FOGhorn 9.2

FOGcon: https://fogcon.org/

FC9: March 8-10, 2019

Theme: Friendship

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Announcing Our Honored Guests for FOGcon 9

One of the things that makes FOGcon special is our tradition of combining an annual theme with honored guests whose work speaks to the theme and sparks conversation and thought beyond the superficial.

Karen Joy Fowler 

Karen Joy Fowler is best known for two of her many her books, The Jane Austen Book Club and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.  Her work digs past simple, pleasant sentiment to investigate the painful and difficult work required to preserve friendship though tragic circumstances and betrayal.

Yet she also shows with equal honesty the value of going through the pain and effort, and with that, how invaluable true human connection is. Her presence at FOGcon 9 as an Honored Guest will make for some truly wonderful conversation.

http://karenjoyfowler.com/

 

Becky Chambers

If there is one overarching theme that could be found in Becky Chambers' books, it's friendship -- the making of friendships, the stresses that grow from them, and the rewards to be gained from them. It's a large part of why people loved her first two novels, A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit -- that hopeful view of what friendship can do for people.

It's that common orbit of friendship that made her a perfect choice for FOGcon 9's theme of Friendship, and we look forward to hearing from her, and hearing about her works, in the panels and conversations in Walnut Creek in March.

https://www.otherscribbles.com/

 

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We Still Need Concom Help 

There’s still things that need people in charge of them

For stuff that happens now: Outreach, Local Publicity, Distance Publicity.

For stuff that happens later: Publications, Consuite, Safety Team.

Send email to volunteers@fogcon.org to ask questions or say you're interested.

(And we’ll absolutely need at-con volunteers! We’ll talk about that when we get closer to March.)

 

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It’s Time to Suggest Programming 

Go! Go! Register yourself for FOGcon so you can suggest programs.

Unlike many cons, FOGcon runs on membership suggestions. Please make programming suggestions!

Remember that suggesting a panel is not a committment to be on the panel.

Here's the spot: http://db.fogcon.org/idea/

(We’ll open up voting soon, have no fear.)

 

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Registration Continues to be Open 

Membership Price for Adults (18+): $60 until November 30, 2018

Membership Price for Youth (ages 11 to 17): $20

Membership Price for Children (under 11): Membership is free; children MUST be must be with parents or in childcare at all times

 

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Local Events You Might Enjoy Attending

Writers with Drinks upcoming: Rachel Khong, Kirstin Chen, Achy Obejas, Tara Sim, L.A. Kauffman.

Saturday, Sept. 8, doors at 6:30, event at 7:30, at The Make Out Room, 3225 22nd St, SF. All the info: http://www.writerswithdrinks.com/

 

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What Are You Reading Right Now? 

SFF stuff of course, but also everything else! Don't reply back here! Instead, send an email to foghorn@fogcon.org and tell us what you’re reading or listening to and we’ll include it in the next issue, anonymously or first name only.

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Here is a list of “27 Female Authors Who Rule Sci-Fi and Fantasy Right Now”. The article came out last year but they all still rule!

http://ew.com/books/27-female-authors-sci-fi-fantasy/

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  1. K. Jemison rocks. She wins awards. She teaches world-building to other sci-fi and fantasy authors. She was on this podcast talking about it:

https://www.vox.com/2018/8/27/17779026/ezra-klein-show-book-recommendations-n-k-jemisin-broken-earth-hugo-award

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N.K. Jemisin recommends stories from other award-winning female science fiction authors.

The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells. Jemisin is “a giant fan” of Martha Wells’s Murderbot series, an “adorable little set of almost old-school science fiction.” The titular Murderbot is a rogue cyborg who works tirelessly to protect humans from themselves, though it would rather be watching soap operas. The latest novella in the series, Exit Strategy, will be released on October 2.

Unexpected Stories by Octavia Butler. Groundbreaking science fiction author Octavia Butler died in 2006, but two of her stories were found posthumously and published as an e-book. One of the stories in the volume, “Childfinder,” was commissioned by writer Harlan Ellison to be included in a never-published anthology.

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Thinking About Afrofuturism

8 Great Reads to Get Into Afrofuturism

https://bookriot.com/2018/05/10/best-afrofuturism-books/

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Joshua Mays is a talented Oakland artist who does a lot of work that can only be described as art noveau afrofuturism: http://joshuamaysart.tumblr.com/