My WisCon schedule! One more week!
Impromptu Party: Tremontaine & The Stars Change, Fri, 8 – 10 p.m.
Join Mary Anne Mohanraj and Ellen Kushner for a celebration of two universes – the Swordspoint world of fabulous swordsmen, now coming to you serialized in Tremontaine, and the Charted Worlds, South Asian space opera, featuring the Lambda-finalist novella, The Stars Change. Samosas and sweets, tea and hot chocolate, free bookmarks, temporary tattoos, and short stories! Look for us in the Spontaneous Programming room, University D!
Metaphorical Minorities: Sat, 2:30 – 3:45
There’s a long tradition in speculative fiction of creating in-universe groups that are metaphorical minorities — that either face oppression similar to that faced by real-world minorities (like mutants in Marvel comics) or that are similar to real-world minorities without being the same (like gem fusions in Steven Universe, who are sort of lesbian relationships and sort of interracial relationships, but not actually either). Many metaphorical minorities are obvious appropriations of trauma — that allow white men to play minorities in the movie adaptations — but is there potential for radicalism in the metaphorical minority? When does it empower us, and when does it disempower us/appropriate our trauma? Do we see ourselves in them, and if so, what complicates that identification?
Reading: Aqueduct Press: Definitely Not Damsels: Sat, 4 – 5:15
(with Eleanor A. Arnason, Lesley, Hall, and Jackie Hatton)
The Unequal Distribution of Emotional Labor: Sun 8:30 – 9:45
We see it in fandom, in creative fields, in tech, in the Maker movement. How to identify when this is happening and how to push back.
Asian Ancestresses: Sun 1:00 – 2:15
From Mulan, to Begum Nur Jahan, to Princess Shirin, to the Lady of Mount Ledang, the mythologies and histories of Asia are filled with women who tower large, rivaling the men of their times despite the unequal footing. How were their stories told to us when we were children? How did we find out more about them? What lessons can we take from their stories? And how do we re-tell them and partake in their legacies today?
The SignOut: Mon, 11:30 am–12:45 pm
Impromptu Sing-a-long: Mon 1:00 – 2:00
Last year, we gathered after to SignOut to sing in the hallway outside – some rounds, some other things. It was a lovely way to close out the con, and I’d love to see it happen again. This isn’t a formal WisCon program event, but I’ll look for folks again in the second floor hallway, and hope some of you will join me.