World Fantasy Convention 2005

Inhabitants of fantastic worlds typically disregard the laws of physics, and frequently re-cast societal norms to fit an un-earthly reality. This panel will discuss recent fantasy fiction that challenges assumptions of sex and gender.

A doctor and a veterinarian discuss common errors in medical information they've found in fantasy and horror. The audience is welcome to bring questions from their own fiction.

Editors from the US and UK discuss the state of the fantasy and horror fields on both sides of the Atlantic.

A conversation about the early days of Arkham House and its founders August Derleth and Donald Wandrei, and the contributions of Arkham House and Wisconsin to the fantasy and horror fields.

As with any other art, writing requires practice, and a writer's skill can improve over time. Writers discuss the things they have learned as they have evolved and ways in which they have gained new levels of expertise. How can you tell when you're improving? How can you judge your own progress as a writer?

Just as a livable house needs space for the mundanities of daily life, a good fantasy world needs to provide a workable society. How do you create a world with a reasonable economy, food supply, toothbrushes, and plumbing? After you've done your research, how much of it do you show your reader?

With its long established line of distinguished special editions, Arkham House has become the center of many book collections. Booksellers, collectors, and small press editors discuss Arkham books, their own collections and the impact of Arkham House on genre collecting.

Well, you know, we've all got to eat. Often, on the quest to who-knows-where, we just assume that the characters are eating something. But other characters get meals described in glorious and loving detail. How can realistic food add to a story? Whose people eat the best? Whose castle has the best cooks? Bring a notebook in case there are recipes to share.

Experts discuss the problems and joys of writing sex scenes. What do you need to construct believable sex scenes? How can you tell when they are a necessary addition to the plot? Is it O.K. to just be hot? Examples may be read aloud, so use your judgment if you are easily embarrassed.

Usually we talk about what makes a book a children's book, but we thought we'd come at the subject from a different direction. Are there any subjects that cannot be part of a children's book? Are curse words really forbidden? Are there books out there that definitely should not be read by children? Why not?

Toastmaster Peter Straub interviewed by Gary K. Wolfe.

The battle between good and evil is a pervasive theme in fantasy, but it is not the only way in which ethics and philosophy are explored in the genre. Which fantasies have strong ethical or philosophical statements? Are any of them useful in teaching serious philosophy? Has the message evolved over time? How much philosophy can a writer infuse into a work of fantasy and still hold the reader?

The home of WisCon, Madison is the center for feminism in fantasy and science fiction. We will discuss the roles women have had in fantasy since Tolkien. Fantasy has become populated with women, finally, but are they realistic women who provide good role models? Can modern feminist ideals be successfully inserted into a medieval story? What are the best examples of a feminist character in fantasy?

Wisconsin's Arkham House has been one of the most influential and important small presses since 1939. What has it contributed to the fantasy and horror field? How has it changed over the years? Anyone who has written or worked for Arkham House is invited to attend and participate.

A yearly favorite: Good books and shorter works from the past year, recommended by our panel of experts.

From Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast to Matt Ruff's Set This House in Order, fantasy is full of houses real and imaginary. There are houses with personalities of their own, possessed houses, and houses that contain entire worlds. The panelists will explore these places, and perhaps lead you to some of their own making. What is it about the home that makes it such a compelling place for stories?

Fairy tales have always been an essential part of fantasy literature. They've been altered, turned into novels, and borrowed from. Where are the best uses of fairy tales? How can you turn a little folktale into a novel? What is it about fairy tales that make them important archetypes for so much of fantasy literature?

Fantasy is full of wandering bards and talented amateurs, but seems somewhat short on classically trained and professional performers. Why don't we see high culture such as orchestras and operas, even in highly developed fantasy cultures? Where are the exceptions? Why is the entertainment always provided by the medieval equivalent of the garage band?

A good heroic fantasy needs a really good bad guy. What makes a villain truly dastardly? Who are your favorite examples? How do you make evil believable, understandable, and conquerable, without descending into campiness? Can a true villain be sympathetic, and, if so, how does that change the dynamic of the story?

As more and more "cross-genre" work is published and as writers explore new territory, fantasy has become more diverse, harder to pin down. What is "fringe fantasy?" Can a novel or story be fantastical without anything magical happening in it? Where can readers find fantasy on the fringe? Who is writing it? Why is such work important?

If vampires are the aristocrats, are zombies the lower class among the undead? How does the popular brain-eating movie zombie differ from the original Haitian folklore zombie? What other types of zombies are out there? What roles do they fill in a horror story? Can zombies be reconciled with science? Why are they so popular?

