The year is absolutely flying by thus far! In amongst all the other summer goings-on, I’ll be at Readercon in Burlington, MA July 9-12,2026. It’s one of my favorite conventions and I try to attend whenever possible. Preliminary schedules have been released, so here’s where I’ll be when (subject to change). If you’re attending, say hi!
Author Reading – Friday, July 10, 1:00pm – Empower/Embrace
The Power of Assigned Reading – Friday, July 10, 3pm – Salon A/B
Rebecca Fraimow, Rich Horton (moderator), Ian Muneshwar, A.C. Wise, Gregory Wilson
Whether in school or as the result of a friendship or a romance, most of us have found ourselves at one point or another reading a book (or a dozen) that we never would have picked up on our own, and being inspired in an entirely new way. What books never appealed to you, but left their marks anyway? Are there any you hated, but wish you could force everyone to read anyway? What can the act of assigning reading do for our adult relationships?
Fantasy Noir – Friday, July 10, 4pm – Salon E
Laurence Raphael Brothers, Nicole Glover, Scott Lynch, Victoria Janssen McManus, A.C. Wise (moderator)
Fantasy noir. We’ve all been relishing hopepunk in the past decade, and cozy is all the rage, but what keeps some of us reaching for the dark themes and frequent hopelessness that are the hallmarks of noir? There’s plenty of great fantasy detectives if what you want is a good mystery—which are the standouts and hidden gems of fantasy noir, and who’s defying expectations with some little rays of hope amidst their noir trappings?
The Rise of Cozy Fiction – Saturday, July 11, 10am – Salon A/B
Rachel Gutin, Victoria Janssen McManus, John P. Murphy, Meredith Schwartz, A.C. Wise (moderator)
Cozy fiction, like romantasy, is developing as a genre niche, but also like romantasy, not without controversy and debate. But what makes fiction cozy? Is it a lack of plot? Quirky characters? Is cozy expanding beyond its traditional home in mystery? If so, is that OK? There are some who claim that a cozy book will read the same whether or not the reader has encountered spoilers. Are cozy books the equivalent of comfort reads? And who are cozy fiction readers, anyway?
With Glowing Hearts: Canadian SFF – Saturday, July 11, 11am – Salon A/B
Marianna Martin, Sam Wilket (moderator), A.C. Wise
A discussion of distinctly Canadian tropes, locations, and themes in SFF works by both Canadian authors and others. From the reality of the Space Shuttle’s robotic Canadarm to the fictional Vancouver shipping yards of Gibson’s Spook Country, and on to purely speculative realms, what do Canadian landscapes and identities inspire in and contribute to genre fiction?
