Wolfe @ Capricon 2011

http://www.capricon.org/capricon31/CC/index.php/reports/rep_schedule If you're near Chicago, you lucky bastard, Wolfe is supposedly going to be there this weekend. That panel "Succeeding as a Professional Writer" looks like it would be interesting. I'll bet it would probably be more interesting if they dropped the other panelists and just had Wolfe do it. I predict it will be like other similar panels I've seen: All the other panelists will give airy-fairy advice like "follow your muse" while Wolfe gives specific practical advice: "Do this, and this, and this." Anyway, it is exemplary of how much more approachable Wolfe is at these Chicago conventions in that he is not even listed among the "Honored Guests" on the website. If you can go, you should. Reading: Gene Wolfe - Friday, 02-11-2011 - 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm - River AB (Cafe) Autographing: Gene Wolfe - Friday, 02-11-2011 - 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm - Autograph Table Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Circumstances - Friday, 02-11-2011 - 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm - Lake Michigan B For decades, readers have devoured stories about what happens when the Average Joe from our world falls into another world and becomes someone important. What's the appeal of these stories? /Richard Chwedyk (M)/ /Phyllis Eisenstein/ /Ross Martinek/ /Gene Wolfe/ Mainstreaming of SF - Saturday, 02-12-2011 - 10:00 am to 11:30 am - Botanic Garden B (Special Events) When did SF come out of the closet and start gathering around the water cooler? Are we finally escaping the "ghetto" of SF? /Richard Chwedyk (M)/ /Phyllis Eisenstein/ /Gene Wolfe/ *Succeeding as a Professional Writer - Saturday, 02-12-2011 - 11:30 am to 1:00 pm - Ravinia B (Teen Lounge)* Words. Words. Words. You've got them, you're putting them on paper, and you want to sell them and become a published, professional author. Join some of our pros and get tips on how you can you make your dream come true. /Richard Chwedyk (M)/ /Jennifer Lawrence/ /Mary Anne Mohanraj/ /Lawrence Watt-Evans/ /Gene Wolfe/ Nice Idea You've Got There... Too Bad You Can't Write. - Saturday, 02-12-2011 - 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm - Elm It has been said that part of why SF / F is marginalized by critics is because the quality of writing is poor. It has also been said that fans put up with poor writing if the ideas are cool enough. Is a neat idea enough? What options exist for writers to improve the quality of their writing? /Walt Boyes/ /Richard Chwedyk (M)/ /Dina S. Krause/ /Joy Ward/ /Gene Wolfe/ Book Cover Illustration and Design - Sunday, 02-13-2011 - 10:00 am to 11:30 am - Botanic Garden A (Special Events) Everyone has opinions about book covers. What's good, what sucks, and what could be better? Why do you choose certain covers in a buying situation over others? An open discussion and critique of SF / F cover art. /Walt Boyes/ /Mary Anne Mohanraj/ /John Picacio (M)/ /Gene Wolfe/ Tentacle Love - Sunday, 02-13-2011 - 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm - Birch B The influence of Lovecraft and Cthulhu on today's SF and horror. /Brian Babendererde/ /Valli Hoski/ /Stephen D. Sullivan (M)/ /Gene Wolfe/