As with any other art, writing requires practice, and a writer's skill can improve over time. Writers discuss the things they have learned as they have evolved and ways in which they have gained new levels of expertise. How can you tell when you're improving? How can you judge your own progress as a writer?

A discussion of fantasy illustration from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries including the works of Arthur Rackham, Joseph Clement Coll, Lee Brown Coye, and Margaret Brundage. Where are the influences on current artists seen?

In the past few years, there has been a surge of powerful fantasy writers from Australia , all with distinctive and innovative voices. How did this renaissance come about? What constitutes a uniquely Australian writer? Who will be the next breakout writers from Down Under?

Our panel of experts reviews the state of the "art" of fantasy review and criticism. Is there too much out there? Too little? Are reviews helping or harming the field? Where can a reader go for reliable reviews? And, of course, what practical things can a writer do to insure a fair review?

While much of the fantasy genre remains based on Celtic mythology, there are other cultures with rich folkloric heritages to consider. Assembled is a panel of writers who have recently wandered into Eastern European territory. How did you choose your particular direction? What have you borrowed from these cultures? Are there myths or traditions yet to be explored?

Interviewed by Charles de Lint.

The ghost story is a staple of the horror genre, though they don't always happen in the attic. Which are the best early ghost stories? How have they evolved in the past hundred or so years? Who is writing them now? Why is the ghost story such a popular theme?

A slide presentation of Kinuko Y. Craft's work, followed by some time for questions.

None of this would be possible without our readers. A reader completes the cycle of writing by providing an audience for the work. Is the reader an essential part of the process of writing? How much attention to that audience is needed while doing the writing itself? In what ways have readers contributed to the journey that is writing?

Interviewed by Joe McCabe.

From Lovecraft's Arkham to Arkham Asylum, horror and insanity have been intertwined. Meeting such things as Elder Gods has never been a way to stay sane. Is losing your mind the greatest horror of all?

Are the requirements for a really good horror villain different than for a fantasy bad guy? Does evil need motivation, or is it OK to just be evil? Does horror always need a villain? Who are your favorite horror bad guys? What happens when the protagonist himself is the evil one?

The surrounding architecture shapes our expectations of the creatures we'll find within. A minotaur is expected at the heart of a stone maze, but the Empire State Building requires a very different monster. The panelists will explore a variety of fictional and real places, and the monsters and stories that belong in them. How does architecture shape reader expectations of the creatures (and stories) that inhabit a world? How can writers use these expectations to add depth to a story, or play with them to surprise the reader?

Why are sex and horror often enmeshed? What is it about sexy vampires, seductive shape-shifters, and assorted creatures of the night who worm their ways into the protagonists' hearts and beds? Do we fear sex itself, possibly due to ingrained cultural guilt? Or is it the romantic surrender that is inherently dangerous and scary? Why?

These days, books are competing with a number of alternate forms of storytelling. We know about movies and graphic novels, but we rarely consider role-playing and video gaming. The most compelling of these games are popular because they provide the player with a pretty good story, in which s/he takes an active part. Our panel of experts discusses the most popular games and the way in which they offer an entirely different technique of involving the player in a story. How are they produced? What do they offer that books do not? Are there any lessons to be learned by traditional writers?

From Lovecraft's oozing caverns to the New York subways, things horrific are often subterranean. Our experts will explore their favorite underground horrors. What is it about the underground that makes it an ideal setting for horror? Must the entrance to Hell always lead underground? There's something in the basement. Let's split up!

Many of our favorite fantasy worlds contain the ruins of another age. These ruins often reflect the attitude of the world toward an age long past, either shrouded in lovely mystery or inhabited by evil monsters. We will discuss our favorite ruins, and what they signify for the characters visiting them. How are these ruins used as storytelling settings? How do they contribute to (or detract from) their story?

A companion to the panel on women in fantasy, here we will look at the portrayal of women in fantasy illustration, book covers, and fine art. Has feminism influenced the image? What influence have female artists brought?

The meeting is open and interested folk are welcome. (There may be a closed meeting after the open session, for certain discussions and votes.)

Writing dark fantasy and horror for a young audience seems to hold special challenges. The writer must walk a line between edgy and too dark. What's out there right now for the young horror fan? Has anyone crossed the line into interesting or new territory? Can a writer aim specifically for certain ages, or does one just write and let the editors decide?

Fantasy and folklore are full of tales about little people. Sometimes they're helpful, sometimes mischievous at best. Probably our panelists can think of some of those tales. Are any of the stories based on fact, as the finding of "hobbit bones" in Indonesia seems to suggest? Why are we fascinated with little people? What makes them so fun to write about?

A WFC tradition: This year's WF Awards judges talk about their summer reading and the decisions.
(*The stated time is not exact: this panel will begin shortly after the banquet concludes.*)