SFWA Member Events at Flights of Foundry

SFWA Members! We see you shining at a wealth of events in industry: in-person and online. If you’re part of this year’s Flights of Foundry weekend of fully virtual programming to celebrate excellence in SFF, congratulations and thank you. When you show up in the world of genre, you do the everyday work of author uplift. We see you, and we’re here for you. Have a great time!

And if you’re attending FoF, don’t miss out on SFWA’s speakers! An abundance of SFF insight awaits. Select events below are in Pacific Time, and do not represent the fullness of SFWA presence at this conference. Please write to communications@sfwa.org if you’d like your SFWA-member event included for posterity!

  • 10:00am – 11:00am: Chill-and-Chat
    Join David Steffen of the SFWA Market Report and Submission Grinder for a casual conversation covering any topic the attendees are interested in.
  • 10:00am – 11:00am: Creating Community
    Everyone says it’s important to build a community of other creative peers, but how do you do that? How do you find your people? How do you set boundaries while also being giving? This session would address the how-tos and potential pitfalls of building and sustaining community that pushes you to be the best you can be. Celia Lake and Eboni Dunbar chat with Marianna Martin and Kate Maruyama.
  • 2:00pm – 3:00pm: Reading
    Joyce Reynolds-Ward     has been called “the best writer I’ve never heard of by one reviewer. Her work includes themes of high-stakes family and political conflict, digital sentience, personal agency, realistic strong women, and (whenever possible) horses, frequently in Pacific Northwest settings. She is the author of six speculative fiction series: The Netwalk Sequence, Goddess’s Honor, The Martiniere Legacy, The People of the Martiniere Legacy, The Martiniere Multiverse, and The Cost of Power as well as standalones Federation Cowboy, Beating the Apocalypse, Klone’s Stronghold and Alien Savvy.
  • 3:00pm – 4:00pm: How to Edit Your Fiction for Length
    So you’ve finished your short story and you’re ready to submit it…but then you realize it’s 1,000 words over the maximum count allowed for the market. Now what? In this presentation, copy editor and SFF writer Sydnee Thompson offers tips and tricks for trimming a short fiction piece without losing the essence of what makes your writing great.
  • 4:00pm – 5:00pm: Gothics: You Say 19th Century Literature, I say 20th Century Paperbacks
    Gothics have returned! Now fantasy fiction is full of spooky houses and mysterious doings. But when we talk about “gothics” is it the actual Victorian literature like Bronte’s Jane Eyre or is it the mid-20th boom kicked off by Du Maurier’s Rebecca? Or are you a fan of Whitney, Holt, Eden, Peters, and the other women who dominated the 1970s/80s paperback lines? How about the media influences from Dark Shadows to Crimson Peak? Let’s discuss all things Gothic with Rosemary Jones, and why we love the genre so.
  • 7:00pm – 8:00pm: Becoming Friends With Your Selfpub Formatting Program
    Vellum and Atticus, the most common formatting programs for selfpub writers, do wonderful things…BUT. They require a clean Word document. What does that mean? This presentation will also cover other tricks of the trade in dealing with common formatting programs. Join Joyce Reynolds-Ward, lead for SFWA’s HARP initiative for digital publishing of out-of-print back catalogs, in learning more!
  • 9:00pm – 10:00pm: Reading: Christiane Knight
    Christiane Knight [she/they] is an artist, musician, writer, and author of the contemporary fantasy series Stories of the Eleriannan. A former club and FM radio DJ, Christiane’s love of dark subculture and music infuses her work. They write hopeful, magical stories set in the Fae infused version of their already quirky hometown, Baltimore MD. Their writing focuses on topics like forgiveness, responsibility, found family, the ethics of power, and community building for all. Oh, and don’t forget the music; there’s always music.
