I’ll be attending Boskone this weekend. My schedule is as-follows:

The Perfect Short Story
15 Feb 2019, Friday 17:00 – 17:50, Marina 4
Neil Clarke, James Patrick Kelly, Elizabeth Hand, Suzanne Palmer, Ellen Datlow

On the page, short fiction is, well, finite. But don’t you remember as much from a great short story as a great novel? Can a short story be perfect in a way a longer fiction can’t? What can you do in a short story that you can’t at greater length? Are SF/F/H short stories different from mainstream shorts in any interesting ways? What are your candidates for perfect genre short stories? What makes them so great?

Kaffeeklatsch: Neil Clarke
15 Feb 2019, Friday 19:00 – 19:50, Galleria – Kaffeeklatsch 1

Got a Great Anthology Idea: Now What?
16 Feb 2019, Saturday 14:00 – 14:50, Marina 2
Robert B. Finegold M.D., Ellen Datlow, Neil Clarke, Julia Rios, Melanie Meadors

From Year’s Best to themed stories, general topics, and shared worlds, any number of concepts would make fantastic anthologies. However, even a great concept can be a hard sell. If great ideas don’t guarantee a sale, what does it really take? What kinds of collections do people want to read, or more to the point, what are they willing to buy? Whether you are a genre luminary who is guest-editing an annual anthology, or a new editor — what are the critical steps to conceiving, planning, and implementing the pitch, sale, and production of an anthology? And what do you do when you just can’t sell the book, despite a list of fantastic contributors?

Gardner Dozois and the Influence of Editors on SF
16 Feb 2019, Saturday 17:00 – 17:50, Harbor II
John R. Douglas, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Neil Clarke, Ellen Asher, Ellen Datlow

Do editors simply publish what readers want to read? Or do their tastes dictate the field’s character and direction? NESFA Press Memorial Guest Gardner Dozois edited Asimov’s magazine from 1984 to 2004, and the Year’s Best SF anthologies from 1984 until his death last year. Our panel of stellar SF/F/H editors will examine his work and their own for insights into editing, writing, reading, and the care and feeding of the fantastic.

Tough Love for New Writers
16 Feb 2019, Saturday 20:00 – 20:50, Burroughs
Brett James, E. C. Ambrose, Neil Clarke, Gillian Daniels, Joe Monti

The writing profession is tough, but not without opportunities. If you have a thin skin, need quick gratification, or aren’t in it for the long haul, give up now. Still interested? Where does a wordsmith go to hone his skill? Where can a writer find a critique group? From online to print, a plethora of publications are accepting submissions. Some of them reject with lightning speed; others take months to say no! But say an acceptance arrives. Some pay; some don’t. What does “success” really mean? And why should you plan on keeping your day job for a long, long time?

Autographing: Neil Clarke, Julie C. Day, S L Huang, Christine Taylor-Butler
17 Feb 2019, Sunday 12:00 – 12:50, Galleria