Our Wiscon Schedule

I will be on the following panels:

Of Course You Invite Her Wife and Her Boyfriend: Modern Etiquette as a Steampunk Prop
Fri, 9:00–10:15 pm       Assembly

Moderator: Liz L. Gorinsky. Participants: Liz L. Gorinsky, Lisa Blauersouth, Ruthanna Emrys, Bill Humphries

Brass-geared corsets and steam-powered wheelchairs are all very well, but how do steampunks trick out our attitudes? The original Victorians used etiquette as a class marker, and often as a tool for oppression; Miss Manners says that's because they were doing it wrong. If feminism is the radical proposition that women are people, then etiquette, done right, is the radical proposition that people should be treated politely. Let's talk about how this applies in settings that Victorians never dreamed of. What do you do if you find yourself sharing an airship cabin with a vampire? Do you really have to invite all the members of a group marriage to a formal ball? And how, when conversing with racists and sexists, can you use politeness to make your arguments more effective?

Evolving Animal Intelligence
Sat, 2:30–3:45 pm        Senate A

Moderator: Janet M. Lafler. Participants: Janet M. Lafler, Suzy Charnas, Ruthanna Emrys, Carol F. Emshwiller, Heather Porter

Which extant earth animal (excluding primates) would be most likely to evolve higher (abstract-thinking, technologically-sophisticated, potentially civilization-building) intelligence? From what we know about human evolution, what elements are necessary or sufficient for this sort of intelligence to evolve? We'll look at our candidates' basic intelligence, ability to make and use tools, ability to solve novel problems, language use, and mathematical ability, as well as factors such as lifespan, diet, and social organization. How might these animals' intelligence differ from human intelligence? How does this illuminate our ideas about alien intelligence? What SF works have depicted this kind of evolution, this kind of intelligence?

I also have a reading:

Like the Ocean Waves: A Cycle of Life
Sat, 10:00–11:15 am    Caucus

Participants: Ruthanna Emrys, Valerie Estelle Frankel, Gary Kloster, Deirdre M. Murphy

Teeming with unknown creatures, the sea is a mystery: a catalyst for transformation from birth through pregnancy and childbearing, from death to what lies beyond. Join us for new and upcoming releases that explore its transformative power through the arc of the heroine's journey. From aliens to art glass, discover what happens at the water's edge.

And Sarah (Nameseeker) has a panel as well:

Wearing Your Underwear on the Outside on Purpose: Dressing to Make a Statement   
Fri, 4:00–5:15 pm           Conference 3

Moderator: The Rotund. Participants: The Rotund, Sarah Emrys, Laura Mina, Beth Shupe, Betsy Urbik

Some of us wear corsets, reclaiming a garment that once constrained women. Some of us cover up completely. Some of us combine styles, or change them depending on the day of the week. What's the reasoning behind these choices? How do we make them our own? Fandom is full of people who choose their clothes from the whole catalog of human history, real and imagined. Let's talk about what those choices mean, and how we make them as feminists.


Other good places to find one or both of us: the Journeyman Writer's Workshop, the Dessert Salon, the Livejournal party.  Beyond that, there are about five panels that I desperately want to go to in every time slot (including, unfortunately, the ones where I'm empaneled myself), so everything is very unsettled.

So who else is going to be there?