  • 7:00am – 8:00am: Kitten Kaiju Attack!: Destroy a City With Photoshop Layers
    Photoshop layers let you combine and organize multiple images, text, and effects for sophisticated photomontages and photobashes that you can use for concept art, promotional materials, and book covers. In this demonstration, you’ll learn how to work with layers, layer masks, and layer effects the fun way—by stomping a city with a giant mutant kitten! No previous Photoshop experience is necessary. Stock images are provided so that you can follow along with the presentation at home, with Rachel A. Rosen. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a2vusraVYfXWLUoCOsDO3IukeOiuHUZd?usp=sharing
  • 8:00am – 9:00am: Creating with Chronic Illness
    Brain fog, pain, and exhaustion are just some of the obstacles that can come with chronic illness. Our panelists discuss their experiences of creating with their chronic illness, share tips, tricks, and accommodations that have helped them, and talk about how they navigate the obstacles and limitations that come with the chronically ill territory. Christiane Knight moderates a conversation with Lynn Strong and Susannah Betts.
  • 9:00am – 10:00am: Didactic Writing in an Age of Media Illiteracy
    Seems like one of the worst things a critic can say about a piece of art is that it’s “didactic” — in other words, that it intentionally tries to impart a moral lesson to the audience. But when authoritarianism, censorship, and media illiteracy are rising across the globe, is this a fair (or useful) criticism? Can a balance be struck between encouraging critical thinking and “shoving it down the consumer’s throat,” and if so, what tips or tricks do artists use to find it? Rachel A. Rosen moderates a conversation between Gregory A. Wilson and Samantha Wilson.
  • 11:00am – 12:00pm: Reading: AJ Super
    Join SFWA’s AJ Super, Team Lead for our monthly New Release Newsletter, as they read from their work today!
  • 12:00pm – 1:00pm: When Writing Isn’t Your Day Job
    All authors need to balances the demands of their muse against those of their personal and professional lives. This session provides suggestions on how to manage those competing demands on an author’s time as well as some time management strategies that might help. Celia Lake is in conversation with Ryan A. Consell, Faye Gabriel, and Elizabeth Cobbe.
  • 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Creating to Cope: Processing the World and Our Reactions Through Our Creative Work
    Anger, fear, and despair are all reasonable responses to current events and the trajectory of the world. Therapy isn’t going to fix global chaos. How do creatives use their work to navigate the subjective experience of the objective reality we’re all trapped in? AJ Super and Rachel A. Rosen, in conversation with V. Astor Solomon, get into the weighty weeds here!
  • 1:00pm – 2:00pm: More than the Sum of its Parts: Building Novels from Smaller Parts
    Fix up novels, mosaic novels, a novel in stories, stitch up novels, there are many ways to refer to them but it all comes down to this: self-contained pieces that, when assembled, tell a larger story. What are some examples? What makes them work? And who wants them? Join M. Darusha Wehm, Natalia Theodoridou, and Ursula Whitcher for the conversation!
  • 2:00pm – 3:00pm: The Neurospicy Meet-n-Greet
    A gathering for neurodivergent (self-diagnosed included!) folks to meet up, hang out, and chat about the creative life, or anything else that comes up. Join Celia Lake and Dawn Vogel for a warm and welcoming conversation!
  • 2:00pm – 3:00pm: Writing as Your Second (or Third or…) Career
    As many successful authors over the decades have proven, it’s never too late to begin your writing career. This session discusses strategies for getting your writing career started later in life. Rosemary Jones moderates a conversation between Christiane Knight, L.S. Johnson, and Elizabeth Cobbe.
  • 4:00pm – 5:00pm: Literary Speculative Fiction
    Where are the lines between “literary” and “speculative” and what do they mean these days? What do the labels do for audience engagement, and how does that change interpretation of themes? Join Joyce Reynolds-Ward in conversation with Vajra Chandrasekera and Stephen Granade.
  • 8:00am – 9:00am: Let’s Talk About Zines!
    What is a zine? What makes zines so unique? How can creators use them for self-promotion, to share ideas, or challenge the status quo of publishing? How do people create zines, and why? Christiane Knight and Monica Louzon take us between the issues!
