-December. It used to be that a magazine might start up as a quarterly, then go bimonthly, and then monthly, now magazines which used to be monthly, are increasingly dropping down to eleven and now ten issues per year, what's behind this, and how do the readers feel about it?

Posted by: Paula Lieberman | November 9, 2003 02:54 PM

As much as I liked those old 'geeky' comics, you can't talk comics without discussing two newer trends:

An influx of manga

The switch to trade paperback format instead of a monthly single issue.

Posted by: Bill Todd | November 7, 2003 07:15 PM

A link to the program brainstorming blog should be more visible like under the "volunteer form" link.

Posted by: David J Van Deusen | October 13, 2003 09:48 PM

Tea Party?
EXCELLENT!
I am for that.
Could it be kind of a high tea affair?

Posted by: mary ellen wofford | October 8, 2003 04:47 PM

I can't possibly be the first one to suggest this... but has this WorldCon in Boston thought of having a Tea Party?

Posted by: FrankWu | October 7, 2003 03:43 PM

You have to do something on comics books. Something old-fashioned and geeky maybe, talking super-heroes and not anything else.

Posted by: Alex Wittenberg | October 3, 2003 10:38 AM

Tim and I have been thinking about ways to expand the idea of Junkyard Wars, which has been immensely popular. My current idea, which has logistical problems, is to start out with a large pile of junk on Friday and let the costumers have a go at it. (I've talked to Susan DeGuardiola about this and she says this is feasible.) Next Crash and the nerds would get a shot. Finally the artists could have a go at making art from what's left (I've cleaned up after a couple of Arisia JW's and there's lots of really usable stuff left.)

On music, one thing that would probably be very easy in Boston is to get Ellen Kushner to do Sound and the Spirit. Also Delia Sherman has a shape note group which I think is local to Bosto

Posted by: Billie Aul | October 2, 2003 09:42 PM

Cool! I'm a member of the New England Art Rock Society (http://www.newears.org). I'll approach them and see if they're interested.

Posted by: Zentinal | October 2, 2003 07:19 PM

More music (and program about music) is a nice idea. N4 has a budget line called "Music Everywhere" (along with the planned filk program) to bring in outside-the-community people to do things like theramins, and glass harmonicas, and other kinds of neat music making. I wonder if anyone out there actually plays a Vulcan harp....

Posted by: priscilla | October 2, 2003 12:23 PM

I've occasionally gone to conventions where there was a mini-track of music programming. What do the F&SF and music have to do with each other? The LOTR is filled with music. Pat Cadidan's Synners has music making as part of its central theme. On the pop culture front, who can forget Mr. Spock and his Vulcan harp? Perhaps this could be explored as part of Noreascon?

Posted by: Zentinal | October 1, 2003 09:25 PM

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