  • 12:00pm – 1:00pm: After Capitalism, Then What?
    When working in the future it’s key to remember that nothing lasts forever, even economic systems that look inevitable. What might the system that replaces neoliberal capitalism look like? A “kinder, gentler” capitalism? A new socialism? Something involving boxes full of bees? Let’s speculate! Join M. Darusha Wehm and Phoebe Barton in conversation!
  • 12:00pm – 1:00pm: Chill-and-Chat
    A casual conversation with Christiane Knight covering any topic the attendees are interested in.
  • 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Leave My Escapism Alone, Dammit!
    If you love being emotionally destroyed by your media, there’s never been more gritty options to choose from, from TV to movies to video games. People who want more happy or hopeful endings are often seen as juvenile, unsophisticated, etc. But is wanting hope or levity a sign you haven’t quite grown up, or is it a sign that you’re fully aware of the horrors and just want a little break? Panelists will discuss where this particular flavor of criticism might come from and why wanting to escape can be empowering in its own way. Sydnee Thompson moderates a conversation between Trick Weekes and M. Stevenson.
  • 2:00pm – 3:00pm: Life (and Creative Life) Hacks for the Neurodivergent
    Tips and tricks from Celia Lake, moderating a conversation between JoAnne Turner and Trick Weekes.
  • 3:00pm – 4:00pm: 125 Years of Oz: From Wizard to Wicked
    L Frank Baum penned a “American fairy tale” that was first published in 1900. The Wizard of Oz has remained in print for 125 years, despite periodic library bans. Baum wrote 13 sequels. Upon his death, his publisher hired Ruth Plumly Thompson to continue their best-selling series. She wrote nineteen more and was followed by other authors for 40 official Oz books published by Reilly & Lee. Since almost the beginning, the stories have spawned all types of adaptations from stage shows and silent movies to big Broadway hits. Let celebrate 125 years of Dorothy and friends with a discussion about how we found Oz and why it still resonates. Rosemary Jones moderates a conversation between Kate Maruyama and Malda Marlys.
  • 3:00pm – 4:00pm: The Constructive Critique Group
    “Critique groups come in many shapes and sizes, but one thing that they have in common is that when the group as a whole works to brings each participant’s vision to life, everyone wins! They provide not only real-time critiques of your written word, but experience with editing, habit-building support, accountability partners, a collective gathering of information about the publishing space, a bank of skilled assistance for new projects, career guidance, beta-reader accessibility, and best of all, community. AJ Super talks with Erin Brown on finding or creating the best critique group for you can be challenging! Panelists will discuss tips, tricks, and traits of the best critique groups, as well as how to navigate the challenges that come with the process.
  • 3:00pm – 4:00pm: Historical Research for Non-Historians
    Interested in writing historical fiction (speculative or otherwise), but don’t know where to start? This panel will offer advice on conducting historical research for non-historians, explaining different types of sources available at in-person locations and online. Celia Lake and MR Robinson in conversation with Jillian Foley and Dawn Vogel.
  • 4:00pm – 5:00pm: Chill-and-Chat
    Joine Rosemary Jones in a casual conversation covering any topic the attendees are interested in. Rosemary is the published author of D&D tales set in the Forgotten Realms and historical cozy horror for Arkham Horror franchise. Happy to chat about writing for IPs. She has also worked in publishing for several years and can address indie publishing and marketing questions.
  • 5:00pm – 6:00pm: The Art and Science of Wrangling Volunteers
    So, you’re one of the people behind the scenes, helping to make the magic happen. Doing it yourself is not a viable option (no, really). Just how do you herd the many cats who want to help, though? This panel will be a fun discussion between folks with experience on what tools, tricks, and tips they have for making sure the helping hands are working together rather than at cross-purposes. There is no one size fits all solution, so let’s talk through lots of different scenarios with Joyce Reynolds-Ward, in conversation with Maria S. Picone and M-Jo Baker.
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